Hope springs eternal when it comes to baseball teams, both in the major leagues as well as with fantasy baseball squads. Some of the biggest importers of hope each season are those "shiny new toys" -- highly touted rookies who have yet to disappoint, bringing tons of promise and optimism to the table.
The list you're about to read is strictly for fantasy purposes and is a spin on my real-world value top 100 list, which is heavily influenced by scouts, executives and my own scouting looks. I don't play fantasy anymore, but I do help some friends with their teams, and I get the big-picture adjustments from the baselines of my other lists: defense doesn't matter, position matters a little, speed doesn't really matter unless they steal bases, lean to position players over pitchers, etc. This list will generally be in the order of that list, only after accounting for those factors, projected playing time and how well I think they'll adjust to the big leagues in 2025 specifically.
With that in mind, here's my ranked top 10 of the best fantasy bets for 2025 among prospects. Not every young player or note qualifies for my list (which coincides with ROY eligibility) -- Junior Caminero just missed -- but this includes the vast majority of intriguing young players in the league.
Early in spring training for last year's list, I had already sniffed out Jackson Merrill's potential rise to Opening Day starter with ROY upside and flagged Paul Skenes similarly, with a question about his 2024 workload, putting them at the top of the "keep an eye on them, they have upside" group. I made the adjustment this year and put the best candidates for that group on the back end of this year's list, but there are still some guys in that section to closely monitor their playing time outlooks over the next month.
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1. Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals (ranked No. 6 in my Top 100)
Crews, the second-overall pick behind only college teammate Paul Skenes in the 2023 MLB draft, is set to start the season in Washington as the everyday right fielder and two-hole hitter for the Nats. He was about two weeks away from losing his prospect eligibility this past fall, and his underlying numbers were pretty good in that cup of coffee, but he's probably not a superstar in 2025. Expect something like a .250 average with 12-15 HR and 20-25 SB as he plays a key role in a below-average offense.
2. Roki Sasaki, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 1 in my Top 100)
Sasaki is the top prospect in the game and has legit ace upside. So why isn't he ranked first on this list, too? Well, he's a pitcher, we don't yet know what his workload will look like and he still has some stuff to work on. I think he'll give you 20-25 starts with solid strikeout and win numbers, but I wouldn't expect ace-level performance from him right out of the gate, even if he may be giving you that later in the season or in spurts throughout.
3. Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs (No. 23)
Shaw is the front-runner to be the Opening Day third baseman for the Cubs and has the All-Star upside befitting a top-25 prospect in the sport. I'm a little worried he may be susceptible to the slider off the plate early in his MLB career, but the upside is a solid batting average with 15-25 homers and stolen bases in a pretty good lineup.
4. Chandler Simpson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (No. 91)
He isn't penciled in the Rays' Opening Day lineup and he actually hasn't even played in Triple-A yet, but you can't let Simpson last long in your draft or go too cheap in your auction for one clear reason: 104 steals. That's how many bases he stole last season and it wasn't a low-minors fluke as he's the fastest man in pro baseball. Think Billy Hamilton, but maybe an extra step quicker.
His game is old-school, like Luis Castillo or Juan Pierre, where he doesn't need the polish of a full season at Triple-A because he's just trying to put it in play and has plenty of feel for the bat head to do that. Despite playing infield in college, he's already a standout defender, probably the Rays' best option at the moment. Even if he plays only half of a season in the big leagues and is used heavily as a pinch runner/defensive replacement, he'll still steal 50 bases.
5. Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox (No. 2)
A Wilyer Abreu/Rob Refsnyder platoon in right field and a Masataka Yoshida/Romy Gonzalez DH timeshare are what's standing between Anthony and a call-up to get regular playing time. He's the top position player prospect in baseball for a good reason, with plus on-base potential, 25-35 HR upside, and the speed to play all three outfield positions while stealing 10-20 bases. He may not be that good out of the gate and may get only a half-season this year, but there's star potential here.
6. Kristian Campbell, 2B, Red Sox (No. 26)
Campbell may not break camp with the big league team, but I'd expect him to spend at least a half of the 2025 season in Boston. You can read his top 100 blurb for a deep dive on my concerns about his hitting mechanics, but I think you can expect 12-15 homers and 20-25 stolen bases (if he were to play a full season in the big leagues) along with a solid batting average and potential eligibility at a number of positions.
7. Jackson Jobe, SP, Detroit Tigers (No. 7)
Jobe has frontline potential and is expected to open the season in the Detroit rotation, but various injuries have limited his workload to where he only threw 95 2/3 innings last season. That means there could be pitch/innings counts, skipping a week between starts, and other similar tactics limiting his innings upside. He has also had some walks issues in the upper minors. Although he has the raw ability to run a low walk rate, Jobe just has the enviable problem that his pitches move too much at times.
8. Kumar Rocker, SP, Texas Rangers (No. 35)
Rocker has already had a rollercoaster career over the past half-decade, but it looks like he's back to being near the peak version of himself now that elbow and shoulder surgeries are in the rear view. He's not currently slated to break camp in the Rangers rotation, but he threw under 50 innings last season, so there will be a limit on his innings to some degree in 2025. That said, he may be a frontline-level performer by May or June and could make 20 MLB starts this season. That makes him a worthy stash while you wait to see exactly what his workload will look like.
9. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics (No. 31)
Wilson is an incredible hitter for average but has little power and doesn't steal many bases. And the A's lineup is just okay. So he's a high-floor, low-ceiling pick that's more valuable to his big league team than your fantasy team. Wilson is the everyday shortstop that will put up some counting stats due to bulk but won't blow your hair back.
10. Colson Montgomery, SS, Chicago White Sox (No. 33)
Montgomery has the inside track on being the Opening Day shortstop for Chicago, but I'm not sure he'll excel immediately and should maybe spend a month in Triple-A before getting his extended opportunity. He has limited range and fits better long-term at third base (which you don't care about), but his offensive outlook has regressed over the past year-plus to where he may be a below-average contact hitter with 12-18 annual homers upside early in his career and limited value on the basepaths. I think he'll be a solid starter -- maybe even by the second half of this season -- but I wouldn't expect it early in 2025.
Players who have to wait a month or two for the call-up but have ROY upside
Coby Mayo, 3B, Orioles: a 3B/1B tweener with 30-HR potential
Alex Freeland, SS, Dodgers: above-average at almost everything and can play anywhere
Dalton Rushing, C, Dodgers: offensive-oriented catcher who may become a corner-outfield solution, if needed
Drake Baldwin, C, Braves: the same as Rushing
Orelvis Martinez, 2B, Blue Jays: swing-and-miss concerns but 20-plus HR upside as an infielder
Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox: long-term shortstop for Boston with above-average power and bat-to-ball ability
Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates: frontline potential, should debut in 2025, but Pittsburgh has a ton of young pitchers
Caden Dana, SP, Angels: will get another chance in 2025 but is more of a mid-rotation workhorse
Rhett Lowder, SP, Reds: somewhere between Chandler and Dana in both upside and opportunity
Players who should get a solid amount of MLB playing time but with medium upside
Jace Jung, 3B, Tigers: both he and Sweeney look to be the left side of the Detroit infield
Trey Sweeney, SS, Tigers: both he and Jung may hit for lower average with some power and walks
Hyeseong Kim, 2B, Dodgers: not much pop and may be in a timeshare but will hit for average and steal bases
Caleb Durbin, 2B, Brewers: a similar evaluation to Kim
Will Wagner, DH, Blue Jays: a good hitter who won't offer a ton in counting stats
Chase Meidroth, SS, White Sox: similar to Wagner but will play the infield and maybe swipe a few bags
Tomoyuki Sugano, SP, Orioles: a feel-oriented 35-year-old who will log a lot of innings if he can miss enough bats
AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Braves: mid-rotation potential on a team with question marks at the back of the rotation
Seth Halvorsen/Luis Peralta, RP, Rockies: the 7th and 8th inning guys for Colorado who could be useful for their per-inning numbers, even if they just vulture a save here and there