Major League Baseball is in good hands with a long list of exciting young stars across the sport, and every team has at least one up-and-coming talent to provide some hope and excitement for the future.

Ahead we've highlighted each club's most exciting young player, with a few stipulations for who fits that description laid out in advance.

• Only players 25 years old or younger were considered "young" since most players are established big leaguers entering their prime by the time they turn 26 years old.
• No more than 486 games for position players or 98 games for pitchers, which is equivalent to three full seasons in the majors.
• Only players with MLB experience, so no top prospects who have yet to arrive on the scene, even if they profile as franchise cornerstones.

With that established, let's get to the list.

Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Corbin Carroll

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 211

Corbin Carroll almost instantly went from top prospect to MLB star last season, hitting .285/.362/.506 for a 134 OPS+ with 30 doubles, 10 triples, 25 home runs and 54 steals in a 5.4-WAR season.

He won NL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously, finished fifth in NL MVP balloting and helped lead the D-backs to a World Series.

He is off to a slow start this season, but there is no reason to believe he won't turn it around based on his tools and track record. With an eight-year, $111 million extension on the books, he will be the face of the franchise in Arizona for the foreseeable future.

Atlanta Braves: OF Michael Harris II

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 275

Now that reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. has turned 26 years old, the torch has been passed to fellow outfielder Michael Harris II as the "young star" on a stacked Atlanta Braves roster.

He jumped straight from Double-A to the majors to make his MLB debut in May 2022 and went on to win NL Rookie of the Year honors, posting a 133 OPS+ with 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 20 steals in a 5.2-WAR debut.

It was more of the same last season, and now he has moved up in the batting order and is filling a more prominent run production role here in 2024 as he is making a strong early case for his first All-Star selection.

Baltimore Orioles: SS Gunnar Henderson

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 208

Gunnar Henderson won AL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously and finished eighth in AL MVP balloting in a 6.2-WAR rookie campaign, posting a 125 OPS+ with 29 doubles, 28 home runs and 82 RBI while playing terrific defense.

Now he appears to be taking the next step toward legitimate superstardom, hitting .309/.373/.649 for an AL-leading 198 OPS+ with eight home runs, 20 RBI and five steals through his first 24 games this year.

Colton Cowser (69 PA, .333/.406/.733, 12 XBH) and Jordan Westburg (93 PA, .310/.370/.571, 11 XBH) are both off to red-hot starts this season and are also worthy of a mention, while Grayson Rodriguez is a budding star in the rotation.

Boston Red Sox: RHP Brayan Bello

Age: 24

Career MLB Games: 46

Brayan Bello and Triston Casas are the two obvious potential answers here for the Boston Red Sox, and both are currently on the injured list with Casas recovering from a fractured rib and Bello nursing lat tightness.

The Red Sox saw enough in Bello's performance last season to sign him to a six-year, $55 million extension during the offseason, and he went 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 26.2 innings over his first five starts this year.

Outfielder Wilyer Abreu has hit .312/.389/.493 with 17 extra-base hits in 157 plate appearances since making his MLB debut on Aug. 22 last year and is also worthy of a mention.

Chicago Cubs: 3B Christopher Morel

Age: 24

Career MLB Games: 244

With one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, the Chicago Cubs will have plenty of candidates for this list in the coming years, including rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong who hit his first career MLB home run on Thursday.

For now, slugger Christopher Morel is the team's most exciting young talent, though he is off to a slow start this year with a .205 average and 79 OPS+ through his first 100 plate appearances. He also remains a question mark defensively as he looks to prove he can handle third base on an everyday basis.

He posted a 117 OPS+ with 26 home runs and 70 RBI in 429 plate appearances last season, and he will be given every opportunity to prove he can be a long-term piece of the puzzle.

Chicago White Sox: LHP Garrett Crochet

Age: 24

Career MLB Games: 78

With a high-octane fastball and a lethal slider, Garrett Crochet jumped straight from being the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 draft to pitching out of the bullpen for a Chicago White Sox team headed for the postseason.

Tommy John surgery cost him the entire 2022 season and shoulder issues sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2023 campaign, but he has come out the other side with an opportunity to start for the first time in his career.

His 6.37 ERA this season might look poor at surface level, but it is backed by a 4.09 FIP that speaks to some positive regression to come, and his 1.18 WHIP and 40-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 29.2 innings are also solid.

Cincinnati Reds: SS Elly De La Cruz

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 123

A dynamic five-tool talent who jump started the Cincinnati Reds season after making his MLB debut last season, Elly De La Cruz checks all the boxes to develop into a bona fide superstar in the coming years.

That year could be 2024.

He is hitting .306/.416/.635 with five doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBI and 15 steals in 25 games this season, and his walk rate has spiked from 8.2 to 14.9 percent to give him a more well-rounded offensive game.

He has already been a 1.7-WAR player through the first month of the season, and he has quickly emerged as the headliner of a talented collection of young hitters on the Cincinnati roster.

Cleveland Guardians: 2B Andrés Giménez

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 440

At this point, Andrés Giménez is good enough defensively at second base that anything he provides in the batter's box is icing on the cake.

The 2023 AL Platinum Glove winner ranked second in the majors with 23 Defensive Runs Saved, and he has now won back-to-back Gold Gloves at second base since emerging as an everyday player for the Cleveland Guardians.

His offensive game took a step backward last year, but he still posted a 97 OPS+ with 27 doubles, 15 home runs, 62 RBI and 30 steals in a 5.3-WAR season. The seven-year, $106.5 million extension he signed prior to last season will keep him in a Guardians uniform through the 2030 season if a club option is exercised.

Colorado Rockies: SS Ezequiel Tovar

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 188

The Colorado Rockies have a solid track record of producing impact shortstops, with Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story both drafted and developed by the organization before developing into All-Star players.

Ezequiel Tovar appears to be next in line.

He broke camp with the starting shortstop job last season and ended up starting 152 of 162 games at the position while hitting .253 with 37 doubles, 15 home runs, 73 RBI and 11 steals in a 2.5-WAR campaign.

The Rockies inked him to a seven-year, $63.5 million extension in March, and he is hitting .300/.355/.450 for a 116 OPS+ with six doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI in 26 games to kick off the 2024 season.

Detroit Tigers: OF Riley Greene

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 217

The Detroit Tigers have quietly assembled an exciting group of young hitters with Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, rookie Colt Keith and top prospect Jace Jung representing the makings of a long-term offensive core.

After a less-than-stellar rookie season, Greene hit .288/.349/.447 for a 117 OPS+ with 34 extra-base hits in 99 games last season, and he is taking another step forward at the plate in the early going this season.

He is hitting .244/.393/.488 for a 155 OPS+ with four doubles, five home runs, 11 RBI and 21 runs scored, and he has tallied an AL-leading 21 walks, providing a solid mix of on-base skills and extra-base pop.

Houston Astros: C Yainer Diaz

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 134

Yainer Diaz hit .282/.308/.538 for a 129 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 377 plate appearances as a rookie last season, spending significant time on the bench behind light-hitting veteran Martín Maldonado.

The Astros have steadily gone from one of the league's youngest teams to a roster filled with veterans, and now that both Yordan Alvarez (26 years old) and Kyle Tucker (27 years old) have transitioned from up-and-comers to established stars, Diaz was an easy choice.

He has the tools to be one of baseball's best offensive catchers for years to come, and represents a building block for an Astros roster approaching a transition period of sorts.

Kansas City Royals: SS Bobby Witt Jr.

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 334

Bobby Witt Jr. took a significant step forward last year in his second season in the big leagues, hitting .276/.319/.495 for a 118 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 11 triples, 30 home runs, 96 RBI, 97 runs scored and 49 steals.

He also showed significant improvement defensively, and the Royals rewarded him with an 11-year, $288.8 million extension that could be worth as much as $377 million and keep him in Kansas City through 2037 if several player and club options are exercised.

His rise to stardom has continued this season as he is hitting .308/.357/.558 with eight doubles, three triples, four home runs, 11 RBI, seven steals and 1.8 WAR in 26 games, and he is on a trajectory that could make him the best players in Royals history since George Brett.

Los Angeles Angels: LHP Reid Detmers

Age: 24

Career MLB Games: 63

Reid Detmers moved quickly through the minors after going No. 10 overall in the 2020 draft, making his MLB debut the following year, and he had a 4.48 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 148.2 innings over 28 starts last year.

The left-hander tossed a no-hitter in 2022, and he is starting to find more consistency this year, going 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 29.2 innings over his first five starts.

Catcher Logan O'Hoppe, shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel are also young players on the rise with the potential to fill key roles on the roster for years to come.

Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 6

The Dodgers have several young pitchers on the roster, with Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan and Kyle Hurt all emerging from the farm system in recent years and still 25 years old or younger.

However, the team's brightest young star is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was signed to a 12-year, $325 million deal during the offseason after seven seasons playing professionally in the Japanese League where he was the league's best pitcher each of the past three seasons.

After a rocky MLB debut in the Seoul Series, he has settled in nicely stateside, going 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 27 innings over his last seven starts. There is a long way to go to live up to his contract, but things are trending in the right direction.

Miami Marlins: RHP Max Meyer

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 5

Right-hander Eury Pérez would have been the clear choice for the Miami Marlins heading into the 2024 season after he logged a 3.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 91.1 innings over 19 starts as a 20-year-old rookie.

However, he is now sidelined indefinitely following Tommy John surgery, and his development has stalled as a result.

Instead, injury returnee Max Meyer is the pick for the Marlins as he has returned from his own Tommy John surgery to post a 2.12 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 17 innings over three starts this season.

The Marlins optioned him to the minors following his April 13 start against the Atlanta Braves where he allowed just six hits and one earned run over six strong innings, and his innings will be closely monitored this year.

Milwaukee Brewers: OF Jackson Chourio

Age: 20

Career MLB Games: 22

The Milwaukee Brewers signed Jackson Chourio to an eight-year, $82 million extension in December, setting a new record for the largest deal ever given to a prospect who had not yet made his MLB debut.

He just turned 20 years old on March 11 and is the youngest player to appear in a big league game this season, so there will undoubtedly be some growing pains as he settles in, but he has held his own with an 80 OPS+ to go along with four home runs, 13 RBI and four steals in 22 games.

Second baseman Brice Turang is hitting .321/.379/.462 with 12 steals in 23 games this season after struggling at the plate as a rookie, and he remains an elite defender at second base.

Minnesota Twins: 2B Edouard Julien

Age: 24

Career MLB Games: 133

The choices are limited for players 25 years old or younger on the Minnesota Twins roster, and this essentially boiled down to a toss-up between second baseman Edouard Julien and third baseman Royce Lewis.

If Lewis could stay healthy for an extended period of time, he might be the slam dunk answer, but the oft-injured former No. 1 overall pick has consistently missed time throughout his career and is again sidelined with a quad strain.

Meanwhile, after a terrific rookie season at the plate, Julien has a 135 OPS+ with seven home runs in 91 plate appearances to kick off his second season. With Jorge Polanco traded to the Seattle Mariners, he is now the everyday second baseman and a staple atop the lineup.

New York Mets: C Francisco Alvarez

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 144

Catcher Francisco Alvarez and third baseman Brett Baty are the only real options on the New York Mets roster, but that is poised to change in the coming years with a stocked farm system and ample opportunity for roster turnover.

Alvarez slugged 25 home runs as a rookie last season, and throughout his time in the minors he was lauded for having some of the best raw power in the minors. He also has the tools to be a plus defender behind the plate, but he will be sidelined for the next six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery on a torn thumb ligament.

Meanwhile, Baty has yet to definitively prove he is the long-term answer at third base, so until he takes a step forward the injured Alvarez gets the nod.

New York Yankees: SS Anthony Volpe

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 184

Juan Soto is still only 25 years old, but with seven seasons, 805 games and 30.0 WAR under his belt, he is by no means an up-and-coming player and is already knocking on the door for his first trip to free agency.

Instead, shortstop Anthony Volpe is the clear choice.

After winning AL Gold Glove honors while posting a 21-homer, 24-steal, 3.3-WAR rookie campaign, he has taken a massive step forward at the plate so far in his second season in pinstripes.

He is hitting .299/.370/.423 with seven extra-base hits, six steals and 1.5 WAR in 25 games while slashing his strikeout rate from 27.8 to 20.0 percent through his first 110 plate appearances.

Oakland Athletics: RHP Mason Miller

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 19

With a fastball that averages 100.7 mph and a lethal slider that has generated a 50.0 percent whiff rate, Mason Miller has quickly become must-see TV every time he takes the mound for the Oakland Athletics.

He has converted all six of his save opportunities so far this season while posting a 1.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, and he has struck out 23 of the 45 batters he has faced.

He struck out Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in order to nail down a save in a 2-0 victory against the New York Yankees on Monday, and he has the inside track to be Oakland's All-Star representative this year.

Philadelphia Phillies: OF Johan Rojas

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 81

The Philadelphia Phillies roster is loaded with high-priced veteran talent, so the options for inclusion on this list were limited. It's worth mentioning that second baseman Bryson Stott is 26 years old, so he was not eligible.

However, the team does have a promising young outfielder in Johan Rojas, though he still has something to prove before he is the clear-cut present and future in center field.

He hit .302/.342/.430 for a 109 OPS+ in 164 plate appearances last season as a rookie and backed it with elite defensive metrics (15 DRS, 12.1 UZR/150), but his batted-ball data hinted at some likely regression. He is good enough defensively that even league-average numbers at the plate would make him an impact contributor.

Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Jared Jones

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 5

Spicy take: I'm not sold on Oneil Cruz ever delivering on his potential as a five-tool star. He has a 34.0 percent strikeout rate over 517 plate appearances for his career, and with 38 punchouts in 107 trips to the plate this year he is showing no signs of refining his approach.

Instead, the most exciting young player on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster is rookie starter Jared Jones, who pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster with a terrific spring.

Through his first five starts in the majors, he has a 2.79 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and a brilliant 39-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 29 innings. He has the potential to help anchor the starting rotation alongside Mitch Keller and top prospect Paul Skenes for years to come.

San Diego Padres: OF Fernando Tatis Jr.

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 442

Fernando Tatis Jr. was just a few months removed from his 20th birthday when he made his MLB debut for the San Diego Padres in 2019, and due in part to missing the entire 2022 season to a PED suspension and injury, he has still not reached 500 career games.

In his return to action last year, he posted a 112 OPS+ with 33 doubles, 25 home runs, 78 RBI and 29 steals while winning Gold and Platinum Glove honors in a 5.5-WAR season while transitioning to right field.

Rookie Jackson Merrill is hitting .318/.378/.409 for a 127 OPS+ with five extra-base hits, four steals and 0.7 WAR through his first 27 games while making a smooth transition to center field on defense.

San Francisco Giants: LHP Kyle Harrison

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 12

The most promising pitching prospect to emerge from the San Francisco Giants system since Logan Webb, left-hander Kyle Harrison showed enough down the stretch last season to break camp this spring with a spot in the rotation.

He struck out 452 batters in 279.1 innings over three seasons in the minors after going in the third round of the 2020 draft, and while he showed some inconsistent command along the way, his swing-and-miss stuff gives him an ace-caliber ceiling.

Through his first 12 starts in the majors, he has a 4.52 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 59-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 61.2 innings, and with club control through 2029 he should be a rotation staple.

Seattle Mariners: OF Julio Rodríguez

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 312

Julio Rodríguez had one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history in 2022 with a 28-homer, 25-steal, 6.2-WAR performance, and he backed it up with another MVP-caliber performance last season.

He already has two All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger wins and two top-10 finishes in AL MVP balloting, and he is still the age of many of baseball's top prospects in the minors at 23 years old.

All signs point to him being the best homegrown position player for the Seattle Mariners since Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez both delivered on the expectations that came with being No. 1 overall picks.

St. Louis Cardinals: SS Masyn Winn

Age: 22

Career MLB Games: 60

With former top prospect Jordan Walker struggling to the point of being demoted to Triple-A and slugger Nolan Gorman off to a glacial start as he tries to stake claim to the everyday second base job, the best young player for the St. Louis Cardinals right now is shortstop Masyn Winn.

He looked overmatched in his MLB debut last season, hitting .172 with a 29 OPS+ over 137 plate appearances, but his elite glove and offseason wrist surgery for Tommy Edman still gave him the inside track for the starting shortstop job.

He is hitting .313/.385/.418 for a 127 OPS+ with five extra-base hits, four steals and 1.0 WAR in 23 games, and he could be a factor in the NL Rookie of the Year race if he continues to produce at that level.

Tampa Bay Rays: 3B Isaac Paredes

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 335

It took Isaac Paredes some time to deliver on his top prospect pedigree, but the deal to acquire him from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Austin Meadows prior to the 2022 season has turned into one of the best trades in Tampa Bay Rays history.

He posted a 130 OPS+ with 31 home runs, 98 RBI and 4.2 WAR in 143 games last season as one of the most productive third baseman in baseball, and even with a raise to $3.4 million in his first year of arbitration he is a major bargain.

Young infielders Junior Caminero and Curtis Mead could stake their claim to the title of most exciting young player on the roster before the 2024 season is over, but for now Paredes is the guy.

Texas Rangers: OF Evan Carter

Age: 21

Career MLB Games: 46

Outfielders Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford both have star potential for the Texas Rangers, and while Langford might end up having the higher ceiling long-term, Carter is the more impactful player right now.

He hit .306/.413/.645 with 10 extra-base hits in 75 plate appearances as a September call-up last year, then logged a .300/.417/.500 line with 18 hits and 10 walks in 17 games during the team's run to a World Series title last October.

With Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis García and others already entrenched in the Texas lineup, both players can settle into the big leagues without the pressure of having to fill starring roles for the offense.

Toronto Blue Jays: IF/OF Davis Schneider

Age: 25

Career MLB Games: 55

Slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 686 games, 133 home runs and 15.5 WAR on his resume already, despite the fact that he just turned 25 years old in March, so he was not eligible for inclusion.

Meanwhile, catcher Alejandro Kirk has taken a step backward since his 2022 All-Star season, and he is hitting .167/.268/.183 for a 36 OPS+ in 71 plate appearances to begin the 2024 campaign.

Utility man Davis Schneider posted a 175 OPS+ with 21 extra-base hits in 141 plate appearances as a rookie last season, and he has a 116 OPS+ in the early going this season, so he has a chance to be an impactful bat while filling a variety of roles defensively.

Washington Nationals: SS CJ Abrams

Age: 23

Career MLB Games: 262

CJ Abrams showed flashes intriguing upside in his first full season in the majors last year, hitting .245/.300/.412 with 28 doubles, 18 home runs, 64 RBI, 47 steals and 3.4 WAR in 151 games.

The former San Diego Padres top prospect was acquired in the Juan Soto blockbuster, and he is hitting .302/.362/.628 for a 178 OPS+ with four doubles, three triples, six home runs and five steals in 21 games to kick off the new season.

Elite prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews have the potential to be stars once they reach the big leagues, but for the time being, Abrams is the most promising young building block in the Nationals rebuild.