Arizona Diamondbacks Corbin Carroll celebrates in the dugout after hitting a grand slam home run off Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Maciejewski in the second inning of a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 26, 2025.

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Ranking the top 5 standout players after first week of MLB 2025 spring training

From Tarik Skubal to Anthony Volpe, take a look at top 5 standout players after first week of MLB 2025 spring training.

Spring Training is well underway, and while teams are focused on the grind of a 162-game season and the postseason beyond, some players have wasted no time making an early impact. Statcast has highlighted some early standouts, from power surges to high-velocity pitching performances, these are the five biggest standouts from the first week of Spring Training according to MLB.com.

1) Kris Bryant, Rockies

Kris Bryant delivered one of his most impressive swings in years, launching a 111.8 mph, 462-foot HR home run to deep left-center against the White Sox on Tuesday. The 111.8 mph exit velocity is his hardest-hit home run since 2019, and his longest homer since his Cubs days in 2016-17. Statcast data shows Bryant’s bat speed at 77.5 mph, significantly higher than his 69.5 mph average last season. This could be an early sign of resurgence for the former MVP.

Statcast bat tracking for Kris Bryant's 111.8 mph / 462 foot home run yesterday

77.5 mph bat speed

Bryant's average bat speed last season was 69.5 mph. He only had 7 tracked swings with a bat speed of 75+ mph (the "fast swing" threshold) pic.twitter.com/5GEz8EmYbl
— David Adler (@_dadler) February 26, 2025

2) Corbin Carroll, Diamondback

104.1 mph, 107.5 mph, and 110.1 mph HRs in his first four games. Carroll has picked up where he left off in 2024, making some key swing adjustments and unlocking more power. He’s already launched three homers over 100 mph, including a 110.1 mph grand slam against the Brewers. That matches his career-high exit velocity, suggesting he’s poised for another monster year.

Corbin Carroll this Spring:
6-10 3 HR, 2 SB, 8 RBI, 2.167 OPS pic.twitter.com/q9Bmv3VuPG
— Goldschmidt Happened (@GoldyHappens) February 28, 2025

3) Anthony Volpe, Yankees

Volpe’s bat speed and power potential were on full display when he crushed a 110.0 mph homer against Phillies lefty Matt Strahm. Not only was it harder than any home run he’s hit in his career, but it also exceeded his previous hardest-hit ball (108.7 mph). A power jump from Volpe would be a huge boost for the Yankees. Since then though Volpe has been 1-for-13 this spring.

A no-doubter off the bat of Anthony Volpe 😳 pic.twitter.com/olpJn2vZft
— MLB (@MLB) February 27, 2025

Could this finally be Anthony Volpe’s coming-of-age year?

4) Tarik Skubal, Tigers

The reigning AL Cy Young and Triple Crown winner wasted no time showing off his dominance, touching 100.1 mph in his Spring Training debut against the Twins. Skubal is one of only two starting pitchers to reach triple digits this spring and looks as nasty as ever.

Tarik Skubal, Nasty 90mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/CLGMRKfkST
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2025

5) Sandy Alcantara, Marlins

Alcantara missed all of 2024 after Tommy John surgery, but he’s returned looking as dominant as ever.

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He’s averaging just under 99 mph on his four-seamer and sinker, leading all starters in Spring Training. He’s already racked up strikeouts at 100 mph and 98.7 mph, proving that his velocity is fully back.

Sandy Alcántara, 100mph Challenge Paint. 🖌️🎨

Sandy's arm & eyes are in Mid-Season form. pic.twitter.com/FzO6Qa19J3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 28, 2025

And one more…

6) Dustin May, Dodgers

Returning from elbow surgery and a torn esophagus, May’s stuff looks electric. His curveball, in particular, is averaging elite spin rates (3,384 rpm) and horizontal break (19 inches), making it one of the nastiest breaking balls in baseball so far.

Incase anyone missed it….. IM BACK😁 pic.twitter.com/2OcQuJ5kq9
— Dustin May (@d_maydabeast) February 23, 2025

MLB.com’s David Adler also includes Royals’ Jac Caglianone, Giants’ Bryce Eldridge, Rays’ Chandler Simpson, Mariners’ Bryce Miller, Rangers’ Jack Leiter, and Twins’ Cory Lewis.

Anthony Volpe

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Spring Training

Tarik Skubal

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.