Fantasy baseball managers tend to get a bit too excited about prospects, as for every Corbin Carroll and Paul Skenes who excel, there are myriad disappointments such as Jordan Walker and Jack Leiter. Those fellows and so many other youngsters might still eventually work out, but they didn't help much last season.
Baseball is a hard game for most young players. Still, fantasy managers are often so desperate to secure the next breakout star and focused on how these newcomers haven't yet failed at the major league level that they generally overrate them when compared with productive, "boring" veterans.
As we highlight the top prospects for the pending 2025 fantasy baseball season, we must remember that for fantasy purposes, opportunity is a big deal. Really, it might be the biggest deal, because all the players are talented. Experts on prospects tout skills and polish more than anything else -- as they should -- but everything matters. Fantasy managers need to covet the pure hitting/pitching numbers as well as the timelines. After all some (in fact, many) of the top prospects will not deliver MLB numbers for years.
2025's top fantasy baseball prospects
Ranked for fantasy value in 2025 only
1. Roki Sasaki, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers: The numbers in Japan were outstanding, with a 2.02 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and a high strikeout rate over more than 400 innings across four seasons. Few seem concerned about Sasaki, 23, being able to handle MLB hitters, especially after he signed with the progressive Dodgers, but the better question might be about how many he gets to handle.
Sasaki has made only 33 starts over his past two seasons, succumbing to various injuries, both related and not related to his valuable right arm. No Dodgers pitcher has thrown 150 IPs in a season since 2022, and a six-man rotation, led by the great Shohei Ohtani, seems likely, sensible and designed to keep everyone healthy. Covet Sasaki, but there is both durability and volume risk here.
2. Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals: Crews, 22, debuted for Washington during the final week of August, and while the .218 batting average and .641 OPS over 132 plate appearances might not impress, the nine extra-base hits, 8.3% walk rate and 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts tell a more positive story. Crews is going to be a terrific real-life and fantasy option. He may lack the same first-round fantasy upside of Paul Skenes, his LSU teammate, but there is nothing wrong with 15-20 HRs, 30-plus SBs and plenty of playing time.
3. Matthew Shaw, 3B/2B, Chicago Cubs: Shaw, 23, might get an immediate chance to earn the team's open 3B job after hitting .284 with 21 homers and 31 steals at two minor league levels in 2024. The Maryland product hits baseballs hard and with launch angle. Now all he needs is a strong spring training to earn a big league starting role.
4. Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees: Dominguez, 21, has been on the fantasy radar for several years but retains rookie eligibility after playing just a handful of MLB games over the past two seasons, which were compromised by Tommy John surgery in September 2023. Dominguez is the leading contender to start for the Yankees in left field. As with Crews and Shaw, a multi-skilled, 20-HR, 20-SB player lurks, though he likely hits lower in the batting order for New York than those fellows will for their teams.
5. Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles: Mayo, 23, proved himself at Triple-A Norfolk over the past two seasons, hitting 34 home runs with a .919 OPS across 151 games and 657 PA. Ignore his brief work with the Orioles this past season, when he managed only four singles in 41 at-bats (.098) with 22 strikeouts. Mayo is far better than that. The Orioles boast the depth to be patient with Jackson Holliday (not rookie eligible, by the way) and Jordan Westburg as likely infield starters. Still, Mayo should see his chances in the majors again.
6. Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox: Anthony, 20, might be a better prospect than the players listed ahead of him, but this modest ranking is about playing time. Anthony boasts only 35 games and 164 PAs for Triple-A Worcester and Boston's current outfield appears set with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela. an effective RF platoon of Wilyer Abreu/Rob Refsnyder and Masataka Yoshida at DH. Anthony boasts 30-HR, 30-SB potential -- a monster statistical ceiling -- and all he needs is a chance, but it might not come until midsummer.
7. Kristian Campbell, 2B, Boston Red Sox: Campbell, 22, was a modest fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2023, but he became one of baseball's top prospects in 2024 when he hit .330 with a .997 OPS, 20 homers and 24 steals across three minor league levels. Like Anthony, even though he might not need it, Campbell should start 2025 at Triple-A Worcester. However, second base in Boston might not necessarily be blocked by Vaughn Grissom and David Hamilton. With a strong spring, Campbell could be in the mix.
8. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Minnesota Twins: Rodriguez, 21, elicits strong opinions in the prospect world after an abbreviated 2024 campaign in which he showed power, plate discipline, swing-and-miss tendencies and issues with staying healthy across four minor league levels. Few debate what Rodriguez is capable of at the plate. The power is real, when Rodriguez makes contact. The Twins might not be in a hurry to promote him to the majors, but after a quiet offseason, there is little blocking his path.
9. Dalton Rushing, C, Los Angeles Dodgers: Rushing, 23, has sped through the minor leagues with relative ease, showing both power upside and plate discipline. The Dodgers utilized him quite a bit in left field at Triple-A Oklahoma City to prepare him for 2025. The Dodgers are set with Will Smith at catcher, but if Rushing can see semi-regular playing time in left with occasional starts behind the plate and hit as he did in 2024 (.896 OPS, 26 HRs), he could be a top-10 catcher for fantasy.
10. Jackson Jobe, SP, Detroit Tigers: Pitchers are far riskier for injuries than hitters and with organizations so cautious with their initial innings and overall volume, it's tougher for them to deliver immediate fantasy value. OK, so Paul Skenes was awesome. Don't expect Jobe, Rangers RHP Kumar Rocker, Phillies RHP Andrew Painter, Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler or any other rookie pitchers to perform at that fantastic level for six months. Yes, Sasaki is also technically an MLB rookie, but he is far more experienced. Jobe, 22, should make Detroit's rotation, but don't expect him to approach 120 IPs.
Others on our mind: Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks; Carson Williams, SS, Tampa Bay Rays; Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics; Chase DeLauter, OF, Cleveland Guardians; Christian Moore, 2B, Los Angeles Angels.