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MLB
USA TODAY
It really does take an entire 26-man roster and - as managers and executives will tell you – roughly 50 players worth of organizational depth to create a playoff team.
But some players’ performances are more crucial than others.
As this 2025 Major League Baseball season gets underway, USA TODAY Sports examines 30 make-or-break players whose bouncebacks or steady stat lines may determine their franchise’s fate over the next six months:
American League
Baltimore Orioles: C Adley Rutschman
For all the All-Star talent the Orioles added in recent years (Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg) and those likely on their way to that status (Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo) Rutschman remains their bell cow.