Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: First Basemen

These prospect rankings are based on fantasy baseball 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.

• Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
• MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
• Rest-of-Season Projections

I know most people don’t care to read 250-500 words on each player, so using both box score scouting and film review, I have provided comps for each prospect. For fun, note that comps may be based on mechanics, body type, pitching arsenal or similar skills & box score style and how I think each prospect will perform once in the Majors over the next five seasons or so.

All-in-all, rankings paired with statistical info and a player comp will hit the sweet spot for the broadest category of people reading these prospect fantasy baseball rankings (or listening/watching the Fantasy Aceball podcast).

NOTE: Rookie status is determined by 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched at the Major League level.

Full Top 150 Prospect Rankings:

• Prospects 1-25
• Prospects 26-50
• Prospects 51-75
• Prospects 76-100
• Prospects 101 – 125
• Prospects 126-150

Updated Positional Prospect Rankings:

• Top 10 Catchers
• Top 10 First Basemen
• Top 10 Second Basemen
• Top 10 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstop
• Top 40 Starting Pitchers

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: First Basemen

1. Nick Kurtz (1B – ATH)

• 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 A/AAA: .321/.385/.655 | 10.3 BB%, 26.8 K% | 14 XBH, 7 HR, 0 SB
• 2025 MLB (as of 6/21/25): .252/.307/.536 | 8 BB%, 31.3 K% | 16 XBH, 10 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: Nick Kurtz has 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 analysts on Kurtz entering the season, and he hasn’t disappointed with the quick promotion. He is now finding his form in the Majors (really quicker than most prospects). I expect the strikeout rate to decrease to around the 25% mark as the season goes on and the batting average to tick up closer to the .260 to .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 wRC+ in the Majors this year as a rookie after some early struggles. This shows just how good he can be. I know he just passed rookie eligibility, but the rankings were put together before he surpassed that number.
• Top 150 Ranking: 8

2. Jac Caglianone (1B, OF – KC)

• 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: .318/.384/.572 | 10.1 BB%, 20.7 K% | 20 XBH, 12 HR, 2 SB
• 2025 MLB (as of 6/21/25): .220/.233/.373 | 1.7 BB%, 21.7 K% | 5 XBH, 2 HR, 0 SB
• Age: 22
• fScores: 100 fContact, 85 fDiscipline, 138 fPower, 76 fSpeed
• Comp: Matt Olson/Bryce Harper-lite mash-up (without Harper’s speed)
• Prime Skills: Massive power potential, so much so that Jac Caglianone only hit eight doubles in college. The plate skill gains Caglianone made in his final college season seem to have stuck, and the contact rate is hovering around 75% with some insane barrel and exit velocity numbers this season, as he’s rocking a 16.7% barrel rate, 27.8% line drive rate and 112.1 90th percentile exit velocity.
• Ranking Explanation: Caglianone 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%. This means he is looking to do as much damage as possible, but the chase rate is also a bit high, near 38%. Caglianone 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 over Bryce Eldridge due to the aggressiveness in the profile that is leading to a lot more damage. He will probably strike out a bit more than Eldridge and walk less in their peaks.
• Top 150 Ranking: 12

3. Bryce Eldridge (1B – SF)

• 2024 A/A+/AA/AAA: .289/.372/.513 | 11.4 BB%, 25.4 K% | 52 XBH, 23 HR, 6 SB
• 2025 AA/AAA (as of 6/21/25): .257/.324/.475 | 8.8 BB%, 28.9 K% | 20 XBH, 10 HR, 0 SB
• 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: Bryce Eldgride has big-time power potential at a huge 6-foot-7 and 223-pound frame, but he needs to close the gaps in his swing to avoid being overexposed to strikeouts. He’s done a much better job at showing a good eye for walks, but the strikeout rate and swinging strike issues still exist. Even though we don’t have a ton of Statcast data (20 batted ball events), he only had a 76.8% Z-Contact%. He 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. Without any speed, and the fact that he will be hitting as a lefty in San Francisco, dings him a bit for fantasy.
• Top 150 Ranking: 13

4. Coby Mayo (1B, 3B – BAL)

• 2024 AAA: .293/.372/.592 | 10.3 BB%, 25.1 K% | 54 XBH, 25 HR, 4 SB
• 2025 AAA: .226/.318/.452 | 11.8 BB%, 27.1 K% | 20 XBH, 8 HR, 1 SB
• 2025 MLB (as of 6/21/25): .204/.278/.286 | 9.3 BB%, 29.6 K% | 4 XBH, 0 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Debuted
• fScores (pre-season): 92 fContact, 90 fDiscipline, 111 fPower, 69 fSpeed
• Comp: Nolan Arenado as a hitter (with better power, worse hit tool)
• Prime Skills: Coby Mayo has a quick and powerful swing that portends to future 25-30-ish homer power with five-ish steal speed. He has an average enough hit tool (83.1% Z-Contact%), but the potential strikeout rate is a bit concerning if he can’t hold it down closer to 25% at the Major League level. The contract rates are still slightly below average, but the near 115 max exit velocity and a 90.7 average exit velocity mean Mayo has some of the best power in this prospect group. However, he needs the Orioles to find him a full-time position.
• Ranking Explanation: Mayo is one of the bigger negative regression prospects in the class with Emmanuel Rodriguez, as he has been more aggressive this season to his detriment, with a 72% Z-Swing%. This is probably psychological, as the Orioles have been messing with him for about a year now. It looks like he’s pressing to do some damage. He’s up in the Majors now, though, and, hopefully, he will get playing time with a chance to stick. Mayo had a 149 wRC+ last year and only 107 this year as an example. Mayo is a bit of a risk right now.
• Top 150 Ranking: 29

5. Josue Briceno (C, 1B – DET)

• 2024 A: .319/.402/.529 | 12.2 BB%, 14.6 K% | 29 XBH, 7 HR, 3 SB
• 2025 A+ (as of 6/21/25): .276/.401/.625 | 17.1 BB%, 18.2 K% | 24 XBH, 14 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 20
• ETA: Late 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Bigger MJ Melendez with a better hit tool
• Prime Skills: Josue Briceno is a huge 6-foot-5 catcher who will probably move off the position due to his size. He hasn’t developed the power to match his exit velocities or size, but the hit tool has been spectacular, as are the plate skills. The power came along in the Arizona Fall League, where he cranked 17 extra-base hits, including 10 bombs and a .433/.509/.867 triple slash line. The power has continued forward into this season as he’s rocking a .276 ISO against a .210 ISO last season. The contact rate has decreased from 84% last year to 76.4% this season, but that drop is worth the power uptick if that’s the tradeoff.
• Ranking Explanation: He’s big, strong, has a great eye and can make contact, which is why the Tigers are starting to move him away from catcher as this is a guy you want to focus on hitting. He has a 146 wRC+ this year and is a little young for the level, regarding age-to-level, a fair bump of around 25-30 points is not far off. The biggest worry I have for the lefty hitter is a potential platoon concern — .296/.402/.642 slash line against righties; .143/.262/.257 slash line against lefties.
• Top 150 Ranking: 61

6. CJ Kayfus (1B – CLE)

• 2024 A/A+/AA: .291/.393/.511 | 12.3 BB%, 24.3 K% | 49 XBH, 17 HR, 5 SB
• 2025 AA/AAA (as of 6/21/25): .329/.411/.570 | 11 BB% / 24.3 K% | 31 XBH, 8 HR, 3 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Mid 2025
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Spencer Steer-ish
• Prime Skills: C.J. Kayfus is short for a first baseman and will probably end up in left field or at designated hitter, and he has continued the ability to hit above all his underlying metrics. Rocking a 29.4 line drive rate allows him to run higher BABIPs despite only having average exit velocities and below-average contact rates (69.4% contact and 81.3% Z-contact). He had a 159 wRC+ last year and a 174 wRC+ this year, so there’s something to what he’s doing, it’s just not measurable, and who knows how consistently he can overperform once he gets to the Majors.
• Ranking Explanation: I’m giving him some props here, because I don’t believe in the 7.4% barrel rate and 88.6 average exit velocity/103.8 90th percentile exit velocity continuing to lead to these kinds of line drive rates, but he has an average launch angle of 14 degrees which is ideal and just seems to be a basepath master. I’ll give him his props, though, by ranking him ahead of Xavier Isaac with his platoon issues.
• Top 150 Ranking: 147

7. Xavier Isaac (1B – TB)

• 2024 A+/AA: .264/.370/.480 | 13.3 BB%, 33.3 K% | 41 XBH, 18 HR, 15 SB
• 2025 AA (as of 6/21/25): .205/.369/.449 | 19.4 BB%, 30.6 K% | 14 XBH, 8 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 21
• Comp: Vinnie Pasquantino with speed
• ETA: Late 2026
• fScores (pre-season): 93 fContact, 98 fDiscipline, 93 fPower, 103 fSpeed
• Prime Skills: Xavier Isaac has a sweet lefty swing and wide open stance with all fields power. Some of his best highlights are him lining high heat out of the park. How he still gets under those and hits them hard enough to get out is a pretty sight to see. A ridiculous number of his homers are no-doubters. He is big-bodied and also maintains his athleticism, but has some strikeout issues and can’t hit lefties at all — literally. He is 0-for-31 against them this season with a 48.4 strikeout rate.
• Ranking Explanation: Isaac had some atrocious strikeout issues once he was promoted to AA and has not progressed in solving them. The strikeouts are not terrible against righties (21% strikeout rate). I think Isaac is just going to be a strong-side platoon guy moving forward, especially with team context since the Rays are the platoon kings, which limits his upside quite a bit.
• Top 150 Ranking: 149

8. Cam Collier (1B – CIN)

• 2024 A+: .248/.355/.443 | 13 BB%, 25 K% | 42 XBH, 20 HR, 2 SB
• 2025 CPX/A+/AA (as of 6/21/25): .360/.457/.517 | 15.2 BB%, 21 K% | 9 XBH, 2 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 20
• ETA: Late 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Rafael Devers and M.J. Melendez mashed together
• Prime Skills: Cam Collier is short and plays third base now, but will probably move off to first base. He has solid plate skills and mad power. We will have to see how the contact skills play out because the hit tool looks average, at best. Collier is a future zero in speed.
• Ranking Explanation: Collier has high power upside, but he needs to show more consistency. He has weeks where he will go on an absolute tear and then weeks where he does nothing. The inconsistency bumps him out of my top 150 overall rankings.
• Top 150 Ranking: N/A

9. Ryan Clifford (1B, OF – NYM)

• 2024 A+: .228/.372/.421 | 17.6 BB%, 29.6 K% | 46 XBH, 19 HR, 4 SB
• 2025 CPX/A+/AA (as of 6/21/25):.236/.354/.455 | 15.2 BB%, 28.9 K% | 24 XBH, 12 HR, 2 SB
• Age: 21
• ETA: Early 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Vinnie Pasquantino with more Ks
• Prime Skills: Ryan Clifford has big-time power and a decent eye to take a walk, but the hit tool and strikeout rate are both suspect, at best, but likely below average.
• Ranking Explanation: The power is legit at a young age; he might struggle at upper levels with the strikeouts, but he makes good contact. The lack of speed and the fact that he’s a lefty will probably make him a lower BABIP hitter.
• Top 150 Ranking: N/A

10. Deyvison De Los Santos (1B – MIA)

• 2024 AA/AAA: .294/.343/.571 | 5.8 BB%, 24.7 K% | 67 XBH, 40 HR, 1 SB
• 2025 AAA (as of 6/21/25): .250/.326/.402 | 10.3 BB%, 29.9 K% | 12 XBH, 6 HR, 4 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Early 2025
• fScores: 93 fContact, 45 fDiscipline, 108 fPower, 71 fSpeed
• Comp: Christian Encarnacion-Strand
• Prime Skills: Deyvison De Los Santos has big-time power potential with an improved contact rate and a decrease in strikeouts in 2024. De Los Santos has rocked a 116 max exit velocity (better than Coby Mayo) and had about a 92 average exit velocity in AAA in 2024. The contact/hit tool is atrocious, though, and his only defining skill is his aggressiveness in the zone, mixed with his plus power, has led to better-than-expected results.
• Ranking Explanation: De Los Santos was traded to the Marlins, where he has a nice shot to be up early in the season or break the roster this spring. The question is going to be if he can keep the strikeout rate down enough to be an effective Major League hitter. The chase rate is still high and the Z-contact% is an extremely poor 73.9%. He could have some decent seasons because of the power upside and aggressiveness, but he will also likely be exposed to some terrible strikeout rates in the Majors.
• Top 150 Ranking: N/A

Runners Up

11. Otto Kemp (1B – PHI)
12. Ralphy Velazquez (1B – CLE)
13. Tyler Locklear (1B – SEA)
14. Callan Moss (1B – KC)
15. Dylan Jasso (1B, 3B – NYY)

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