Team Position Player | Age on 4/1/2025 | Highest Level Played | ETA
1. Red Sox IF OF Kristian Campbell | 22 | AAA | 2025
Thanks in part to Campbell’s cooking in 2024, Boston has baseball’s best collection of position-player prospects right now. A fourth-round pick in 2023, he’s not exactly found money, but it’s not common to see a college hitter go from the 132nd pick to a consensus top five prospect in a calendar year, and a glow-up like that can alter a whole organization’s outlook. A right-handed hitter at 6’3” 191 lbs, Campbell worked with Boston’s coaches to alter his swing and unlock bat speed and generate a little more loft, and Soup responded by slashing .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 24 steals in 115 games across three levels. He closed the season with 19 games at Triple-A, where he posted a .412 on base percentage with four homers and four steals. He’s listed here at all the positions he’s been playing in the minors, and while it seems likely he’ll settle in at second base or left field, it’s hard to put a ceiling on someone we just saw make a developmental leap on the other side of the ball. And for what it’s Werth, I wouldn’t quibble if anyone flipped Campbell and Anthony on any list. I swapped them back and forth a few times.
2. Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki | 23 | NPB | 2025
A fully realized Campbell is a first-round profile for fantasy baseball, and I think he’s as close to anyone on this list to realizing that potential at the top level, so I wound up ranking him over Sasaki even though there’s zero doubt in my mind that Sasaki would trade for more on the open market in almost every dynasty league. I landed that way because at the end of the day, we play fantasy baseball, and the winner is the team that gets the most points–not the team with the sexiest selection of names. Sasaki will be part of a six-man rotation this year, and he lost velocity last season. In real baseball, a full-strength Sasaki in the playoffs is worth more than a Campbell type with eligibility alongside power, speed and plate skills, but that’s flipped across the 162-game haul, and that’s before we even factor in the health piece, both the typical hitter v. pitcher dynamic and the questions specific to Sasaki, who said doctors recommended he have Tommy John surgery when he was coming out of high school.
3. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony | 20 | AAA | 2025
A left-handed hitter at 6’2” 200 lbs, Anthony slashed .291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 119 games across the top two minor league levels in 2024, setting himself up to fight for a spot in spring training. He got just 35 games at Triple-A but slashed .344/.463/.519 there and doesn’t have anything left to prove in the minor leagues. Here’s a bit of what I wrote last season:
“Anthony’s a player in flux and reminds me a little of Ronald Acuña at this stage in the sense that he’s got more than one path ahead of him as a hitter and could become a total-package type who slashes .300/.400/.500 on the regular.”
4. Rangers SS Sebastian Walcott | 19 | AA | 2026
Here’s what I wrote for last year’s list:
“An extreme athlete at 6’4” 190 lbs with double-plus power and easy plus speed, Walcott has a path to becoming baseball’s top prospect by this time next year. He’s smooth enough on defense to project a future at shortstop and jumped Low-A to join the High-A team as it headed toward the playoffs. In 35 games on the complex, Walcott slashed .273/.325/.524 with seven home runs, nine steals and 51 strikeouts. Anyone pumping the brakes on him is especially concerned with this last piece because Walcott has some swing-and-miss in his game that could become an issue if the contact skills don’t make a leap as he ages up.”
I dropped that in here because it’s pretty close to what I’d write about Walcott this winter, particularly the number one prospect part, the best argument against which might be that he’s there already. In 121 games, the final five in Double-A, Walcott slashed .265/.344/.452 with 11 home runs, 27 stolen bases and a 25.6 percent strikeout rate. He was 4.1 years younger than the average at High-A and 6.2 years younger than the average in Double-A.
5. Yankees OF Jasson Dominguez | 22 | MLB | 2023
The 5’9” 190 lb switch-hitting Martian will be a “big part” of the 2025 team according to manager Aaron Boone. If he’s 190 lbs, I’m Miles Davis. Not that I’m in any kind of shape to be sniping. Time is a mfr. As is snacking. On the other hand, time plus snacking equals The Itch, so here we are and here we go. If I had to bet right now, I suspect the Yankees will wind up without Juan Soto, paving the way for Dominguez to get a full season of big league at bats. He hit just .179 in 18 games last year, but it’s way different to get dropped into a pennant race fighting for playing time than it would be to open the season with a starting gig. Feels kind of foolish to say this given the hype Dominguez brought into his professional career, especially because I’ve never been as high as consensus on him, but I think we underestimate this dude at our peril.
6. Cubs 3B Matt Shaw | 23 | AAA | 2025
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.
7. Nationals 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.
8. Tigers RHP Jackson Jobe | 22 | MLB | 2024
At his best, Jobe pairs impeccable command with incredible spin rates. His four-pitch mix is headlined by a hungry four-seamer that eats all over the strike zone, where he might need to live a little more going forward, even as he managed a 1.95 ERA and 1.04 WHIP despite a 4.64 BB/9 rate across 73.2 Double-A innings. He allowed just two home runs over that stretch. He’ll almost certainly look like one of the team’s five best starters in spring training, but he’s thrown just 13 innings above Double-A, so there’s at least a chance he opens the season in Triple-A. The name itself portends at least a little suffering before reaching the promised land.
9. Diamondbacks 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 2025 redraft season. In 2023, he hit 20 home runs and stole 36 bases in 105 games across two levels.
10. Padres SS Leodalis De Vries | 17 | A | 2027
Considered by some scouts to be the best international amateur prospect in a decade, De Vries is a 6’0” 183 lb switch hitter who is currently standing on business in the Arizona Fall League against much older players. That’s nothing new to De Vries, who slashed .231/.361/.441 with 11 home runs and 13 steals in 75 Low-A games this season despite an ice cold start after skipping several levels. Over his final 36 games, his line was .288/.407/.582 with ten home runs and eight steals, putting him on a trajectory toward the top of your prospect lists.
11. Twins OF Walker Jenkins | 20 | AA | 2026
A left-handed hitter at 6’3” 210 lbs, Jenkins walked more than he struck out and slashed .282/.394/.439 in 82 professional games during his first full season. The sixth overall pick in the stacked 2023 class, Jenkins took the top spot on Minnesota’s list last year and is the odds-on favorite to claim it again next season unless the Twinkies really slam the gas on his development: an outcome he might invite with a hot start at Double-A.
12. Brewers 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.
13. Giants 1B Bryce Eldridge | 19 | AAA | 2025
Here’s what I said on August 28 in Prospect News: Bryce Eldridge Brings The Horror:
“Giants 1B Bryce Eldridge (19, A+) is making a push for consensus Top 25 prospect status heading into the off-season. In 42 High-A games, he’s slashing .307/.421/.503 with seven home runs and three steals. His 16.3 percent walk rate and 24.7 percent strikeout rate are incredibly exciting numbers for a 6’7” high-school draftee with 80-grade power.”
The big lefty then spent September split between Double and Triple-A, spending nine games with Richmond and then the final eight with Sacramento. Tough to say where he’ll open 2025, but he could wind up in the majors by season’s end.
14. Guardians 2B Travis Bazzana | 21 | A+ | 2026
Bazzana has gotten stronger throughout his career in college ball and added significant impact to his plus-contact profile, homering 28 times in his junior season after hitting 11 as a sophomore and six as a freshman. It’s a real mark of his hitting prowess and upside that he went first overall as a college second baseman. As far as I can recall (which ain’t far, tbf), he’s the first number one overall pick of that type, and a cursory search revealed nothing to disagree with that. For a human-sized (6’ 199 lbs) lefty learning his way through the game, Cleveland seems like the perfect landing spot. His timeline looks wrong to me at a glance here, but then I try to think Cleveland thoughts, and I see a river of fire that suggests anything sooner than 2026 would be optimistic, and rivers of fire rarely portend optimism among the people.
15. Phillies RHP Andrew Painter | 21 | AA | 2025
At 6’7” 215 lbs with upper nineties heat and superb balance throughout his delivery, Painter is the platonic ideal of a power pitcher, featuring plus command of a plus slider and changeup along with the big fastball and developing curve. When he was last on the mound in 2022, Painter threw 103.2 innings across three levels and recorded a 0.887 WHIP, which solidified him as the best pitching prospect in baseball at the time. He could reclaim that oft-dubious throne (or share it with Jackson Jobe) if he comes back healthy in 2025. No qualms with anyone who wants to rank him over Crawford.
16. Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler | 21 | AAA | 2025
Here’s what I wrote about Chandler on last year’s Pittsburgh list:
“His 1.50 WHIP across 24 High-A starts isn’t particularly impressive, but his game log tells a different story. Over his final nine starts, he posted a 0.82 WHIP and 1.66 ERA, culminating in five shutout innings during his Double-A debut. He struck out eight batters and allowed one hit and zero walks that night. I think his 2024 will include a lot of nights like it.”
Didn’t take a crystal ball to see this one coming, to be fair, but it was fun to see Chandler come into his own a couple years after ditching hitting to focus full time on his craft. The 6’2” 200 lb power righty cruised through 119.2 innings across two levels with 148 strikeouts along with a 3.08 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He’ll throw any of his four pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup) at any time and command each of them pretty well. If Pittsburgh can piece together a plus defensive team over the next few seasons, they should be contenders on the strength of an impressive pitching staff.
17. White Sox LHP Noah Schultz | 21 | AA | 2025
At 6’9” 220 lbs with a low-three-quarters release, Schultz brings a unique look that has helped him dominate throughout his minor league career. His command feels like an overlooked part of the profile, as he spots his slider extremely well, especially for a pitch with that much movement, which gives him upside beyond his pitch-mix. Despite the dominant outcomes (0.98 WHIP in 88.1 innings across two levels), his changeup has work to do, and his fastball could use some tweaking to play better up in the zone, but I suspect, given his delivery and release, a cutter and sinker will be auditioned at some point, so his fastball could be separated into a few different pitches (4-seam, sinker, cutter) across time, at which point he’d be a nightmare matchup for just about anybody.
18. Orioles C 1B Samuel Basallo | 20 | AAA | 2025
Basallo has virtually zero chance of unseating Adley Rutschman while Adley is in town, which isn’t the end of the world because he could still sub there while mixing in at first base and DH. Nonetheless, the Inn is pretty crowded in Baltimore, and they love their reclamation projects, so who knows how long Basallo will have to wait for some extended playing time. I’m trying not to let that detract too much from a guy who I think will really hit. He even swiped ten bags last year as a 6’4” 190 lb catcher, an interesting development for an average runner playing against guys who are much older than him. He’s a good throwing catcher, so perhaps he pays a little more attention to who else might be full of openings.
19. Twins OF Emmanuel Rodriguez | 21 | AAA | 2025
He played just 47 games in 2024, but that was plenty of time for the 5’11” 210 lb Rodriguez to show some qualities that make him the apple of many a dynasty-baseball eye. He slashed .280/.459/.567 with nine home runs and nine steals across four levels during those 47 games, flashing the three-true-outcomes that should help OBP leaguers even if he’s not making a whole lot of contact in the early going.
20. Orioles 3B Coby Mayo | 23 | MLB | 2024
The club’s plan to move the fences impacts Mayo more than anyone else on this list. He’s a pull hitter with quick hips and easy plus power, and while Trey Mancini’s line drives to the gap were only ever doubles, Mayo should get a little more bang for his barrels. In 89 Triple-A games this year, he slashed .287/.364/.562 with 22 home runs and four stolen bases. He hit just .098 in 17 MLB games, but I’m not holding that against him. Wouldn’t anyway, but he came up during a pennant push when the team needed a jolt and probably felt some extra pressure.
21. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz | 22 | AA | 2025
At 6’5” 240 from the left side, Kurtz fits the prototype of a high-OBP, big-power corner bat. The Athletics selected him fourth overall and sent him to Low-A, where he slashed .400/.571/.960 with four home runs in seven games. So naturally, the team sent him right by High-A and onto Double-A Midland, where he hit .300 for five games before a hamstring strain ended his regular season. He got back in action during the fall and played well enough that he might get a long look in training camp as the team will be eager to generate fan interest.
22. Tigers OF Max Clark | 19 | A+ | 2026
Perhaps he didn’t light the world afire as one might expect a third-overall draft pick to do, but Clark’s first full pro season was a definite success. In 107 games across two levels, the 6’0” 205 lb lefty slashed .279/.372/.421 with nine home runs and 29 stolen bases. I moved his timeline up a year late in the process because Detroit is cooking, and Clark’s defense will help him race to the majors.
23. Rangers RHP Kumar Rocker | 25 | MLB | 2024
Rocker came roaring back from Tommy John surgery and rolled through the minor leagues, culminating in a three-game stretch with the Rangers in September. At 6’5” 245 lbs with athleticism and a four-pitch mix of plus pitches, Rocker can be as dominant as anyone when he’s in rhythm, especially when he’s commanding his 80-grade slider the way he was last season. He didn’t play at any level long enough to accumulate a meaningful sample size, but his statcast page gives him 90th percentile extension, which certainly checks out with the eyeball test and helps his 95.7 mile per hour fastball play all over the zone.
24. Phillies 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.
25. Rockies OF Zac Veen | 23 | AAA | 2025
Veen entered 2024 carrying more questions than answers but played well enough to change the narrative. Here’s a blurb I wrote on May 22 in Prospect News: Festa Full Of Tricks or Zac Veen Finds A Cure:
“After two partial seasons truncated by injury, Rockies OF Zac Veen (22, AA) is having the kind of season dynasty players have been expecting from him since Colorado took him with the ninth pick of the 2020 draft. He’s slashing .326/.418/.568 with five home runs and nine stolen bases in 28 games.”
And here’s a snippet from September 18 in Prospect News: Veen With Envy or El Pollo Loco:
“After a rough first few days, Rockies OF Zac Veen (22, AAA) is making an impact against Triple-A arms with four home runs and five steals in his last 12 games. Even better, his strikeout rate is 18.2 percent over that stretch. If he can make enough contact to earn a job, his blend of power and speed could still sneak up on the dynasty world.”
And that’s where we are today: the 6’3” 190 lb hit 11 home runs and stole 21 bases in 65 games across four levels in 2024 and should have an outside shot at making the opening day roster in 2025.
Thanks for reading!
Itch! My 12 team redraft allows us to draft and keep an MLB prospect with 2025 rookie status for the next four drafts. As a 12th rdr the next year. Then 10th, 8th and 6th.
Which 2-3 players would be ‘must haves’? And where would you draft them?
Thanks in advance.
Very high on Bryce Eldridge. I hope the Giants don’t rush him, to let him improve his D and K-rate. Early contender for 2026 NL ROY if he maintains eligibility and future stud for SF.
Very pleased to see you are high on Jasson, sharing your enthusiasm I’ve grabbed him in the 3 DC’s I’ve done. The Martian has landed, great work Itch!
Lawler is a stud! Why can’t Arizona see that Perdomo (Spanish for pardon me) is not the answer? ….Snakes could be sneaky good this year.
They do seem to like Perdomo an awful lot
Lawler’s injury history is a bit scary.
Indeed! That kid can play though.q
Schultz maybe has a little more strikeout potential, but I rate Hagen Smith ahead of him. Smith struck out Bazzana in 3 pitches in the CWS.
That’s fair.
Jesus Made is a wild name
Very specific
i can’t wait until he’s promoted, i can have fun with that one
It’s so good. I have not yet begun to pun on this one.
Jesus Made me do it
Zac Veen….you still have time to change that.
You mean before RFK gets through the review process?
Sebastian Walcott has the same write up as Roki Saski!
Thanks, good lookin’ out
Hey Itch, I remember I read that you liked Nick Kurtz a little better than Bryce Eldridge so why the difference in their position on your top 25 list? Just curious.
Maybe that was for redraft. I don’t recall saying that.
The walcott part has rokis blurb. Was all ready with my tissues and lotion.
Thanks, fixed it, proceed
Thanks for the list! I’d like to know where Jackson Holliday would fit if he was still considered as a prospect?
Somewhere around Lawlar I think
Hey Itch! Great list! I can only keep one of these young pitchers….Cade Horton, Tink Hence, Brandon Sproat and Hagen Smith…do you mind ranking them? Thank you!
Thanks, Hutch!
I’ll take Smith.