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The Itch

Author: The Itch

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The Itch

Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

November 10, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 12 Comments

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1. C OF Dalton Rushing | 24 | AAA | 2025

I started this list thinking it might be impossible for any of these guys to crack baseball’s best lineup this season, but there’s a non-zero chance Rushing winds up an opening day outfielder in Los Angeles. They’ll certainly bring in a veteran or two, but his primary competition today would be Andy Pages and James Outman. A left-handed hitter at 6’1” 220 lbs, Rushing hit 26 home runs in 114 games across Double and Triple-A last season, slashing .271/.385/.512 on the strength of his trademark patience at the plate.

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The Itch

Colorado Rockies Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

November 6, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 13 Comments

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1. 3B Charlie Condon | 21 | A+ | 2026

The 6’6” Condon mashed 37 homers in his junior season while slashing .433.556/.1009 despite SEC pitchers doing their best to work around him. Things didn’t go as well after Colorado selected him third overall in this year’s draft. I was a little shocked to see him slash .180/.248/.270 with 34 strikeouts in 25 High-A games. Might create a bit of a buy-low window in First-Year-Player Drafts this winter. 

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The Itch

Arizona Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

November 3, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 5 Comments

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1. SS Jordan Lawlar | 21 | MLB | 2023

The sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Lawlar was on schedule to take over the shortstop spot at some point in 2024 but lost a huge chunk of the season to a thumb surgery. He played well when he played in the minors, slashing .318/.417/.482 in 23 games, and I think he’ll be a good value for people who buy early in the redraft season. In 2023, he hit 20 home runs and stole 36 bases in 105 games across two levels. 

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The Itch

Prospect News: Top 20 Dynasty Baseball Horrors

October 30, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 24 Comments

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20) Veterans Who Don’t Produce 

I had Justin Verlander in a key spot this year. Held him too long. Impossible to trade him. Finally cut him in part because a commenter helped with a nudge. Verlander’s 2024 is a worst-case scenario, but some variation of it is happening on just about every dynasty team just about every season. 

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The Itch

St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 27, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 2 Comments

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1. SS JJ Wetherholt | 22 | A | 2026

The seventh overall pick out of West Virginia, Wetherholt was in the running to be the number one pick but lost time to a hamstring injury and may have slipped a little due to the relative weakness of the Big 12 Conference. A left-handed hitter at 5’10” 190 lbs, he features double-plus contact skills along with plus power and speed. The Cubs fan in me was disappointed to see Wetherholt land in St. Louis because I think he was a steal at the seven spot. Sure, the conference creates a question or two, but Wetherholt has been good in other settings: Team USA, the Cape Cod League and pro ball now after slashing .295/.405/.400 in 29 Low-A games.

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The Itch

Milwaukee Brewers Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 20, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 8 Comments

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1. SS Jesus Made | 17 | DSL | 2028

Here’s what I wrote in July for Prospect News: Angel The Guardian or Jesus Made Me Do It:

“Brewers SS Jesus Made (17, DSL) is looking at a long career of awkward puns if he can keep playing like he has so far as a professional, slashing .395/.490/.716 with five home runs, three stolen bases and a 14.6-to-13.5 percent walk-to-strikeout rate. Made was a highly ranked, highly paid signing, but I’m fascinated by Milwaukee’s process as they’re getting results like this while much of the incoming international class is struggling to make contact or has yet to debut. Made is a switch-hitter at 6’1” 187 lbs who is more physically developed than a lot of his peers, so that’s probably a factor.”

He finished the season .331/.458/.554 with six home runs, six triples, nine doubles, and 28 steals in 32 attempts across 51 games. His plate rates were 18.1-to-13, so he walked more and struck out less the rest of the way. Stateside debut could still send things sideways, but this is a stock on a rocket in the prospecting game. 

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The Itch

Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 16, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 7 Comments

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1. RHP Chase Burns | 22 | NCAA | 2025

Burns set a new single-season NCAA record with 191 strikeouts in 100 innings for Wake Forest. That’s the kind of math I can get behind. Seems like he’s striking out about two guys per innings, which seems like a good plan. His slider just isn’t something college hitters are used to seeing. Isn’t something any hitter is used to seeing, really. Plays like an 80 when he’s commanding it, which he usually is. Usually commands his 100 mph fastball well, too, and while he’s got a little Kirby in him in the sense that people hit his fastball more than makes obvious sense, he’s not doomed to that fate, given his incredible athleticism and clear growth arc across time.

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The Itch

Chicago Cubs Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 13, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 7 Comments

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1. 3B Matt Shaw | 23 | AAA | 2025

He’s still listed at third base because that’s what he played this year, but Shaw is probably ticketed for the outfield with Isaac Paredes at the hot corner under team control through 2027. No reason he can’t contribute some infield innings here and there, which might be a better fit for his skillset anyway. In 121 games across two levels this year, Shaw slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases despite a pretty slow start to the season. The 13th overall pick in 2023, he improved throughout the season, played better in AAA than AA and earned a shot to make the opening day roster but might get caught in the wash of Chicago’s off-season machinations. Probably should’ve been part of the team this year, too.

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The Itch

Washington Nationals Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 9, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 7 Comments

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1. OF Dylan Crews | 23 | MLB | 2024

Here’s what I wrote about Crews in Prospect News: The Future Is Not A Game or Collier Daddy:

“It’s hard to say somebody lost any dynasty value during a seven-inning exhibition, but Nationals OF Dylan Crews took some some strays during the broadcast, who agreed he was something of a ho-hum, 25-homer, gets-his-numbers-by-season’s-end type of compiler who doesn’t have great speed but knows how to swipe a base. That’s been pretty much my read all along, but it was kind of odd to hear it during what’s meant to be a two-hour hype fest.”

Nothing’s really changed since then. Crews made his debut. Slashed .218/.288/.353 over 31 games. He’s ranked first here because it’s unreasonable to rank him after the super young pitchers. I’m kinda out on him until/unless something changes.  

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The Itch

Philadelphia Phillies Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 6, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 6 Comments

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1. OF Justin Crawford | 21 | AA | 2025

A right-handed thrower and left-handed hitter at 6’2” 188 lbs, Justin Crawford evokes his father at a glance and on the field, prompting the Phillies to take him 17th overall in 2022. The game moved in his direction over that off-season, opening up the base paths to speedsters with the aggression to run. In 110 games across two levels this year, Crawford swiped 42 bases in 51 attempts while slashing .313/.360/.444 with nine home runs and 93 strikeouts.

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The Itch

New York Mets Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

October 2, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 7 Comments

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1. OF Jett Williams | 20 | AAA | 2025

A wrist injury that required surgery cost the 5’7” 175 lb Williams most of this season, but he returned in time for six games in Triple-A and posted a .533 on base percentage. Prospect development is not linear, and Williams has lost some key development time, but he’s in the Corbin Carroll bucket as a top tier athlete with elite hands who can cheat the norms. He’s played just 36 games in the upper minors but could look like an opening day roster option next season, and even if he’s sent down for seasoning (the likeliest outcome), he could force his way into the lineup by May.

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