Here we are at the halfway point of the 2025 MLB campaign, and the mood for Canadian fans is one of cautious optimism. The Toronto Blue Jays have found their stride of late, joining the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in what promises to be a heated battle for the American League East. But is it sustainable? Will Toronto continue to dominate the MLB betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook?
We’ll find out soon enough. The Blue Jays needed more talent if they were going to improve on last year’s 74-88 record, and so far, so good in 2025. Toronto moved into a first-place tie with the Yankees at 48-38, a half-game up on the 48-39 Rays as we approach the All-Star break. The Jays may have even found themselves a pair of keepers in the infield, where we’ll lead off our list of Bodog’s biggest breakout performers of 2025.
Who’s Making a Significant Impact?
We begin with Addison Barger, the 25-year-old from Bellevue, Washington who’s splitting his time for now between third and right field. The Jays have been trying to fill the hot corner ever since Matt Chapman signed with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2024 season. Ernie Clement is their nominal starter at third, but Barger has been getting more of those reps lately while Clement hops around the infield.
As long as Barger’s bat is in the lineup, the rest is details. Barger has improved considerably at the plate in his second big-league season, boosting his OPS from .601 to .817 at press time and securing the No. 2 spot in the batting order between Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And while Barger may not have the same defensive chops as Chapman, he does have a powerful right arm, which he puts to good use both at third and in right.
Let’s also show Clement some love while we’re at it. The 2025 campaign is his fifth in the bigs, and he already broke through last year, but Clement has found a higher gear just when Toronto needs it most. It’s more about Clement’s defence than his .755 OPS; factor in the premium glove work of catcher Alejandro Kirk, 2B Andres Gimenez and CF Myles Straw, and you’ve got arguably the best defensive team in the majors.
Looking south of the border, one player stands out as the surprise star of 2025: Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the big leagues at press time with 33 home runs. Not that Raleigh flew under the radar in his first three full seasons with Seattle, but the “Big Dumper” has taken it to another level, posting a 1.024 OPS to keep the 45-41 Mariners in the American League Wild Card hunt.
Then you have Jonathan Aranda, the fourth-year utility infielder for the Rays who’s already posted 3.1 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) at the halfway point of the season. This could be smoke and mirrors, helped in part by Tampa’s temporary move to tiny George M. Steinbrenner Field, but for now, Aranda is the biggest reason the Rays are hanging with Toronto and New York in the AL East.
Over in the National League, as if the 55-32 Los Angeles Dodgers needed any more help, the defending World Series champions have seen OF Andy Pages take giant steps in his sophomore campaign, with a .839 OPS and one of the best outfield arms you’ll find anywhere. And while the 19-67 Colorado Rockies aren’t going to challenge LA for the pennant, third-year C/OF Hunter Goodman deserves props for his .858 OPS, up more than 200 points from last year.
So where are all the pitchers? It’s a lot more difficult to “break through” and make an impression on the mound when you’re not already one of the hotter prospects in baseball. Opportunities are scarcer, and you could easily find yourself sent back down to the minors after one bad start. But there are two young pitchers of note who deserve some attention – and they both happen to be rookies, taking advantage of a thin crop in 2025.
Who are the Breakout Rookies?
Blue Jays fans were hoping this would be the year 2B Wil Wagner made his mark on the majors. Still technically a rookie, Wagner (.788 OPS in 82 at-bats last year) was the top prospect in the 2024 deadline deal that sent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros. Alas, Wagner’s upward mobility has been capped by Toronto’s infield depth, leaving OF Alan Roden (.589 OPS) as their busiest rookie through the first half of the season. Reliever Braydon Fisher (1.90 ERA) has certainly been their most effective rookie in a limited role, and Mason Fluharty (5.56 ERA) has shown some promise as well.
Looking at the rest of the MLB freshman class, Athletics SS Jacob Wilson was projected to be this year’s top performer – and he has delivered, leading all rookies at 2.9 WAR while posting a .835 OPS. Wilson is toiling away in relative obscurity down in Sacramento, but even if the A’s don’t follow through on their move to Las Vegas as some fear, you’ll be hearing more about this toolsy prospect before long.
It’s been a somewhat mixed bag for the other blue-chippers expected to make a splash in 2025. Chicago Cubs INF Matt Shaw, New York Yankees OF Jasson Dominguez, Chicago White Sox INF Chase Meidroth and Dodgers 2B Hyeseong Kim have all had their moments, but the top rookie aside from Wilson has been Carlos Navarez (.801 OPS), who’s earned his spot as the new starting catcher for the Boston Red Sox.
As we mentioned above, breakthrough talent is usually harder to find on the hill, and that goes double for rookies. Chances are you’ve seen Will Warren (5.02 ERA) do his thing for the Yankees, striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings and locking down the No. 3 spot in New York’s starting rotation. But so far, it’s Chad Patrick (3.51 ERA) of the Milwaukee Brewers who deserves the No. 1 spot among rookie pitchers. Already the No. 2 starter in Milwaukee, Patrick leads his peers at 2.0 WAR, just ahead of Warren at 1.8 WAR – not too shabby for a fourth-round draft pick (No. 107 overall in 2021).
Who’s the MVP?
Aaron Judge. All these breakout stars have some work to do if they want their names mentioned alongside the best hitter in baseball. Judge himself has somehow found a way to up his game, bashing 31 homers in his first 86 games with what would be a career-high 1.205 OPS if the reigning and two-time AL MVP can sustain this performance level through the second half.
If Shohei Ohtani (1.015 OPS) is able to stay healthy and keep pitching for the Dodgers, he may put a dent in Judge’s lead on the overall WAR charts, but it won’t be easy. Judge is well ahead at 6.8 WAR, followed by Raleigh at 5.6 WAR; Ohtani is third at 4.3 WAR, including 0.2 WAR across four innings in three carefully monitored appearances last month.
He might not catch up with Judge in the end, but Ohtani is well on his way to defending his NL MVP crown – which he remarkably earned last year despite being limited to designated hitter duty. Ohtani was a Silver Slugger at DH and a highly effective pitcher when he won both his AL MVP awards (2021, 2023) for the Los Angeles Angels, and he even played some outfield back in 2021.
Sadly, it doesn’t look like Guerrero (2.1 WAR) is going to challenge Judge for MVP honours on the junior circuit. Guerrero (.830 OPS) has done a fine job at the plate as usual, but his glove isn’t all that valuable at first base. Vlady isn’t even the MVP in his own club; because of their added defence, Kirk (3.0 WAR) and Clement (2.6 WAR) have been Toronto’s most impactful players this year.
This is professional baseball, though, so health will be the ultimate deciding factor for who wins MVP in both leagues. If Judge pulls up lame – always a risk when you’re 6-foot-7 – there will be an opening for Raleigh, or maybe Kansas City Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. (4.2 WAR), to grab the reins. And Ohtani’s pitching in the second half might be the only thing separating him this year from Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (4.2 WAR), who would have made our breakout list had his 2024 sophomore campaign not been as good as it was.
Is there anyone we’ve missed? Please let us know. In the meantime, get ready for what should be a white-knuckle ride to the postseason for Blue Jays fans, and keep checking the MLB odds board at Bodog Sportsbook for the latest baseball betting lines.