Major League Baseball returns Thursday, spotlighting San Antonio talent poised to make impacts or debuts this season.
SAN ANTONIO — Grab your mitts, peanuts and cracker jack… Major League Baseball officially returns Thursday for the 2025 season!
While it’s hard to imagine the Rangers, Astros or anyone legitimately challenging the behemoth that is the Los Angeles Dodgers – who someone got even better in the offseason after their 98-victory, World Series-winning 2024 – there’s still plenty to be excited about as a baseball fan in San Antonio as the Spurs season winds down.
Case in point: All the local talent primed to make big impacts or potential debuts for their big league clubs this year.
Here are the San Antonio-area products to keep your eyes on. Play ball!
Josh Jung, Texas Rangers 3B
2024 stats: .264 avg., seven HR, 16 RBI, 19 R in 178 at-bats.
Career stats: .257 avg., 35 HR, 100 RBI, 103 R in 754 at-bats.
The former MacArthur High School and Texas Tech star is looking to bounce back from a season in which he missed 46 games with as fractured wrist.
Jung burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2023, becoming the first Texas Ranger ever to start the AL All-Star Game. He’ll slot right back into the heart of the Rangers lineup as a constant RBI threat.
Jace Jung, Detroit Tigers INF
2024 stats: .241 avg., .666 OPS, 14 R in 79 at-bats
Josh’s younger brother Jace is a fellow first-round pick, having been selected in the 2022 MLB Draft by Detroit. He made his big league debut last season, hitting .241 in 94 at-bats for a Tigers team that surprised in the postseason.
Jace figured to be the favorite to land the Tigers’ starting third baseman job this spring, but struggles at the plate during Spring Training optioned him to Triple-AAA to start the season. Nevertheless, he’s still viewed as a long-term infield answer in the Motor City.
Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles INF
2024 stats: .264 avg., .793 OPS, 18 HR, 63 RBI, 57 R in 416 at-bats
Career stats: .263 avg., .767 OPS, 21 HR, 86 RBI, 83 R in 624 at-bats.
New Braunfels native Jordan Westburg is fresh off his first All-Star selection with the Baltimore Orioles.
Another former first-round pick (2020), Westburg raced out to a torrid start to 2024 before a broken hand sidelined him in August. Without Westburg, the Orioles went 21-25. This season, he figures to play a utility infield role with a contending Baltimore club.
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners SP
2024 stats: 2.94 ERA, 171 K, 0.98 WHIP, 12-8 record in 31 starts
Career stats: 3.52 ERA, 290 K, 1.05 WHIP, 20-15 record in 56 starts
Westburg’s high school teammate at New Braunfels High, Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, may be the breakout ace of the 2025 season. Miller has opened eyes ever since his debut in 2023, when he allowed only eight baserunners through his first three starts.
A full-fledged member of the Mariners rotation in 2024, Miller’s 2.98 ERA ranked eighth in MLB. Now entering the prime of his career, it would be no surprise if the 26-year-old fireballer ascended into Cy Young contention.
Forrest Whitley, Houston Astros RHP
2024 stats: 0.00 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 3.1 IP in three appearances
Alamo Heights product Forrest Whitley was one of the highest-drafted San Antonio-area products in history when the Astros made him the 17th overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft. His background with the United States U-18 national team put heavy expectations on him from day one in the organization.
But Whitley experienced a setback when he was suspended 50 games in 2018 for violating the MLB’s drug prevention and treatment program. Tommy John surgery in 2021 set him back further with a yearlong recovery. Nearly seven years later, Whitley remains with the Astros, looking to break through on his potential.
The 6-foot-7 righthander made his MLB debut in 2024, and had a very strong spring to warrant an inclusion in the Astros bullpen. A bone bruise will start Whitley’s season on the injured list for Houston, but he figures to slot right back into the Houston ‘pen when healthy.
James McArthur, Kansas City Royals RHP
2024 stats: 4.92 ERA, 49 K, 1.45 WHIP, 170.0 IP, 5-7 record in 57 appearances
Career stats: 4.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 72 K, 6-7 record in 75 games
The MLB pipeline from New Braunfels continues.
After making his big leagues debut in 2023, reliever James McArthur stepped into the closer’s role for the Kansas City Royals in 2024. The former Ole Miss star finished the season with 18 saves and a 4.92 ERA. McArthur is back in Kansas City’s bullpen to start 2025, but the Royals’ addition of All-Star closer Carlos Estevez may change responsibilities in the ninth inning.
Nevertheless, McArthur will be given every opportunity to pitch late in games for a Royals team at the back-end of a rebuild.
Jack Neely, Chicago Cubs RHP
2024 stats: 9.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 6.0 IP in six appearances
Former Churchill High School star Jack Neely was traded to the Cubs from the Yankees at last year’s trade deadline for MLB reliever Mark Leiter Jr. Neely subsequently made his MLB debut later that season in Chicago, pitching in six games to the tune of a 9.00 ERA with seven strikeouts.
The former Ohio State Buckeye was optioned to Triple-AAA to begin the season, but will be seen as bullpen insurance for the Northsiders should opportunities arise.
Simon Miller, Cincinnati Reds RHP
2024 stats: 1.94 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 64 K, 22 BB, 51 IP in 33 appearances
A former Roadrunner cracks the list as a name to watch out for. Simon Miller put together one of the best campaigns in UTSA history when he won Conference USA Pitcher of the Year in 2023.
That season, Miller’s 1.83 ERA ranked fifth nationally. The Reds picked Miller in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and he kept the momentum going into the minor leagues. His 1.94 ERA across Low and High Class A ranked near the top of the organization, and his college success should help him move through the minor league ranks quickly.
He’ll start the 2025 season in the minors, but there’s hope of Miller turning into a future high-leverage pitcher in Cincinnati. It may happen sooner rather than later.