5 Bats That Have Impressed In 2025

A Blog By Brett

Jeremy Pena - Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have to be very thankful for the Jeremy Pena breakout this season. He is one of the main reasons this team is in first place in the American League West. Pena is a career .269 hitter, yet he is 55 points above his career batting average, all the while he might eclipse his career high (22) in home runs this season. Houston no longer has Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez has essentially been injured all season, and they don’t seem to have skipped a beat. He is top-10 in batting average and top-20 in OPS in the MLB right now. He is also a fringe-elite defender at Shortstop. Yes, there is still a lot of baseball to be played, but Pena is giving me every reason to be a believer in his game as one of the top shortstops in all of baseball.

2025 - 4.2 WAR | .325 AVG | 9 HR | 15 2B | 15 SB | .379 OBP | .864 OPS

Jacob Wilson - Athletics

Wilson is right now the odds-on favorite to win American League Rookie of the Year, and for good reason. He is top-15 in both OPS and Average in all of baseball. Did I mention he only trails Aaron Judge in batting average? This guy has been so impressive for his rookie season and looks to be a staple in the Athletics lineup for years to come.

Fun Jacob Wilson story - I was driving up to Gaylord, Michigan, for a boys' golf trip last summer and stumbled upon a card shop that was fixated on Detroit Tigers and prospects. In the corner of the shop, I noticed there were several baseballs signed by some of the greats, including Mickey Mantle. I spoke to the store manager and mentioned that I had recently pulled a numbered/auto 1st Bowman of Jacob Wilson from a pack and struck a deal. I traded a Jacob Wilson 1st Bowman, numbered out of 75, for an authenticated/signed Mickey Mantle ball. Long story short, I am a proud owner of a Mickey Mantle signed ball. I did end up buying Jacob Wilson’s autograph on another card for $15, so if he continues to smash in the league, I have my bases covered!

2025 - 2.5 WAR | .362 AVG | 8 HR | 15 2B | 5 SB | .396 OBP | .901 OPS

Spencer Torkelson - Detroit Tigers

Tork has been one of the most impressive bats in baseball this season. That does not mean he is one of the “best” bats in baseball; it means he has forced me to pay attention as he has seemingly turned it around completely. This is Torkelson’s fourth season in the bigs, and the reason for him being on this list is his mentality. Let’s address the elephant in the room. This guy played 58 games in the minor leagues last year, and it was not because of injury. He couldn’t hit! His OBP was sub.300, he struck out 105 times across 92 games played, and barely hit double-digit home runs (10) for playing first base, a position known for power.

He took that demotion and has run with it. The batting average is up, he is getting on base at a career high clip right now, and is top-15 in all of baseball with 16 bombs through sixty-nine games. Thousands of players have been sent down to the minors due to a lack of production and never make it back. Torkelson is proving all haters wrong, and I am all for it.

2025 - 1.4 WAR | .233 AVG | 16 HR | 15 2B | 1 SB | .341 OBP | .831 OPS

Maikel Garcia - Kansas City Royals

For anyone who has claimed that Bobby Witt Jr. has no help in the lineup, they clearly are not paying attention. Maikel Garcia is often overlooked and rarely discussed when talking about Royals baseball. You hear the names Jac Caglianone, Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino, yet Garcia is not mentioned. That won’t happen with this blog. Garcia might not be the flashiest player, but he is turning heads this season as he is currently swinging the bat to a .309 batting average, good for T-11th overall in Major League Baseball.

Garcia is currently top-25 in MLB in both Batting Average and OPS and has also accumulated 2.3 WAR so far in 2025. His previous season-high WAR was 1.2. He has now put up more WAR in 2025 than in the previous three seasons combined. 2022 = -0.1, 2023 = 1.1, 2024 = 1.2. Not too shabby from the Royals' starting third baseman.

2025 - 2.2 WAR | .309 AVG | 7 HR | 18 2B | 15 SB | .370 OBP | .846 OPS

Jonathan Aranda - Tampa Bay Rays

Aranda is breaking out in 2025. Before this season, he played 110 career games and was putting up a .219 batting average. That is not the story anymore. Turns out all he needed was consistent playing time, as he can’t stop hitting. Not to mention, he is slugging .498, which is a career high. The Rays' development department continues to rack up wins, and Aranda is just the latest case out of the lab.

Aranda looks to be the first baseman of the future for the Rays. I would love him to cut down on his strikeout rate a bit, but overall, he has been outstanding in 2025.

2025 - 2.7 WAR | .324 AVG | 8 HR | 14 2B | 0 SB | .416 OBP | .914 OPS

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