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We’re a month into the MLB season with so much content to cover!

You can get caught up on all the action from the past weekend with the Just Baseball Show Weekend Roundup and the most surprising players of the season so far as we’ll focus on players that have taken a big step this season and all of the notable call ups.

Breakout Players

It may be early, but a number of players have shown massive improvement from their performance during the 2024 season.

This segment will focus on those that have not proven to be stars in MLB previously. For example, guys that have showed out early like Corbin Carroll, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Pete Alonso will not be featured here (although you can click on their names for full stories!).

We’ll focus on those that were either former top prospects who have broken through or guys that have put their name on the map this season.

Spencer Torkelson is showing first overall pick talent. After a brutal 2024 that resulted in being optioned to Triple-A for two months, Tork is putting it all together to open the season. He’s leading the way for Detroit’s offense with 7 home runs and an OPS of 1.011 in his first 23 games of the season. Fellow former top draft pick Casey Mize has all been a revelation for Detroit’s rotation. Read more about Torkelson!

Tyler Soderstrom is a core piece for the Athletics. A’s nation may be a morbid place these days, but even in the darkest of nights there is a radiant light that can show you the way. After some promising talent showcased in a smaller sample size in 2024, Soderstom is tied for the most homers in the sport (9) and rates in the top-10 for slugging (.607). He’s been so good that fellow slugger Brent Rooker has become a bit of an afterthought by comparison.

Jung Hoo Lee is blossoming in his second year stateside. It’s a bit of a cheat to call him the biggest offseason acquisition considering he hardly played in 2024, but still! Part of the Giant strong start has been thanks to Lee, ranking in the top-10 of fWAR thus far and quickly becoming the big time free agent star the Giants have been desperately seeking for years.

Shane Baz is the next star arm for Tampa. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: the Rays have developed another ace-level pitcher. Admittedly, Baz’s breakout isn’t as surprising as the usual crop of unknowns that Tampa turns into household names out of nowhere considering his hype as a rookie. But! Man, is he shining thus far, striking out nearly 34% of the batters he’s faced and showcasing one of the best curveballs in the sport.

Jonathan Aranda and Kam Misner are showing out for the Rays. Don’t worry everyone, the Rays are still displaying their aforementioned ability to produce quality out of thin air, this time on the offensive side of the ball. The duo of Aranda and Misner have been nothing short of sensational, both posting ludicrous numbers thus far (220 wRC+ for Aranda, 199 for Misner) and leading a fairly decent Rays offense ranking in the top-10 in both batting average and on-base percentage.

Max Meyer may be the next ace in Miami. For all their faults, the Marlins have done a decent job at procuring young pitching talent over the last few years. But Max Meyer, sports glasses and all, may be their masterpiece. Through 30 innings, Meyer is posting just a measly 2.10 ERA and is 5th in strikeout rate among all qualified pitchers. The names ahead of him? Oh, just MacKenzie Gore, Cole Ragans, Chris Sale, and Logan Gilbert…nothing special.

Ben Rice is becoming a key cog in the Yankees offense. You’re telling me a BEN fried this rice? (sorry, I’ve been making this joke in the Just Baseball chat for an eternity and needed to continue the bit). Rice’s surge has been anything but a Bit, however, as he’s slashing .286/.390/.614 with the highest hard-hit rate (64.7%) in the entire sport thus far. Aaron Judge might’ve found himself a new Robin.

Kris Bubic as a starter is legit. It’s no secret the Royals are constructed as a run-prevention sort of team, with a rotation led by Cole Ragans, last year’s AL Cy Young runner-up Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha. But it’s been the emergence of Bubic that may take this rotation to the elite tier who — despite his lower velocity — sits at just a 1.45 ERA (9th best among all qualified starters) and an excellent 2.38 FIP thus far.

Matt Mervis could end up being a great move by Miami. A bit of an under-the-radar move by the fish, Mervis has been the definition of a slugger. The swing and miss is there, but the results — a .617 slugging percentage and a 145 wRC+ — have been more than worth it. It’s a good thing the Cubs offense has been as good as it has, otherwise there might’ve been some slander thrown their way after trading Mashing Mervis for Vidal Brujan.

And no, we’re not just including him because of Jack. Just a nice bonus.

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Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who leads MLB in strikeouts through their first five starts of the season?

A) Zack Wheeler

B) Cole Ragans

C) Max Meyer

D) MacKenzie Gore

Prospect Call Ups

This isn’t our prospects newsletter, but so many future studs got their first taste of MLB this week that we have to break it down. You can listen to The Call Up for further analysis as always!

A bunch of our Top 100 Prospects in addition to a few other intriguing names have been given the call over the past week. These prospects are among the many top prospects who have showed out to start the year.

Let’s take a look at those that joined their big league club!

Twins 2B Luke Keaschall (JB #42): Minnesota is searching for any consistent production as they try to compete in the AL Central. After breezing through two levels with a .903 OPS in 2024, Keaschall has been quietly brought into the mix in Minnesota. He’s one of the more well-rounded hitting prospects in baseball who will look to provide consistent at-bats for the Twins.

Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz (JB #48): The Athletics offense quietly has some great pieces and Kurtz can be the next. The 2024 first round pick has forced the hand of the A’s by dominating Triple-A to open the year with 7 HR and 24 RBI in just 20 games. The positional situation is a bit tricky, but the Athletics will find everyday at-bats for Kurtz.

White Sox C Edgar Quero (JB #49): Chicago is off to another rough start but the team has been more competitive at least compared to last year. Quero should help that effort as the 22-year-old catcher got on base at a .444 clip in 15 games to open the season in Triple-A. He’ll be joined in the near future by Kyle Teel to form one of the better young catching duos in baseball.

Marlins C Agustin Ramirez (JB #56): Off to a solid start in the Jack McMullen era, the Marlins are adding a big piece to their offense. Ramirez was a big riser in our Top 100 this spring and will now become the primary catcher for the Marlins. He showed his upside in his MLB debut this week.

Rays OF Chandler Simpson (JB #85): It is not hyperbolic to say Simpson may be one of the best runners MLB has ever seen. He stole 104 (!!!) bases last season in MiLB and will add his elite speed and contact to the Rays lineup now.

Brewers 3B Caleb Durbin (MIL JB #12): Traded to the Brewers from New York in the Devin Williams trade this offseason, Durbin is a versatile infielder who could provide some offense to a Milwaukee lineup that needs it.

Brewers RP Craig Yoho (MIL JB HM): They lost one of the best changeups in baseball, but have another one now. Yoho abolsutely dominated the minors with a 0.94 ERA and 101 strikeouts across 57.2 innings last year and could get leverage innings soon in Milwaukee.

Padres OF Tirso Ornelas (SD MLB #11): Decimated by injuries to their offense early, San Diego will look to Ornelas to help their outfield production after he posted an .864 OPS with 23 home runs last season in Triple-A.

Other Headlines

• Keep up with all of all the top stories with our best stories around MLB piece. This will be refreshed consistently to provide easy access to our top stories on Justbaseball.com throughout the season.

• There was a bit of tension within the Braves organization revolving around Ronald Acuña Jr. this past week as we discussed on the Just Baseball Show.

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Collectibles Corner

This week, Aram Leighton will be hosting a Prospects Q&A and baseball card break exclusively in the Just Baseball Discord!

Make sure to join the Discord for access to this and so much more content!

Trivia Answer: D) MacKenzie Gore

Through his first handful of starts this season, Gore struck around an impressive 45 batters through 29 innings of work. Another young arm breaking out!

Just Baseball Merch

Our newest line of merchandise features Adidas performance gear!

We have also restocked on all your favorites including our vintage World Series line, hats, hoodies, City Series line, spring line, and much more.

Check out the full collection of Just Baseball swag here!