Top 10 Graduating American League Prospects In The Class of 2024

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Fall marks the beginning of prospect season at Baseball America. In November, we rolled out Top 10 Prospects rankings for National League clubs. In December, we do the same on the American League side.

But before looking ahead to the rookie class of 2025—and beyond—let’s reassess the graduating AL prospects of 2024 by ranking the top 10 based on projected peak value. Each player is ranked in order of his updated, end-of-season BA Grade presented on the 20-80 scale. Risk is also assessed on a scale of low, medium, high and very high.

Last month, we published a ranking of this year’s NL graduates.

1. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays

2025 Age: 21
Preseason Grade/Risk: 70/High
Updated Grade/Risk: 65/High
Upside Role: Perennial all-star 3B

Bat speed and power are Caminero’s calling cards. He got to show off those traits less often than the Rays would have liked after he dealt with a quad injury at Triple-A that delayed his callup until mid August. In 2023, Caminero was the rare player in his age-19 season to top 30 home runs in a minor league season. He has 30-homer upside in MLB, too, and pairs that with above-average swing decisions. The biggest question surrounds the quality of his defensive play at third base—or whether he gets too big for the position and moves to first.

2. Wyatt Langford, LF, Rangers

2025 Age: 23
Preseason Grade/Risk: 70/High
Updated Grade/Risk: 60/Medium
Upside Role: Occasional all-star LF

Drafted fourth overall out of Florida in 2023, Langford learned on the job in 2024 when he made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster. His inexperience showed in the first half, when he was a below-average hitter. He course-corrected in the second half, batting .251/.333/.450 for a .784 OPS that ranked 63rd out of 152 qualified hitters. Langford may never challenge for an MVP award, but he will be a strong all-around contributor who will get on base, hit for power and play stronger defense than expected. His elite sprint speed as a rookie was a surprise and allowed him to steal 19 bases in 22 tries.

3. Jackson Holliday, 2B, Orioles

2025 Age: 21
Preseason Grade/Risk: 70/Medium
Updated Grade/Risk: 60/High
Upside Role: Occasional all-star 2B

Holliday showed his capabilities in flashes as a 20-year-old, but, overall, his rookie season was a dud. He opened his time in Baltimore by going 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts. That earned him a ticket to Triple-A for May, June and July. His focus there was on hitting high-velocity fastballs up in the zone. Holliday showed greater aptitude during his second big league stint, but work remains to be done, which is not uncommon or unexpected for a 20-year-old. The future is still bright for the young second baseman who can do a bit of everything.

4. Evan Carter, LF, Rangers

2025 Age: 22
Preseason Grade/Risk: 65/Medium
Updated Grade/Risk: 60/High
Upside Role: All-star LF

Back injuries have scuttled two of Carter’s last four seasons, including his rookie campaign in 2024. He went on the injured list on May 28 and did not return. Before that, Carter had ascended to one of the top prospects in baseball, not to mention postseason hero. For the World Series-champion Rangers in 2023, he hit .300/.417/.500 in 17 postseason games. At his best, Carter is an on-base machine with plus wheels, a quality outfield glove and the power for 15-plus home runs.

5. Colton Cowser, LF, Orioles

2025 Age: 25
Preseason Grade/Risk: 50/Medium
Updated Grade/Risk: 55/Medium
Upside Role: First-division LF

Cowser hit his way onto the Orioles’ Opening Day roster and didn’t require much time until he was ready to assume an everyday job. His strengths were a perfect fit in Baltimore, where his plus glove made an impact with Camden Yards’ spacious left field dimensions. Cowser’s power translated to 24 home runs, which tied Jackson Merrill for most among rookies. He finished on a strong note with an .814 second-half OPS and climbed to a heart-of-the-order batting position. Cowser will never excel in same-side matchups versus lefthanders, but his glove safeguards him from a strict platoon.

6. Lawrence Butler, RF, Athletics

2025 Age: 24
Preseason Grade/Risk: 50/High
Updated Grade/Risk: 55/Medium
Upside Role: First-division RF

Butler broke camp with the big club but struggled to a .179 start with two home runs in 41 games, which resulted in a demotion. A sojourn at Triple-A Las Vegas helped him sync up his lower half and get on time with his bat path. Butler was a different hitter upon his June 18 callup. In his last 84 games, he hit .291/.330/.565 with 20 home runs, including two different three-homer games. While he may never be an on-base monster, Butler’s power and bat-to-ball skills are very real. By the end of 2024, he was entrenched as the Athletics’ leadoff hitter, and he represents a big part of the club’s exciting young core as it moves into its Sacramento phase in 2025.

7. Austin Wells, C, Yankees

2025 Age: 25
Preseason Grade/Risk: 55/High
Updated Grade/Risk: 55/Medium
Upside Role: First-division C

Wells stands at the forefront of what could be a wave of young lefthanded-hitting catchers in MLB who can swing the bat. He turned in an average season at the plate as a rookie catcher—no mean feat—and has room to upgrade his production. But hitting wasn’t even Wells’ forte in 2024. He ranked third in MLB in Statcast catcher framing runs and caught the 10th most innings as a 24-year-old on the No. 1 seed in the American League. Signs point to a long, fruitful career behind the plate for Wells.

8. Luis Gil, RHP, Yankees

2025 Age: 27
Preseason Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
Updated Grade/Risk: 50/Low
Upside Role: No. 4 starter

The 26-year-old rookie far exceeded expectations. After missing the bulk of the 2022 and 2023 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Gil showed off one of the best fastballs in MLB, both in terms of its 96.6 mph velocity and shape to deceive hitters. He’s difficult to hit and square up, though patient batters were rewarded. Gil walked 12.1% of batters, the fourth-highest rate in MLB among starters with even 50 innings. His power fastball and three-pitch repertoire point to a bright future toward the middle of a big league rotation.

9. Parker Meadows, CF, Tigers

2025 Age: 25
Preseason Grade/Risk: 45/High
Updated Grade/Risk: 50/Medium
Upside Role: Solid-average CF

Like Pete Crow-Armstrong in the National League rookie class, Meadows brings so much defensive value in center field and on the bases that he won’t have to hit a ton to earn his keep. The 6-foot-5 Meadows made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster and opened in a 7-for-73 tailspin that necessitated a return to Triple-A Toledo. Adjusting to high-velocity fastballs made all the difference for Meadows, who ascended to the leadoff spot versus righthanders with his frenetic finish in August and September. He hit .296/.340/.500 in his final 47 games for the surging Tigers.

10. Mason Miller, RP, Athletics

2025 Age: 26
Preseason Grade/Risk: 55/High
Updated Grade/Risk: 55/High
Upside Role: Elite closer

Miller turned in a rookie season that measured up with past elite young closers—Josh Hader, Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Edwin Diaz—when they were rookies. Given how many bats Miller misses, how well he stays off opponents’ barrels and just the overall quality of his 100 mph fastball and power slider, he has a chance to one day stand as the best closer in the game.