AL CENTRAL
Guardians: OF Chase DeLauter
As much as everyone would love for this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Travis Bazzana, to be ready for a 2025 debut, that’s far from certain. It’d be shocking if DeLauter didn’t get his first call to the Majors this upcoming season. He dazzled in Spring Training in ‘24, hitting four homers in 13 Cactus League games and knocking in the most runs of anyone in camp (10). But once again, injuries derailed his path to the Majors. The Guardians need outfield depth and this former top prospect (now No. 2, as ranked by MLB Pipeline) could be the answer if he can stay healthy. — Mandy Bell
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Royals: LHP Noah Cameron
Cameron, the Royals’ No. 12 prospect, might have made his MLB debut last year if the Royals weren’t making a postseason push and wanted to get a look at one of their top pitching prospects, but that debut will likely be coming in 2025. The Royals added Cameron to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he’ll be competing for a spot on the Royals’ Opening Day pitching staff in the spring. The Royals’ seventh-round pick in the 2021 Draft, Cameron has dealt with some injuries in his career but has been remarkably consistent when he’s healthy, especially throwing strikes. The 25-year-old posted a 3.08 ERA between two levels in 2024 and finished the season particularly strong in Triple-A Omaha, where he had a 2.32 ERA across nine starts, with 62 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 54 1/3 innings. — Anne Rogers
Tigers: C Thayron Liranzo
While fellow Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceño dominated the Arizona Fall League, Liranzo (Detroit’s No. 6 prospect) put together a sneaky good season behind him, backing up his breakout stretch run at High-A West Michigan and reinforcing hopes that the switch-hitting backstop can fill a role as the Tigers’ catcher of the future with impact both at the plate and behind it. Catchers can take longer to develop than other position players, but Liranzo has a chance to make some noise at Double-A Erie at some point next season and join Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle in the next wave of young talent headed toward Detroit. — Jason Beck
Thayron Liranzo’s go-ahead homer in Fall Stars Game
Twins: OF Walker Jenkins
Is it a cop-out to pick the top prospect in the organization and the guy who could be on the cusp of becoming the top overall prospect in baseball? Perhaps. But that’s exactly why all eyes should be on him in what could be a huge ‘25. He ascended all the way to a Double-A cameo as a 19-year-old despite missing significant time with an Opening Day hamstring injury, and along the way he showed every bit of the tremendous strike zone control and bat-to-ball ability (more walks than strikeouts) that have the Twins dreaming big. — Do-Hyoung Park
Sep 5, 2024
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Walker Jenkins’ three-hit, two-steal game
White Sox: LHPs Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith
Schultz and Smith are ranked as the top two left-handed pitching prospects in the game by MLB Pipeline, so let’s cheat a little here and include both in this category. Their combination view makes sense, considering their importance at the core of the White Sox rebuild. Schultz, 21, Chicago’s No. 1 prospect, was on a set pitch and innings count last season when starting once per week but should get elevated more into the regular every-fifth-day rotation work in ‘25 and see an innings jump from his 88 1/3 total of ‘24. Smith, 21, the team’s No. 3 prospect and its 5th overall selection in last year’s Draft, threw 7 2/3 innings for High-A Winston-Salem after arriving from three years at Arkansas. Both pitchers could reach the Majors later in ‘25 but more likely out of the bullpen for a first look. — Scott Merkin
