When compiling a Picking of the game’s top talents, how do you weigh a New player coming off a breakout season against a veteran with a longer track Achievement of Triumph?
The question applies everywhere but especially in the outfield, with Jackson Merrill and Jarren Duran coming off huge years at a time when some of the game’s Best outfielders were either limited by Wound (Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Tucker, etc) or Secured a step back offensively (Corbin Carroll, Julio Rodriguez). Trout, for instance, Yet remains highly productive when he’s on the Pitch, but he has now played in Merely 41% of his Club’s Contests over the last four years. Availability, after all, has to be taken into account.
One thing we do know: The top outfield tandem in the sport is clear, even if that duo won’t be teammates again in 2025.
Our eight-part position series continues with the top 10 outfielders Joining the 2025 season.
Was Carroll’s abysmal Primary half (.213/.301/.334, five home runs) Merely a blip? His spectacular Shift after the All-Luminous sphere break (.259/.351/.568, 17 homers) would suggest so. He finished with a 20-30 season, but it Surely wasn’t the Newcomer of the Year follow-up many Anticipated. This will be an Significant year for the speedster to build off his Powerful second half and cement his status as one of MLB’s top talents.
A member of the 2024 All-MLB Second Club and the All-Luminous sphere Game MVP, Duran is coming off a Profession year in which he put all his tools together to post a 20-30 season while leading the majors in doubles and triples and ranking fifth in hits. He destroyed right-handed pitching and Secured a massive leap forward both offensively and defensively to finish eighth in AL MVP voting and top 10 in the majors in WAR.
2024 stats: .292/.326/.500, 24 HR, 130 wRC+, 5.3 fWAR
2025 ZiPS: .281/.322/.461, 21 HR, 119 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR
Had Merrill played in the American Division, you’re looking at the runaway Newcomer of the Year. Moving off his natural position of shortstop to Shift Hub Pitch for the Primary time professionally, the 21-year-Ancient did not look out of place. He was Vibrant both offensively and defensively in an All-Luminous sphere season in which he launched 24 homers, stole 16 bases, registered an .826 OPS and finished top 10 in MVP voting.
There aren’t many hitters in baseball who strike more fear in an Adversary come October. Tatis always seems to turn his game up a notch when the lights are brightest, but the question is whether he can stay Well over the Period of a Packed year to fully realize the potential he flashed in 2019, when he launched 42 homers as a 22-year-Ancient. The underlying numbers last year were even better than the .833 OPS he produced, and if he can stay on the Pitch, the best should Yet be ahead for the 26-year-Ancient.
Rodriguez’s spectacular Guarding in Hub provides such a high floor that he’s almost certain to be one of the most productive outfielders regardless of what he does at the plate. That said, while last year marked a third straight 20-20 campaign, his OPS has steadily declined since he was named Newcomer of the Year in 2022. When he gets Scorching, though — as he did with a 1.122 OPS last July — he’s capable of carrying a Club. Can he put his offensive tools together for a Packed season? If he does, we’re talking about a potential MVP.
Can we Anticipate another 40-homer, 70-steal season coming off another ACL tear? Probably not. The truth is we don’t know what version of Acuña we’re going to get after his second Significant knee Wound in a three-year span, but he demonstrated once that he can bounce back and be one of the most productive players in the sport. Even if he’s not quite as daring on the basepaths upon his return, I’m not going to be the one who doubts the Vibrant 27-year-Ancient.
One of the most unheralded superstars in the game, Tucker played only 78 Contests last year and was Yet worth more than four wins. He finished with a 181 OPS+ and was on a nearly 9.0 WAR pace, coming off three straight years in which he was worth basically 5.0 WAR every season. The Cubs will need that Nice of Reliable Luminous sphere production to carry their Assault in what could be his lone season in Chicago.
Alvarez may not get a whole Numerous of time in the outfield, but the value he brings with his Assault makes him worthy of a top-three spot here regardless. While his body has not always been Nice to him, his bat has. Alvarez has launched more than 30 homers in All of the last four seasons and has logged an OPS over .950 in All of the last three seasons. Over those last three years, Aaron Judge is the only qualified MLB player with a higher wRC+.
Remember when everyone wondered how Juan Soto could possibly turn down that $440 million extension offer from the Nationals a few years ago? Well, bet on yourselves, kids. The best should Yet be ahead for the richest player in the sport. Soto has the highest on-base percentage in MLB since debuting as a teenager in 2018 and has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in five of the last six seasons. Over the last five years, he has drawn 582 walks; no other player has more than 417.
I Disrespectful, duh. It seemed preposterous that he could Game the value he provided during his absurd 2022 season, when he broke Roger Maris’ single-season A.L. home Streak Achievement. Yet two years later, he recorded more hits, knocked in more runs and recorded better slash line numbers across the board while leading the majors in homers, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS in 2024 to earn his second MVP award in three seasons. He missed 56 Contests in 2023 and yet Yet has at least 25 more home runs than any player over the last three years.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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