The top players in Major League Baseball will step up to the plate later this month for the start of the 2024 season, but which players are on deck when it comes to stardom?
While all eyes will be on players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, the next generation of MLB stars is arriving. Some marquee prospects may have to wait a little while before officially reaching the big leagues, but teams will eagerly await their arrivals.
Ahead of the 2024 campaign, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi spoke with NBC about some of the breakout candidates he’ll be paying attention to this year.
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SS Jackson Holliday, IF Jordan Westburg and OF Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles may already be ahead of schedule on their road to World Series contention, and even more help is on the way.
Led by catcher Adley Rutschman, the O’s picked up 101 wins in 2023 before flaming out against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS. Jackson Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, is among the young stars Baltimore will now add to the fold.
“Jackson Holliday has been a popular pick to win the American League Rookie of the Year,” Morosi said. “He is great, but I would also add, on his very same team, Jordan Westburg has a chance to be a breakout star. Colton Cowser, on the very same team, has a chance to be a breakout star. … I could just have a top three of only Baltimore players.”
MLB
P Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Over in Pittsburgh, the Pirates might be further from the playoff mix, but they still have big expectations for their top pitching prospect.
The Buccos drafted 6-foot-6 righty Paul Skenes with the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes was named the 2023 National Player of the Year and 2023 College World Series Most Outstanding Player with LSU, leading the Tigers to their seventh national title. He only made three starts in the minors after getting drafted, so the Pirates will let him get more acclimated to the professional game before sending him up to Pittsburgh.
“We know he’s going to begin the regular season in the minor leagues, but I think we’re going to see Paul Skenes make a really emphatic arrival midway through the season,” Morosi said. “One of the best pitching prospects we have seen in a long time.”
OF Pete Crow-Armstrong and OF Owen Caissie, Chicago Cubs
Like their NL Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs will be patient with two of their top prospects.
The team is hoping Pete Crow-Armstrong and Owen Caissie become its next great outfielders. Crow-Armstrong got a taste of the big leagues when he made his MLB debut last September, while Caissie has yet to reach the majors since being drafted in 2020. Chicago’s re-signing of Cody Bellinger could complicate their timelines, but Crow-Armstrong may be too talented to stay off the field.
“I’ll put Pete Crow-Armstrong as being a very strong candidate potentially in the National League Rookie of the Year conversation,” Morosi said.