The 2023 MLB season features one of the best rookie classes in recent memory, headlined by Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson, who both won Rookie of the Year honors unanimously.

What does 2024 have in store for an encore?

Early success is no guarantee of sustained production when it comes to a young player settling in at the MLB level, but building some early confidence can go a long way.

Ahead we have highlighted 10 rookies who are making a great first impression early in the 2024 season, and we've included a closer look at their past performance, scouting report and numbers so far this year.

Consider these guys the early favorites in the AL and NL Rookie of the Year races.

SS Blaze Alexander, Arizona Diamondbacks

Stats: 11 G, 36 PA, .313/.389/.500, 10 H, 2 XBH (2 HR), 4 RBI, 1 SB

With Geraldo Perdomo sidelined with a torn meniscus in his knee and top prospect Jordan Lawlar down with a torn ligament in his right thumb, the Arizona Diamondbacks were presented with a glaring hole at shortstop just a few days into the 2024 season.

Enter Blaze Alexander.

The 24-year-old broke out in 2022 when he hit .301/.389/.540 with 20 home runs in 98 games in the upper levels of the minors, and after missing time early last year with a broken thumb, he hit .292/.408/.458 over 305 plate appearances at Triple-A.

He went 22-for-55 with eight extra-base hits during spring training to play his way onto the Opening Day roster in a bench role, and now he has been thrust into the starting shortstop job on a team coming off a World Series appearance.

1B/DH Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs

Stats: 13 G, 48 PA, .293/.375/.585, 12 H, 6 XBH (3 HR), 8 RBI

With Freddie Freeman entrenched at first base, Shohei Ohtani signed to serve as the everyday designated hitter and veteran Max Muncy manning third base, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not have a clear path to playing time for Michael Busch.

He was traded to the Chicago Cubs during the offseason in exchange for high-ceiling pitching prospect Jackson Ferris, and from the jump the Cubs made it clear they had every intention of him seeing regular at-bats in the majors.

The 26-year-old hit .323/.431/.618 with 26 doubles, 27 home runs and 90 RBI in 98 games at Triple-A last season, but he struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, batting just .167 with a 45 OPS+ and 33.3 percent strikeout rate in 81 plate appearances.

The Cubs moved him up to fifth in the batting order for the first time on April 10, and he responded with a two-run homer off Dylan Cease. He launched another homer off Ryne Stanek on Friday.

RF Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

Stats: 11 G, 49 PA, .244/.286/.400, 11 H, 3 XBH (2 HR), 9 RBI, 2 SB

Jackson Chourio is the youngest player to appear in an MLB game so far this season, as he just turned 20 years old on March 11, a few short weeks before making his MLB debut for the Milwaukee Brewers.

One of baseball's top overall prospects, he signed an eight-year, $82 million extension during the offseason that set a new standard for the largest contract ever given to a prospect with no MLB experience.

He elevated his profile with a huge 2022 season, reaching Double-A in his stateside debut at the age of 18, and he backed it up by hitting .283/.338/.467 with 26 doubles, 22 home runs, 91 RBI and 44 steals in 128 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year.

He collected at least one hit in nine of his first 10 games, and while he is going to rack up some strikeouts while he gets comfortable in the big leagues, he already looks the part of a future star. His batting average dipped roughly 40 points with an 0-for-6 night vs. the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

OF Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles

Stats: 10 G, 24 PA, .481/.500/1.037, 13 H, 9 XBH (3 HR), 12 RBI, 1 SB

In my article Ranking MLB's Top 25 Rookies on Opening Day Rosters that published March 28, I took some heat for not including Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser in my rankings.

My reasoning was he did not appear to have a clear path to playing time in a crowded Baltimore outfield, but has made the most of his early opportunities with a handful of starts in left field.

It now seems like only a matter of time before his role is expanded and Crowser shows why he's been one of baseball's top prospects since going No. 5 overall in the 2021 draft following a stellar collegiate career at Sam Houston State.

The 24-year-old hit .300/.417/.520 with 18 doubles, 17 home runs and 62 RBI in 87 games at Triple-A last season, and while he looked overmatched in his first exposure to MLB pitching, he has clearly turned a corner.

SP Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants

Stats: 3 GS, 1-1, 4.76 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 3 BB, 17 K, 17.0 IP

There is little doubt Kyle Harrison has the stuff to be a front-line starter in the majors, with a mid-90s fastball that features tremendous late life, a terrific sweeping slider and a changeup that has developed into a reliable third offering.

He struck out 452 batters in 279.1 innings in the minors while steadily climbing top prospect lists, but he also raised some red flags with his inconsistent command, including 48 walks in 65.2 innings at Triple-A in 2023.

The 22-year-old made seven starts down the stretch last season, posting a 4.15 ERA with a solid 35-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34.2 innings, and that improved command has carried over to the 2024 season.

He has already recorded a pair of quality starts, and with Logan Webb and Blake Snell anchoring the San Francisco rotation, he will have a chance to settle in as a middle-of-the-rotation option.

SP Shōta Imanaga, Chicago Cubs

Stats: 2 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 0 BB, 12 K, 10.0 IP

Shōta Imanaga may not have come stateside with the same level of hype as fellow Japanese League star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but thanks to his advanced pitchability and command, he has a chance to make a bigger impact in 2024.

The starting pitcher for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic title game last spring, Imanaga went on to post a 2.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 188 strikeouts in 159 innings for the Yokohama Bay Stars.

The Cubs signed him to a four-year, $53 million deal that could wind up being one of the steals of the offseason if he maintains his early success.

In his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies, he tossed six shutout innings, allowing two hits and zero walks while piling up nine strikeouts.

SP Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates

Stats: 3 GS, 1-2, 4.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2 BB, 25 K, 18 IP

The Pittsburgh Pirates are quietly assembling a potentially elite starting rotation, with Mitch Keller signed to a five-year, $77 million extension during the offseason, top prospect Paul Skenes knocking on the door at Triple-A and Jared Jones off to a strong start in the majors after playing his way onto the Opening Day roster.

The 22-year-old had a 3.85 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 146 strikeouts in 126.1 innings in the upper levels of the minors last season, vaulting onto leaguewide Top 100 prospect lists in the process, and now he looks like an early dark horse in the NL Rookie of the Year race.

He has a fastball that averages 97.0 mph and an elite slider that has generated a 47.5 percent whiff rate though his first two starts, so the continued development of his curveball and changeup into a reliable third offering will be the key to unlocking his full potential.

The Pirates have been one of baseball's biggest early surprises, and Jones has been a part of those early exceeded expectations.

CF Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres

Stats: 16 G, 46 PA, .304/.407/.413, 14 H, 3 XBH (1 HR), 4 RBI, 2 SB

With a 65-hit, 55-power offensive profile, Jackson Merrill entered the 2024 season as one of baseball's top offensive prospects.

The question is where he would fit defensively on a San Diego Padres team with Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim occupying the middle infield spots in the majors, and that question was answered when he was shifted to center field during spring training.

The Washington Nationals used a similar approach with Trea Turner when he first arrived in the majors before eventually moving him back to his natural position, and Merrill is off to a hot start at the plate while making a smooth transition to his new defensive spot.

The 2021 first-round pick does not turn 21 years old until April 19, and while the Padres have not been shy about trading away their top prospects in recent years, it looks like he could settle in as a long-term piece of the puzzle.

SS Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Stats: 13 G, 43 PA, .333/.324/.400, 13 H, 2 XBH (0 HR), 4 RBI, 1 SB

A standout two-way prospect in high school who reached the upper 90s on the mound, Masyn Winn turned his full attention to shortstop after he was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, and now that rocket arm is on full display on the St. Louis infield.

The 22-year-old made his MLB debut last season, but looked overmatched at the plate, hitting .172/.230/.238 for a 29 OPS+ with only four extra-base hits in 137 plate appearances while serving as the team's primary shortstop and pushing Tommy Edman to center field.

With Gold Glove upside defensively, he doesn't need to hit a ton to be a valuable player, but he does have a solid track record of production in the minors. He hit .288/.359/.474 with 15 doubles, 18 home runs, 61 RBI and 17 steals in 105 games at Triple-A before he was called up last year.

He may not provide a ton of extra-base pop right out of the gates, but a solid batting average and elite defense are more than doable.

SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats: 4 GS, 1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 4 BB, 21 K, 16.0 IP

Yoshinobu Yamamoto still has a long way to go to live up to the 12-year, $325 million contract he signed during the offseason, but he has already shown flashes of the front-line potential that made him such a sought-after free agent.

The 25-year-old went 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings with the Orix Buffaloes last season, winning his third straight Eiji Sawamura Award as the best pitcher in Japan.

He recorded just three outs in his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series, but he followed that up with five scoreless innings each against the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, recording his first MLB win at Wrigley Field.

His fastball-curveball-splitter repertoire has the potential to be elite, keeping hitters off-balance while being equally effective against right-handed and left-handed hitters thanks to that tumbling splitter.