Aaron Judge has already hit 62 home runs in a season. Paul Skenes has already delivered a sub-2.00 ERA. Mike Trout has already played 159 games in a season. So, if we were predicting these three players to duplicate these past achievements in 2025, only one of them would be bold. Here we are preparing for another season (finally), and everyone and their mailman is making predictions. In this column, we take risks, go against conventional wisdom. And no, we do not think Trout plays in 159 games this season (sadly).
Some (most) of these predictions will look a bit silly in six months, if not sooner. Still, there is a basis for making each of these bold statements, and perhaps it makes you think. Perhaps the player in question has a particular skill — or opportunity — that defies groupthink. Perhaps the statement is not a positive one. Fantasy baseball managers tend to follow rankings and projections, but trusting your gut is important, too. Trust yourself. Take a few chances. Perhaps some of these bold picks will look wise in a few months.
With that in mind, let us go bold yet again, this time for 2025, starting with the American League.
Athletics: Let’s start with DH Brent Rooker blasting a league-leading 50 home runs. Rooker hit a combined 69 home runs over the last two seasons, but only 28 came in his home stadium in Oakland. Now his home stadium is a hitter-friendly minor league park up in Sacramento. … Five Athletics reach 30 home runs, including OFs Lawrence Butler and JJ Bleday, C Shea Langeliers and 1B Tyler Soderstrom. … Beware of A’s pitching — and not just the starters. Even the awesome RHP Mason Miller posts a 3.45 ERA.
Baltimore Orioles: A healthy C Adley Rutschman breaks out in his age-27 season, hitting .288 with 32 home runs. No catcher scores more fantasy points. … 3B Coby Mayo, 4-for-41 following last season’s promotion, becomes the everyday DH and hits 22 home runs over 400 PA. … RHP Grayson Rodriguez makes 32 starts, winning half of them, with a 3.24 ERA. Ah, run support is nice.
Boston Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers starts the season on the IL and then hits 32 HR as the regular DH. … 3B Alex Bregman wins another AL Gold Glove at 3B, but the bigger problem is a disappointing .322 OBP, and only 19 HR. … While everyone awaits debuts for prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, SS Marcelo Mayer takes over the starting job from an injured (sorry) Trevor Story in June and plays far more. Mayer hits .270 with 13 HR and 14 SB. … Anthony and Campbell barely play in the majors. … Rejuvenated RHP Liam Hendriks saves 36 games.
Chicago White Sox: Prospect C Kyle Teel debuts in July and hits .298 with 10 HR. … Three White Sox players hit 25 HR: OF Luis Robert Jr., 1B Andrew Vaughn and 2B Brandon Drury. Hey, Drury got there in 2022 and 2023! Nobody is thinking of him today. … For AL-only managers, RHP Sean Burke and Rule 5 RHP Shane Smith both make 26 starts, both eclipse 150 strikeouts. … The White Sox lose only 106 games this year.
Cleveland Guardians: DH Kyle Manzardo hits .265 with 24 HR and 65 walks — and he eventually qualifies at 1B. … 2B Juan Brito wins the starting job and hits 21 HR with 65 walks. … Not all Guardians are young. Veteran RHP Shane Bieber posts a valuable 2.95 ERA over 15 starts. … RHP Emmanuel Clase misses one month due to an injury and falls short of 40 saves for the first time in four years. RHP Paul Sewald, not the dominating RHP Cade Smith, is the fill-in closer.
Detroit Tigers: OF Kerry Carpenter finally stays healthy enough to play in 140 games and blasts 33 HR while slugging .540. … 2B Gleyber Torres, hitting only .240 with 12 HR in late July, is traded to the Mets, where his numbers marginally improve. … RHP Matt Manning thrives in relief, becomes the closer and saves 14 games.
Houston Astros: 2B Jose Altuve hits .310 with 26 HR as the team’s regular left fielder. … When Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Dubon don’t hit, 1B prospect Zach Dezenzo takes over. He hits 17 HR. … New 1B Christian Walker starts in the All-Star game over Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He hits 37 HR. … Underrated RHP Hunter Brown makes the All-Star team, whiffs 200 hitters. … Houston boasts the AL’s top rotation and RHP Ronel Blanco does do it again.
Kansas City Royals: SS Bobby Witt Jr. finishes 2025 at the top of the ESPN Player Rater. … 2B Jonathan India hits .220 with single-digit HR and SB. … 1B prospect Jac Caglianone hits .220 at Double-A, but with big power. He does not debut in the majors this season. … RHP Seth Lugo, a bargain in drafts, finishes as a top-20 starter yet again, with a 2.95 ERA and 175 K. … RHP Lucas Erceg saves 31 games. RHP Carlos Estevez does not.
Los Angeles Angels: OF Mike Trout hits 34 HR over 502 PA, the latter figure his most since 2019. Half of his production comes at DH. … SS Zach Neto (shoulder) debuts in May and still hits 23 HR with 27 SB. Stash away! … LHP Reid Detmers enjoys his best season, with a 3.60 ERA and 179 K over 29 starts. … RHP Kenley Jansen saves 31 games between the Angels and Rangers. It is his first MLB trade!
Minnesota Twins: OF prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez takes over as the regular DH in June, and he hits .235 with 26 HR over 101 games. … Optimism! CF Byron Buxton hits 27 HR over 411 PA, his most playing time since 2017! … Underrated RHP David Festa wins a rotation spot and gives the Twins four starters with 170-plus Ks.
New York Yankees: OF/3B Jazz Chisholm Jr. and OF Jasson Dominguez each complete 25/25 seasons, though neither bats as high as .250. … Rejuvenated 1B Paul Goldschmidt knocks in 101 runs. … Injured DH Giancarlo Stanton knocks in 50 runs. … RHP Gerrit Cole strikes out 200 hitters for the seventh time. … RHP Luis Gil makes only 16 starts, posts a 4.30 ERA.
Seattle Mariners: The good news is OF Julio Rodriguez, buoyed by a strong September 2024, starts strong this season and hits .285 with 30/30. … The bad news is OF Randy Arozarena continues to struggle, falls short of 20 HR and 20 SB. … OF Victor Robles, who hit .328 (with a .388 BABIP) for the Mariners in 2024, hits .238 with 19 SB. … The pitching thrives, however! RHP Logan Gilbert wins 15 games with a 2.80 ERA. … Prospect RHP Logan Evans posts a 3.02 ERA over 16 starts.
Tampa Bay Rays: 3B Junior Caminero is a top-20 points league and roto hitter, going .290-33-101. … OF Josh Lowe returns to 2023 form, hitting 24 HR with 30 SB. … OF Chandler Simpson appears in 46 games after the All-Star break. He steals 45 bases. … RHP Taj Bradley throws 178 IP, the most for any Rays pitcher since Charlie Morton in 2019. Bradley adds a 3.40 ERA. … Three Rays save between 10-15 games: RHP Pete Fairbanks, RHP Edwin Uceta and LHP Mason Montgomery.
Texas Rangers: Five Rangers club 30 HR (Jake Burger, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Joc Pederson, Wyatt Langford). Only Seager hits above .250. … RHP Jacob deGrom makes 19 starts, his most since 2019. His ERA: 2.42. … LHP Robert Garcia leads the staff with 16 saves.
Toronto Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette rebounds to hit .282 with 21 HR. … 2B Will Wagner, with a .370 OBP, takes over the leadoff spot and scores 70 runs. … RHP Bowden Francis achieves a 3.45 ERA, best among Toronto’s starters, over 30 starts. … RHP Max Scherzer wins 13 games in his final MLB season, with a 3.55 ERA.