Few things in baseball are as exciting and rewarding as watching a young player come up and make an immediate impact for your favorite team. Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle is not just this year’s runaway American League Rookie of the Year favorite; he’ll get MVP votes. Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski is the overwhelming National League Cy Young favorite in his first full MLB season.

Things don’t always work out that way, though. The Cardinals had to wait three years for outfielder Jordan Walker to reach his All-Star upside. Lefty Reid Detmers is finally leading the Angels rotation more than five years after his big-league debut. It’s a hard and unforgiving sport, and development is not always linear. Some players need time to settle in. Some never do.

With that in mind, here are five still-young players yet to cement themselves as building blocks with their organization, and what they need to do to lock down a long-term roster spot. And, for argument’s sake, we’ll throw in some potential landing spots in case their teams decide to go the change-of-scenery trade route. Come with me, won’t you?

OF Dylan Crews, Nationals

MLB debut: Aug. 26, 2024

Dylan Crews

WAS • RF • #3

BA0.212

R40

HR10

RBI27

SB8

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Why he’s here: Dylan Crews, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 Draft behind Paul Skenes, has spent the last three seasons hitting ineffectively at the big-league level when he wasn’t hurt or in the minors. His MLB slash line has been remarkably consistent, though not in a good way:

There are some encouraging signs under the hood. Crews is hitting the ball harder and in the air more often this season, though he has traded some contact to get those hard-hit balls in the air. Alas and alack, it has not led to more production. It has just slightly changed the shape of his middling production. Crews is on this list because he hasn’t hit much, plain and simple.

What he needs to do: Sacrificing some contact to hit the ball hard in the air is a worthwhile trade-off. Washington’s front office has helped several players make similar adjustments (Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young, the since-traded Luis García Jr.), so there is a track record of this working. Crews is a good defender and speedy baserunner. Stick with this approach and hope it turns into results.

Where he could land: I suspect Crews, 24, is the player in this post who is least likely to get traded. For argument’s sake, I would expect the Padres and Rays to pursue him most aggressively if the Nationals do indeed dangle him in the offseason. Things have yet to come together for Crews, but I wouldn’t rush to move on just yet. He’s barely over a full season’s worth of playing time.

IF Nolan Gorman, Cardinals

MLB debut: May 20, 2022

Nolan Gorman

STL • 3B • #16

BA0.194

R19

HR7

RBI26

SB0

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Why he’s here: Three years ago, Nolan Gorman, 26, slugged 27 home runs and looked like one of the best young power hitters in the game. He struck out quite a bit that season, but when you approach 30 homers, teams will live with strikeouts. Gorman’s contact issues have spiraled since then, and his power output has slipped. This isn’t going to cut it:

The Nolan Arenado trade opened up third base, Gorman’s natural position, and the hope was that shifting away from second base and to a more comfortable position would unlock his offense. That didn’t happen. Gorman struggled badly earlier this season and was demoted to Triple-A in June. It hasn’t gone much better in the minors: .181/.337/.436 with 35.3% strikeouts.

What he needs to do: Realistically, Gorman won’t be able to get down to a league-average strikeout rate. That’s not his skill set. He has enough power that a 30% strikeout rate, which is merely bad rather than disastrous, could work. A 30% strikeout rate is Hunter Goodman and Nick Kurtz territory. Gorman is a bat-first player who doesn’t get the bat on the ball enough. It’s a potentially fatal flaw.

Where he could land: Infield prospect Jesús Báez is performing well at Double-A and coming for the third base job. This season might have been Gorman’s last chance to stick with the Cardinals. The Marlins and Phillies are potential landing spots. Gorman is looking at a 2027 salary north of $3 million through arbitration. That could make him a non-tender candidate this offseason.

IF/OF Jordan Lawlar, Diamondbacks

MLB debut: Sept. 7, 2023

Jordan Lawlar

ARI • LF • #10

BA0.261

R6

HR1

RBI4

SB4

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Why he’s here: Still only 24, Jordan Lawlar has been held back by injuries. Including winter ball, he’s played only 184 games since the start of the 2024 season. It’s not one chronic injury that dogs him every year, either. This season, it’s a wrist fracture and a right hamstring strain. Last year, it was a left hamstring strain. The year before, it was a torn thumb ligament. On and on we could go.

When healthy, Lawlar has shown a rigid swing that has left him susceptible to anything that isn’t middle-middle. Here is his contact heat map at the MLB level:

That’s a grooved swing. You can see Lawlar’s bat path, and if the pitch isn’t in that path, he has a hard time driving it. Lawlar has some juice in his bat, and he’s playing the outfield this year after beginning his career on the dirt, so he’s backed into versatility. Those are reasons to believe. At the end of the day, he’s missed a lot of time with injuries, and his swing has limitations.

What he needs to do: Stay on the field, first and foremost. It starts there. Lawlar can’t make any adjustments to his swing or any other part of the game while on the shelf. You can have a long career as a versatile player who mashes mistakes, but to live up to the talent and prospect rankings, Lawlar needs a more adaptable swing. Something more fluid that covers a larger part of the zone.

Where he could land: Lawlar’s ability to play the infield and outfield opens up a lot of possibilities if the Diamondbacks decide it’s time for a change. He’s most valuable as a center fielder, given the state of the position around the league. The Giants and Royals are two teams that seem positioned to buy low on Lawlar, and give him a long runway in center (if he can stay healthy).

SP Kumar Rocker, Rangers

MLB debut: Sept. 12, 2024

Kumar Rocker

TEX • SP • #80

ERA4.50

WHIP1.40

IP116

BB47

K106

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Why he’s here: With 38 MLB starts (and two relief appearances) under his belt, Kumar Rocker has been merely ordinary, with league-average-ish strikeout, walk, and home run rates. He allowed seven runs in 5 ⅔ innings on July 11 and then tossed six shutout innings next time out on July 21, and that’s the Kumar Rocker experience. Tantalizing, yet unpredictable start to start.

Rocker’s mid-80s slider is a wipeout pitch. None of his other pitches (four-seamer, sinker, cutter, split-change) jump off the page and that has created serious platoon issues. Lefties have hit .295/.370/.485 against Rocker in his admittedly brief career. Dating back to his days at Vanderbilt, there were signs that Rocker’s future may come as a shutdown reliever, not as a starter. That is still the case now.

What he needs to do: Rocker has to come up with something to keep lefties down. The split-change is a work in progress and the cutter neither misses bats nor limits hard contact. Previous attempts at a curveball didn’t go anywhere. Rocker’s inability to solve lefties is not due to a lack of effort. He’s tried multiple pitches, but nothing’s stuck. That’s the single biggest thing holding him back.

Where he could land: Again, Rocker hasn’t been bad for Texas; he’s just been OK. Continuing to start him is not unreasonable, and, if anything, I’d stick him in the bullpen and see what that looks like before trading him. I suspect 29 other teams would come calling if the Rangers made Rocker available. The Nationals and White Sox stand out as potential fits.

IF Anthony Volpe, Yankees

MLB debut: March 30, 2023

Anthony Volpe

NYY • SS • #11

BA0.240

R20

HR1

RBI19

SB7

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Why he’s here: Anthony Volpe made the Yankees‘ Opening Day roster in 2023, and he simply hasn’t hit since then. Since 2023, Volpe has the second-lowest batting average (.224), the second-lowest on-base percentage (.287), and the second-lowest slugging percentage (.373) among the 83 players with at least 2,000 plate appearances. That just isn’t going to cut it.

George Lombard Jr. has replaced Volpe as New York’s shortstop of the future (and present), so much so that Volpe has played second base almost exclusively since being demoted to Triple-A last month. Ultimately, the position he plays won’t matter unless he hits. Volpe is a gifted defender and has speed, but he needs to do more offensively. It’s hard to carry a bat this empty.

What he needs to do: Settling on an approach would help. Volpe was a pulled-fly-ball guy as a rookie in 2023 and hit 21 home runs. He focused on the opposite field in 2024 and slipped to 12 homers. In 2025, he was both guys at different times. The pulled fly ball version of Volpe was the most productive. Regardless, picking an approach and sticking with it for a while seems wise.

Where he could land: Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be a free agent after the season. There’s a path to Volpe taking the second base job and teaming up with Lombard up the middle next year. If the Yankees decide to move on, the Braves and possibly the Rangers are potential landing spots. Volpe is likely to command over $4 million through arbitration in 2027. He’s getting pricey.

Others running out of time to prove themselves: UTIL Brett Baty, Mets; RHP Brayan Bello, Red Sox; OF Evan Carter, Rangers; OF Colton Cowser, Orioles; OF Jasson Domínguez, Yankees