We are mere days away from Opening Day and most teams have all but finalized their rosters to start the 2025 season. Many of these decisions were made before camp even started, each team had at least a couple roster spots that were up for grabs and where they brought in top prospect talent to compete for those spots.
For some top prospects, it would have always required a miracle to make the Opening Day roster as they just didn't have the experience to be in realistic contention. However, a select few minor leaguer do appear poised to make their big league rosters and get a real opportunity during the 2025 season.
Here are the prospects we are excited made their teams' Opening Day roster as well as one that we wish had
This list isn't meant to be exhaustive as there are a number of guys across the league that will get their first real shot at the big leagues out of camp. These are just some of the players that we are the most excited to see in action this season as well as one name we wish would have been able to get a shot.
Kristian Campbell
Part of the Red Sox's 'Big Three', Campbell quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in baseball last season after putting up an impressive .330/.439/.558 line with 20 homers and 24 stolen bases in 115 games of work across three levels of the minors.
There is some concern that Campbell's setup and swing could create some issues against big league pitching as it results in a longer bat path than one would like, but Boston does not seem to share that concern. Campbell will be on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster and assuming that his swing translates to the big leagues, he will almost certainly be among the AL ROY favorites this season to start.
Vinny Capra
Capra is such a fun story. He wasn't unknown to prospect evaluators, but most agreed that his lack of power in the minor leagues limited his ceiling significantly and he profiled more as a utility guy with decent bat-to-ball skills and little else.
Well, Capra defied all of those expectations this spring as his six homers down at camp tied for the most in spring training across baseball this year. Brewers fans shouldn't expect Capra to suddenly morph into a clean-up hitter in the big leagues, but his ceiling is significantly higher than it was and he should feature prominently in the Brewers' infield plans now that he has made the roster.
Jackson Jobe
Reasonable people can disagree as to who the best pitching prospect in baseball is especially if you use the most strict definition of 'prospect' and include Roki Sasaki. However, you would be hard pressed to argue that Jackson Jobe wasn't in the conversation at the start of 2025 spring training and he looked good enough in camp to earn an Opening Day roster spot.
While Jobe wasn't overly dominant this spring, he didn't really have to be to get the nod here. The Tigers desperately need rotation depth and with Jobe's success in the minor leagues combined with a fastball/slider/changeup/cutter arsenal that all grade out as plus or better, he has a real chance of being the top rookie in this year's class when the dust settles.
JC Escarra
Not unlike Capra, few had particularly high expectations of JC Escarra when Yankees' camp got underway. Not far removed from working as an Uber driver, Escarra was a revelation in spring training after posting an .881 OPS while impressing with his work behind the plate.
It is very unlikely Escarra will turn into a star in New York this year as he is competing with primary catcher Austin Wells for playing time. However, making the Yankees Opening Day roster at all still represents a tremendous accomplishment. An easy guy to root for even though he his wearing pinstripes.
Cam Smith
Okay, this one isn't official yet and could change, but all signs from camp are currently pointing towards Cam Smith making the Astros' Opening Day roster. Not only has Smith be one of the team's best hitters this spring, but their outfield is looking pretty sketchy at the moment and Houston clearly wants an offensive upgrade out there in 2025.
It isn't just us that is excited to see Smith in the majors as his Astros teammates have lauded him for both his ability to impact games as well as his work ethic. Everyone wants to see this guy make the Opening Day roster and if he does, the AL ROY race this season could get very, very interesting in a hurry.
It stinks that Caleb Durbin didn't make the cut
Caleb Durbin doesn't have a prototypical skillset for a big league hitter as he is a small guy without a lot of power. However, he can play almost anywhere on the field and he might have the best pure bat-to-ball skills in the minor leagues. Seriously, go look up his strikeout numbers as they are pretty ridiculous.
Despite seemingly have an inside track to an Opening Day roster spot after coming over to the Brewers in the Devin Williams trade, inconsistency at the plate combined with the emergence of the aforementioned Capra ended up costing Durbin his opportunity. That said, don't be surprised if we see Durbin in the majors in short order this season especially if someone gets banged up in Milwaukee's infield.
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