Every team has hope to contend on Opening Day. Likewise, every player who’s yet to reach superstar status in the major leagues can dream that this is the year he’ll make a name for himself.
The theme of our season-opening power rankings is based off of those dreams. We’ve identified one player on each team who’s shown glimpses that he could break out on the big stage. With the vast majority of MLB teams set to open the 2025 season on Thursday, we’ll soon find out which players have what it takes and which have misplaced hope—until next year, anyway.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Breakout Candidate: SP Roki Sasaki
No surprise here. There’s a reason he’s been the world’s top pitching prospect for several years. Sasaki boasts a wicked arsenal that includes an upper 90s fastball that hits triple-digits regularly, plus a splitter that is already one of MLB’s best pitches and a good slider. He’s an extreme favorite to win Rookie of the Year in the National League.
2. New York Mets
Breakout Candidate: SP Griffin Canning
It may feel overly optimistic to call Canning, a 28-year-old former top prospect, a breakout candidate. Injuries and inconsistency have left the former Los Angeles Angels hurler’s potential untapped. Thanks to different pitch sequencing, however, Canning racked up 22 strikeouts in 14 ⅓ innings during a productive spring. He could finally level up in David Stearns’s Mets pitching lab.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
Breakout Candidate: 2B Bryson Stott
Stott seemed on the verge of becoming an All-Star after he rapped 164 hits, batted .280 and stole 31 bases in ‘23. But he took a step back in a disappointing ‘24 campaign in which he was playing through a nerve issue in his elbow. Now healthy and with a strong spring under his belt, Stott is poised to become an All-Star for the first time.
4. New York Yankees
Breakout Candidate: OF Jasson Dominguez
Dominguez endured some rough moments in left field to start the spring but the Yankees demonstrated patience and he began to show progress. Dominguez, who just turned 22 last month, belted four home runs in eight games in a brief stint in the majors in 2023 before injuries derailed his progress. In ‘25 he’ll show why he earned the nickname “The Martian.”
5. Boston Red Sox
Breakout Candidate: OF Ceddanne Rafaela
At just 23 years old last season, Rafaela was a fixture in Boston’s lineup, appearing in 152 games while belting 15 home runs and swiping 19 bases while also being rated as an above-average center fielder with a strong arm. The speedy Rafaela could go for a 25–25 season in one of the AL’s best lineups in ‘25.
6. Arizona Diamondbacks
Breakout Candidate: SP Brandon Pfaadt
Pfaadt will open the season as Arizona’s fifth starter in a strong rotation. He has yet to put it all together in his two-year career. But the silver lining from last season was that while his ERA sat at 4.71, his xFIP was 3.58, suggesting a lot of bad luck. That has to turn around eventually. He has the stuff to make it happen.
7. Atlanta Braves
Breakout Candidate: SP Spencer Schwellenbach
In a rookie season that flew under the radar in the National League, Schwellenbach amassed a 3.35 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 123 ⅔ innings pitched in ‘24. He can sit righties down with a filthy slider and send lefties back to the dugout with his splitter or curveball. It’s rare for such a young pitcher—he’ll be 25 in May—to have so many weapons.
8. Chicago Cubs
Breakout Candidate: CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
Four years later, the Cubs’ 2021 trade of Javier Baez to the New York Mets appears ready to bear fruit. Crow-Armstrong was a capable center fielder in his first full season in 2024, driving in 47 runs and stealing 27 bases—but he can be something much more than that. Look for the speedster to make a case for the All-Star Game after posting a gaudy .500/.485/.906 slash line in limited spring action.
9. Baltimore Orioles
Breakout Candidate: IF Jackson Holliday
Holliday, the son of former seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, has the pedigree. As the top overall prospect from ‘24, he has the potential. Now, with All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson set to begin the year on the injured list, Holliday will have plenty of opportunities to shine. A strong spring in which he collected 16 hits and swiped five bases in 16 games only adds to the excitement.
10. Cleveland Guardians
Breakout Candidate: SP Gavin Williams
Williams suffered an elbow injury last spring and picked up some bad mechanical habits. He appears to have corrected those, as his fastball increased velocity and vertical break in the spring, when he racked up 26 strikeouts in 17 ⅓ innings. He’s ready to take the next step.
11. Houston Astros
Breakout Candidate: SP Spencer Arrighetti
The 25-year-old righty made 28 starts in 2024 and struck out 171 hitters in 145 innings pitched. He looked dominant at times but finished the campaign with a 4.53 ERA. That should improve if he harnesses his control. Arrighetti has a mid-90s fastball with life and movement and a hard, biting slider that can be devastating to right-handed hitters. He looked dominant at times last year and should be more often this year.
12. Detroit Tigers
Breakout Candidate: 1B/DH Spencer Torkelson
Torkelson, the 2020 top overall pick, belted 31 home runs and drove in 94 runs in his second season in ‘23. A brutal slump resulted in a demotion to Triple-A last summer. But Torkelson, boasting a .989 OPS this spring, looks like a man on a mission this year.
13. Texas Rangers
Breakout Candidate: LF Wyatt Langford
After a promising rookie year, the No. 4 pick from the loaded 2023 MLB draft could realize his All-Star potential. Langford finished the 2024 campaign slashing .253/.325/.415 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI. He has followed that up by absolutely mashing this spring, boasting an OPS of 1.233. The 23-year-old is set to be a huge piece of the Rangers’ puzzle.
14. Seattle Mariners
Breakout Candidate: SP Bryan Woo
The power righty starter with incredible fastball movement had an outstanding 2024, going 9–3 with a 2.89 ERA in 22 starts. His walk rate was among the best in the majors and his strikeout-to-walk rate was an eye-popping 7.8. He simply doesn’t let guys get on base and is poised to be even more valuable with a bigger workload in 2025.
15. San Diego Padres
Breakout Candidate: SS Xander Bogaerts
Can a four-time All-Star be a breakout candidate? In the case of Bogaerts and his time in San Diego, absolutely. He has yet to live up to the 11-year, $280 million contract the Padres signed him to in December 2022. Injuries have been a big part of that. Two down years have lowered expectations and taken some pressure off him.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
Breakout Candidate: OF Sal Frelick
Frelick already won a Gold Glove last year, but he still has room to grow on the cusp of his 25th birthday. An early-spring report from Todd Rosiak of touted Frelick adding significant muscle in the offseason; even modest gains in pop would make him an all-around player to watch.
17. Minnesota Twins
Breakout Candidate: RF Matt Wallner
The 27-year-old Wallner posted a .914 OPS in the second half and carried the Twins’ Carlos Correa-less lineup down the stretch. There’s a little bit too much swing-and-miss in his game but he has an impressive ability to barrel the ball and a 10 percent career walk rate is nothing to sneeze at. If he can handle the adjustments pitchers make to him, 2025 will be a big year.
18. San Francisco Giants
Breakout Candidate: SP Robbie Ray
This is more of a bounce-back than breakout prediction. Finally healthy after Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner has looked excellent in spring training. It’s time for him to reintroduce himself to the majors. Ray made seven starts in 2024 with mixed results, posting a 4.70 ERA but striking out 43 in 30 ⅔ innings. If he keeps his control issues in check, the Giants may not miss Blake Snell.
19. Kansas City Royals
Breakout Candidate: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
Pasquantino belted a career-high 19 home runs in ‘24 but missed the final month of the season with a broken right thumb. He seldom strikes out, makes good contact and can slug, rare combinations for a power-hitting first baseman. Pasquantino suffered a Grade 1-plus right hamstring strain this spring but if he can recover to enjoy good health in ‘25, a career year is on the way.
20. Cincinnati Reds
Breakout Candidate: 2B/SS Matt McLain
Shoulder surgery cost McLain—who received Rookie of the Year votes in 2023—all of last season. That’s a shame, because he was special in just 89 games in ‘23. His numbers that year, extrapolated to a 162-game season: .290/.357/.507, 29 home runs, 91 RBIs, 6.5 bWAR. If he stays healthy and comes remotely close to those numbers, the Reds’ infield will be must-see television.
21. Tampa Bay Rays
Breakout Candidate: 3B Junior Caminero
There will be highs and lows with Caminero this year. Look no further than his spring training performance. An 0-for-19 slump preceded a 373-foot, opposite field home run off of Yankees lefthander Max Fried in a game on Sunday. But Caminero’s raw power could be a godsend for the Rays’ lineup.
22. Toronto Blue Jays
Breakout Candidate: OF Alan Roden
Roden, the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect, posted a monstrous .407/.541/.704 slash line in 37 spring training plate appearances. The 25-year-old on-base machine earned a spot on the Opening Day roster and should get plenty of at-bats this year, especially with Daulton Varsho opening the season on the IL.
23. Washington Nationals
Breakout Candidate: LF James Wood
The 6’7”, 234-pound slugger acquired in the Juan Soto trade posted a 122 OPS+, a .264 batting average and swiped 14 bases in just 79 games last year. Wood struggled defensively in his first taste of big-league action, but he’s armed with all five tools. He’s long been touted as a future All-Star and the future is now.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
Breakout Candidate: 2B Nick Gonzales
Pittsburgh’s 2020 first-round pick is an intriguing piece. With the caveat that he had good batted-ball luck last year, Gonzales made modest strides as a contact hitter, raising his average 61 points and OPS 93 points. Good range numbers at second base suggest a potent all-around game waiting to be unlocked.
25. St. Louis Cardinals
Breakout Candidate: P Michael McGreevy
A 1.96 ERA in a four-game cup of coffee last year predated a 1.08 ERA in four spring training games. With these numbers, it’s a bit surprising McGreevy will start 2025 pitching for Triple-A Memphis. The 24-year-old has quite a few innings on his odometer—the most in the minor leagues since 2022, per MLB—but if managed carefully could be a big-league spark plug.
26. The Athletics
Breakout Candidate: RF Lawrence Butler
One could argue Butler broke out in 2024, as the toolsy right fielder slashed .300/.345/.553 with 13 home runs and 12 stolen bases after the All-Star break. Despite the franchise’s relocation woes, Butler is a big bright spot, going from a sixth-round pick in 2018 to the recent recipient of a seven-year, $65.5 million extension. Expect big things this season in West Sacramento.
27. Los Angeles Angels
Breakout Candidate: SP Jose Soriano
Soriano is a flame-thrower whose upper-90s sinker can be one of baseball’s best pitches when he controls it. The 26-year-old showed some promise last year, going 6–7 with a 3.42 ERA in 22 appearances (20 starts). Soriano has had Tommy John surgery twice, but if he stays healthy he could be a bright spot for a struggling Angels franchise.
28. Colorado Rockies
Breakout Candidate: RF Jordan Beck
After Beck got his first call-up last April, he struggled before fracturing his hand. But the 23-year-old was excellent in Triple-A, slashing .319/.402/.558 to earn another call-up in August. The Rockies want him to eventually win the right field job this year and if he does, his combination of power and speed should play up at Coors Field.
29. Chicago White Sox
Breakout Candidate: RP Mike Clevinger
The 34-year-old former starter was excellent in the latter part of last decade for the Guardians, then mostly sank out of relevance. But he’s healthy again after undergoing disc replacement surgery last August and is occupying a relief role that should limit his medical issues. While Clevinger may not get many chances to close on a bad White Sox team, he’s in position to extend his career if he excels in the opportunities he does receive.
30. Miami Marlins
Breakout Candidate: SP Max Meyer
Meyer, the 2020 No. 3 overall pick, missed the entire ‘23 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In ‘24, he struggled to a 5.68 ERA in 57 innings. But Meyer is healthy and more muscular entering this season. With added velocity on his fastball and a new sweeper in his arsenal, he could soon reach his full potential.
