MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players under 25

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 17: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a fly ball to left field for an out in the fourth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays played on May 17, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 15: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 15, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jose Berrios /

19. Jose Berrios

This list will be light on starting pitching as teams continue to bring their top arms along very slowly. A spate of elbow injuries to top prospects coming out of high school along with a commitment to taking a slower approach during rebuilding years means fewer pitchers are debuting or sticking in MLB rotations in their very early twenties.

The Minnesota Twins made the interesting decision to call up top prospect Jose Berrios during his age-22 season to pitch for a team well on its way to 100 losses. The right-hander struggled mightily, pitching to a 3-7 record in 14 starts with an 8.02 ERA. As a rookie, Berrios walked over five per nine and allowed 12 home runs in only 58.1 innings.

Clearly, Berrios was not ready for the big leagues when the Twins summoned him, but he handled his demotion back to the minors to start 2017 well and made the necessary adjustments. After six starts at Triple-A, he was back up for good and good and played a key role for the Twins as they made the playoffs. Berrios went 14-8 in 26 games with a 3.89 ERA and brought his walk rate way down.

It’s been more of the same in 2018 for Berrios, who is close to earning the “ace” title for the Twins. He threw his first career complete-game shutout in his season debut and has brought his walk rate down below two. Berrios throws an easy fastball with good life and has one of the best curveballs in baseball. His ugly debut is becoming a distant memory.

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