Here’s a link to the Top 25 Prospects For 2025 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball.
Team Position Player | Age on 4/1/2025 | Highest Level Played | ETA
26. Guardians OF Chase DeLauter | 23 | AAA | 2025
A left-handed hitter at 6’4” 235 lbs, DeLauter has struggled to stay healthy as a professional but retains rare, middle-order upside that demands dynasty attention. He played just 39 games in 2024, so the numbers don’t seem super relevant. 22 strikeouts and 19 walks is cool when it comes with eight home runs, of course, but it’d be even cooler to see the five-tool talent stay on the field for a full season. Could create quite a buying opportunity wherever someone is feeling impatient.
27. Mets SS Jett Williams | 21 | 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.
28. Mariners OF Lazaro Montes | 20 | A+ | 2026
At 6’4” 256 lbs with a picturesque swing from the left side, Montes invites visual comps to Yordan Alvarez and embraces them, incorporating regular video study and modeling his own game after the Houston slugger’s. In 116 games across two levels, he slashed .288/.397/.484 with 21 home runs, five stolen bases and 105 RBIs. I don’t mention RBIs much around here, but that’s almost a ribbie per game, which you don’t see a lot these days in the minors, especially among guys who take their walks (14.4 percent for Montes in 2024). He’s still ranked after Cole Young and Colt Emerson by a lot of outlets despite both of those guys having down seasons in 2024. That’s understandable given they were young for their levels, and Young had to hit in tough park at Double-A Arkansas, but if Montes produces power at 20 years old in that setting, he should earn the prospect shine elsewhere that he’s been getting here.
29. Rays SS Carson Williams | 21 | AAA | 2025
Featuring double-plus defense and easy power from the right side, Williams should be the everyday six in Tampa before too long. He posted nearly identical lines through 115 games each of the last two seasons, slashing .257/.356/.497 in 2023 and .256/.352/.469 in 2024. His 142 wRC+ with 20 home runs and 33 steals in Double-A put him on a path to the majors impeded mostly by the organization’s machinations. Sure, he strikes out a bit much and could benefit from a short stretch in Triple-A to get heated up, but he might be able to change the playbook with a spicy spring.
30. Angels 2B Christian Moore | 22 | AA | 2025
Grey wrote about Moore the other day. Here’s a link to his 2025 Fantasy Outlook.
After leading Tennessee to a national title, Moore slashed .322/.378/.533 with five home runs and two stolen bases in 23 Double-A games. We might’ve seen him in the majors if not for injury, and he might open the season in the majors.
31. Cardinals SS JJ Wetherholt | 21 | 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.
32. Astros 3B Cam Smith | 22 | AA | 2025
The 14th overall pick by the Cubs in this summer’s draft, Smith hammered through the A-levels in just 27 games, blasting six home runs in 15 Low-A games and slashing .333/.421/.500 in 12 High-A games before rounding out the season with five games with Double-A Tennessee. Houston saw enough to target the 6’3” 224 lb righty in the Kyle Tucker trade. Smith gives the club a ready-soon third-base prospect in the wake of Alex Bregman’s departure, though with Isaac Paredes also in town, Smith may have to try some outfield.
33. Red Sox SS Marcelo Mayer | 22 | AA | 2025
Mayer bounced back from an injury-plagued 2023 and slashed .307/.370/.480 with eight home runs and 13 steals in 77 Double-A games before a lumbar strain ended his season in July. The 4th overall pick in 2021, he’s a smooth left-handed hitter at 6’3” 188 lbs. The kind of guy scouts only have to watch for a moment or two before deciding they like him. Health has been fleeting, but perhaps that calms down a bit when he gets into a major league rhythm with a big league training staff.
34. Reds 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.
35. White Sox LHP Hagen Smith | 21 | A+ | 2025
Smith toed the steel-sharpens-steel path of pitching a lot as a freshman in the SEC (15 starts in 2022) and got better throughout his career, culminating in a fantastic junior season (2.04 ERA, 0.893 WHIP with 164 strikeouts in 84 innings). The Sox sent him to High-A for three games at season’s end, and his dynamic three-pitch (fastball, slider, splitter) was predictably effective. He could probably pitch in the majors in 2025.
36. Mariners SS Felnin Celesten | 19 | CPX | 2028
A poorly timed hamstring strain stopped Celesten from making his professional debut in 2023 after signing for $4.7 million. The club jumped the 6’1” 175 lb switch hitter over the DSL in 2024 and sent him straight to the complex, where Celesten responded by slashing .352/.431/.568 with three home runs and five stolen bases in 32 games before injury tripped him up again: a hamate issue that required surgery in August. Hand injuries are scary for hitters, but if Celesten is healthy in 2025, he might race through the lower minors in search of a level that can challenge him.
37. Dodgers OF Zyhir Hope | 20 | A | 2027
Hope was 2.1 years younger than the average age in the Low-A California League but slashed ..287/.415/.490 in 54 games anyway, tacking on nine home runs and nine stolen bases. He lost a chunk of the season to a shoulder issue, but he’s back at it in the Arizona Fall League, slashing .260/.345/.453 with three home runs in 19 games there. A tremendous power-speed athlete at 5’10” 193 lbs, Hope has as much upside as anybody in the system if the hit tool and plate skills gains he showed this season continue to materialize.
38. Phillies SS Aidan Miller | 20 | AA | 2026
The 27th pick overall in 2023, Miller slashed .414/.528/.483 in ten games at the complex and then stole four bases with a .341 on base percentage in ten games at Low-A.In 2024, the 6’1” 205 pound Miller played 102 games across three levels and slashed .261/.366/.446 with 11 home runs and 23 steals. He was 2.1 years younger than his competition in High-A, so his numbers should be graded on a forgiving age-to-level curve. That said, I feel much lower on Miller than the segment of prospect world pushing him way up the lists.
39. Reds RHP Rhett Lowder | 23 | MLB | 2024
Lowder was amazing as a collegian and continued that excellence in the pros, climbing the levels to the majors in a single season and starting his MLB career with a 1.17 ERA through 30.2 innings, during which he didn’t allow a single home run. Sure, there’s a red flag or two, like the strikeout and walk rates, 17.2 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively, but it’s definitely nitpicking to quibble with the results from a guy wielding solid command of four plus pitches (slider 27.3%, 4-seam 27.3%, sinker 25.9, changeup 19.5) he deploys in almost equal measure.
40. Cubs C Moises Ballesteros | 21 | AAA | 2025
A left-handed hitter listed at 5’7” 215 lbs, Ballesteros finds the barrel throughout the zone with apparent ease and laces line drives the other way like he was born to do it. His bat has outpaced his defensive development, so even as he slashed .289/.354/.471 with 19 home runs and the plus plate skills he’s always shown against much older competitors, Ballesteros might have to make a leap behind the plate or wait while the Cubs play much lesser hitters at his position.
41. Rays 1B Xavier Isaac | 21 | AA | 2026
A big lefty bat at 6’3” 240 lbs, Isaac is more athletic in the box than most guys his size. In 102 games across two levels in 2024, he slashed .264/.370/.480 with 18 home runs and 15 stolen bases but also struck out 145 times. Eep. Lil scary, sure, but let’s try to remember he’s young. I always resist the murmur that a lefty can’t hit lefties when he hasn’t even seen that many throughout his baseball life. There just aren’t many great lefties on the way up, so I’m not surprised that Isaac hasn’t smashed good left handed pitchers in his young professional career.
42. Tigers SS Kevin McGonigle | 20 | A+ | 2026
The 37th overall pick in the 2023 draft, McGonigle has great hands on both sides of the ball along with plus speed and the ability to turn into a cat. A left-handed hitter with a quick swing, he has slashed .310/.412/.443 with six home runs and 30 stolen bases in his 95 games as a professional. He played just 14 games in High-A at season’s end and will likely open 2025 there in West Michigan.
43. Dodgers C OF Dalton Rushing | 24 | AAA | 2025
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.
44. White Sox OF Braden Montgomery | 21 | NCAA | 2027
A dynamic 6’2” switch-hitter out of Texas A&M, Montgomery has a chance to play center field at 220 lbs, and his defensive floor is still a solid corner outfielder. He hit 27 homers and slashed .322/.454/.733 against (mostly) SEC pitching staffs in his junior season but hasn’t played in a pro game since being the 12th overall selection, which could create a little buying opportunity for anyone so inclined this off-season.
45. Cubs OF Kevin Alcantara | 22 | MLB | 2024
Alcantara went 0 for his first 29 plate appearances and then slashed .296/.369/.456 with 14 homers and 14 steals in 104 games across two levels after that, earning the 6’6” 188 pounder a three-game shot of coffee at season’s end. He’s been young for his level every step of the way and should be part of the Opening Day outfield picture but might wind up bumped off the roster bubble.
46. Dodgers OF Josue De Paula | 19 | A+ | 2027
The plate skills are incredible, helping De Paula post positive outcomes against older players every step of the way, with wRC+ scores of 161, 118, 125, and 136 across his four stops. In High-A, he was 3.2 years younger than the league average, but the 6’3” 190 lb lefty walked more than he struck out (50 over 38) and posted a .422 on base percentage. He also slugged just .356 with ten extra base hits in 52 games. Tough to be a major league outfielder with 30 extra base hits across a full season, but that’s probably not De Paula’s fate. He should learn how to attack and elevate across time.
47. Blue Jays 3B Orelvis Martinez | 23 | MLB | 2024
Power is not a problem for a 5’11” 200 pound Martinez, whose occasional swing-and-miss issues need to be viewed in the context of playing mostly against older players. He was playing well in 2024 and forced his way into Toronto’s lineup at second base just before getting suspended 80 games for PEDs. He had hit 17 home runs with a 23.8 percent strikeout rate in 74 Triple-A games, but projecting his future is a trickier task now under the PED cloud. I tend to avoid these guys altogether, a strategy I’ve never regretted.
48. Rangers 1B Abimelec Ortiz | 23 | AA | 2025
Ortiz bounced back from a slow start to finish with a 114 wRC+ and 18 home runs in 115 Double-A games. He struck out 21.8 percent of the time, an intriguing number given that it was 5.2 percent lower than his 2023 rate. Seems like a slightly new approach took a little while to take hold.
In his first 67 games, Ortiz slashed .183/.259/.306 with five home runs and a 22.4 percent strikeout rate.
Over his final 48 games, he slashed .321/.413/.592 with 13 home runs and a 21.1 percent K-rate.
At 5’10” 230 lbs from the left side, Ortiz is more athletic and loose than he might look at a glance, and I’ve long thought he’s underrated in dynasty circles partly because a lot of public lists put a heavy emphasis on defense.
49. Cardinals RHP Tink Hence | 22 | AA | 2025
Hence recorded 109 strikeouts along with a 2.71 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 79.2 Double-A innings. Outcomes aren’t always the most important thing, but it was nice to see him succeed after struggling through a 1.51 WHIP and 5.47 ERA in 54.1 innings at the level last season. On the mound, Hence employs excellent balance in a 6’1” 195 lb frame that allows him to maximize the deception on his double-plus changeup. He also throws a plus fastball and solid slider. Should open the season in Triple-A with a chance for an early promotion. Might even break camp with the team in a perfect-storm scenario.
50. SS Franklin Arias | 19 | A | 2028
Arias signed for $525,000 as the second highest paid player in Boston’s 2023 international class, coming up on two years later, that looks like money well invested. A right-handed hitter at 5’11” 170 lbs, Arias slashed .309/.409/.487 with nine home runs and 35 stolen bases in 87 games across two levels. He slugged just .378 in his 36 Low-A games, but he was playing against guys who were 2.5 years his senior on average. I suspect he’ll be much better than that if he returns to Low-A Salem to open the 2025 season.
Thanks for reading!
