Evaluating the 6 most impactful Texas Rangers rookies from the 2025 season

Despite having one of the oldest rosters in Major League Baseball this year, the Texas Rangers relied a handful of rookies throughout the regular season. From starting the season with two arms in their rotation to ending the season with three in their everyday lineup.

Rangers' fans got plenty of opportunities to see a glimpse into a potential future look at Globe Life Field for the next few seasons in 2025. The journey had its ups and downs, rightfully so, but the rookies still impacted the on-field play this year.

Without further ado, here's how the top six of the Rangers' rookies performed this season.

Evaluating the Texas Rangers impactful rookies in 2025

Cody Freeman, INF

The Rangers' 2025 Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year, Freeman was an instrumental part in executing the team's attempted late season comeback.

While his counting stats don't necessarily pop off the page, slashing .218/.252/.347, the 24-year-old Freeman made up for it based off timing of his performances.

In the month of September, the California native hit two home runs and nine RBIs. Among those is a two-hit game on Sept. 1 in Arizona, where he helped Texas beat the D-backs in extra innings thanks a game-tying two-run homer in the third and a game-tying single with two outs in the top of the ninth.

Michael Helman, OF

Believe it or not, the 2018 draft pick is still considered a rookie by MLB standards.

Before getting the bulk of his big league playin time with the Rangers this season, the 29-year-old Nebraska native only saw nine games of action last year with the Minnesota Twins. Helman was claimed off waivers by Texas in May.

In his 34 games as a Texas Ranger, he is hitting .244 with a .789 OPS, five home runs and 15 RBIs. That includes a dominate early September in which Helman personally helped orchestrate the Rangers playoff comeback attempt.

Jack Leiter, RHP

Leiter, 25, has been perhaps the biggest turnaround of a young pitcher in franchise history. A former fourth overall draft pick out of Vanderbilt, Leiter had a tough road to get to where he is now.

He came out firing this season, given an opportunity in the starting rotation right out of spring training due to a handful of injuries. His hottest stretch of the season came in August where Leiter had a 2.76 ERA in six games, recording 35 strikeouts and allowing just nine runs.

Among qualified rookies, Leiter has thrown the third-most innings (144.2), sixth-best ERA (3.92), second-most strikeouts (138) and sixth-best opponent batting average (.230). Leiter is set to make his 29th and final start of the season on Friday in Cleveland, reach 140 strikeouts and keep his ERA under 4.00.

Alejandro Osuna, OF

After a blazing hot start to the 2025 season at both the major league spring training and two differnet minor league levels, Osuna officially made his MLB Debut on May 25 against the Chicago White Sox.

The five-foot-nine outfielder was among the organization's top prospects heading into the year. At the major league level, he has played in 61 games with a .210 average, one home run, 10 RBIs, and 11 runs scored.

While the number don't necessarily pop off the page, Osuna has played above-average arm stregnth and sprint speed, while playing a smooth defense at both corner outfield spots. He has a lot of growth left to go but the experience will hopefully pay off in the long run.

Kumar Rocker, RHP

Unlike Leiter's forward progress this season, Rocker's was pretty much absolete. There were positive outings during his 2025 campaign but it was mostly poor.

The 25-year-old right-hander finished the regular season 4-5 with a 5.74 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 23 walks, 1.46 WHIP and a .277 opponent average in 64.1 innings of work. Throughout 14 , he had at least four four starts of five earned runs or more.

Rocker was officially optioned to Triple-A Round Rock for the rest of the season on August 1 after his latest stint in the big leagues didn't go as planned. He then pitched for the first time at any level on September 18, going 2.1, two hit, two strikeouts innings with Round Rock.

Cole Winn, RHP

Winn came out of nowhere over the last two seasons in the minor leagues when the 2018 first-round pick made a transition to the bullpen prior to the 2024 season.

Starting the regular season in Triple-A Round Rock, Winn appeared in 17 games with the Express and surrendered just two earned runs before earning his first big league call up of the season in mid-May.

As a reliever coming out of the bullpen for Texas, Winn has pitched in 33 games to the tune of a 1.51 ERA, 35 strikeouts and a .167 opponent batting averaged in 41.2 innings. His ERA is one of the lowest in the league of any pitcher with at least 40 innings.