Major League Baseball has passed the quarter mark of the 2026 season and several trends have emerged. One of the biggest storylines is how much of an impact this year’s rookie class is making on the league.
White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami burst onto the scene early on this year and was leading MLB in home runs for weeks, while top prospects Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin and Nolan McLean have had varying levels of success. This class is deep, with big bats, slick defenders and power pitchers who look like future aces. Many have already secured long-term contracts and will be impacting the league for years to come.
Here's how we see the rookie class a quarter of the way into their first full big league season.
10. Konnor Griffin, Pirates
Griffin was the top-ranked player on our list of baseball’s top 50 prospects before the season, and he arrived in the big leagues just weeks after Opening Day. Given that he just turned 20, his rookie year hasn’t been a disappointment, but it hasn't been a perfect debut year as the Pirates’ shortstop adjusts to the big leagues.
Through 42 MLB games, Griffin is slashing .261/.320/.392 with three home runs, 20 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. His wRC+ of 98 is a bit underwhelming, and his strikeout rate has spiked to 27.8%. Griffin currently has a .712 OPS, but it's improved as the season has gone along, as he’s at .830 in May. Despite his understandable acclimation period, Griffin has produced 0.8 fWAR, and he should continue to improve as he gets more experience.
Griffin shouldn’t be down this far in the rookie rankings for long. He’s too talented and should rise as the season goes along.
9. Payton Tolle, Red Sox
Tolle is a big, hard-throwing lefty who's built like a workhorse. His stuff matches his 6'6", 250-pound frame as he pumps upper-90s fastballs by opposing hitters. After a brief debut in 2025, the 23-year-old has moved into the Red Sox’ starting rotation this season and proven to be up to the task.
In five 2026 starts, Tolle is 2–2 with a 2.05 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 30 strikeouts against seven walks in 30 2/3 innings. His xERA (.244) and xBA (.191) rank above the 90th percentile, and his fastball averages 96.1 mph and carries deep into the zone. Opponents are slugging a paltry .164 against it.
Boston has struggled in 2026, but in Tolle they have a big-time starter who should be a rotation fixture for years.
8. Parker Messick, Guardians
Messick doesn’t have the stature or stuff of a big-time pitcher, but early in his career, he’s had the results of one. At 6' and 225 pounds, the 25-year-old lefty doesn’t have big spin or velocity, but he’s been fantastic so far in the bigs while the Guardians have needed him to step up with a few other starters struggling.
Through 10 starts in 2026, Messick is 5–1 with a 2.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 64 strikeouts against 17 walks in 58 2/3 innings. He leads rookie pitchers with 1.4 fWAR while posting an FIP of 3.08. His fastball clocks in at 93.6 mph and averages an elite 16.9 inches of rise, making it far more difficult to hit.
Messick has been outstanding for Cleveland and is establishing himself as one of the best young pitchers in baseball.
7. Trey Yesavage, Blue Jays
A shoulder injury sidelined Yesavage to open the season but he’s made up for lost time since returning on April 28. The 22-year-old debuted in September last season and was a key part of the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series. He had games of 11 and 12 strikeouts against the Yankees and Dodgers, respectively, as he recorded a 3.58 ERA in the playoffs. The No. 10 prospect in our preseason rankings has been even better this season.
Yesavage has made four starts and is 1–1 with a 1.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 21 strikeouts against eight walks in 19 1/3 innings. He has already generated 0.7 fWAR, which is fourth among rookie pitchers. Meanwhile, his xERA (2.05) and xBA (.162) are both among the best in MLB. There is certainly more to come, as he’s still developing.
Toronto has been beset by injuries to open the season, and Yesavage was as important a loss as anyone. He’s back and rolling now.
6. Sal Stewart, Reds
Stewart debuted at the end of the 2025 season and in 18 games he posted an .839 OPS. He's continued that trend in his first full campaign. The No. 20 prospect on our preseason rankings, Stewart is a bat-first guy who's played to that profile as a rookie.
Through 50 games, the 22-year-old is slashing .265/.353/.503 with a 121 wRC+. Among qualified rookies, he’s tied for first in RBIs (32), second in home runs (11) and isolated power (.223), and third in slugging (.473) and xwOBA (.379). He's also beefed up his walk rate to 12.7%, showing that he's adjusted well to big league pitching.
Stewart has mostly played first base this season, though he’s made appearances at third and second. That side of the ball will never be his strength—his bat will carry his value. It's more than done so thus far.
5. Chase DeLauter, Guardians
DeLauter opened 2026 with a bang, blasting four home runs in the first five games of the season. He’s cooled off from that blazing start, but not by much. The 24-year-old has big power in his lefty swing and while he’s not a great defender in the outfield, he more than makes up for any deficiencies with his work at the plate.
Through 45 games, DeLauter is slashing .268/.354/.470 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. His wRC+ of 132 ranks second among qualified rookies and he has also shown a fantastic eye, with 23 walks against 20 strikeouts. His chase (18.2%), whiff (14.7%) and strikeout (10.6%) rates are all elite.
DeLauter crushed the ball in the first few games of the season. He hasn’t matched that production since, but he’s nevertheless been a major factor in Cleveland leading the AL Central.
4. JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals
Wetherholt has been excellent to start his career for the Cardinals, and currently leads all rookie in fWAR at 2.0. While a good chunk of that is due to his defense at second base, he certainly hasn’t been a slouch with the bat. Before he debuted on Opening Day, Wetherholt checked in at No. 11 on our list of MLB’s top 50 prospects. Given how he’s performed, we may have had him a touch too low.
Through 46 games, Wetherholt is slashing .239/.362/.420 with nine home runs, 24 RBIs and 35 runs scored. His wRC+ of 125 ranks fifth among rookies who have played at least 30 games. It's worth noting, he may be getting a touch unlucky, too. His batting average on balls in play is only .252, far below the league average that is typically around .300. His lefty swing can get a bit whippy, but that hasn’t held him back too much.
The Cardinals appear to have another franchise cornerstone on the infield to go along with shortstop Masyn Winn.
3. Nolan McLean, Mets
Nolan McLean has become one of baseball’s nastiest starting pitchers, as his stuff has turned out to be even better than scouts projected. His ridiculous spin rates and mind-boggling movement have been baffling hitters all season. He did have one hiccup, as on Tuesday the Nationals tagged him for nine runs (six earned), raising his ERA from 2.92 to 3.57, but he allowed three runs or fewer in each of his previous nine starts. The overall profile still has him as MLB's best rookie hurler.
Through 10 starts in 2026, McLean is 2–3 with the aforementioned 3.57 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He has 69 strikeouts against 17 walks in 58 innings. The Mets have let him down on defense behind him, and that’s on display in his 2.93 xERA. He's already produced 1.3 fWAR, and his 10.7 strikeouts per nine rank first among rookies with at least six starts.
McLean’s one bump in the road hasn’t taken away from his fantastic start to the season.
2. Munetaka Murakami, White Sox
There’s an argument to put Murakami at No. 1 on this list, but we’ve got him falling just short because some of his peripherals suggest his numbers might come down to earth a bit. The 26-year-old was severely undervalued in free agency due to questions about his strikeout rates against higher velocity. The White Sox were able to swoop in and land him on a two-year, $34 million deal that looks like an absolute steal.
Murakami currently leads all qualified rookies in home runs (17), slugging (.557), OPS (.965) and wRC+ (157), while he’s third in on-base percentage (.382). Among all big leaguers, he's in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity (95 mph) and hard hit rate (59%), though his strikeout rate (32.9%) is also the sixth-worst in MLB. That said, his walk rate (18.8%) is incredibly high, which is helping his output.
There’s a chance Murakami’s strikeout issues begun to snowball, but until then he’ll stay near the top of this list.
1. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers
There’s not much debate here. McGonigle has been excellent since debuting on Opening Day, and his bat has lived up to the hype that accompanied his arrival. The 21-year-old was the No. 2 prospect in our preseason top 50, where I said he was the best hitter in the minors. Well, that has translated to his major-league action so far.
McGonigle is currently slashing .288/.391/.412 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 28 runs scored. He boasts a 132 wRC+ and has produced 1.9 fWAR, which ranks second among rookies behind Wetherholt. His xwOBA of .374 is fourth among qualified rookies, while his chase (18.6%) and whiff (13.2%) rates rank in the 97th percentile overall. He continues to make outstanding swing decisions and has more walks (28) than strikeouts (27) through 47 games.
The Tigers have a new franchise cornerstone.
