The Most Impressive Rookies In Major League Baseball

Players Impressing In Their First Full Year At the MLB

Jacob Wilson

Jacob Wilson hasn't just been one of the best rookies in Major League Baseball; he's been one of the best players in Major League Baseball. Wilson has an impressive .373/.408/.528 slashline with a 167 wRC+ and 3.3 fWAR. He has elite bat-to-ball skills to go along with a 6% K%! He's been a machine from day one!

Carlos Narváez

Carlos Narváez has the tools to be one of the top catchers in Major League Baseball for a long time. He has 6 HR, a 128 wRC+, and 2.2 fWAR. He ranks in the 95th percentile or higher in Blocks Above Average (6) and Framing (5) while sporting a 1.92 Pop Time. He also has a 13.0% Barrel%!

Drake Baldwin

Drake Baldwin hits the ball as hard as anyone in baseball, posting an insane 55.9% hard-hit% and 92.4 MPH AVG EV. He does this with elite Bat Speed at 75.3 MPH. He currently has 7 HR and a .282/.351/.489 slashline with a 140 wRC+ and 1.6 fWAR. He is going to be a major problem! This is a franchise backstop for the Atlanta Braves.

Chad Patrick

Chad Patrick has the highest fWAR of 1.8 among all qualified rookie pitchers. He has a 2.84 ERA and 3.22 FIP across 69.2 IP. Patrick gets an above-average chase rate and limits barrels (6.0%). He does this primarily with a fastball-dominant arsenal, using his Cutter, FF, and SI. He’s been one of the best arms in the Brewers’ rotation.

Ben Casparius

Ben Casparius was an arm that many people were paying close attention to at the start of the season. And for good reason! He limits hard hits (30.0%), doesn't walk anyone (4.3%), has a well above-average K% (27.3%), Whiff% (31.4%), and Chase% (33.0%), while possessing elite stuff. He’s backed up the hype and keeps shoving.

Shane Smith

Shane Smith has been a major bright spot for the White Sox this season!
He currently has a 2.45 ERA across 62.1 IP and does this primarily with his FF-CH combo. Both offerings have a sub .187 batting average against with elite whiff rates (FF (26.5%), CH (35.7%)). He also limits Barrels (5.3%). Quietly, one of the most effective arms in the American League to start the season!

Chase Meidroth

Chase Meidroth has been very impressive over the first 43 games of his career! He is walking (12.0%) just as much as he is striking out (12.0%), while having a .299/.383/.370 slashline, 120 wRC+, and 1.4 fWAR. He has shown elite plate discipline in his profile at just 23! He’s not chasing, not whiffing, just having very competitive and professional at-bats.

Hyeseong Kim

Hyeseong Kim is hitting .414 over his first 61 PA, while sporting a 194 wRC+ and 0.9 fWAR. He has a smooth left-handed swing from the left side with above-average sprint speed (28.7 ft/sec) and has shown glimpses of + power (462 FT HR in AAA this season). He’s been electric early and looks like he’s going to be an electric player for the Dodgers!

Jack Dreyer

Jack Dreyer has been great this season, posting a 2.83 ERA over his first 35.0 IP this season. However, his 2.01 xERA and 2.27 FIP suggest that he should be doing better than he already has. The 26-year-old has posted one of the lowest barrel rates to start the season (1.1%)! Everything is working, and he’s flying under the radar.

Eric Orze

Eric Orze has an insane 0.73 ERA over his first 19 appearances to start the season!
He is elite at limiting hard contact (25.4% hard-hit%, 4.5% barrel%, 87.1 MPH AVG EV), and he has elite extension at 6.9 ft (86th percentile). The Rays continue to develop great arms in the pen! It’s been pure dominance from the jump, and he’s not getting talked about enough!

Tomoyuki Sugano

Tomoyuki Sugano has been one of the most pleasant surprises in Major League Baseball! The 35-year-old has posted a 3.23 ERA over 75.1 IP, and well, his xERA, FIP, and xFIP show regression; he has an elite BB% (4.0%), and does limit hard-hits (37.2%) while generating some groundballs. With concerns about the Orioles’ rotation coming into this year, he’s giving them exactly what they needed: stability and results.

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