MLB’s Next Superstars Are Arriving in Real Time

There's a lot to be excited about when it comes to the young guys across Major League Baseball right now.

Apr 13, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin (30) hits a single against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The 2026 Major League Baseball season so far has been the year of the rookie.

There are rookies thriving and playing at a high level all over the place. Entering the season, there were some big-name prospects that everyone around baseball knew. Konnor Griffin didn't make the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Spring Training, but was called up shortly afterward. Griffin's numbers aren't massive yet, but he's just 19 years old. He's slashing .218/.290/.291 with eight RBIs, two doubles, one triple and four stolen bases in 16 games played.

JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals was another top prospect who has been in the majors and has been thriving. Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers has lived up to the hype so far in 2026. Connelly Early has a 2.29 ERA in four starts for the Boston Red Sox. Chase DeLauter has five homers for the Cleveland Guardians. Munetaka Murakami has eight homers for the Chicago White Sox. Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds has been red-hot, along with Nolan McLean of the New York Mets.

All in all, the rookies have been thriving. But, that's not all. We're seeing young guys all over the place thriving early in their careers. Roman Anthony is in his second season in the big leagues and while he started off slowly, he's turned it on of late at just 21 years old. Drake Baldwin won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2025 and has been even better in 2026 slashing .313/.377/.510 with five homers and a league-leading 21 RBIs.

MLB Is In Good Hands

Apr 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) hits a single during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Baldwin isn't even the only second-year player tied for the MLB lead in RBIs. Miami Marlins catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks is slashing .338/.380/.549 with four homers and 21 RBIs. Of all of the young guys getting buzz around the league, Hicks probably hasn't gotten the love that he should. He's just 26 years old and is quietly having an elite season over with the Marlins.

Andy Pages is in his third big league season and is tied with both Hicks and Baldwin atop the league RBIs leaders, along with Stewart, Yordan Alvarez, and Nico Hoerner.

The story of the season so far has been the performance of all of the top prospects making the jump to the majors, but there are young guys all over the place in their first few seasons in the majors looking like legit stars.

For Major League Baseball, the more the merrier. The more young guys making the jump to big league stardom early in their careers, the better the health of the league in the long run. If these guys become household names right now in their first few seasons, imagine what they will look like five years from now? What about 10?

At some point, the old guard will retire. We'll see guys like Max Scherzer, Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, José Ramírez, Chris Sale, Manny Machado, Alex Bregman and Byron Buxton, among many others hang up their cleats and call it a career. If the league already has the next generation of superstars ready to go, it will only make the transition a bit easier.