Where Reds, Guardians Rank Among MLB Teams With Most Homegrown Talent

For many baseball fans, there are no sweeter four words in the English language than, “Pitchers and catchers report.”

Those four words mark the beginning of spring training, a six-week runup to MLB’s Opening Day and the beginning of the 2025 regular season for fans and for Ohio sports betting.

With MLB Spring Training games starting next week, we are moving closer to the regular season. It made us wonder, which MLB team has done the best job at drafting and keeping talent? We used FanGraphs.com to find the number of players on each MLB team that was homegrown (drafted or signed) on their projected 40-man roster for the upcoming 2025 season.

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MLB Teams With The Most Homegrown Talent

Cleveland Rocks With Homegrown Talent

Few teams have been as successful as the Cleveland Guardians over the past 10 seasons. According to StatMuse, the Guardians have a record of 836-679 since 2015. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and New York Yankees have won more games in the past decade. See our guide to Cleveland Guardians odds for this season.

Cleveland’s 10-year run includes five American League Central titles, an AL pennant, two AL Championship Series appearances and six trips to the playoffs. Last year’s team faced the Yankees in the ALCS and did so with a roster chock full of players drafted and signed by Cleveland scouts.

That includes Jose Ramirez, the perennial MVP candidate Cleveland signed out of the Dominican Republic 15 years ago. Last season, the third baseman led the Guardians with 39 home runs, 118 runs batted in and a WAR of 6.8. He finished fifth in the AL MVP balloting last season, and at bet365 Ohio Sportsbook, Ramirez has odds of +1400 to win it this year.

On the mound, the team drafted Tanner Bibee out of Cal State Fullerton in the fifth round of the 2021 Draft. After being the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year in 2023 with a 10-4 record and 2.98 earned-run average, Cleveland’s ace went 12-8 in 31 starts. His ERA rose to 3.47, but he struck out 187 batters in 173-2/3 innings and lowered his WHIP from 1.176 in 2023 to 1.117 last season.

Cleveland, which tops our calculations for the most homegrown talent in MLB. is expected to be in the postseason hunt again this season. However, they also play in one of the toughest divisions in the majors. FanDuel Ohio Sportsbook lists the Guardians as its third choice to win the AL Central at +290 odds. However, the odds for top four teams range from +210 (Minnesota Twins) to +310 (Kansas City Royals), and the Detroit Tigers have odds of +250.

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Reds Hope Homegrowns Can Revive Franchise

The Cincinnati Reds were one of the biggest surprises in MLB two seasons ago when they posted an 82-80 season, a 20-game improvement from their dismal 2022 campaign. That improvement was fueled in large part by promising youngsters that came up through the Reds farm system, helping them buck the Ohio MLB betting odds for their win total in 2023.

No one represents that more than Elly De La Cruz. In 2024, his second MLB season, the shortstop hit 25 homers, 36 doubles, 10 triples and led the majors with 67 stolen bases. He finished eighth in the National League MVP race and has odds of +1600 to win it this season.

Meanwhile, Hunter Greene, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 Draft, enjoyed a breakthrough season last year and showed that, at age 24, he’s ready to be the Reds’ ace. In 26 starts, Greene went 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.018 WHIP. He also led all NL pitchers with a 6.3 WAR and finished eighth in the NL Cy Young voting. Those two should be key to Cincinnati Reds playoff chances in 2025.

A series of injuries last season caused the Reds to backpedal slightly, to 77-85. But homegrown players such as second baseman Matt McLain, outfielder TJ Friedl and pitchers Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft are ready to help De La Cruz, Greene and new manager Terry Francona lead the Reds to their first postseason series victory in 30 years.

Caesars Ohio Sportsbook gives the Reds odds of +260 to make the playoffs this season.

USA Today photo by Sam Greene/The Enquirer