3. Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals
Dylan Crews might be the name on this list most baseball fans are familiar with given that he is the only player among the five to make his MLB debut in 2024. Following his strong sophomore campaign at LSU in 2022, Crews entered the 2023 season as the top draft prospect in the MLB Draft. He was projected to be the number one overall pick for a large part of the season until he fell to second overall behind his LSU teammate, Paul Skenes.
With major league at-bats comes Baseball Savant data, which gives us a better look into Crews's game than other prospects who have yet to reach the big leagues. While his normal stat line isn't eye-popping, he was above-average in xwOBA (.325), xSLG (.418), hardhit% (44.7), squared-up% (30.5), chase% (26.6), and whiff% (22.8). Those numbers are as good of a recipe as any for a solid performance over a 162-game season.
While his bat has All-Star potential and will likely land him in the leadoff spot long-term in D.C., Crews's glove and speed is what really completes him as a ballplayer. He stole 12 bases in just 31 games last year, which is nearly 63 steals over a full season. While I wouldn't bank on him stealing 60 bags in 2025, I wouldn't be surprised to see a number north of 40 next to his name by the end of the year, especially if everything clicks at the plate.
Crews has everything you want in a center fielder, but he might stay in right field for the time being just because of how strong and accurate his arm is. More than 90% of his 31 starts came in right field, and it projects to shake out the same way in 2025 with Jacob Young seemingly having the center field job in D.C. locked down for the time being.
Given his skills across the board, Crews might be the best five-tool prospect at the moment and is the favorite among a lot of baseball fans to win the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year.