CHICAGO (AP) — It sure looks as if another impressive group of prospects could have a major impact on the majors this year. Baseball’s next big star could be part of this year’s rookie class.
Here is a closer look at some of the majors’ most intriguing rookies this year:
The rich got a little richer when the World Series champions signed Sasaki to a minor league contract in January that included a $6.5 million signing bonus. The 23-year-old right-hander with a fastball that tops 100 mph had a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA over four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League. The star-studded Dodgers could employ a six-man rotation during parts of the season to help with Sasaki’s transition to the majors.
Juan Soto's departure in free agency should clear the way for regular playing time for Domínguez with New York. Nicknamed “The Martian,” Domínguez was signed for a $5.1 million bonus as a 16-year-old in 2019. He made his major league debut in 2023, but his development has been hampered by elbow and oblique injuries. He hit .314 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs in 58 games over three minor league stops last year.
The sweet-swinging Crews was taken by Washington with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 amateur draft, right after his LSU teammate Paul Skenes went No. 1 overall to Pittsburgh. Crews can do it all, batting .270 with 13 homers, 68 RBIs and 25 steals in 100 games in the minors last year. He was brought up by Washington in August and swiped 12 more bags while hitting .218 with three homers in 31 games in his first stint in the majors.
The 22-year-old Jobe steps into Detroit's rotation after tossing four scoreless innings over two relief appearances in his first big league stint in September. He also worked 1 2/3 innings of three-run ball in the playoffs. The right-hander was selected by the Tigers with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Shaw takes over at third base for a Cubs team hoping to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The 23-year-old Shaw was selected by the Cubs with the No. 13 pick in the 2023 draft. He hit .284 with 21 homers, 71 RBIs and 31 steals over two minor league stops last year.
The Red Sox have a solid outfield with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, but the 20-year-old Anthony — one of baseball's top prospects — is pushing for a spot. He finished last season with Triple-A Worcester, batting .344 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 35 games, to go along with a .982 OPS. He could make his big league debut this summer.
Lawlar, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 draft, was hampered by thumb and hamstring injuries last season. But there is still a lot to like about the 22-year-old shortstop. He played in just 23 minor league games last year, but he hit .318 with two homers and 20 RBIs. He is going to begin the season with Triple-A Reno so he can receive regular playing time.
The son of former big league infielder Jack Wilson is a key building block for the A's in the runup to their planned move to Las Vegas. Jacob Wilson made his major league debut in July, and the 22-year-old shortstop hit .250 with three RBIs in 28 games. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 draft also batted .433 (90 for 208) with seven homers and 39 RBIs in 53 games in the minors last year.
Ornelas is coming off an impressive season with Triple-A El Paso, hitting .297 with 23 homers and 89 RBIs in 128 games. The Mexico native was signed by San Diego as part of its 2016 international signing class. He was sent down to minor league camp late in spring training, but he could make his big league debut this summer.
The 35-year-old Sugano agreed to a $13 million, one-year contract with Baltimore in December. He is coming off his third MVP season in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League, going 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA for the Yomiuri Giants. With Corbin Burnes' departure in free agency, the Orioles are hoping Sugano can provide a lift for their rotation.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Chicago Cubs' Matt Shaw scores on a double by Pete Crow-Armstrong during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Chicago Cubs' Matt Shaw rounds third on his way home to score on a Dansby Swanson double in the fifth inning of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki winds up to deliver to the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top vaccine official with the Food and Drug Administration has resigned and criticized the nation’s top health official for allowing “misinformation and lies” to guide his thinking behind the safety of vaccinations.
Dr. Peter Marks sent a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner on Friday saying that he would resign and retire by April 5 as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
In his letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Marks said he was “willing to work” to address the concerns expressed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the safety of vaccinations. But he concluded that wasn't possible.
“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” he wrote.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.
Marks was offered the choice of resigning or being fired by Kennedy, according to a former FDA official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t have permission to discuss the matter publicly.
Kennedy has a long history of spreading anti-vaccine misinformation, although during his Senate confirmation hearings he seemed to say he would not undermine vaccines. He promised the chair of the Senate health committee that he would not change existing vaccine recommendations.
Since becoming commissioner, Kennedy has vowed to scrutinize the safety of childhood vaccinations, despite decades of evidence they are safe and have saved millions of lives.
Marks oversaw the agency’s rapid review and approval of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments during the pandemic.
Marks is credited with coining the name and concept for “Operation Warp Speed,” the effort under President Donald Trump to rapidly manufacture vaccines while they were still being tested for safety and efficacy. The initiative cut years off the normal development process.
Despite the project’s success, Trump repeatedly lashed out at the FDA for not approving the first COVID shots even sooner. Trump told confidants after his 2020 loss that he would have been re-elected if the vaccine had been available before Election Day.
Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized what he called the “firing” of Marks.
“RFK Jr.’s firing of Peter Marks because he wouldn’t bend a knee to his misinformation campaign now allows the fox to guard the hen house," Offit said. “It’s a sad day for America’s children.”
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the issues raised in Marks' resignation letter “should be frightening to anyone committed to the importance of evidence to guide policies and patient decisions.”
“I hope this will intensify the communication across academia, industry and government to bolster the importance of science and evidence,” he wrote.
The resignation follows news Friday that HHS plans to lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.
In a post on social media Thursday, Kennedy criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient “sprawling bureaucracy." He also faulted the department’s 82,000 workers for a decline in Americans’ health.
The resignation is the latest blow to the beleaguered health agency, which has been rocked for weeks by layoffs, retirements and a chaotic return-to-office process that left many staffers without permanent offices, desks or other supplies. Last month, Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, resigned, citing “the indiscriminate firing” of nearly 90 staffers in his division, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by the AP.
Marks, who could not be reached for comment, also raised concerns in his letter about “efforts currently being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination are concerning” as well as the “unprecedented assault on scientific truth that has adversely impacted public health in our nation.”
He went on to detail the historic benefits of vaccinations dating back to George Washington and pointed to the ongoing measles outbreak as proof of what can happen when doubts about science take hold.
“The ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined,” he wrote.
The measles outbreak, which could go on for months, has now spread to Kansas and Ohio after sickening more than 370 in Texas and New Mexico.
If it hits other unvaccinated communities across the U.S., as may now be the case in Kansas, the outbreak could endure for a year and threaten the nation’s status as having eliminated the local spread of the vaccine-preventable disease, public health experts said.
Casey reported from Boston. Perrone reported from Washington, D.C.
FILE - Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research within the Food and Drug Administration testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing to examine an update from Federal officials on efforts to combat COVID-19, Tuesday, May 11, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File)
