4 Offensive Players Flying Under the Radar Right Now (5/8/2025)

Let's take a look into 4 offensive players that are flying UNDER THE RADAR right now and have got off to a HOT START at the plate for the 2025 season so far:

Jacob Wilson - Athletics - SS

Stat Line: .357 AVG, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K, 1 SB, 1.6 WAR

Credit: GCU Athletics

Jacob Wilson is a shortstop for the Athletics in his rookie season in the Big Leagues (second season overall). Wilson has shown tremendous bat-to-ball abilities, though his hitting strategy is unconventional. Through 150 plate appearances so far, the Grand Canyon University product has drawn six walks and only struck out seven times. But, his .357 average showcases his ability to swing and make contact early in counts to get hits or on-base. While Wilson does not barrel or hit the ball hard at a rate like his successful peers, he still excels with his unique swing-free hitting strategy that has paid off massively for him so far this season.

Wilson's percentile rankings below demonstrate the strengths within his strategy in that he can square up his bat to the ball (99th percentile in Squared-Up %) and not whiff on pitches (99th percentile in Whiff %) at extremely good rates. This produces a high expectancy of a good batting average (.329 xBA in 98th percentile) and being the Major League leader in hardest to strike out in the league (100th percentile at a low 4.2 K %).

Maikel Garcia - Kansas City Royals - 3B

Stat Line: .323 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 15 BB, 20 K, 9 SB, 1.5 WAR

Credit: KY3

Maikel Garcia has been exceptional to start the year for the Brewers. The righty third-baseman displays the archetype of speed and contact, with decent power numbers. So far, Garcia leads the Royals with a .323 batting average and on-base percentage of .392, above the likes of up-and-coming stars like Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino.

Garcia's bat-to-ball metrics are once again off the charts (a common theme in these hitters). The key ones include his squared-up rate of 37.2% in the 98th percentile, a very good whiff % of 14.4% in the 95th percentile, Chase % of 19.7% in the 92nd percentile, all of which combine to show that Garcia doesn't chase pitches out the zone a lot, but when they're in the zone he makes good contact with the baseball and rarely swings and misses. All of this is a great recipe to have a breakout offensive season like Venezuela native is having.

Jonathan Aranda - Tampa Bay Rays - 1B

Stat Line: .317 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 14 BB, 25 K, 0 SB, 1.2 WAR

Credit: MLB

Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays is having a breakout year at the plate. The Mexican first baseman currently leads his team in batting average(.317), on-base percentage (.417), slugging percentage (.554), and doubles (9), as well as being tied for the lead in runs batted in at 17. Simply, Aranda has been the Rays best hitter and their main source of offensive production.

From the percentile rankings graphic below you can see Aranda is dominant in everything in the top half of the chart. Expected weighted on-base average (stat based on quality to bat-to-ball contact, and not the outcome of the play like other statistics) being in the 96th percentile helps to summarize all of his other percentile statistics ranking high like hard-hit % in the 100th percentile, average exit velocity in the 98th percentile, and barrel % ranking a little lower in the 80th percentile. Overall, Jonathan Aranda has been a shining light in a sub-par Rays' lineup that is experiencing a unique year playing in a minor league stadium. He has stepped up to plate this year and showed the type of quality hitter he can be, simply putting the ball on the ball with quality contact, getting on base, and scoring runs for his team.

Kyle Stowers - Miami Marlins - OF

Stat Line: .303 AVG, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 14 BB, 40 K, 2 SB, 0.8 WAR

Credit: ABC7 News

After being traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Marlins in the middle of last season, Kyle Stowers has gotten off to a fiery start this year towards the top of a young, inexperienced lineup in Miami. The outfielder has had a particularly strong last seven games, hitting .333 with four homers and 10 runs batted in over the last week. If Stowers can continue his production for the rest of the year, the Marlins will have an excellent player to form their core around for years to come. On the flip side, Stowers could also be a valuable trade asset that Miami fans have become all too used to seeing be traded away for more up-and-coming players like Stowers once was.

Stowers has excelled particularly in barreling baseballs with the part of the bat that produces such hard contact, in which he ranks in the 95th percentile at a 18.8% barrel rate. Also, this leads into another facet of Stowers' swing where he is at a 42.5% launch angle sweet spot rate. This means he is connecting with baseball at an angle between 8 to 32 degrees 42.5% of the time, placing himself in the 94th percentile. These rankings epitomize why Stowers has been such an offensive spark for the Marlins so far.

Be sure to follow Wilson, Garcia, Aranda, and Stowers throughout the 2025 MLB season to see if they can continue the breakout years they are all having.

All credit to Baseball Savant, ESPN, and MLB for the photos, statistics, and research.