Nick Kurtz of the Athletics is the top player among 242 who made their Major League Baseball debuts in 2025. He is far and away the leader among the 448 players who still had rookie status after first making the big time in previous seasons.
Kurtz crashed 36 homers, had 86 RBI and scored 90 runs to lead all rookies in those categories. He also batted .290 in 117 games.
SACRAMENTO, CA: Lawrence Butler (left) and Max Schuemann (right) of the Athletics douse teammate Nick Kurtz to celebrate his two-run home run and his first career walk-off beat the Houston Astros 3-1 at Sutter Health Park on June 16, 2025. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images)
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Here is a look at the 2025 rookie leaders in various categories:
242 debuts
Youngest: Didier Fuentes, Braves, 20 years, 3 days
Oldest: Tomoyuki Sugano, Orioles, 35 years, 170 days
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Games: Caleb Durbin & Agustin Ramirez, 136
Hits: 124, Agustin Ramirez
Runs: 90, Nick Kurtz
HR: 36, Nick Kurtz
RBI: 86, Nick Kurtz
SB: 44, Chandler Simpson
Avg (min 50 games): .299, Daylen Lile
NEW YORK: Cade Horton of the Chicago Cubs makes his major league debut against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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PITCHERS
Games: 67, Jack Dreyer
IP: 157, Tomoyuki Sugano
W: 11, Cade Horton
SV: 6, Grant Taylor
K: 145, Shane Smith
ERA (min 50 IP): 1.94 Matt Svanson
Overall, it was a down year for debut seasons, especially when you compare it to some of the greatest in history. Then again, Kurtz’s numbers dwarfed debuts made by some Hall of Famers. Clearly, one season does not define a career.
From Rags To Riches
The great Ty Cobb hit only .238 in his first 41 games at age 18 in 1905 for the Detroit Tigers. In 98 games the next year, he hit .316 with 23 stolen bases.
Remarkably, he never hit that LOW again. Cobb batted .370 over his next 22 seasons and has the highest batting average in history at .366.
PITTSBURGH: Rookie Barry Bonds of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats at Three Rivers Stadium in 1986. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
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Barry Bonds did not exactly set the league on fire in 1986 at age 21 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had 16 home runs with 48 RBI and a .223 average in 113 games. Who would have thought he’d bash a record 773 homers and bat .298 over 2,986 games? Or drive in 100+ runs in 12 of 15 seasons between 1990 and 2004?
Would you have predicted Mike Schmidt to win three MVP awards and make the Hall of Fame based on his first 145 games? He hit .206 over 13 games in 1972 and .196 in 132 games in 1973. From 1974 to 1986, he led the NL in homers eight times, in RBI four times. Over 18 seasons, he had 548 homers, 1,595 RBI and lifted his career average to .267.
Over his first two years, Greg Maddux had an 8-18 record, 5.59 ERA for the Chicago Cubs in 1986-87. From 1988 through 2002, the right-hander had a 265-134 record and 2.62 ERA. He pitched until age 42 in 2008, finishing at 355-277, 3.16 with only 999 walks allowed in 5,000 1/3 career innings.
These are just four great players of many who turned it around.
Great From Day One
Joe DiMaggio was great from the start. He went 3-for-6 in his first game for the New York Yankees in 1936. Overall as a 21-year-old rookie, he batted .323 with 29 homers, 125 RBI, 132 runs and an AL-leading 15 triples.
Joltin’ Joe had a record 56-game hitting streak in 1941 and batted .325 with 361 homers and 1,537 RBI in 1,736 career games.
NEW YORK: Manager Joe Cronin of the Boston Red Sox and his rookies on Opening Day, April 20, 1939 at the Yankee Stadium. Left to right are Emerson Dickman, Ted Williams, Cronin, James Tabor, and Woodrow Rich.
Bettmann Archive
As a rookie in 1939, Ted Williams hit .327 with 31 homers, 131 runs and an AL-leading 145 RBI. For his career, he hit .344 with 521 homers, 1,839 RBI in 2,292 games. His .482 career on-base percentage is the finest ever.
Many others were successful from the start such as Pete Rose, Tom Seaver, Willie McCovey, Stan Musial, Dizzy Dean, Eddie Murray and Albert Pujols.
A Look At 2021-24
Cal Raleigh had 60 homers and 125 RBI this year. In his debut season of 2021, he hit .180 with 2 homers in 47 games.
That same year, Wander Franco batted .288 with 7 homers in 70 games. Franco was an all-star in 2023, hitting .281 with 17 homers and 30 stolen bases. He has not played since Aug, 12, 2023, battling sexual abuse charges in the Dominican Republic. He may never be permitted to play again.
Here’s the career leaders for players making their MLB debuts, 2021-24:
2021
265 debuts
AL ROY: Randy Arozarena, Rays
NL ROY: Jonathan India, Reds
Youngest: Wander Franco, Rays, 20.113
Oldest: Cory Abbott, Cubs: 25.258
SEATTLE: Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners watches his 60th home run of the 2025 season, hit against the Colorado Rockies at T-Mobile Park on Sept. 24. (Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images)
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CAREER LEADERS
Games: Andrew Vaughn, 674
Hits: Andrew Vaughn, 625
Runs: Jonathan India, 371
HR: Cal Raleigh, 153
RBI: Cal Raleigh, 376
SB: Jarren Duran, 91
AVG (min. 200 games): Wander Franco, .282
PITCHERS
Games: Griffin Jax, 299
IP: Logan Gilbert, 835.1
W: Logan Gilbert, 47
SV: Camilo Doval, 108
BB: Edward Cabrera, 210
K: Logan Gilbert, 884
ERA (min 100 IP): Dylan Lee, 2.82
2022
303 debuts
AL ROY: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
NL ROY: Michael Harris II, Braves
Youngest: Francisco Alvarez, Mets, 20.315
Oldest: Jason Krizan, Giants, 32.305
KANSAS CITY, MO: Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals in the dugout in his first MLB game on Opening Day against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on April 7, 2022. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
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CAREER LEADERS
Games: Bobby Witt Jr.: 626
Hits: Bobby Witt Jr.: 722
Runs: Bobby Witt Jr.: 403
HR: Julio Rodriguez, 112
RBI: Bobby Witt Jr., 373
SB: Bobby Witt Jr.: 148
AVG (min 200 games): Bobby Witt Jr.: .290
PITCHERS
Games: Jhoan Duran, 246
IP: George Kirby, 637.2
W: George Kirby, 45
SV: Jhoan Duran, 90
K: George Kirby, 621
ERA (min 100 IP): Felix Bautista, 2.01
2023
261 debuts
AL ROY: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
NL ROY: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
Youngest: Eury Perez, Marlins, 20.027
Oldest: Drew Maggi, Pirates, 33.345
CINCINNATI: Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds scores against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park on July 22, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
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CAREER LEADERS
Games: Anthony Volpe, 473
Hits: Elly De La Cruz, 417
Runs: Elly De La Cruz, 274
HR: Elly De La Cruz, 60
RBI: Elly De La Cruz, 206
SB: Elly De La Cruz, 139
AVG (min 200 games): Xavier Edwards, .298
PITCHERS
Games: Ryan Walker, 193
IP: Tanner Bibee, 498
W: Tanner Bibee, 34
SV: Mason Miller, 50
K: Tanner Bibee, 490
ERA (min 100 IP): Abner Uribe, 2.32
2024
255 debuts
AL ROY: Luis Gil, Yankees
NL ROY: Jackson Merrill, Padres
Youngest: Jackson Chourio, 20.018
Oldest: Brady Feigl, Pirates, 33.243
ATLANTA: Jackson Chourio rounds the bases on his two run home run against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Aug. 8, 2024. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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CAREER LEADERS
Games: Colt Keith, 285
Hits: Jackson Chourio, 293
Runs: Jackson Chourio, 164
HR: Jackson Chourio, 42
RBI: Jackson Chourio, 157
SB: Jackson Chourio, 43
AVG (min 100 games) Jacob Wilson, .301
PITCHERS
Games: Cade Smith, 150
IP: Paul Skenes, 320.2
W: Shota Imanaga, 24
SV: Cade Smith, 17
K: Paul Skenes, 386
ERA (min 100 IP): Paul Skenes, 1.96
Top Rookies Must Stay Healthy
MLB history is littered with phenoms whose careers fizzled for various sad reasons.
Rookie of the year winners Ken Hubbs (plane crash), Jose Fernandez (boat crash) tragically died early.
Rookie winners such as Herb Score (eye, arm), Mark (The Bird) Fidrych (arm), Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Steve Howe (drugs), Joe Charboneau (back), Kerry Wood (arm) played through their troubles but never truly met was expected after their brilliant beginnings.
The future seems bright for Nick Kurtz, Chandler Simpson, Cade Horton, Paul Skenes, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Chourio, Elly De La Cruz and other young stars. Here’s hoping they stay strong and deliver long careers.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckmurr/2025/09/30/will-slugger-nick-kurtz-and-other-2025-rookies-stand-test-of-time/
