Baseball is a constantly-evolving sport, in part because it’s the one game where players can change their entire archetype in a single offseason. Adjustments to swings, approaches and physical strength can see players return to play out of the offseason new and improved.
We’re now around a quarter of the way through the minor league season in 2025. Many of our metrics have standardized at this point, giving us some signal to identify true skill gainers.
Below, we’ll take a look at 30 players who have improved their miss rate, chase rate and 90th percentile exit velocity the most. The sample size for each category is a minimum of 50 plate appearances, and all of the names listed have samples larger than that in each of the last two seasons. While imperfect, this sample does give us some understanding of how players adjusted over the offseason.
90th Percentile Exit Velocity Gainers
One of the stickiest exit velocity metrics, 90th percentile EV gives us an idea of a hitter’s high-end power by looking at their top 10% exit velocities. This correlates to game power and, ultimately, slugging percentage.
Below is the list of the 10 hitters who increased their 90th Percentile EV the most:
| player | org | age | level | bats | 2024 90% EV | 2025 90% EV | 90% EV Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Peoples | WSH | 20 | Low-A | S | 105.7 | 114.2 | 8.5 |
| Lyle Miller-Green | CWS | 24 | Low-A | R | 103.3 | 110.6 | 7.3 |
| Davis Diaz | ATH | 22 | Low-A | R | 97.1 | 104.2 | 7.1 |
| Adrian Rodriguez | AZ | 21 | Low-A | R | 96.2 | 103.2 | 7 |
| Dillon Lewis | NYY | 21 | Low-A | R | 102.4 | 109.3 | 6.9 |
| Dante Nori | PHI | 20 | Low-A | L | 94.5 | 101.3 | 6.8 |
| Eddie Micheletti Jr. | TOR | 23 | High-A | L | 98 | 104.8 | 6.8 |
| Drew Gilbert | NYM | 24 | Triple-A | L | 100.7 | 107.3 | 6.6 |
| Luis Peña | MIL | 18 | Low-A | R | 99.9 | 106.5 | 6.6 |
| Caden Powell | HOU | 21 | Low-A | R | 103 | 109.4 | 6.4 |
Our biggest EV gainer is the Nationals Low-A outfielder Nick Peoples, a 2022 12th-round pick who’s struggled over the first three seasons of his professional career. Peoples has shown absurd raw power early, but it has not come with production, as he’s hitting just .200/.273/.389 on the season.
Luis Peña has been one of the true breakout stars of 2025. After a strong showing in the Dominican Summer League last year, Peña has shown a significant increase in power in 2025. This portends well for future power development, as Peña boasts strong plate skills to go along with this newfound power. It’s a perfect combination of traits for a burgeoning prospect.
We covered Mets prospect Drew Gilbert last week and noticed his much-improved data in 2025. More than any hitter listed in this section, Gilbert has turned his added EV into increased production. He is not only showing improved exit velocities but also excellent angles on contact and plus plate skills. He’s been very unlucky on balls in play, but taking a look under the hood, I anticipate Gilbert’s numbers will begin to climb in the coming weeks.
Astros 2024 sixth-round pick Caden Powell cracks the list, as the juco standout has put together a very solid showing in his professional debut, albeit against Low-A competition. While swing-and-miss is very much a concern, there’s legitimate impact in Powell’s bat, and his .200 isolated slugging is a testament to that.
Miss Rates Improvers
Despite the influx of advanced information made available for player evaluation in modern baseball, at the end of the day, the ability to simply get the bat on the ball is still an important foundational skill. While one doesn’t need to be an elite contact hitter to be a productive or even star player, there is a baseline of contact important for all archetypes of hitters.
Below, we’ll look at 10 hitters who are making more contact at the highest rates in 2025:
| player | org | age | level | bats | 2024 miss% | 2025 miss% | miss% diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vance Honeycutt | BAL | 21 | High-A | R | 42.70% | 26.20% | 16.50% |
| Jordan Sprinkle | CWS | 24 | High-A | R | 30.00% | 15.90% | 14.10% |
| George Wolkow | CWS | 19 | Low-A | L | 46.70% | 32.70% | 14.00% |
| Braden Barry | TOR | 23 | Low-A | R | 31.90% | 17.20% | 14.70% |
| Yordys Valdes | CLE | 23 | Triple-A | S | 36.00% | 21.50% | 14.50% |
| Bernard Moon | CIN | 20 | Low-A | R | 31.50% | 17.10% | 14.40% |
| Jorbit Vivas | NYY | 24 | Triple-A | L | 25.00% | 11.10% | 13.90% |
| Kaden Hollow | SD | 24 | Low-A | L | 28.80% | 15.00% | 13.80% |
| James Tibbs III | SF | 22 | High-A | L | 32.10% | 18.90% | 13.20% |
| Tommy White | ATH | 22 | High-A | R | 29.00% | 16.50% | 12.50% |
This list features a trio of day-one 2024 draftees: Vance Honeycutt, James Tibbs and Tommy White. Of all the players on the list, the added bat-to-ball ability for Honeycutt might be the most welcomed sign. That said, it has not led to a reasonable strikeout rate, as he is still striking out in 37.1% of his plate appearances. Of the three, only White has turned his skill gain into production, as he’s hitting .299/.390/.467 so far in 2025.
After putting together a nice 2024 in spite of concerning strikeout rates, George Wolkow is showing far more reasonable swing-and-miss in 2025. It hasn’t culminated in improved production, however, as he’s still only hitting .203/.288/.341, but Wolkow’s strikeout rate is down from 40.3% in 2024 to 31.3% in 2025. This improvement shows in the contact rates, as Wolkow went from having swing-and-miss that was a true dealbreaker to showing enough contact for his power to play. That’s yet to happen, but time till tell if the improved contact unlocks more game power for the 6-foot-7 slugger.
Jorbit Vivas has seen time in 15 games with the Yankees this season, and while the production in the majors has been underwhelming, he’s showing improved contact skills this season in Triple-A. He’s walked in 12.9% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 6.9%. This outlier strikeout-to-walk ratio is exactly what Vivas needs to take another step towards a future full-time MLB role.
Chase Rate Improvers
While power and bat-to-ball ability are important, the ability to identify balls and strikes while attacking the right pitches is paramount. Often, the biggest gains in production year over year are the product of an improved approach. While chase rate doesn’t fully capture all the elements of approach, it does give us a good idea of which hitters are aggressive and which are passive.
Below, we’ll look at 10 hitters who have improved their chase rates the most in 2025:
| player | org | age | level | bats | 2024 chase% | 2025 chase% | chase% diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilman Diaz | LAD | 21 | High-A | R | 33.30% | 16.10% | 17.20% |
| Christian Moore | LAA | 22 | Double-A | R | 29.20% | 13.00% | 16.20% |
| Tre Richardson | STL | 23 | High-A | R | 26.10% | 10.70% | 15.40% |
| Emaarion Boyd | MIA | 21 | High-A | R | 33.20% | 18.30% | 14.90% |
| Robert Moore | PHI | 23 | Double-A | S | 28.70% | 13.80% | 14.90% |
| Tommy White | ATH | 22 | High-A | R | 38.80% | 24.00% | 14.80% |
| Adrián Sugastey | SF | 22 | Double-A | R | 45.70% | 31.00% | 14.70% |
| Victor Rodrigues | LAD | 20 | Low-A | R | 28.10% | 13.70% | 14.40% |
| Ivan Brethowr | CHC | 22 | High-A | R | 29.90% | 15.50% | 14.40% |
| Ryan Ritter | COL | 24 | Triple-A | R | 34.90% | 21.00% | 13.90% |
After two years of sub-10% walk rates for Emaarion Boyd, he’s showing a much-improved approach in 2025. With the improvement in chase rate, he’s seen his year-over-year walk rate increase from 6.8% in 2024 to 14.5% in 2025. This gain in approach has resulted in a 114 wRC+, a 20-point increase from last season.
The son of former Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore, Robert Moore was a standout at Arkansas who took some time to find his sea legs as a professional. This season, Moore is enjoying a career year to start with Double-A Reading, hitting .235/.353/.439 for a 125 wRC+. His 15.7% walk rate is a direct result of improved swing decisions, and it’s having a positive impact on his production despite poor luck on balls in play.
Tommy White makes his second appearance in this article, as his swing decisions have improved tremendously this season. White’s approach was a pock mark on his profile entering the draft, but in his first full professional season, he looks to be answering those questions emphatically.
On a team loaded with stars, the Dodgers’ Victor Rodriguez is enjoying an under-the-radar breakout season. He’s hitting .253/.431/.360 with a 22.5% walk rate to a 12.7% strikeout rate. While the power has been underwhelming, Rodriguez’s ability to get on base is noteworthy.
One of the more under-appreciated prospects in the upper minors at the moment is Ryan Ritter. A strong infield defender, Ritter can play all over the dirt, and over the last two seasons, he has shown improvements at the plate, too. Year-over-year, Ritter has improved his swing decisions tremendously, and it’s showing up in his production. Over 40 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, he is hitting .265/.397/.503—good enough for a 122 wRC+. He’s walking at the highest rate of his career while striking out at the lowest rate. Everything is clicking for Ritter at the moment, as he is showing above-average plate skills and power at the highest level of the minors.
