MLB Rookie Rankings: There’s a new No. 1 entering the homestretch

Remember when one month into the season, this year’s rookie class — touted as potentially one of the best of all time — hadn’t impressed as we thought it would? Fast-forward a few months and that is no longer the case.

This list looks radically different from our inaugural rankings, including a new face at No. 1. While some got off to a slow start, these MLB freshmen have shown they’re the kind of players who can make a franchise’s future seem that much brighter.

We asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle and Kiley McDaniel to rank their top 10 rookies. They’ve also detailed how each one has performed this season to date, what to watch for throughout the rest of 2022 and their long-term outlooks.

1. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners

How he’s performed so far: Rodriguez’s brilliant first half culminated with a sizzling show at Dodger Stadium in the Home Run Derby — he mashed the most total home runs in the contest, although he ended up losing in the finals to Juan Soto. His second half has been slowed by a couple of injuries, missing four games with a sore left wrist and then missing 11 more after getting hit by a pitch on his right wrist. He also hasn’t been stealing as much as the first two months, although he’s just one home run away from becoming the 12th rookie in the 20-20 club. Still, his dazzling all-around skills and superstar smile mean the Mariners have a player to build around. — Schoenfield

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