12 surprising names on the stat leaderboards

Throughout Spring Coaching, we polled 59 MLB.com specialists about which gamers they thought would lead their respective leagues in main offensive and pitching classes this yr.

The solutions featured some huge names, together with Aaron Decide, Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt Jr., Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes.

However practically midway by the 2025 season, there are a number of stunning contenders making critical bids to win main stat races.

Right here’s a have a look at these names, in addition to our preseason picks:

Witt is the reigning MLB batting champ after he hit .332 final yr. The younger Royals famous person isn’t practically that top within the ranks up to now this yr, although he’s hitting a really respectable .284. There’s a stunning identify within the thick of the AL race, nonetheless. Aranda is batting .328, ranked third behind solely Decide and Jacob Wilson of the A’s. The 27-year-old infielder is having a breakout marketing campaign, already establishing profession highs in homers (eight) and RBIs (41) to go together with the stellar batting common.

A Dodger within the thick of the NL batting race? Absolutely, you imply Ohtani or Freddie Freeman. Nope, we’re speaking concerning the man behind the plate who’s doing work on the plate in 2025. He has established himself as one of many best-hitting catchers within the sport, however he’s taken it to a different degree this yr — his .325 batting common is greater than 60 factors above his profession determine. He’s a digital lock for his third straight All-Star choice and would possibly even add a stunning batting title to his burgeoning resume.

Our preseason choose was the man who turned the primary participant to hit at the very least 50 homers and steal at the very least 50 bases in the identical season final yr. It’s a good selection, and Ohtani is at the moment main the NL with 25 house runs. However inside hanging distance is probably the most important shock in baseball this yr, Crow-Armstrong. We knew PCA had pop and blinding pace, however his slugging has vaulted him into the MVP dialog — he’s obtained 20 homers to go together with 23 steals.

Witt is among the many quickest gamers within the sport, and in simply 4 MLB seasons, he’s already racked up 131 steals. However he’s trailing Robert by one bag for second place within the AL. The slugging heart fielder for the White Sox is definitely quick, however previous to 2025, he had by no means stolen greater than 23 bases in a season (2024). This yr, he’s already only one away from tying that mark.

De La Cruz was definitely an inexpensive preseason choose after he led the Majors with 67 steals in 2024. And whereas EDLC finds himself among the many league leaders once more this yr, the present NL chief is none aside from the 6-foot-7 Cruz, who has swiped 25 luggage — already three greater than his profession excessive, set simply final yr. Cruz is as toolsy as they arrive, however the proliferation in steals is definitely eyebrow-raising for a person his measurement.

Bubic has come seemingly out of nowhere to dominate opposing hitters within the first half of this season. Final yr, he posted a 2.67 ERA in 27 aid appearances after coming back from Tommy John surgical procedure. Again in a beginning function after making some modifications in his repertoire, he’s been sensible in 2025, pitching to a 2.12 ERA in 14 begins for Kansas Metropolis. That’s simply behind our preseason choose, Skubal (2.06), for fourth within the league behind Hunter Brown and Max Fried.

The highest three within the NL ERA race in the meanwhile are Skenes — our preseason choose — Logan Webb and reigning NL Cy Younger Award winner Chris Sale. Sounds about proper, proper? Subsequent on the checklist? Peterson, whose 2.60 ERA is best than luminaries akin to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Zack Wheeler. The 29-year-old southpaw was superb for the Mets after coming back from hip surgical procedure in 2024, posting a 2.90 ERA in 21 begins. However up to now in ’25, he has a reputable probability to be a shock ERA champ within the NL.

AL: Carlos Rodón, Yankees (preseason choose: Tarik Skubal, Tigers)

Garrett Crochet and Skubal are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the AL strikeouts leaderboard. Not a shock. However whereas he’s been identified to be a strikeout pitcher previously, Rodón’s place in third place is mildly stunning given how issues have gone for him previously two years. From 2023 by ’24, the left-hander battled accidents and noticed his Okay price drop from 33.4% in ’22, to 25.3% over the subsequent two seasons. However he’s again up over 30% this yr, which has translated into 114 punchouts.

Drafted third general by the Padres and one of many group’s high prospects earlier than he was dealt to the Nationals within the Juan Soto commerce three years in the past, Gore has all the time had huge potential. It’s beginning to be realized, because the 26-year-old left-hander has upped his strikeout price considerably and lowered his ERA — his 33.6% Okay price far surpasses his career-best 25.9% in 2023, and his 3.19 ERA is greater than half a run higher than his ’24 ERA (3.90). That he leads Skenes by a reasonably broad margin in Ks (123 to 106) and leads the league is kind of one thing.

Clase has received the AL saves crown in every of the final three years, so it’s no shock he was our preseason selection. However following a shaky postseason in 2024, he’s been up and down up to now in ’25. In the meantime, Estévez, who saved a mixed 57 video games for the Angels and Phillies the previous two years, leads the league with 22 already this season for Kansas Metropolis. He’s 4 saves away from the Astros’ Josh Hader and the Mariners’ Andrés Muñoz, who’re tied for second within the AL.

With Devin Williams sidelined as a result of harm for many of the 2024 marketing campaign, Megill turned Milwaukee’s main nearer and transformed 21 of 24 save probabilities. This season, he’s already picked up 16 saves, good for fourth within the NL behind the Padres’ Robert Suarez, the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan and the Reds’ Emilio Pagán. Whereas he has his work lower out for him (Suarez leads the league with 21 saves), Megill has an out of doors probability at changing into fairly the shock saves chief in ’25.