These prospect rankings are based on fantasy value, not real-life value. Considering such, hitters generally weigh a bit heavier for me due to the injury risk and higher volatility of prospect pitchers. Proximity to the majors is also prominent in the equation, though these prospect fantasy baseball rankings are focused on long-term/dynasty outlooks. Think of these rankings as more of a five-year plan.
Rather than getting into writing mini-bios on all prospects, I’ve decided to keep my rankings simple by providing the 2024 and 2025 stats of each player across all levels, plus a player comp, a small blurb on their prime skills for fantasy and an explanation of my ranking.
I’ve also included updated fScores for any players I expect to debut in 2025 (some are updated from May, while others still feature preseason fScores), which highlights what my fScore projections believe the player is capable of at the pro level for immediate impact.
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2025 Top 150 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-25 (Updated)
Please note these rankings are the result of months of work from previous rankings, to ongoing film and in-person scouting along with team rankings, positional rankings and a final stack-up that you are now reading and thus since this is a massive write up the statistical inputs will have varying dates and are not based upon one static date.
NOTES:
- Rookie status is determined by 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched at the Major League level.
- I prematurely removed the following players due to them being close to graduation, their age or injury concerns, bumping them from prospect status by the next time we see them: Chase Dollander (SP – COL), Christian Scott (SP – NYM), Drew Thorpe (SP – CWS), Robert Gasser (SP – MIL), Edgar Quero (C – CWS)
Previous Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings
- Rankings, Comps & Predictions (126-150)
- Rankings, Comps & Predictions (101-125)
- Rankings, Comps & Predictions (76-100)
- Rankings, Comps & Predictions (51-75)
- Rankings, Comps & Predictions (26-50)
- Rankings, Comps & Predictions (1-25)
- OF Roman Anthony (Red Sox)
2024 AA/AAA: .291/.396/.498 | 14.6 BB%, 23.5 K% | 54 XBH, 18 HR, 21 SB
2025 AAA (as of 5/25/25): .317/.452/.518 | 20.2 BB%, 19.7 K% | 17 XBH, 7 HR, 3 SB
Age: 21
ETA: Mid 2025
fScores: 107 fContact, 134 fDiscipline, 103 fPower, 97 fSpeed
Comp: Gunnar Henderson in the OF
Prime Skills: Very good eye with a strong power tool for a young kid who still needs to fill out. He could be a five tool guy, but needs to be more consistent on the base paths for steals to be a big part of his game long term. The Max and 90th percentile EVs are top notch, but he could benefit from being more aggressive in the zone and would definitely benefit by hitting more balls in the air as his biggest flaw is the 52% ground ball rate. Another important factor in his profile, being a lefty, is his slash line is actually better against lefties.
Ranking Explanation: Anthony has improved his K rate and his exit velocities simultaneously and it’s obvious he’s the top prospect in baseball until he gets the call up. Anthony put his raw power on full display during the All Star game skills competition and he needs to start working to translate the raw power to game power by lifting the ball in the air more frequently. Anthony has moved through the minors quickly and deserves an age-to-level bump when considering his 162 wRC+ at AAA, which might relate closer to a 215 wRC+ when factoring age-to-level.
Previous Rank: 2
- OF Max Clark (Tigers)
2024 A/A+: .279/.372/.421 | 12.4 BB%, 19.2 K% | 36 XBH, 9 HR, 29 SB
2025 A+ (as of 5/25/25): .290/.434/.420 | 20 BB%, 14.3 K% | 10 XBH, 4 HR, 7 SB
Age: 20
ETA: Mid 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Corbin Carroll
Prime Skills: Multi-sport athlete; has a really nice hit tool, a lot of speed and should develop more power as he ages. He’s likely to develop more into a speed first, 15-20 homer type based on the small sample size of what we have seen in the minors and pre-draft. The plate skills are also much better than when you look at first glance as he has a near elite 4.6 SwStr% and a fantastic 87.4% contact rate.
Ranking Explanation: Clark was drafted primarily for the potential of his tools, but his hit tool and plate skills are the most impressive pieces of his profile right now. He looks like he could be one of the better players in baseball when he makes it to the big leagues – I would like to see him swing more aggressively in the zone, but funny enough the profile almost resembles Riley Greene with speed. Clark has a 153 wRC+ and should move up to AA soon. Age-to-level he should be considered for another 50 point bump, which puts him in the same 200 range as Walcott, De Vries and Basallo – but he’s the safer option of all of these guys with all five tools with a PLUS on the hit tool, giving him the edge in my rankings.
Previous Rank: 10
- SS Sebastian Walcott (Rangers)
2024 A+/AA: .265/.344/.452 | 10.3 BB%, 25.6 K% | 54 XBH, 11 HR, 27 SB
2025 AA (as of 5/25/25): .247/.341/.430 | 11.5 BB%, 22.5 K% | 17 XBH, 6 HR, 8 SB
Age: 19
ETA: Late 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Fernando Tatis Jr. – light, similar build and swing
Prime Skills: Super raw, a huge 19-year-old kid with raw power for days. He needs to further develop the hit tool and plate skills, but the tools are there and he debuted at high A as a 17-year-old. He took off last season with a killer season from June on and while the doubles power is here now, we are waiting on the homer power.
Ranking Explanation: The kid is still super raw and we are seeing the talent develop starting mid-season from a set of tools into a baseball player. Walcott is having a bit of a reverse splits issue, but I expect that to balance out as he matures. He’s 3-4 years younger than the average player at AA and with a 114 wRC+ we have to give him an age to level bump of 75-85 to get a true judge of his performance. Anthony is obviously closer from a proximity standpoint and currently has a much better hit tool and eye giving him the edge to Walcott who is at least one year behind him, if not two years.
Previous Rank: 9
- SS Leo De Vries (Padres)
2024 A: .237/.361/.441 | 13.9 BB%, 23.3 K% | 36 XBH, 11 HR, 13 SB (75 games)
2025 A+ (as of 5/25/25): .279/.363/.478 | 12 BB%, 20.3 K% | 16 XBH, 4 HR, 4 SB
Age: 18
ETA: 2027
fScores: N/A
Comp: Switch hitting Alfonso Soriano at SS
Prime Skills: De Vries has super high upside across the board and is a five-tool talent, but at 17-years-old is way above his age-to-level. De Vries is absolutely electric and has a long swing despite quick hands, giving me that Soriano feeling. He’s actually improved the hit tool since last season and splits-wise is much better from the right side (he’s a switch hitter) than the left side. I don’t think that’s a concern as he still hits for decent power from the left side, but it’s something to watch.
Ranking Explanation: There’s going to be a huge rankings debate for the next year or so between de Vries and Walcott. While De Vries has superior contact skills (De Vries at 78% and Walcott at 70%), Walcott has a bigger frame and is getting to more power at a higher level. It’s close between these two guys, but I’m leaning Walcott since he’s doing it at a higher level. De Vries has a 131 wRC+ this season as of this writing and age-to-level we should give him about a 50-65 point boost.
Previous Rank: 18
- C / 1B Samuel Basallo (Orioles)
2024 AA/AAA: .278/.341/.449 | 8.6 BB%, 21.1 K% | 44 XBH, 19 HR, 10 SB
2025 AAA (as of 5/25/25): .245/.348/.571 | 13.9 BB%, 23.5 K% | 14 XBH, 9 HR, 0 SB
Age: 20
ETA: Early 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Kyle Schwarber with a better hit tool
Prime Skills: Solid plate discipline and great power and young for his level, Bassallo has seen some regression in 2024 on the batted ball data, as he has not been lifting the ball in the air enough to reach his power potential and he’s been dinged in the plate skills category this year seeing a decent increase in swinging strike and K rate, while also seeing an even larger decrease in walk rate. The dude is built for his age with fast hands, but a tight / weird batting stance. He will likely move off the catcher position full-time because of Rutschman. Oddly he has a 23.9% barrel rate and only an 11.3% line drive rate this season, I’ve never seen such a discrepancy between those two numbers, which means most of his barrels are in the air and most of his non-barrels are in the ground (48% GB rate), which needs corrected.
Ranking Explanation: Basallo has massive power potential as he is currently rocking a 108.6 90th percentile EV, 115.9 max EV and 93.6 average EV as a 20-year-old at AAA. He doesn’t have wheels and is maybe blocked a little by the Orioles ridiculous hitting depth in the organization which dings him a bit, but he has a 138 wRC+ and with an age to level bump should get another 80-85 points – which gives him more power potential than Walcott and De Vries, but for fantasy you want a little bit of everything so those guys get the edge.
Previous Rank: 8
- SP Chase Burns (Reds)
2024 College: 100 IP | 191 Ks, 30 BBs | 2.70 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
2025 A+/AA (as of 5/25/25): 35 ⅔ IP | 35.3 K-BB%, 18.2 SwStr%, 37.6% CSW | 2.27 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
Age: 21
ETA: Late 2025
fScores: 120 fStuff, 109 fControl, 134 fERA
Comp: Hunter Greene / Dylan Cease mash up
Prime Skills: Insane fastball / slider combo that could be one of the best in baseball. He’s bigger than some of the other guys with this type of fastball / slider combo like Jared Jones and Spencer Strider and could also just be a better version of Jared Jones. The fastball ranges from 98-102 with a ton of ride running an over 19 IVB, while his slider runs 87-89 as the primary swing and miss pitch and the curve is also a plus pitch.
Ranking Explanation: Burns has top of the line stuff and is only stifled by ballpark concerns, his rough road might be something like Hunter Greene, but his ceiling looks a bit smoother to the top. He’s been nothing but phenomenal every start this season and deserves to be the top pitching prospect following the meteoric rise of Paul Skenes.
Previous Rank: 19
- OF Walker Jenkins (Twins)
2024 A/A+: .282/.394/.439 | 15.2 BB%, 12.8 K% | 32 XBH, 6 HR, 17 SB (82 games)
2025: N/A (injured)
Age: 20
ETA: Mid 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Larry Walker
Prime Skills: Big, strong lefty for his age and one of the top five guys from the 2023 draft class. He has a ton of pull power, but can hit for extra base hits through all fields. Jenkins’ carrying tool thus far has been the combo of his excellent hit tool (91.7% Z-Contact rate) alongside his killer plate skills (more walks than strikeouts). He hasn’t grown into the game power yet and has been primarily a doubles hitter, but he was also in the Florida League for a good portion of the season where all his games are at sea level in the muggy Fort Myers stadium (basically no breeze, literally the hottest stadium I’ve been to in my life and when there is breeze it’s blowing in, not out).
Ranking Explanation: Jenkins has been rocking a 12 degree launch angle with a near 110 max EV and upper 80s average EVs in a bad ballpark in single A, so I’m excited to see how the power gains look getting out of Florida now that he’s in AA for the 2025 season – once he’s healthy. Jenkins should have more power than he’s shown to date and that’s what will separate him from being the top prospect in baseball vs. being a top prospect in baseball. Let’s see how he does when he returns in a couple weeks from the ankle sprain.
Previous Rank: 8
- 1B Nick Kurtz (Athletics)
2024 College: .306/.531/.763 | 34 XBH, 22 HR, 4 SB
2024 A/AA: .368/.520/.763 | 24 BB%, 20 K% | 7 XBH, 4 HR, 1 SB
2025 Minors: .321/.385/.655 | 10.3 BB%, 26.8 K% | 14 XBH, 7 HR, 0 SB
2025 MLB (as of 5/25/25): .245/.315/.447 | 10.2 BB%, 33.3 K% | 8 XBH, 5 HR, 0 SB
Age: 22
ETA: Debuted
fScores (pre-season): 106 fContact, 129 fDiscipline, 115 fPower, 86 fSpeed
Comp: Lefty Christian Walker with a better eye
Prime Skills: Big time plate skills with above average power and a very solid hit tool. Think Kyle Manzardo with more power and a higher ceiling on the hit tool. He was a beast in his limited debut and returned in the Arizona Fall League from a hamstring injury.
Ranking Explanation: I was one of the higher prospect guys on Kurtz entering the season and he hasn’t disappointed with the quick promotion, as I predicted while he is now finding his form in the majors (really quicker than most prospects – see PCA, it took him an entire season). I expect the K rate to decrease to around the 25% mark as the season goes on and the batting average to tick up closer to the .260 – .280 range. He had a 142 wRC+ at AAA a year and a half young for the level, so that puts him closer to a 170-ish wRC+ guy – he has a 110 in the majors this year as a rookie after some early struggles – this shows just how good he can be. I nearly placed him above Walker Jenkins, but I think ultimately Walker Jenkins will be a more consistent player because he has a stronger hit tool.
Previous Rank: 16
- SP Bubba Chandler (Pirates)
2024 AA/AAA: 119 2/3 IP | 22.3 K-BB%, 13.6 SwStr%, 29.5 CSW% | 3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP
2025 AAA (as of 5/25/25: 43 ⅔ IP | 23.2 K-BB%, 14.4 SwStr%, 32.5 CSW% | 2.27 ERA, 1.08 WHIP
Age: 22
ETA: June 2025
fScores: 107 fStuff, 98 fControl, 137fERA
Comp: Luis Gil with a Zach Wheeler slider
Prime Skills: Big fastball and slider guy, known as a dual sport athlete who is not finally focusing on baseball rather than football. A lot of upside here as he has never been focused only on baseball until a couple years ago; he had committed to Clemson to play QB. He throws 98-102 MPH with a 12/6 killer vertical slider and a sick change up with nice fade that tunnels well and against his other two pitches.
Ranking Explanation: Chandler started coming into his own starting around June last season where he has an improved 26.1 K-BB% since June 1st and a 2.27 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, which has really bumped him way up my rankings while before he was just on my radar as a stuff guy without performance. Chase Burns absolutely gets the edge to me in my rankings as he has better command, though he will have a worse home ballpark once he reaches the majors, but I have moved Chandler ahead of Painter, just because his stuff is much less hittable right now as Chandler is doing a fantastic job this year of avoiding homers and hard damage even though the command has gotten worse the last few starts.
Previous Rank: 27
- OF Josue de Paula (Dodgers)
2024 A/A+: .268/.404/.405 | 17.5 BB%, 19.8 K% | 30 XBH, 10 HR, 27 SB
2025 A+ (as of 5/25/25): .270/.403/.474 | 17.7 BB%, 16.7 K% | 16 XBH, 7 HR, 11 SB
Age: 20 (and 1 day)
ETA: Late 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Lefty Jordan Walker that can actually get the ball in the air
Prime Skills: Big kid has a body that power can grow into with a solid hit tool, great plate skills and none zero speed. The contact skills are very good as well for his age (80% contact) without many holes in the swing. The power should develop further as he grows into his big 6’ 3” frame.
Ranking Explanation: The Dodgers are actually playing Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing was called up, so maybe Dodgers prospects do have a chance. Josue de Paula is a plus prospect all around with a 55 hit tool, 60 plate skills, 65 power and 55 speed. He’s rocking a 148 wRC+ and age-to-level would get another 35-40 points). He’s a guy who should be promoted to AA soon.
Previous Rank: 30
- SP Andrew Painter (Phillies)
2022 A/A+/AA: 103 2/3 IP | 32.4 K-BB%, 16.2 SwStr%, 32.3 CSW% | 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP
2025 Season (as of 5/25/25): 23 ⅓ IP | 20.8 K-BB%, 13.9 SwStr%, 29.2 CSW% | 3.09 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
Age: 21
ETA: Mid 2025
fScores: 106 fStuff, 104 fControl, 114 fERA
Comp: A bigger Jacob deGrom, or a Tyler Glasnow with more control
Prime Skills: Painter regularly touches 99 MPH on his fastball and throws it up in the zone with some ridiculous ride, then loves to use his curve up in the zone to finish guys off when they are dead red fastball. He has pin-point control, which plays his stuff up even more. He has an excellent pitch mix and knows how to throw his changeup and breaking stuff off his money fastball.
Ranking Explanation: Painter has not been nearly as good pre-injury throughout his rehab and when I saw him live, the fastball was pretty hitable, even at 98 MPH. The command actually looked on-point, which is the aspect of pitching that usually has the worst result post TJ, but the breaking stuff looked sharp with the slider being his most effective pitch, netting a 25.6 SwStr% at AAA while the curve and changeup have also been solid. My recommendation would be for less fastballs and cutters, with more breakers as he has been throwing the fastball 55% of the time and the cutter 19% of the time.
Previous Rank: 4
- 1B/OF Jac Caglianone (Royals)
2024 College: .419/.544/.875 | 43 XBH, 35 HR, 4 SB
2024 A+: .241/.302/.388 | 5.6 BB%, 20.6 K% | 12 XBH, 2 HR, 2 SB (29 games)
2025 AA/AAA (as of 5/25/25): .318/.384/.572 | 10.1 BB%, 20.7 K% | 20 XBH, 12 HR, 2 SB
Age: 22
fScores: 100 fContact, 85 fDiscipline, 138 fPower, 76 fSpeed
Comp: Matt Olson mashed w/ light Bryce Harper w/o the speed
Prime Skills: Massive power potential, so much so that he only hit 8 doubles in college. The plate skill gains Cags made in his final college season seems to have stuck and the contact rate is hovering around 75% with some insane barrel and EV numbers this season, as he’s rocking a 16.7% barrel rate, 27.8% LD rate and 112.1 90th percentile EV.
Ranking Explanation: Cags has no split issues as a lefty power hitter in the minors, which is excellent as he is just as good against lefties as righties. He also is showing a great hit tool (for a power hitter) with an 86.7 Z-Contact% and is insanely aggressive in-zone with a near 75% Z-Contact% which means he is going up looking to do as much damage as possible, but the chase rate is also a bit high near 38%. Jac has a 154 wRC+ on the season and is slightly young for AAA, so we might give him a 25-35 point boost in age to level. I give him the edge to Eldridge due to the aggressiveness in the profile that is leading to a lot more damage – while he will probably strike out a bit more than Eldridge and walk less in their peaks.
Previous Rank: 28
- 1B Bryce Eldridge (Giants)
2024 A/A+/AA/AAA: .289/.372/.513 | 11.4 BB%, 25.4 K% | 52 XBH, 23 HR, 6 SB
2025 AA (as of 2025): .302/.374/.531 | 9.3 BB%, 26.2 K% | 12 XBH, 5 HR, 0 SB (26 games)
Age: 20
ETA: Late 2025 (September)
fScores (pre-season): 103 fContact, 99 fDiscipline, 101 fPower, 89 fSpeed
Comp: Taller Matt Olson with more gaps in the hit tool to work on
Prime Skills: Big time power potential at a huge 6’ 7” 223 lb., but he needs to close the gaps in his swing in order to avoid being over exposed to strikeouts. He’s done a much better job at showing a good eye for walks, but the K rate and swinging strike issues are still existent and even though we don’t have a lot of statcast data (20 BBE), he only had a 76.8 Z-Contact% at AAA last year and has a 70% contact rate this season.
Ranking Explanation: Eldridge has big time power potential and the athleticism to rack up doubles in the event San Francisco bay winds hold back the power ala Brandon Belt. He will have to work through the long swing to close the gaps in his contact%, but San Francisco has been aggressive with him. He got off to a late start this season due to an injury, but he has a 162 wRC+ at AA as a 20-year-old, which is ridiculous. With the age-to-level bump you could figure another 60-ish wRC+ on top of that number which would push him above any other hitter we have looked at ranked ahead of him, but without any speed and the fact he will be hitting as a lefty in San Fran dings him a bit for fantasy.
Previous Rank: 15
- OF Konnor Griffin (Pirates)
2024 CPX: N/A
2025 A (as of 5/25/25): .307/.350/.515 | 3.4 BB%, 26.4 K% | 17 XBH, 8 HR, 18 SB
Age: 19
ETA: 2028
fScores: N/A
Comp: Light Fernando Tatis Jr. with an Elly de la Cruz statistical profile
Prime Skills: Griffin is a big righty with a good arm as a high school pitcher and he has some massive power upside. The high stance and high and tight hands in his swing reminds me of Fernando Tatis Jr. and like Tatis, he will probably have plenty of swing and miss to go with the damage. Tools for days here as Griffin has already posted a max EV of 114.2 and has a 90th percentile EV of 108.
Ranking Explanation: Griffin has a 73.5% contact rate and 83.1 Z-Contact% which are slightly below average, but play hard with the 70 grade power and speed potentials. He’s super aggressive in the zone with a 72% Z-Swing. The chase rate is only 29.5%, which is slightly above average and portends to a better eye than the numbers show – he’s just uber aggressive. Griffin has a 136 wRC+ and an age-to-level bump of another 50 points is fair. I’m ranking him very aggressively this time around as I believe the hit tool is good enough (he will probably hit .250 – .270), while the plate skills could improve based on him toning down some aggressiveness. I would lower him a bit in points leagues behind guys like Braden Montgomery and Franklin Arias, but in roto leagues he’s going to be a top 2 round pick due to the elite power / speed combo.
Previous Rank: 83
- 3B Matt Shaw (Cubs)
2024 AA/AAA: .284/.379/.488 | 11.9 BB%, 18.2 K% | 44 XBH, 21 HR, 31 SB
2025 AAA: .286/.409/.560 | 15.5 BB%, 10 K% | 12 XBH, 6 HR, 5 SB
2025 MLB (as of 5/25/25): .231/.326/.346 | 12.4 BB%, 21.3 K% | 7 XBH, 1 HR, 2 SB
Age: 23
ETA: Debuted
fScores (pre-season): 95 fContact, 86 fDiscipline, 96 fPower, 168 fSpeed
Comp: Tooled up Jonathan India
Prime Skills: Shaw has a solid plate approach that should develop as he gets time in the bigs with above average power and speed. For 2025 fantasy, think of Colt Keith production plus 25 steals or so. He has the power and speed combo to put up some 20/20 type seasons. Shaw works to some good launch angles (14.4 average LA) that should help the bat play up.
Ranking Explanation: Shaw had a rough debut after changing his swing in the offseason, but swapped back in the minors and after a sick little minors stint, he should be back rocking it at the highest level. He had an 84% contact rate in AAA and only 77% contact in the majors, so the contact rate should tick up a nice amount as he gets comfortable. I think Shaw settles in as a solid regular to potential All Star level player at his peak and could finish this season with as high as 115-125 wRC+.
Previous Rank: 14
- 2B Luke Keaschall (Twins)
2024 A+/AA: .303/.420/.483 | 13.4 BB% / 17.2 K% | 37 XBH, 15 HR, 23 SB (102 games)
2025 AAA: .261/.379/.348 | 15.5 BB%, 19 K% | 2 XBH, 1 HR, 4 SB (14 games)
2025 MLB (as of 5/25/25): .368/.538/.526 | 19.2 BB%, 7.8 K% | 3 XBH, 0 HR, 5 SB (7 games)
ETA: Debuted
fScores: 108 fContact, 116 fDiscipline, 95 fPower, 156 fSpeed
Age: 22
Comp: Righty Brendan Donovan w/ Matt McLain tools mash up
Prime Skills: Great bat speed with killer EVs.. the HR power should be greater and will increase as he ages. He was having a strong season with consistent week in and week out production. He has a 65 grade hit tool, 60 grade plate skills and 45/50 power with 55/60 speed. I expect a lot of doubles out of him, but maybe only 15-ish homers.
Ranking Explanation: Last year I made a joke on the Prospect One podcast that if Luke Keschall was a stock, Nancy Pelosi would be buying prior to his TJ surgery. Keaschall recovered from Tommy John surgery much quicker than expected, was promoted to the majors and was absolutely electric in his small sample size prior to his broken arm after getting hit by a pitch. I wouldn’t expect him back now until after the All Star break. Keaschall is running 93 Z-Contact rates in the minors and the majors this year and actually increased his aggressiveness to a 70% Z-swing% in the majors which let to the killer start pre-injury.
Previous Rank: 21
- SS Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks)
2024 AA/AAA: .318/.417/.485 | 9 XBH, 2 HR, 6 SB (23 games)
2025 AAA (as of 5/25/25): .336/.413/.579 | 10.4 BB%, 22.5 K% | 23 XBH, 6 HR, 13 SB
2025 MLB: 0/14 (5 games – part-time)
Age: 22
ETA: Debuted
fScores: 104 fContact, 103 fDiscipline, 94 fPower, 168 fSpeed
Comp: Trea Turner light
Prime Skills: Lawlar has a nice power swing, but it may affect his contact ability in the majors – he has all fields power and ridiculous speed, he’s a very aggressive base runner and puts himself in good positions to make things happen on top of having way above average plate discipline for his age.
Ranking Explanation: Lawlar has had a rough time in the majors after mashing at AAA, but the biggest issue might be his lack of regular playing time. It’s tough to judge him when he’s popping in for pinch hits instead of starting and it may just take a little time for him to warm up, but the minor league numbers show us an above average power profile for a middle infielder with a near 90 average EV and a 26.2% LD rate and a solid hit tool 83.6 Z-Contact% with plus speed. Even though he was hitting in the PCL, the 126 wRC+ last year and 142 wRC+ this year shows us we should have a 20/30 player in his prime seasons.
Previous Rank: 20
- SS JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals)
2024 College: .331/.472/.589 | 16 XBH, 8 HR, 6 SB (36 games)
2024 A: .295/.405/.400 | 12.7 BB%, 11.9 K% | 7 XBH, 2 HR, 2 SB (29 games)
2025 AA (as of 5/25/25): .284/.388/.440 | 12.9 BB%, 12.2 K% | 12 XBH, 3 HR, 6 SB
Age: 22
ETA: Early 2026
fScores: 102 fContact, 128 fDiscipline, 86 fPower, 136 fSpeed
Comp: Corbin Carroll / Marcus Semien mash-up
Prime Skills: Wetherholt hits the crap out of the ball for a smaller guy, is athletic and has a great eye at the plate. He has quick, an easy swing and great bat control that will likely lead to an early career high doubles profile that later translates into more power as he gets closer to his peak. Wetherholt had an average EV of 91.8 last season to go along with an aggressively effective approach in the zone with a 73.4 Z-Swing % and only 14.1% chase rate to pair with an 86% contact rate this season in AA and no splits concerns as a lefty.
Ranking Explanation: He’s going to put up 40 doubles a season with a high batting average when he first breaks into the majors. Busch Stadium is terrible for lefty power (as we have seen with many Cardinals lefties like Lars Nootbaar), but he should still get to 15-20 homers since he has a ton of opposite field power and due to the stadium will be a much better points league player than roto player for fantasy purposes.
Previous Rank: 13
- C/1B Agustin Ramirez (Marlins)
2024 AA/AAA: .267/.358/.487 | 11.1 BB%, 18.6 K% | 53 XBH, 25 HR, 22 SB
2025 AAA: .254/.313/.479 | 8.8 BB%, 23.8 K% | 10 XBH, 3 HR, 5 SB
2025 MLB (as of 5/25/25): .243/.308/.505 | 8.5 BB%, 17.1 K% | 16 XBH, 6 HR, 1 SB
Age: 22
ETA: Early 2025
fScores: 95 fContact, 98 fDiscipline, 113 fPower, 128 fSpeed
Comp: Gary Sanchez with speed and better Z-Contact
Prime Skills: Big time power swing with some sneaky speed, but a questionable hit tool. He has below average contact rates, but counter to that statistic his swing and miss is mostly outside of the zone, while in-zone he was rocking a solid 83% at AAA and 90.1% in the majors this season. The power could uptick with less balls getting hit on the ground and he has a new max EV in the majors at 114.7 with an impressive 109.3 90th percentile EV in AAA this year.
Ranking Explanation: Ramirez was traded to the Marlins in the Jazz trade, so this one is going to be fun to follow on both sides. The power stroke looks real with quick hands as he has shown his ability to mash major league pitching with an impressive slug to date. I believe the hit tool and plate skills still have room to develop over time as he was really picking his pitches when I saw him in person this spring. The 121 wRC+ as a rookie catcher is very impressive and he could be one of the better hitting catchers in baseball for a long time.
Previous Rank: 37
- OF Lazaro Montes (Mariners)
2024 A/A+: .288/.397/.484 | 14.4 BB%, 23.6 K% | 44 XBH, 21 HR, 5 SB
2025 A+ (as of 5/25/25): .280/.391/.565 | 15 BB%, 25.9 K% | 22 XBH, 10 HR, 2 SB
Age: 20
ETA: Late 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Shades of a lefty Paul Goldschmidt in the OF
Prime Skills: Big strong kid with a great hit tool, Montes has some insane lefty power and good plate skills. He’s also really improved his body from 2023 to 2024, which has likely helped him cut down the K rate, while also shrinking the gap between BABIP and his batting average. The power is up this year from last year as he has figured out high A and is likely ready for the next step.
Ranking Explanation: Montes killed it in low A last season and then struggled when he was first bumped up to high A, but he did finish the season strong. From August on Montes hit .333/.459/.604 with 7 bombs and 3 steals. Montes is ready for AA from first glance as he has a 151 wRC+ at high A being a year young for the level, but he does have some split concerns with a .295/.399/.597 slash against righties, but only .219/.350/.438 against lefties. This is not quite a strong-side platoon situation at this point in time, but it is something to watch as he progresses toward the majors and why some of the other hitters with less power potential get an edge to him in the rankings.
Previous Rank: 24
- OF Braden Montgomery (White Sox)
2024 College: .322/.454/.611 | 32 XBH, 17 HR, 6 SB
2025 A/A+ (as of 5/25/25): .299/.390/.516 | 12.3 BB%, 20.9 K% | 20 XBH, 7 HR, 7 SB
Age: 22
ETA: Mid 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Bigger Jasson Dominguez with less speed
Prime Skills: Athletic, switch hitting power hitter. He has an arm as a former pitcher as well and a quick, short swing where he gets to the ball no matter where it’s thrown. Montgomery is a true switch hitter with no split to speak of, he’s a boss on both sides of the plate which is a boon this day in age, though he does appear to have a better eye from the left side of the plate. He explodes on the ball from the left side of the plate level with the zone and seems to have more of an upper cut on his swing from the right side.
Ranking Explanation: Montgomery missed the minor league season after breaking his ankle in college ball, which might make him a bit of a discount – especially with the lack of minor league data. He’s going to be a stud in my opinion, but we have some time to wait on him. Now might be the last time to buy, as his stock will likely explode once he reaches AA. The contact rates aren’t great at only 71.6% across both levels and I have no zone data to judge how the hit tool might progress.
Previous Rank: 60
- SS Franklin Arias (Red Sox)
2024 Cpx/A: .309/.409/.487 | 13.4 BB%, 17.5 K% | 36 XBH, 9 HR, 35 SB (87 games)
2025 A+ (as of 5/25/25): .353/.407/.461 | 7.1 BB%, 11 K% | 13 XBH, 2 HR, 7 SB
Age: 19
ETA: 2027
fScores: N/A
Comp: Righty Luis Arraez with speed and some power
Prime Skills: Good plate skills with above average power, really quick bat speed and hands and great speed. He has an elite hit tool, likely the best in the minors with a 93.1 Contact% in high A. He’s also shown the ability to steal some bags and has non-zero power with the power actually improving at high A from low A. He showed some decent enough power potential in complex league last season.
Ranking Explanation: I learned my lesson by only ranking Jacob Wilson in the 60s… don’t underestimate an advanced hit tool in young guys that could still add power or speed. He has a 158 wRC+ in high A as a 19-year-old, with which an age-to-level bump would give him another 50 points. Arias is an incredibly safe prospect and gets the bump over Emmanuel Rodriguez who is basically his exact opposite, but Montgomery gets the nod to Arias as I think he has plus tools across the board.
Previous Rank: 45
- SS Jesus Made (Brewers)
2024 DSL: .331/.458/.554 | 18.1 BB%, 13 K% | 21 XBH, 6 HR, 28 SB (51 games)
2025 A (as of 5/25/25): .285/.399/.417 | 15 BB%, 19.7 K% | 12 XBH, 3 HR, 17 SB
Age: 18
ETA: Late 2027
fScores: N/A
Comp: Smaller switch-hitting infield Christian Yelich profile and swing mechanics
Prime Skills: We don’t have a lot of data on the DSL or Arizona A ball guys, but the stats speak for themselves here. Great plate skills (more walks than Ks) are rare for DSL guys who put up these kinds of power and speed numbers. It’s hard to judge how the power and speed will translate as he increases levels, but he projects as a potential 20/30 type bat as his development continues. Made’s power has yet to really show in A ball, but he did post a 108.9 max EV and 103.9 90th percentile EV as a 17-year-old in the DSL last season.
Ranking Explanation: Made’s plate skills and athleticism have been impressive so far in A ball, but the contact has only been average and the power has not popped as the hype had suggested. He does perform better as a lefty, but the splits are not so wide that he needs to stop switch hitting ala Cedric Mullins. Made has a 133 wRC+ and age-to-level you could reasonably give him a 50 point bonus. Arias gets the edge to Made right now with the elite hit tool, while Made has a more well-rounded profile, until we see some power gains I can’t jump Made above anyone else. He does edge out Emmanuel Rodriguez with a better hit tool and a similar power / speed upside despite E Rod having a large proximity headstart.
Previous Rank: 63
- SP Travis Sykora (Nationals)
2024 A: 85 IP | 31 K-BB%, 20.8 SwStr%, 36.2 CSW% | 2.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP
2025 CPX/A/A+: 15 IP | 54.9 K-BB%, 33.8 SwStr%, 50.7 CSW% | 0.60 ERA, 0.47 WHIP
Age: 21
ETA: Early 2026
fScores: N/A
Comp: Logan Gilbert
Prime Skills: Sykora has some really sick stuff as a former third rounder and is a big time name to watch. He’s a giant at 6’ 6” with a 44.4% whiff rate in the minors and needs to be up in A+ or AA at this point. Sykora rocks a mid 90s fastball with obviously ridiculous extension due to his size with more run than ride and he also has a devastating 81-83 mph splitter and 85 mph hard slider. I mentioned on my podcast during his rehab assignment he looked like he was facing little leaguers, that’s how good his stuff is… he should move fast this year.
Ranking Explanation: This dude is a freak and could be better than Painter, but I’m not willing to bump him that much when he’s only just gotten to high A, the level of competition is not the same even if his level is age appropriate, he should move fast this year and it would be disappointing if he’s not in AA by the end of the year, ready for an early call up in 2026.
Previous Rank: 84
- OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Twins)
2024 CPX/A/AA/AAA: .280/.459/.567 | 24.4 BB%, 29.7 K% | 25 XBH, 9 HR, 9 SB (47 games)
2025 AAA (as of 5/25/25): .239/.403/.410 | 20.1 BB%, 34.9 K% | 11 XBH, 4 HR, 6 SB
Age: 22
ETA: July/August 2025
fScores: 92 fContact, 167 fDiscipline, 116 fPower, 93 fSpeed
Comp: Rafael Devers meets Max Muncy with speed (credit to James Anderson)
Prime Skills: Great eye and insane power (114.6 max EV in 2024) with a tad of speed mixed in despite being a bigger boy, quick hands though. Like many of these guys, Rodriguez has to work on his hit tool a bit and cut down on the strikeouts. The power and speed potential is ridiculous and Rodriguez for points leagues should be ranked higher than in roto leagues.
Ranking Explanation: He’s dealt with injuries the last couple of years, but has been ridiculous on a per plate appearance basis. The only issue with his game is he strikes out way too much by being too patient, because a 9.4% SwStr% portends to a way better K rate than 29.7%. E Rod only has a 33.3% swing rate, the dude needs to get more aggressive and stay on the field, which is the biggest reason he is the biggest faller this high in my updated prospect rankings. He also needs to keep the ball off the ground and get it into the air.
Previous Rank: 5
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