MLB Rookies

Every baseball season, a new slew of rookies come piling in, fresh and ready to kick off their major league careers, with the potential to win gold gloves, MVP awards, and be awarded a place in the Hall of Fame tucked away in the backs of their minds. There are, specifically, a few newbies to the show that I’d be pleased to present, for one reason or another. 

Roki Sasaki

23-year-old right-hand pitcher Sasaki is another addition to the Japanese-heavy team of the Dodgers, who played against the Cubs in Japan for a special opening day at 6:10 AM, Eastern time on March 18th. Many SGA students, including myself, got up even earlier than usual that Tuesday morning to see this game take place. Sasaki has thrown up to 102 MPH with his fastball, making him currently the best pitching prospect in the world. 

Matt Shaw

Speaking of the Chicago team, 23-year-old Matt Shaw is actually a natural shortstop successfully debuting at third base for the Cubs this season. He came out of the minors with 21 homers and 31 steals under his belt, so he certainly meets every major league standard. 

Drake Baldwin

Unfortunately, the Braves had to say goodbye to Travis d’Arnaud, as he is now with the Angels. The good news is that 24-year-old Drake Baldwin has taken his place, catching responsibilities to be shared with Chadwick Tromp - at least until Sean Murphy returns after his 4-6 week rehab in Gwinnett from getting hit by a pitch, cracking his left rib. Drake’s on-base percentage was .407 in the minors - an impressive feat for a catcher. 

Jackson Merrill

Despite debuting with the Padres last season, so not officially a rookie, Merrill is a top hitting prospect for the San Diego team and recently signed a nine-year contract with them. He took advantage of the Braves’ seven-day slump to start out the season, and had six hits with five RBIs against us, only to keep adding on throughout the next few series. 

Kristian Campbell

He may be the stellar right-handed second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, but the rookie Campbell played ball at Georgia Tech before being drafted. He, like Merrill, just signed an eight-year contract with his team, leaving the fans with high hopes.

AJ Smith-Shawver

He was with the Braves through their historic season of 2023, but moved back down to Triple-A for 2024. Most people don’t know that he went to high school with Bobby Witt Jr., a fan favorite with the Royals or otherwise. Smith-Shawver has improved on his fastball, slider, and cutter, assisting the Braves’ starting rotation. 

These are only a few of the newer additions to the MLB, and we’ll hope to see some action from them this 2025 season. Go Braves!

(Note: Since this article was written, Sean Murphy has returned to the Braves and has been doing better than ever.)