MLB Top 20 ROokies of last 5 years
To figure out if the Topps MLB 2024 rookie class is the best since 2018 (a common claim online), I decided to rank the rookies of the last 5 years in terms of hobby appeal. Last week, I featured the bottom half of this list. Now, it’s time to check out the bigger names in the hobby with the top 20.
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20. 2023 Adley Rutschman- Adley is sliding down this list quickly as his hitting has progressively worsened each year. Even with the decline, he’s still a likely All-Star catcher for years to come. He’s ranked ahead of Contreras and Raleigh due to hype.
19. 2023 Mason Miller- I’m big on Miller. He might have the best stuff in the majors and has the baseball savant page to prove it. 99th percentiles for good things and 1% for bad. He’s a reliever, though, meaning it will be hard for collectors to notice him. Still, he’s the highest hobby upside reliever in years.
18. 2023 Eury Perez- Perez has electric stuff, and it’s not hyperbole to compare him to Skenes in terms of talent. He’s coming back from injury, but he’s only 22. He was about to take off in the hobby before his injury, and a few good starts will see him prepping for lift off.
17. 2023 Riley Greene- Greene is striking out way too much, but he’s been playing well recently and is on pace for 35+ homers. He’s at an All-Star level currently. The good news is he’s flashed the ability to get to MVP territory. Cutting down on the strikeouts might get him there.
16. 2021 Garret Crochet- The Red Sox's new ace is doing his best to grab a Cy Young this year. He’s a strikeout-heavy pitcher, which helps him immensely in the hobby. Lots to like other than the hobby’s dislike of pitchers.
15. 2024 Yoshinobu Yamamoto- The idea that just because a player is from Japan makes him collectible is increasingly outdated, but still commonly touted. Yamamoto is still high on this list due to talent and his position as an ace on baseball’s most important team, and not just because he is the latest flashy star from Japan.
14. 2025 James Wood- The top player in the 2025 class hits the ball with authority. Once he changes his launch angle more (he’s gone from negative to 3.3 at least), his production should increase greatly. The fact that he is producing well while hitting pitches into the dirt is impressive. He can easily be in the top 5 with a few adjustments. He has legit superstar upside.
13. 2022 Spencer Strider- Strider is a strikeout machine. He’s also coming back from injury and has lost some velocity. Collectors dig strikeouts, and Strider is still the clearest source of eye-popping strikeout numbers, so his spot in the hobby is still strong despite the injury. Being a Braves pitcher also helps get one hobby's attention.
12. 2024 Pete Crow-Armstrong- He wouldn’t have cracked the top 30 two months ago. He’s playing great defense, which was expected. He’s hitting worlds better than expected. While he’s outperforming his expected stats substantially, even with regression, Crow-Armstrong will be producing at an All-Star level. He’s got Jim Edmonds and Torii Hunter upside, which is awesome. The problem is they aren’t exactly hobby darlings, which keeps him out of the top 10.
11. 2024 Jackson Holiday- Holiday is yet another heralded prospect that struggled early before breaking out. He was meant to be the big chase in 2024 products, but got overshadowed by a few others on this list. He’s making up for lost time in a hurry, and I might feel silly ranking him this low by the end of the year.
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10.2024 Elly De La Cruz- He’s got some issues: too many strikeouts and a low launch angle. He’s also got the craziest upside of anyone on this list. Can he steal 100 bases in some year? I wouldn’t be shocked. He’s the epitome of high-risk/high-reward.
9. 2024 Wyatt Langford- I change the order of Langford and the next two players on an almost daily basis. I’ve got them ranked currently based on my perceptions of their current place in the hobby.
8. 2024 Jackson Chourio- Chourio looks like the real deal, even if his production isn’t that great yet this year. He’s a 21-year-old on pace for a 3.5-4 WAR season. That’s a rare thing, and collectors are betting big on its future.
7. 2024 Jackson Merrill- Merrill got the big contract and is set to be the face of the Padres for most of the next decade. He’s been a bit out of the news with an injury, but he was 14-23 in his first five games back. Those kinds of stretches make Merrill one of the most exciting youngsters around.
6. 2021 Tarik Skubal- Skubal is in the middle of his prime. Along with Skenes and Strider, he’s the pitcher under 30 most likely to become the ace of the league. Collectors have slowly gravitated to Skubal. He’s the surprise gem of the 2021 class, and a good reminder not to give up on young, talented pitchers.
5. 2022 Julio Rodriguez- His ceiling is greatly hampered by his painfully slow starts each year. He’s downright awful in April, rounding into an average player by the All-Star break. After the break, he’s MVP level. If he can put together a season of consistently high production, he’ll be worthy of being in the discussion with Judge and Ohtani as the best player in the game. Four years in a row of slow starts make one wonder if we’ll ever get that. It’s strange to be disappointed in someone in my top 5, but he could be at the top easily without the bad starts. Bummer.
4. 2023 Corbin Carroll- Everyone and their mammy were expecting big things from Carroll this year. He’s delivered. His underlying stats are great. My only concern that keeps him from ranking higher is his injury history, paired with his very violent swing. He’s already a clear 30/30 candidate, and if he starts running more, 40/40 isn’t out of the question. At 24, Carroll is moving into the upper echelon of the game and the hobby.
3. 2023 Gunnar Henderson- Henderson started the year on the IL and wasn’t quite himself when he came back. Even with that, he’s still heading for a 5 WAR season. It turns out a disappointing Gunnar season is still All-Star caliber. Not many players are in that category. Watch for Gunnar to go on a hot streak and remind collectors how awesome he is. I’m stocking up right now as I think this might be the last good buying window for Gunnar cards.
2. 2024 Paul Skenes- I’m not big on Skenes. It’s not that he’s not awesome, though. He’s every bit as good, if not better, than advertised. I just think he’s horrendously overvalued given his position and the fact that young modern pitchers rarely pitch more than 180 innings. With the way pitchers are used, Skenes won’t hit any crazy counting stat milestones. That means he needs hardware. Skenes needs to win 4 or more Cy Young awards to justify his cards’ current high prices. Skenes’ position in the hobby is impossible to deny, so he gets ranked here even if I’m not holding any Skenes cards myself.
1. 2022 Bobby Witt Jr.-Witt and Gunnar are the two players on this list I most expect to debate about their place amongst the all-time greats. Outside of 50-homer power, there’s little missing from Witt’s game. He’s more of a 30-homer with 40 upside if he gets lucky. Add in his speed, defense, and intangibles, and he’s like an odd mix of Jeter and A-Rod. Witt is the player on this list that, barring injuries, I’d be most surprised to not have a HOF-worthy career.
What Does it Mean?
2024 indeed does have the most players in the top 20 and top 40. 2024’s advantage comes in the fact that it is more recent. We’ve had plenty of time to become disillusioned with the 2021 class after all. Still, 2025’s poor showing helps make 2024 even stronger.
In terms of upper-echelon talent, I’d take the top two from 2023 (Gunnar and Carroll) over any of the other year’s top two players, with 2022 coming in second. 2024 gets you lots of potential stars, but none that are as clear superstars as those players from 2022 and 2023.
Overall, I’d concede that the 2024 class is the strongest since 2018. It’s worth noting that I left off 2020 and 2019. 2020 isn’t a real contender, but 2019 is. Tatis, Vlad Jr., Kyle Tucker, and Pete Alonso are a stunning top four, and there are also fun players like Luis Arraez in the class. I’m still choosing 2024 (and 2023) over 2019, but I can’t argue too much with those who choose 2019.
Wrap UP
Overall, I consider 2024, 2023, 2019, and 2022 fairly strong. 2025, 2021, and 2020 aren’t as compelling, even if they each have some gems. Let me know what players I left out or ranked incorrectly in the comments.