Opening Day is literally right around the corner, and that means it’s time to start releasing some of my rankings on the Brick Wall. We start with the Top 146 2025 FYPD Rankings, which has been on the Patreon since early January (there is an accompanying FYPD Target and Strategy Guide up on the Patreon as well). The Top 500 2025 Prospects Rankings will drop on Thursday, and the Top 1,000 2025 Dynasty Baseball Rankings will drop next week. Without further ado, here is the Top 146 2025 Dynasty Baseball First Year Player Draft Rankings:

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1) Roki Sasaki – LAD, RHP, 23.5 – Sasaki and his people pulled whatever back room deals that needed to be pulled and got him coming stateside this season, which is insanely exciting, because there is little doubt that he will be a true ace right from the get go, and possibly the best pitcher in all the land. He’s better than Yamamoto, and you saw Yamamoto’s seamless transition, other than the shoulder injury. But that injury might have pushed LA to a six man rotation, which works just fine for Sasaki. His fastball sits in the upper 90’s and regularly hits over 100 MPH. The splitter is truly elite and the slider is plus. He has prototypical size at a projectable and athletic 6’2”, 187 pounds, and he has plus control/command of his stuff. He’s been so insanely dominant in Japan that he has basically already hit legend status with so many crazy feats, and he’s only 23 years old. He put up a 2.35 ERA with a 28.7/7.1 K%/BB% in 111 IP this year. He was even better in 2023 with a 1.78 ERA and 39.1%/4.9% K%/BB% in 91 IP. As you can see, the biggest and only red flag is injuries, as he has a career high of 129.1 IP. He battled an oblique injury in 2023 and right arm discomfort in 2024. The right arm discomfort is particularly concerning because his stuff was actually down a tick or two this year. It was still beastly, but would any of us be surprised if Tommy John/internal brace surgery was right around the corner? You can’t be too scared off by that, because even if he needs it, he should still return as an ace. He’s so easily the top pick in First Year Player Drafts, and while I don’t think he’s a no brainer for #1 overall prospect in the game, how can you not put a ready made ace in the top spot, injury risk be damned. – 2025 Projection: 12/3.06/1.04/175 in 150 IP Prime Projection: 16/2.72/0.92/240 in 185 IP

2) Travis Bazzana – CLE, 2B, 22.7 – Selected 1st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Bazzana looks like a tightly wound ball of kinetic energy that is just ready to explode in the box (I think ball of “Potential” energy is actually the correct scientific term, but I felt like “Kinetic” just hit harder 🙂 … There is toe tapping and bat wiggling before he absolutely uncoils on the baseball, jacking 28 homers in 60 games in the Pac 12 this year, and also smoking 6 homers with a 1.037 OPS in the wood bat cape cod league in 2023. He’s “only” 6 feet tall, but there is easy plus power in here at the least. He combines the plus power with a near elite plate approach/hit tool (12.5%/25.7% K%/BB%), and speed (16 steals). He didn’t standout in his pro debut, but he did enough to feel confident about him fulfilling his upside with 3 homers, 5 steals, a 126 wRC+ and 25.4/13.9 K%/BB% in 27 games at High-A. He’s the total offensive package, and there is a reason he got taken #1 overall by a very smart franchise despite limited defensive value. The only thing that can stop him seems to be his parents. His parents almost ended his career before it started when celebrating. His dad tried to rip his arm out of his socket, and then his mom put him in some kind of neck hold into a tripping maneuver. Travis almost looked like he was about to square up with his mom for a second there. I guess they do things differently Down Under in Australia. – 2025 Projection: 31/7/31/.247/.319/.420/8 Prime Projection: 91/24/79/.271/.349/.455/25

3) JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B, 22.7 – Selected 7th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Wetherholt might not have quite the ceiling of Bazzana, but even that is highly debatable, and he’s establishing that he most probably has the floor edge with a 11.9% K% at Single-A vs. Bazzana’s 25.4% K% at High-A. Different levels, but that is a pretty stark difference. He hit the ball on the ground a lot more than Bazzana, which is where some of that upside edge comes in, but he did it with a 91.9 MPH EV, so don’t cap his power upside too much. He’s two inches smaller than Bazzana at 5’10”, but he rocks that little man leg kick that I’ve always loved, and always seems to get the most out of smaller guys raw power. He slid in the draft a bit after getting a lot of #1 overall buzz, likely due to missing about half of the season with a hamstring injury and still not being fully healthy when he returned. It was his 2nd major hamstring injury within the year. His 16 homer pace was also not that impressive when everyone else was hitting like 30+. What he does better than maybe anyone else in the draft though is hit. He put up a 10.4%/18.3% K%/BB% in 2024 and had a 8.2% K% in 2023. He’s a complete hitter who uses the entire field with a quick and simple lefty swing. Tack on plus speed (57 steals in 145 career games), and you have a damn enticing fantasy player even if his power upside doesn’t quite match some of the other bats in the class. I have Bazzana ranked over him, but I don’t think it’s some no brainer decision. JJ is right there. – 2025 Projection: 18/3/16/.259/.321/.401/5 Prime Projection: 96/19/73/.287/.353/.438/23

4) Chase Burns – CIN, RHP, 22.3 – Selected 2nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, dynasty managers owe a huge debt of gratitude to Cincinnati for going Burns over Condon. It would have made me legitimately sad to see Burns going to the Rockies. I know Cincinnati is no cake walk for pitchers themselves, but they just have a small ballpark, they don’t have different air. And we’ve seen plenty of pitchers have excellent seasons in Cincy (Castillo, Gray, Greene, Lodolo), so I wouldn’t let this landing spot move you off Burns at all. He has legit ace upside at a strong 6’3”, 210 pounds with a double plus fastball that sits in the upper 90’s and a double plus slider that put up elite whiff rates. It led to a 2.70 ERA with a ridiculous 48.8%/7.7% K%/BB% in 100 IP in the ACC. He’s inevitably going to get compared to Skenes, and Skenes put up a 1.69 ERA with a 45.2%/4.3% K%/BB% in 122.2 IP in the SEC. Skenes was in the tougher conference (although Burns pitched well in the SEC in 2022-23 before transferring to the ACC) with a better ERA, better walk rate and more IP. Burns isn’t as good as Skenes, but not many pitchers are better than Skenes, so that isn’t much of a knock. Burns also throws a curve and changeup to give him a legit starters pitch mix, and how well he can develop those pitches could dictate whether he becomes a true ace or a high K, #2/3 type. If your dynasty team is stacked with hitting, I don’t think taking Burns #1 overall should be ruled out. The teams that took Skenes over Langford and Crews in 2024 aren’t complaining too much right now, and while I already noted that Burns isn’t Skenes, the college hitting class also aren’t Langford/Crews. – 2025 Projection: 4/3.73/1.20/87 in 75 IP Prime Projection: 15/3.23/1.08/237 in 190 IP

5) Christian Moore – LAA, 2B, 22.5 – Selected 8th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the Angels don’t fuck around when it comes to promoting advanced college hitters to the majors, so you know Moore is going to be a contributor on your fantasy team real quick, possibly as soon as Opening Day. Shit, he almost made his MLB debut in 2024 with his absolute destruction of pro ball, slashing .322/.378/.533 with 5 homers, 2 steals, and a 29.6/8.2 K%/BB% in 23 games at Double-A. A knee injury (meniscus) is likely the only thing that stopped that from happening, but he returned to Double-A before the season ended and went 3 for 4 with a double and 4 RBI, so I wouldn’t be worried about the knee. I fell in love with his personality during his Draft Day interview. It was the perfect mix of confident, cocky, thoughtful, playful and mature. That just seems like the type of infectious attitude I want on my team. He wasn’t kidding when he said he had Champion in his blood. And of course, he was an absolute beast in the SEC, smashing 34 homers with a 1.248 OPS and 14.5%/11.3% K%/BB% in 72 games. He has a very strong righty swing at 6’1”, 210 pounds, producing at least plus power with average speed on the bases. In his freshman year in 2022, he put up a 1.062 OPS with 10 homers in 149 PA to give you an idea of the type of natural talent this is. As you saw with his K rate at Double-A, there are definitely some hit tool issues, which I’m not ignoring, but I’m also not letting it scare me off. I was high on Moore before his pro debut, and now I am over the moon for him. – 2025 Projection: 70/23/77/.242/.310/.437/8 Prime Projection: 83/28/91/.260/.331/.472/11

6) Nick Kurtz – OAK, 1B, 22.1 – Selected 4th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz had one of the best pro debuts in his draft class with 4 homers in 7 games at Single-A, and a 129 wRC+ with a 20.0/13.3 K%/BB% in 5 games at Double-A. It was a just a continuation of the 3 years of dominance in the ACC. He’s a large man at 6’5”, 240 pounds in the mold of a Jim Thome, country strong type. But he’s not just brute strength, he has electric bat speed that led to 61 homers in 164 career games in college. He combines the at least plus power with an extremely patient plate approach and good feel to hit (16.2%/30% K%/BB%). He also has some sneaky athleticism, evidenced by a perfect 11 for 11 on the bases in his college career. The ceiling here is your classic complete hitting first baseman with power and patience. And it looks like the Athletics intend to fly him through the minors, so it might not even be crazy to see him break camp with the team, even if I wouldn’t bet on that. The biggest downside is that his season ended on August 24th with a hamstring injury, and injuries have plagued him throughout his career, so I think it’s something that has to be taken into account unfortunately. He returned in time to decimate the AFL with a 1.058 OPS in 13 games, so I don’t think you should overrate the injury risk too much, but it’s worth noting. – 2025 Projection: 48/16/57/.247/.323/.439/4 Prime Projection: 89/28/93/.266/.351/.488/6

7) Konnor Griffin – PIT, OF, 18.11 – Selected 9th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Griffin has the highest pure upside in this entire class, and that includes Roki Sasaki. He’s 6’4”, 215 pounds and has the look of a #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft as a QB. He has the neck of a football player too. He also has the athleticism of a football player with legit potential to put up 30/30 seasons with a plus to double plus power/speed combo. He’s shown a good feel to hit with a good plate approach in his high school career, but like I mentioned back in February 2024 when I did a very early Top 10 FYPD Ranking, the swing isn’t necessarily the smoothest thing in the world, although it actually looks much better to me now than it did then. Plus you can tack on electric bat speed and bank on continued refinement considering how young he is for the class. Pitt obviously wasn’t worried enough about the hit tool to let him slip by them at #9, and for fantasy especially, I wouldn’t let it scare you off him either. This is legit elite dynasty asset potential, and there is chance you are kicking yourself 1-2 years from now for taking a good but not great college bat, over this potentially elite dynasty player. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 89/25/92/.261/.337/.470/33

8) Cam Smith – HOU, 3B, 22.1 – Selected 14th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’3”, 224 pound Smith generates a tremendous amount of power with very little movement in his swing. It is quick, powerful and short to the ball. It is straight up one of the quietest swings from one of the biggest men I’ve ever seen. The swing is geared more for a line drive, all fields approach rather than pull and lift, which is why he didn’t put up the gaudy homer totals as some of his other college hitting brethren with only 16 homers in 66 games in the ACC. But he has the raw power to make that profile work, and the upside is that it can come with a high BA. We saw what this profile can look like at it’s best in his dominant pro debut, slashing .313/.396/.609 with 7 homers, 2 steals, and a 17.9/11.2 K%/BB% in 32 games split between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. He put up a 122 wRC+ in 5 games at Double-A, so the profile was transferring to the upper minors, and he clearly had no problems ripping dingers to all fields with the wood bat. He very well might have the top hit/power combo in the FYPD class, and it’s why Houston targeted him in the Kyle Tucker trade. The trade doesn’t really change his value at all, but he will definitely get a nice ballpark upgrade even if he doesn’t have the type of profile that necessarily needs it. – 2025 Projection: 62/16/67/.258/.322/.429/2 Prime Projection: 84/24/89/.273/.340/.466/4 Update: He’s been a man possessed this spring and might just break camp with the team

9) Jac Caglianone – KCR, 1B, 22.2 – Selected 6th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Caglianone’s pro debut was on the disappointing side, and with how tightly packed the talent is in the FYPD Top 12, he’s sliding down my rankings to the bottom of that Top 12 tier. He had hit tool and chase questions coming out of the draft, and hitting .241 with a 20.6/5.6 K%/BB% in his 29 game pro debut at High-A did nothing to quell those issues. He put up a lowly 94 wRC+ with 2 homers, which isn’t what you want to see from an elite college bat in the lower minors. He then went to the AFL where the pitching was so bad this year, they are actively trying to figure out how to improve the pitchers in that league in future years, and he still couldn’t dominate with a .749 OPS in 21 games. Tons of hitters were putting up just wacky numbers in that extreme offensive environment. He did jack 5 homers, and there is zero doubt about his massive power, so there is no doubt he has a carrying tool even if the hit tool and plate approach take time to adjust to pro pitching. He’s built like an NFL tight end at 6’5”, 250 pounds, and he obliterated the SEC with 75 homers in 165 career games. It took him some time to improve his plate skills in college as well, making big improvements his junior year with a 8.2/18.4 K%/BB% (18.2/5.3 K%/BB% his sophomore year), so the hope is that he can do the same in the majors. KC’s ballpark is death to lefty homers, and while I am factoring that in a bit, he has the type of power to not get too hung up on it. Even though the pro debut does have him sliding down the rankings a bit, it’s almost more because of how much comparable college talent there is at the top of this class to begin with. He’s still a very exciting power bat. 2025 Projection: 51/17/63/.232/.308/.449/4 Prime Projection: 81/31/92/.248/.329/.479/6  Update: Like Smith, he’s been a man possessed this spring and deserved to slide up the rankings. The Top 11 FYPD prospects were already very close

10) Hagen Smith – CHW, LHP, 21.7 – Selected 6th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the White Sox know a thing or two about developing vicious lefty starters with funky deliveries and some control risk. They’ve done just fine with Chris Sale, Garrett Crochet, and Noah Schultz. The 6’3”, 225 pound Hagen Smith is next on that list with a three quarter arm slot delivery that he uses to fire a double plus mid 90’s fastball and double plus slider. Both pitches are whiff machines, leading to a 2.04 ERA with a 48.6%/10.3% K%/BB% in 84 IP in the SEC. He also mixes in a splitter, and while he doesn’t throw it that often, it’s a good pitch when he goes to it. The walk rate is on the high side, and it was worse in his freshman and sophomore seasons with a 13.4% BB% in 148.3 IP. Improving his control/command and turning his splitter into a higher usage 3rd weapon can turn Smith into a true ace. If he can’t improve in those areas, a high K, mid-rotation starter is within the range of outcomes (and I guess the bullpen is too, but you don’t take a guy 6th overall to use him in the bullpen long term). I’m surprised that Smith was allowed to debut in 2024, but Chicago marches to the beat of their own drum. He more than held his own at High-A with a 3.52 ERA and 21.2/6.1 K%/BB% in 7.2 IP over 3 outings. The filthy stuff was as advertised, and while the K numbers weren’t off the charts, it’s nice to see that clean walk rate. Add a star for being young for the class, but take a star away for already undergoing Tommy John when he was 16 years old. – 2025 Projection: 2/3.91/1.28/50 in 50 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.48/1.17/203 in 175 IP

11) Charlie Condon – COL, 3B/1B/OF, 21.11 – Let me just start by saying that I’ve been valuing pro debuts extremely high from the second I started writing back in 2015/16, and it has served me extremely well in both directions (moving guys both up and down). It was back before any other outlet would even consider changing their evaluation or ranking of a player based on their pro debut. When asked, they would just hand wave it away and say something like “small sample,” even though the sample was often actually bigger in pro ball than it was in their Junior year of college (back when the draft was in early June). It made no sense to me why the pro debut with wood bats and more advanced pitching wouldn’t be weighed more heavily. And now, you see basically every outlet change their ranking at least somewhat based on the pro debuts, which is the right move. That brings us to Charlie Condon, who just had the type of pro debut you have nightmares over. Despite all of his pre draft hype, he did have some hit tool questions at 6’6” with relatively high K rates throughout his college career. And the hit tool immediately didn’t transfer to pro ball with a .180 BA and 31.2/3.7 K%/BB% in 25 games at High-A. That isn’t just bad, that is atrocious. Completely lost. It’s not great that the only question he had coming out of the draft was immediately answered, and not in a good way. This was a 21 year old in the lower minors. You need a high FYPD college bat to dominate in the majors by like 23 years old, let alone High-A. Jacob Berry and Chase Davis were the last two hyped college bats to have poor pro debuts, and neither of their values are anywhere close to where you wanted them to be. Condon is a better prospect than both of those guys, and I’m not dropping him as far down as those guys at all, but I do believe he does deserve a real drop. This draft class was already really tightly packed at the top with a lot of really, really good college talent, but no one true standout. So based on Condon’s poor debut, I don’t see how it doesn’t make complete sense to drop him under those guys. He has a clear carrying tool in his power, and of course I do factor in that the pro debut was at the end of a long season, draft process, new team, new coach, new everything etc …, so he’s still a Top 10 FYPD pick for me. I still like him as a power bat who will get to hit in Coors (but also gets their developmental team, and it looks like he still needs development). I just wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger on him until the other similarly talented college players with better debuts were off the board first. I feel like that’s reasonable. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 77/30/88/.241/.322/.472/8

12) Braden Montgomery – CHW, OF, 22.0 – Selected 12th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, there was a lot of talk about Montgomery dropping his righty swing to hit exclusively lefty. That doesn’t really seem like what you want to hear from a highly drafted college bat, but the lefty swing is so smooth and powerful I get why it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal overall. He also had a 20% K% which is substantially higher than the college bats drafted before him. Maybe that is partly why he slipped a bit to 12th overall, and also why Boston was willing to include him in the Crochet trade. The broken ankle which he suffered pre draft on June 8th was also likely a major reason for the drop. So he certainly has some risk with hit tool, platooning and injury, but he also has very major power upside. He’s 6’2”, 220 pounds and he smashed 27 homers with a 1.187 OPS in 61 games in the SEC. He’s been smashing homers his entire career with 62 homers in 187 games split between the Pac 12 and SEC. He absolutely destroys the baseball with huge exit velocities. That gives him a no doubt carrying tool that will make him a fantasy force. As for the trade, it really doesn’t change his value at all. The path to playing time is clearer, but it’s an organization downgrade and a future lineup downgrade. It’s also a ballpark downgrade. If anything, it makes me like him slightly less, but again, this really shouldn’t change his value too much. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 81/28/89/.251/.333/.475/6

13) Bryce Rainer – DET, SS, 19.9 – Selected 11th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Rainer is your classic “looks the part” prospect at 6’3”, 195 pounds with a smooth lefty swing, plus power potential, plus athleticism, and a good glove at SS. Corey Seager and Kyle Tucker would be the absolute ceiling comps, while Colson Montgomery would be a more recent comp. Like Montgomery, Rainer is older for his class at 19 years old already, and his hit tool isn’t a slam dunk either quite yet. Come to think of it, Riley Greene might actually be the perfect comp here, and Detroit has done a great job developing Greene. Detroit got their SS version of Greene (although Greene was a slightly more touted prospect in his draft year, so he would be close to a ceiling comp as well). – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 82/25/86/.263/.336/.465/12

14) Braylon Payne – MIL, OF, 18.8 – When a smart franchise sticks their neck out and selects a high school bat higher than expected, you should take notice. I took notice when it happened with Xavier Isaac and Tampa, and then Ralphy Velazquez with Cleveland. I ranked both very high and named them targets. And now I’m going to do the same with Payne after the Brewers selected him 17th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. The book on the 6’2”, 186 pound Payne coming into the draft was that he had big time talent and upside, but was still on the raw side. Which is why it was so exciting to see his electric pro debut where he slashed .438/.526/.625 with 0 homers, 4 steals, and a 15.8/15.8 K%/BB% in 4 games at Single-A. It’s only 4 games, and the swing isn’t geared towards power right now, but there is definitely raw power in there with a 110 MPH shot already to his name, and he has game breaking speed. He’s also young for the class and will be 18 years old for most of 2025. Payne is the type of target you stick your neck out for in off-season prospect drafts, and after the consensus Top group is off the board, Payne is my next target. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 89/18/63/.267/.334/.436/38

15) Theo Gillen – TBR, SS, 19.7 – Selected 18th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Gillen has near elite dynasty upside at 6’3”, 200 pounds with electric bat speed, potentially plus power, plus speed, and a good feel to hit. He still needs to learn how to fully tap into his raw power, and he underwent shoulder surgery from a torn labrum in 2022, so he’s not a finished product, and he’s not without risk. His pro debut underscored that with a  41.2% K%, .154 BA, and 86 wRC+ in 8 games at Single-A, but the 23.5% BB% mitigates that K rate a bit, it was only 8 games, and in the past, high schoolers debuted in rookie ball. Now they are thrown right into the fire in full season ball. I would give a lot of leeway for all of these high school bats, but I gotta be honest, the 41.2% K% is sticking in my craw right now. You can try to project the hit tool of these high school hitters all you want, but you really don’t know if they will be able to hit pro pitching until they get there. I’m not panicking at all over the super small sample, and I still like him a ton, but I do think that extremely high K rate could be a harbinger of things to come. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 82/20/76/.252/.331/.441/20

16) Seaver King – WAS, SS, 21.11 – You know how I often say that if you hit it hard, hit if often, and are fast that good things tend to happen, well, that is King’s game to a T. Selected 10th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’0”, 195 pound King has a lightning quick swing that is very powerful, controlled and produces very hard contact. He can spray hard liners all over the field. He combines that with plus to double plus speed with 31 steals in 33 attempts in 149 career college games. And finally, tack on tons of contact with a 12% K% in 60 games in the SEC. That is a profile that consistently makes things happen on a baseball field. There isn’t a ton of game power because of his hitting profile, but he still jacked out 16 homers in college, and he’s an aggressive hitter with high chase rates. That profile completely transferred to Single-A, both the good (.295 BA, 14.4% K%, and 10 steals in 20 games), and the bad (0 homers with a 53.8% GB%). The hit tool and speed give him a high floor, and if he can raise his launch, the raw power is in there to give him some legit upside too. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 87/16/69/.274/.330/.422/26

17) Slade Caldwell – ARI, OF, 18.9 – Selected 29th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, of course it was the Diamondbacks to jump on the 5’6” Caldwell at the end of the first round. They were also the team to jump on the undersized Corbin Carroll when he fell in his draft year. Little guys falling in the draft is a tale as old as time, and Arizona recognizes a good thing in a small package when they see one. Caldwell is basically the exact replica of Jett Williams from the 2022 draft, except he’s a lefty. He may be short, but he is not weak with a very built up frame and the ability to hit the ball pretty damn hard. He unleashes some explosive lefty swings, but as you can tell from the comps, what you are buying is the elite hit/speed combo. The plate approach is top of the class, he makes tons of contact, and the speed is double plus. He’s also super young for the class. Buy the little man discount. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 89/14/68/.284/.355/.423/30

18) Trey Yesavage – TOR, RHP, 21.8 – Selected 20th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’4”, 225 pound Yesavage has been beating up on inferior competition in the American Athletic Conference for 2 years now, putting up a 2.03 ERA with a 40.4%/8.9% K%/BB% in 93.1 IP in 2024. But he’s not just the product of his competition with 3 potentially plus pitches in his mid 90’s fastball, hard slider, and nasty splitter. He has weapons to get guys out from both sides of the plate and his control is solid. He likely slid to 20th in the draft because of a collapsed lung that he suffered in May, which I guess does add some unknown long term risk, but all signs seem to indicate that he is okay now. There is definitely potential for him to become an impact mid rotation fantasy starter. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 12/3.76/1.22/175 in 170 IP

19) Jurrangelo Cijntje – SEA, RHP/LHP, 21.10 – Selected 15th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Cijntje is a switch pitcher who will most likely pitch exclusively righty in the majors. He’s only 5’11”, 200 pounds but he has a very easy and athletic delivery. The ball effortlessly explodes out of his hand with mid to upper 90’s heat. He combines the juice with a bat missing slider and solid changeup. It all resulted in a 3.67 ERA with a 29.9%/7.9% K%/BB% in 90.2 IP in the SEC. Seattle has been a machine of late in developing impact fantasy starters (their impossible to hit in ballpark does a lot of that heavy lifting too), so you have to love this landing spot for him, and it shows how much they liked him by passing up Yesavage for him. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 11/3.84/1.25/170 in 170 IP

20) Ryan Waldschmidt – ARI, OF, 22.6 – Selected 31st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Waldschmidt is a rock solid 6’2”, 205 pounds with a howitzer of a righty upper cut swing. He hits the ball hard, he’s a good athlete who loves to run, and he has a strong plate approach. He slashed .333/.469/.610 with 14 homers, 25 steals, and a 16.5%/15.0% K%/BB% in 59 games in the SEC. It’s probably more of a solid across the board profile rather than a truly standout one on the MLB level, but he’s yet another really enticing college bat in a class full of really enticing college bats. And his strong pro debut made me like him even more with a 142 wRC+, 4 steals, and 13.6/22.7 K%/BB% in 14 games at Single-A. It’s a good sign that the solid across the board profile will play, and while it came with 0 homers, the 36.1% GB% and 51.4% Pull% shows the power should be fine. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 80/18/76/.265/.339/.438/19

21) Carson Benge – NYM, OF, 22.2 – Selected 19th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’1”, 181 pound Benge is lean, loose and mean at the dish with a quick and athletic lefty swing that most certainly looks the part. He slashed .335/.444/.665 with 18 homers, 10 steals, and a 16.8%/16.1% K%/BB% in 61 games in the Big 12. He then stepped right into pro ball and impressed with 2 homers, 3 steals, a 20.3/15.9 K%/BB% and a 152 wRC+ in 15 games at Single-A. It came with a solid 88.3 MPH EV and a 51.2 GB%, so a bit of a mixed bag there. He’s the type that does everything well on a baseball field with bouncy athleticism, bat speed, power, mature plate approach, and he even pitches too. He profiles as an average to above average across the board player with the upside to beat that projection. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 79/19/79/.267/.334/.438/15

22) Griffin Burkholder – PHI, OF, 19.7 – Selected 63rd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Burkholder is a strong and physical 6’2”, 195 pounds with double plus speed, potentially plus power, and a good feel to hit. He’s definitely the type of explosive athlete to jump off the screen with electric bat speed, and that explosiveness shined through in just one single game in his pro debut. He went 1 for 2 with a triple, and tell me you don’t get exited just watching that. He still needs to learn to tap into his raw power and there are still questions on just how good the hit tool will be, but this is a very enticing high school bat with legit upside. He’s a definite target. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 84/20/76/.257/.328/.443/28

23) Hye-seong Kim – LAD, 2B, 26.2 – It’s funny that I just had Kim and Lux ranked back to back in the 2B rankings, with Kim one spot ahead, and it looks like the Dodgers agreed with me. They preferred Kim to Lux at 2B too after they signed Kim and shipped out Lux to Cincinnati. Kim signed a 3 year, $12.5 million contract with the Dodgers, but he got better offers elsewhere. Smart move going to the best situation rather than taking the best offer. Kim’s contact/speed/defense profile is one that plenty of starting 2B have, and I think it will play in the majors. He slashed .326/.383/.458 with 11 homers, 30 steals, and a 10.9/8.3 K%/BB% in 127 games in the KBO. We can look at Jung Hoo Lee as a comp who just came over last year. Both are lefties and the same age with similar profiles. Lee is 2 inches taller, had much better contact rates, much better walk rates, and much better power numbers. He didn’t run nearly as much though, and steals are a huge part of fantasy, so that is a nice edge to Kim. Kim isn’t as good as Lee overall, but Lee’s skills more or less transferred to the bigs, so I don’t see why Kim’s couldn’t too. Just check out this homer he hit in 2023. I would say that swing could play. It seems like he has a full time job at the moment (although nothing is certain until the off-season is over), and as I wrote in the 2B rankings, if he ended up with a full time job, I’m apt to go after him. Even better that he ended up with one on the Dodgers – 2025 Projection: 41/5/33/.260/.307/.372/14 Prime Projection: 77/10/61/.273/.321/.398/26 Update: The Dodgers decided to change Kim’s swing to add more power, and they are going to start him at Triple-A to get more used to it. I still really like Kim long term, but part of his original ranking was that he could be their starting 2B out of camp, and that clearly isn’t happening

24) Kellon Lindsey – LAD, SS, 19.6 – Selected 23rd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, elite speed is the the 6’0”, 175 pound Lindsey’s calling card, and it comes with a good glove at SS and a good feel to hit. There isn’t big power in here, and while that should tick up over time, he doesn’t really project for big power down the line either. The hit tool is solid, but it’s not really in that near elite range and there is some risk with how it will perform against more advanced pitching. He’s an excellent athlete who played QB and DB in high school, so there is plenty of upside in here, but going after a speed first guy without huge power and with a good but not great hit tool I think warrants some caution. I know getting drafted by LA and getting Trea Turner comps is exciting, but I’m not sure I’m reaching for Lindsey quite yet. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 82/15/66/.270/.328/.420/31

25) Josuar Gonzalez – SFG, SS, 17.6 – Gonzalez is expected to sign for one of the top bonuses in the class, and he earned that bonus by being a great athlete and doing everything well on the baseball field. He’s not a huge guy at 5’11”, 175 pounds, so he’s more in the mold of a Jesus Made than a Emil Morales to use two comps from last years class. Of course, that is if everything goes right. If everything doesn’t go right, he’s more in the mold of a Fernando Cruz or Brando Mayea. He’s a switch hitter who looks super smooth, explosive and locked in at the dish. He has a good feel to hit, approach, he can hit it hard, he’s fast, and he has a good glove. He’s not one of those overtly physical prospects that I really love sticking my neck out for, so I’m not going to fly him up my rankings, but he’s definitely exciting. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 88/18/62/.277/.342/.421/28

26) Cam Caminiti – ATL, LHP, 18.8 – Selected 24th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Caminiti has a lot of things working in his favor to give him the best chance at success. He has baseball bloodlines as the nephew of Ken Caminiti, he got drafted into one of the best pitching development organizations in baseball, and he’s young for his class. He’s not just narrative though, he has a strong foundation for Atlanta to build on at 6’2”, 205 pounds with a mid 90’s fastball that is a whiff machine and has double plus potential. The secondaries aren’t as refined, but he has a traditional starters pitch mix (slider, curve, change), and he also looked really good in his pro debut. He went 3 IP with 3 hits, 1 ER and a 4/0 K/BB at Single-A. The fastball sat low to mid 90’s and the slider looked good. He threw the ball over the plate. I think #2/3 starter upside is fair to put on him right now, but he’s so young with so much development time ahead, his range of outcomes is wide. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 12/3.71/1.18/190 in 180 IP

27) Tyson Lewis – CIN, SS, 19.3 –  Selected 51st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’2”, 195 pound Lewis is a high upside high school bat with at least plus speed, plus power potential, and a quick and powerful lefty swing. He’s not the most refined high school bat, just recently undergoing a swing overhaul, and there are also some hit tool questions as he faces more advanced pitching. On pure upside, he rivals anyone not named Konnor Griffin in the high school class, but more refinement is needed. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 80/20/78/.259/.322/.438/23

28) Caleb Bonemer – CHW, SS, 19.6 – Selected 39th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Bonemer has one of the top power/speed combos in the high school class with plus run times and electric bat speed. He’s performed against advanced competition and has a good feel to hit. He doesn’t have the smoothest batting stance/swing, which adds some hit tool risk, and he’s not one of those obvious giant human beings with a 6’1”, 195 pound frame, but he’s far from small. He’s a big, physical guy. He’s an excellent upside pick who should come at a reasonable price. I like Bonemer a lot – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 80/20/80/.256/.325/.440/20

29) Kaelen Culpepper – MIN, SS, 22.3 –  Selected 21st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’0”, 185 pound Culpepper is a proven college performer with solid across the board skills. He slashed .328/.419/.547 with 11 homers, 17 steals, and a 14.1%/12.0% K%/BB% in 61 games in the Big 12. He reminds me a lot of Minnesota’s 2nd round pick in 2023, Luke Keaschall, who has similar size, speed, and feel to hit. Nothing jumps off the screen, but they get the job done in all facets of the game. Minnesota has had a lot of success with Keaschall, and Culpepper looks to be next with his strong pro debut. He cracked 3 homers with 4 steals, and a 13.4/9.8 K%/BB% in 26 games split between Single-A and High-A. He’s a nice little “let him come to you” target in off-season prospect drafts right now. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 81/16/72/.268/.330/.420/18

30) Vance Honeycutt – BAL, OF, 21.10 – Selected 22nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Honeycutt is an elite athlete at 6’3”, 205 pounds with a plus to double plus power/speed combo (he went 28/28 in 62 games in the ACC) and plus CF defense. The only reason he even fell to 22nd, was because he is a strikeout machine with a 27.5% K%, and unfortunately, that risk was at the forefront in his pro debut with a 36.1% K% in 8 games at Single-A and a 55% K% in 5 games at High-A. The odds that he simply won’t be able to hit MLB pitching nearly well enough to let his tools shine are quite high, but expecting the hit tool to be magically fixed in his first taste of pro ball was unrealistic. It was also a small sample. Let’s see what Baltimore can do with him over a full off-season and season, because his upside is tremendously exciting. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 73/20/71/.223/.302/.428/17

31) James Tibbs III – SFG, OF, 22.6 – Selected 13th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, James Tibbs the Third sounds like he comes from generational wealth, in a family that can trace their lineage back to pre Revolutionary War times. I think his great great great great great great grandfather led the charge at Bunker Hill. He straight up even looks like one of those old timey pictures of a Civil War general. His bloodlines are so refined that he steps up to the plate with his pinkie up, and it’s no surprise that he has one of the more refined plate approaches in the draft with a 11.6%/18.1% K%/BB% in 66 games. He’s not a super tooled up guy at 6’0”, 200 pounds, but he has a powerful lefty swing that produced 28 homers in the ACC this year and 55 homers in 176 games in his career. He can definitely hit it hard. San Francisco is just about the worst landing spot for him as I’m not sure he has the no doubt raw juice to make him ballpark proof, which is why I’m lower on him than his draft slot. His mediocre pro debut also didn’t assuage my fears about his lack of upside with a .636 OPS and 31/6.9 K%/BB% in 26 games split between Single-A and High-A. The only scenario I would honestly see myself drafting him is in like a 30 team league, or if he falls so far I simply don’t have a choice (and even then I might keep on passing). Maybe this ranking is too low, but he’s just not my guy. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 76/20/75/.261/.330/.432/8

32) Yorger Bautista – SEA, OF, 17.6 – Bautista looks like he was born with a bat in his hands when you watch him swing. He moves that bat in a totally controlled way like a samurai warrior, coolly crushing everything that comes his way with both power and contact. He was always known for his good feel to hit, and then he got much bigger and stronger at a rock solid 6’1”, 175 pounds, so he can end up with a truly potent hit/power combo. Then tack on the fact he also has plus speed, and you have one of, if not the most enticing prospects in the international class. I have Gonzalez #1 one right now, but Bautista is 1A for me. It’s a coin flip with the tie going to Gonzalez’ superior perceived value. I don’t think you are going to have to go even close to this high to grab Bautista. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 91/25/93/.277/.351/.473/21

33) Ben Hess – NYY, RHP, 21.10 – Selected 26th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Hess is a high floor real life arm at 6’5”, 255 pounds with a mid 90’s fastball and 3 legit secondaries in his slider, curve and changeup. He didn’t pitch particularly well this year with a 5.80 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 68.1 IP in the SEC, but the 34.8%/11.5% K%/BB% looks much better. I call him a “high floor real life arm” because as a college starter with his size, velocity and pitch mix, there is a very high probability he will be a major league arm in some capacity. But for fantasy, there is risk he ends up in the bullpen, or a back end starter if his control can’t improve. I’m apt to bet on the size and stuff here, and his price should be very reasonable in First Year Players Drafts. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 10/3.95/1.32/165 in 160 IP

34) Jonathan Santucci – NYM, LHP, 22.3 – Selected 46th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Santucci had the type of talent to be in position to possibly be a top 10 pick with a huge season, but inconsistency dropped him into the 2nd round. He shows flashes of being a potentially impact MLB starter, but the control/command isn’t there and 58 IP in his career high due to injuries. The stuff is filthy enough to thrive without great command, putting up a 3.41 ERA with a 35.0%/14.0% K%/BB% in 58 IP in the ACC. He’s 6’2”, 205 pounds with an athletic lefty delivery, mid 90’s fastball, plus slider, and average to above average change. There is a lot of risk here, both injury and control, but he’s a high upside college arm who should come at a very reasonable price in drafts. I don’t mind him as a “let him come to you” target in drafts. Don’t reach. Let him fall into your lap. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 10/3.81/1.32/168 in 155 IP

35) Ryan Sloan – SEA, RHP, 19.2 – Selected 55th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Seattle went for a safer college starter in the first round, and then turned around and went for an upside high school starter in the 2nd. As I talked about in the June Mailbag Podcast, it made all the sense in the world for Seattle to focus on arms, and their entire draft was extremely arm heavy. Well done, Seattle. Sloan reminds me of Blake Wolters from the 2023 Draft, in that he looks the part and checks a lot of boxes. He’s 6’4”, 225 pounds with a mid 90’s fastball, potentially plus slider, and solid changeup. He controls all of his pitches relatively well. And you have to love Seattle as his landing spot. He’s a very enticing high school arm. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 12/3.83/1.24/178 in 170 IP

36) Kale Fountain – SDP, 3B, 19.8 – Selected 151st in the 2024 MLB Draft, Fountain is a mountain of a man at 6’5”, 225 pounds, and he has the type of power befitting of his size with monster homer totals in high school. He’s also a sneaky good athlete with above average run times. He was drafted in the 5th round but signed for $1.7 million, so this was a highly sought after prospect. There is definite hit tool risk, and he’s on the old side for his class, but there is tons to like for fantasy. He reminds me of the Brandon Winokur of this year’s draft, and Winokur just cracked my Top 100. Fountain is a definite target. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 73/25/81/.240/.315/.462/9

37) Luke Dickerson – WAS, SS, 19.8 – Selected 44th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’0”, 190 Dickerson is a strong kid who won a state championship as as hockey player. You can see that toughness in the box with a powerful righty swing, and he combines that with good athleticism and speed. He signed for $3.8 million, which was the 21st highest signing bonus in the class and tells you how much Washington loved this kid. I do prefer a few other high school bats that got drafted in that 2nd round area over Dickerson, but it’s hard to argue with that signing bonus, and his talent is right there with them. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 76/20/79/.260/.330/.440/15

38) PJ Morlando – MIA, OF, 19.11 – Morlando was selected 16th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, and if he was picked by a team who I respected (like Xavier Isaac in 2022, or Ralphy Velazquez in 2023 (or Braylon Payne this year), I might be inclined to go after him as a potentially plus hit/power bat at 6’3”, 200 pounds without much defensive value, but I just don’t trust the Marlins with hitters. Morlando getting picked this high by them just doesn’t warrant a bump in my book. But having said that, he certainly has big talent at the dish with big raw power and a great feel to hit. The wide and low batting stance just isn’t my favorite type of swing and it isn’t conducive to big game power, so he’ll likely need a swing change to fully tap into that raw power. He’s also old for the class, while the previously mentioned Isaac, Ralphy, and Payne were all young for the class. He got one plate attempt at Single-A before his season ended with a lumbar stress reaction in his back. Bit of a bummer to see a back injury so early into his career, but you can’t read too much into it at this point. There is appeal, but despite the high draft slot, I’m not going out of my way to get Morlando. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 76/23/82/.262/.333/.458/5

39) Elian Pena – NYM, SS, 17.6 – Pena is expected to sign for the top bonus in the class (non Roki Sasaki division), and when you watch his lefty swing, it’s easy to see why. He has a potentially very exciting hit/power combo. He’s only 5’11”, but he already has that sturdy trunk and hard hit ability that portends him being a bruiser in the box. And he combines that power potential with a good feel to hit and excellent approach. I definitely see the middle of the order masher potential, but like the #1 player in the international class, Josuar Gonzalez, I’m not sure I’m so blown away that I really want to stick my neck out for him. I’ll take him if the price is right, but I’m not going to reach. Maybe I’m being too conservative at the moment, but that is how I would play it right now. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 86/26/91/.273/.348/.475/10

40) Kash Mayfield – SDP, LHP, 20.3 – Selected 25th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Mayfield has prototypical size at 6’4”, 200 pounds with a deceptive lefty delivery that hides the ball well, before releasing it with a short arm action and 3 quarter arm slot. The deception and movement on the fastball allows the low to mid 90’s pitch play up. He combines the heater with two potentially plus secondaries in his slider and changeup, to go along with potentially plus control/command. He’s old for the class and seems a bit more floor over upside at the moment, but there is plenty here for San Diego to work with. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 11/3.91/1.22/160 in 165 IP

41) Tomoyuki Sugano – BAL, RHP, 35.6 – Sugana is a 35 year old who just put up an 18.3% K% in 156.2 IP in Japan, so we aren’t talking about big dynasty value here, but he can easily end up a solid win now piece. Here is Sugano himself talking about his arsenal and strategy in an MLB.com article by Adam Berry, “Obviously not a guy that throws 100 mph, but I’m very confident in my control, command, my pitch mix. That’s why I’ve had a lot of success in Japan. I’m not looking to really change anything now. I want to use my pitch selection, my pitch mix, my command to pitch in the States and see where it takes me from there.” That says it all as Sugano art of pitching’d his way to a 1.67 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 2024, and a 2.43 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in his 1,873.1 IP career. The guy knows how to pitch, and while he’s not going to be an under 3 guy in MLB, I don’t see why his profile wouldn’t transfer. Baltimore wouldn’t have paid him $13 million if they didn’t think he could be effective. I would expect a #3/4 type starter with a high 3 ERA and low WHIP, but the lack of K’s and age still blunts his dynasty value. Putting him on a list like this is kinda pointless, because your league size and whether you are in win now mode will drive his value. – 2025 Projection: 9/3.88/1.18/120 in 150 IP

42) Billy Amick – MIN, 3B, 22.5 – Selected 60th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the reason Amick isn’t grouped on the FYPD Rankings with the higher end college hitter prospects, and didn’t get drafted as highly as that group of hitting prospects either, is because of his 18.2%/9.9% K%/BB% in 65 games in the SEC. That is both too much swing and miss and too much chasing. He can definitely mash with 23 homers and a 1.026 OPS, and he’s a proven SEC hitter, so I still like the bat a lot, and he had a strong pro debut to back up the strong college production. He ripped 3 homers with an 88.5 MPH EV and 19.5/15.6 K%/BB% in 18 gamest at Single-A. It came with a .222 BA and 53.2% GB%, so it wasn’t all roses, but it was nice to see the strong plate skills. He’s a solid but unspectacular power bat. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 72/21/77/.253/.320/.440/5

43) Tommy White – OAK, 3B, 22.1 – Selected 40th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’1”, 228 pound White has that low and wide batting stance which I’ve always disliked since I started writing, and now it seems like teams and mainstream scouts are also open about not liking. It’s all about the upright batting stance into a leg kick these days. He fell to 40th overall despite ripping up the SEC and ACC all 3 years he was in college, hitting 75 homers with a 14.5%/8.2% K%/BB% in 187 games. And his poor pro debut (2 homers with a 67 wRC+ in 25 games at Single-A) did nothing to change the lukewarm attitude I have (and MLB seems to have had) towards him. A poor defensive player with no speed and low walk rates is a recipe for scratching and clawing for playing time. Having said all that, the contact/power combo from a proven major college performer is good enough to take a shot on at this point of the rankings, and while “Oakland” is getting more crowded, you have to think there will be playing time available if he hits. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 66/21/76/.253/.310/.438/2

44) Blake Burke – MIL, 1B, 21.10 – Burke was selected 34th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, which is relatively high for a DH/1B bat to get drafted, which means Milwaukee really believes in Burke’s bat. And why not, as Burke is a 6’3”, 240 pound masher who hit 50 homers in 182 career games in the SEC (20 homers in 72 games this season). He’s had hit tool and chase issues throughout his career, but a 14.9/10.8 K%/BB% this year shows he’s capable of improvement. He played in only 5 games at High-A in his pro debut for reasons I am unsure of. He didn’t hit a homer, but a 22.2/11.1 K%/BB% is a good sign that the hit tool won’t blow up in a bad way in pro ball, and we know the power is in there. He’s not a good defensive 1B, so there is a ton of pressure on his bat to become more than a part time power hitter, but for fantasy especially, why not take the shot here. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 67/23/79/.250/.322/456/2

45) Dante Nori – PHI, OF, 20.6 – Selected 27th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the first thing that jumps out about Nori is that he’s already an old man at 20.6 years old on Opening Day 2024. I thought he was going to need a walker to get to the podium. Being old for your high school class is so 2008, when Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers book came out. These days it’s all about being 17 years old. But Philly isn’t afraid to take old high schoolers, like they did with Aidan Miller last year, and they went back to that well in 2024 with Nori. Nori might be old, but his tools are undeniable with a built up 5’11” frame, elite speed, a good feel to hit, a good glove in CF, and above average raw power. His grandfather was an assistant college baseball coach and his father is an assistant coach in the NBA. He has coaches’ son in his veins. The profile also mostly transferred to pro ball with 0 homers (55.4% GB%), 4 steals, a 123 wRC+ and 21.2/24.1 K%/BB% in 14 games at Single-A. I’m usually scared off by old high school bats, and they don’t get any older than Nori, but I’m intrigued enough by Nori’s combination of floor and upside to not get too hung up on it. I like him. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 83/15/62/.264/.332/.418/30

46) Wyatt Sanford – PIT, SS, 19.4 – Selected 47th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Sanford has baseball bloodlines with his dad playing 19 games in the bigs, and like most baseball bloodlines kids, you can tell. He has a plus SS glove with a natural lefty swing, good feel to hit, and plus speed. While the swing is smooth, the stance isn’t all that smooth and is geared more for contact than power. The 6’1”, 185 pound frame definitely has room to tack on more mass, but he’s not expected to be a big power hitter down the line. There is a nice combination of floor and upside here, but both the floor and upside aren’t quite high enough for me to rank higher than this. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 77/17/70/.268/.331/.4247/25

47) Ryan Johnson – LAA, RHP, 22.8 – Selected 74th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Johnson’s delivery is so unique and weird, and not necessarily in a good way, but I think the true uniqueness gives him some extra intrigue to me. Different can add some unknown upside, and while most teams are probably risk averse and shy away from different, I go towards it when it comes at a steep discount. And weirdness is far from the only thing going for Johnson. He has the size, production and elite K/BB to back it up at 6’6”, 215 pounds with a 2.21 ERA and 35.9%/3.3% K%/BB% in 106 IP in Conference USA. The fastball sits 92-95 but can hit the upper 90’s and the sweeper is a devastating pitch that he goes to often and racks up whiffs. He also throws a curve and change. If the Rays drafted him, I would feel so confident about naming Johnson a major target, but it’s definitely a red flag that he lasted until 74th and got picked by the Angels. I always say you can’t be too much of a slave to organization, so I’m not going to let it scare me off too much. I really really really like Johnson as a FYPD sleeper pick. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 10/3.95/1.26/165 in 160 IP

48) Jared Thomas – COL, OF/1B, 21.9 – Selected 42nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Thomas gets the Coors bump, and he has enticing fantasy upside, but he also feels like the type of guy that Colorado never really gives a full chance to become a full time player. He performed well in his two years in the Big 12, slashing .349/.435/.635 with 16 homers, 18 steals, and a 20.6%/10.7% K%/BB% in 60 games in 2024. He’s 6’2”, 190 pounds with room to tack on some more muscle, and he’s a good athlete with above average speed and plus defense at 1B (he also can play CF, again showing off his athleticism). Add a star for being young for the class, and another another star for having a strong pro debut with 2 homers, 1 steal, a 19.4% K% and 146 wRC+ in 8 games at Single-A. 15/15 with 20/20 upside is in the cards here, and the hit tool will get as much help as possible in Coors. I like him relative to his lack of hype. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 74/16/71/.254/.325/.428/16

49) Tytus Cissell – ARI, SS, 19.0 – Selected 132nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and signing for $800,000, Cissell was a late riser in the draft process, and sometimes those guys that pop up later in the process can have a lag on their value, which is what Arizona is hoping for after they swiped him in the 4th round. He’s 6’2”, 185 pounds with an absolutely vicious swing. He’s a switch hitter and the swing is smoother from the left, but it’s truly vicious from both sides. He’s also a plus runner and athlete with a good up the middle glove. The hit tool isn’t a lock, but if he manages solid contact rates in pro ball, his stock could fly in a hurry. He’s someone you might be able to get super late, and his talent could be right there with those high upside 2nd round bats. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 77/19/72/.250/.322/.427/21

50) Cris Rodriguez – DET, OF, 17.2 – Rodriguez has some of the highest pure upside in the class, but he’s not quite refined enough to really go after him too hard. He’s 6’4”, 200 pounds with present power and more coming down the line. He’s also a really good athlete with speed. The swing is definitely fast and powerful, but it’s not really that natural or smooth, and he’s had some hit tool issues. I like him, and he could easily emerge as a Julio Rodriguez type if it really all clicks, but that doesn’t seem like the most likely outcome, to say the least. Still a really good upside pick. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 79/26/86/.251/.322/.461/16

51) Dorian Soto – BOS, SS, 17.1 – Soto is the type of international prospect that I love to target. He’s not the most hyped guy in his class, but he has that prototypical size at a projectable 6’3”, 185 pounds, and his swing jumps off the screen as uber quick and powerful. He already has big time power and it could end up double plus at peak depending on how he fills out. He’s a good athlete but isn’t considered a burner, and while he’s known to have a solid hit tool and approach, I’m thinking there could be some hit tool risk in here looking at the swing. If he were faster, I might really, really love him, but as is I still really like him as an upside target. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 79/28/88/.250/.322/.469/13

52) JD Dix – ARI, SS, 19.6 – Selected 35th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Dix is a 6’2”, 180 pound SS with a simple and quick swing from both sides of the plate, developing power, and some speed. The hit tool is the most standout tool right now, profiling as a solid across the board type at peak. There really isn’t anything too remarkable about his profile. Just your classic really good high school prospect with good size, good feel to hit, and good overall athleticism. He’s good. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 79/18/72/.273/.338/.429/16

53) Malcolm Moore – TEX, C, 21.8 – This is a very weak class for catchers, and in shallower leagues, you might want to ignore the catcher position completely in this draft. But in medium to deeper leagues, Moore is your best option if you need a long term catcher. He immediately becomes the best catcher in Texas’ system by a long shot, and he could be in the starter mix as soon as 2027 with Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka  hitting free agency after the 2026 season. Texas selected him with the last pick in the first round at 30th overall for his prowess with the bat more than his process behind the plate, which is perfect for fantasy. He’s a 6’2”, 215 pound bruiser who has a squared up batting stance that looks more like he’s ready the beat the shit out of the pitcher rather than hit a baseball off him. It’s kinda intimidating, and he’s raked over two years in the Pac 12 with 31 homers and a .958 OPS in 118 games. The plate approach also took a big step forward this year with a 14.3%/18.0% K%/BB%. He’s not likely to become a star, but he can become an above average hitting catcher. He didn’t have the best pro debut with a 94 wRC+ and 27.9/7.7 K%/BB% in 25 games, but he was thrown right into High-A, and he also jacked 3 dingers, so I have his value as mostly holding steady. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 60/19/71/.247/.319/.433/2

54) Shotaro Morii – OAK, SS/RHP, 18.4 – Morii is the rare Japanese player to come stateside right out of high school, which I think adds some extra intrigue to his profile. He’s a two way player with upside on both the mound and at the plate, so it’s hard to say where he’s going to end up. I’ll start with the bat, which I’m pretty damn excited about. He has a vicious lefty swing with quickness, power, and barrel control from a pretty built 6’1”, 180 pound frame. He hit 45 homers in high school. He reminds me a bit of Hideki Matsui if you are looking for a ceiling comp. On the mound he gets up to 95 MPH with a splitter, slider and curve that all need more development. I hope he sticks as a bat, but he has two real paths to be an impact prospect. I’m a fan. – ETA: 2029 Prime Projection: 78/24/83/.268/.333/.445/9

55) Mike Sirota – LAD, OF, 21.10 – Selected 87th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Sirota was a potential first round pick coming into the season, but instead of having the big junior year breakout, he took a step back. He went from hitting 18 homers his sophomore year to just 7 homers in 51 games in the Colonial Athletic Conference his junior year. The hit tool isn’t good enough to see the power take a step back with a 18.8% K%, and considering he’s not from a major conference, the profile needed to be pretty bulletproof. But having said that, it could create a buying opportunity for our purposes. He’s 6’3”, 188 pounds with plus speed and good raw power. The swing and stance is geared more for average than power, but he’s young for the class, and hopefully pro instruction can get the most out of his raw power (I wrote this blurb just minutes before he got traded to the Dodgers, and now you have to feel even better about the Dodgers unlocking his power). He also has an excellent plate approach with a 23% BB%. He’s most likely a 4th outfielder, but joining the Dodgers gives him the best chance possible of beating that projection. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 69/16/57/.246/.319/.418/19

56) Chase Harlan – LAD, 3B, 18.9 – Most of the high school hitting class, except for Morlando and Fountain, are speed over power prospects at the moment, so if you are looking for an upside power bat later in the draft, Harlan is your guy. Selected 98th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Harlan is a 6’3”, 205 pound bruiser putting up some of the best exit velocities in the class. He’s also young for the class and will still be 18 years old for half of the 2025 season. If you squint hard enough, you see an Austin Riley clone down the line. And equally as exciting as his profile is that he landed with the Dodgers. If anyone can figure out the best batting stance for him, and get his hit tool to a good enough level for the power to shine, it’s the Dodgers. I really like him and he’s definitely underrated. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 74/26/82/.243/.326/.465/5

57) Rodney Green – OAK, OF, 22.0 – Selected 104th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Green is a high risk/high reward college bat, and with Oakland’s relative success with a very similar bat in Denzel Clarke, Green could be next in line. Granted, Clarke is both a bigger and better athlete, and he didn’t strikeout as much as Green in college, so even Clarke could be a low percentage outcome. Regardless of comps, I like Green a lot at 6’3”, 190 pounds with a plus power/speed combo. And his strong pro debut made me like him even more, slashing .289/.368/.464 with 3 homers, 9 steals, and a 26.1/11.4 K%/BB% in 24 games. He put up a 28% K% his junior year, but he walked a ton, and he cracked 14 homers with 15 steals in 55 games. Seeing the hit tool remain solid at Single-A is a good first step. He lasted to 104th overall, so it’s clear most teams don’t think he will hit enough (although he did sign for almost $300K above slot at $1 million, so the threat of returning for his senior season also likely contributed to the drop), but if he does, the upside is substantial. He’s a good later round upside in fantasy drafts if you don’t want to draft a teenager. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 73/18/69/.228/.310/.423/18

58) Braylin Antunez – MIL, OF, 17.4 –  At 6’0”, 194 pounds, Antunez’ build, movements and type of athleticism remind me of an NBA point guard. He has present power, he’s fast, and he has a good feel to hit. There might not be as much projection as some of the other long and lean builds in this class, but there is some Jasson Dominguez vibes in the sense he might be pretty filled out already, but it’s the type of athleticism that he will maintain. Some of these guys could fill out and slow down considerably, while Antunez has already proven he can do both. I like him a lot, and how can you not trust Milwaukee after Chourio and Made. He’s a major international target. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 89/20/72/.266/.335/.434/28

59) Levi Sterling – PIT, RHP, 18.6 – Selected 37th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Sterling is maybe the most “projection” pitcher in the draft. I mean that in the sense that this could be like buying 2025’s top high school arm a year early. The last time I said that, I said that about Walter Ford, and Ford has yet to live up to that promise. So the downside is that the projection you are hoping to see never materializes, or doesn’t materialize on the timeline that you would like. What gives Sterling that projection is that he was very young for his class at 17 years old at the time of the draft, and he’s very projectable at 6’5”, 200 pounds with an athletic righty delivery. If the fastball can tick up from the low 90’s into the mid 90’s, he has a chance to explode with plus control and 3 legit secondaries in his change, curve, and slider (change is the best secondary). Something like a Logan Gilbert/George Kirby/Bryce Miller would be a dream outcome here. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 10/4.10/1.25/170 in 170 IP

60) Boston Bateman – SDP, LHP, 19.7 – Selected 57th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, you know I love me some monster human beings who are good athletes and have some funk in their deliveries. Enter Boston Bateman, who is a 6’8”, 240 pound beast with an athletic lefty delivery that features a pretty high leg kick and deception by almost keeping his back to the hitter. I absolutely love it. The stuff is there too with a low to mid 90’s fastball and a filthy curve, to go along with a slider and change. He’s far from a finished product, needing continued refinement to his delivery and control/command, but I love the ingredients and will be targeting Bateman everywhere. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 12/3.72/1.28/175 in 170 IP

61) Blake Larson – CHW, LHP, 19.1 – Selected 68th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Larson has that raw, uncut nastiness that I am just drawn to. Of course the White Sox were the team to pick him, they love this profile almost as much as I do. And that profile is a projectable 6’3”, 185 pound lefty with a funky delivery and filthy stuff. The fastball sits low to mid 90’s with tailing action, and the slider is a sharp breaker with at least plus potential. He has a developing changeup as well. He is still raw, he needs to improve his control/command and he needs to refine his changeup, but you know this is a profile I love betting on, and I will bet on it again with Larson. Chicago knows what they are doing with these guys too. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 10/3.74/1.31/173 in 160 IP

62) Gage Jump – OAK, LHP, 22.0 – Selected 73rd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Jump was a pretty hyped high school lefty in the 2021 Draft class, but he decided to go to UCLA where Tommy John surgery essentially wiped out his freshman and sophomore years. He stayed healthy in 2024 though, and he showed why he was such an exciting high school arm with a 3.47 ERA and 29.8/6.5 K%/BB% in 83 IP in the SEC. He throws a low to mid 90’s fastball that is a bat missing weapon, along with 2 good breaking balls and a decent, lesser used changeup. He’s not a particularly big guy at 6’0”, the delivery seems a bit reliever-ish to me (not to say it can’t work in the rotation though), and there is still injury risk, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t move very quickly through Oakland’s farm system, and Oakland is desperate for impact starters, so the opportunity will be there. I think a #4 starter projection is reasonable for him right now. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 8/4.03/1.31/140 in 145 IP

63) Carter Johnson – MIA, SS, 19.1 – Selected 56th overall, Johnson is a safe high school bat with plus hit as his best tool. Watching his super easy and smooth lefty swing reminds me of when I was evaluating Mickey Moniak in his draft year (Moniak went first overall, but I didn’t have him even close to 1st overall on my FYPD Rankings). Let’s hope he ends up better than Moniak though, whose hit tool immediately didn’t transfer to pro ball … and spoiler alert (I wrote that above blurb before Johnson debuted), the hit tool immediately didn’t transfer to pro ball with a .221 BA and a 33.1% K% in 28 games at Single-A. He was thrown into the deep end at Single-A as an 18 year old, so I don’t want to overrate that small sample, but considering I got visions of Moniak before the debut, it doesn’t add confidence. Then tack on the fact that that he doesn’t have a big power/speed combo (although at 6’2”, 180 pounds, the hope is that he can get to average power) and I don’t trust the Marlins to develop him at all, it’s just not the type of profile I like going after. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 76/17/68/.270/.325/.421/9

64) Joey Oakie – CLE, RHP, 18.11 – Selected 84th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’3”, 205 pound Oakie is a sidearming righty with stuff that dashes and dives in every direction. The fastball sits low to mid 90’s with tons of movement, the slider is a vicious pitch with at least plus potential, and he also has a developing changeup. The stuff is almost too nasty for his own good in that he doesn’t seem to always know where it is going, so he will need to refine his control/command to remain a starter, but I love me a funky righty (Zander Mueth last year), and I like Oakie a ton this year. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 10/3.88/1.33/175 in 160 IP

65) Braylon Doughty – CLE, RHP, 19.4 –  Selected 36th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Doughty is a short righty at 6’0”, 196 pounds with a very easy and athletic delivery. He only throws low to mid 90’s, and he isn’t that projectable, but he can break off some absolutely nasty sliders and curves. The delivery also seems conducive to potentially plus control down the line. You gotta trust Cleveland when it comes to pitcher development, and while this doesn’t seem like the highest upside arm, he has some of the best and crispest breaking stuff in the class. Adding more velocity and/or improving his control/command to plus or better can make him a legitimate impact starter. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 9/4.09/1.29/146 in 150 IP

66) Kyle DeBarge – MIN, SS, 21.9 – Selected 33rd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, DeBarge gets the little man discount at 5’9”, 175 pounds, and he gets the non major conference discount playing in the Sun Belt Conference, but he’s a legitimately electric player with a lot to be excited about. He has an explosive righty swing that jacked out 21 homers in 62 games, he has a potentially plus hit tool with a 10.3% K%, he’s got speed with 10 steals, and he’s young for the class. I wish he had a better pro debut, because I might have went after him this off-season, but I was a little underwhelmed by the hit tool (.235 BA with a 24.3% K%) and power (1 homer in 26 games at Single-A). He wasn’t a great base stealer in college, he didn’t walk a ton, and his size does limit his ultimate power projection (0 homers in 25 games in the wood bat Cape Cod league as well), so it might not be a huge upside profile, but maybe I’m falling into the little man trap as well. Minnesota took him 33rd overall for a reason. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 76/16/69/.261/.321/.414/16

67) Nate Dohm – NYM, RHP, 22.3 – Selected 82nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Dohm looks like a nice little college sleeper arm right now with his budding 3rd year breakout cut way short with a forearm strain. But he returned in May with his stuff all the way back, and the results were back to full form in shorter outings as well. He dominated in the innings he did pitch on the season with a 1.23 ERA and 32.7%/3.5% K%/BB% in 29.1 IP. He’s a big boy at 6’4”, 210 pounds, and he has legit stuff with mid 90’s heat, a nasty breaking ball, and a changeup which flashes nasty. He fills up the zone as well. The injury adds risk, but it also tanked Dohm’s value to almost non existent levels. He might even be a sleeper for 30 teamers, and I see legit impact potential in here. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 9/4.03/1.30/146 in 150 IP

68) Deivid Coronil – SDP, SS, 17.6 – Coronil could sneakily be my favorite international prospect in the SS class relative to hype. He has that nearly perfect long, lean, and projectable frame at 6’3”, 175 pounds, and he has that smooth and athletic lefty swing that is easy to dream on. If he tacks on more mass while retaining that athleticism, we could be talking about a prototypical hyped prospect here with power, speed and feel to hit. Lastly, he has one of the best SS gloves in the class, which will be a big help to his real life hype. He’s definitely one of my top targets in the international class. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 80/20/80/.255/.328/.436/20

69) Kenny Fenelon – MIL, OF, 17.6 – If Antunez (ranked above) isn’t the next Milwaukee success story, it could be Fenelon. The 6’0”, 180 pound Fenelon might not be a particularly huge guy, but he’s absolutely explosive on the field with both power and speed. He has a strong righty swing that already produces big power, and he’s a good centerfielder with excellent athleticism. The hit tool has some risk to it, which is why he isn’t getting hyped with the top guys in the class, and while I generally like taking shots on like a 6’3” guy, Fenelon just looks explosive out there.  – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 73/22/77/.247/.318/.439/26

70) Cobb Hightower – SDP, SS, 20.0 – Selected 88th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the pretty skinny 6’0” Cobb swings a quick righty bat that has some thump behind it already. When he starts to fill out, he can definitely end up with some legitimate power. He’s a good athlete with plus run times, he has a good feel to hit, and he has the ability to play up the middle. He was a late riser before the draft and San Diego popped him pretty early despite little pre draft hype, which tells you how much they like him. He’s old for the class, and the upside doesn’t seem huge, but like San Diego thought, he could be a sneaky pick late in first year player drafts. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 74/15/63/.262/.320/.415/18

71) Andrew Salas – MIA, SS/OF, 17.1 – I can’t deny that I’m starting to feel a little worn out/underwhelmed with the Salas family. I was a fan of Andrew’s oldest brother, Jose Salas, and liked him as a breakout candidate, but he bottomed out hard in 2023 and 2024. His middle brother, Ethan, has been so insanely hyped for a while now, and his 2024 was underwhelming to say the least. And now here comes Andrew, who is is hit tool/plate approach first prospect with a moderate power/speed combo, which isn’t my favorite profile to begin with. He’s 6’2”, 185 pounds with a quick and controlled swing from both sides of the dish. With those bloodlines, we know he has an advanced feel for the game too. He’s a floor over upside type, but it’s not like he’s devoid of upside, and his floor seems higher than your typical international prospect due to those bloodlines. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 74/21/77/.262/.326/.423/10

72) Aaron Parker – TOR, C, 22.3 – Searching for pro debut breakouts coming out of the draft has been one of my favorite things to do since I started writing back in 2015/16. Back then, nobody else was really doing it, and now I’m happy to see the prospect hounds out there giving great pro debuts the respect they deserve. Harrison Bader and Willie Calhoun were two of my favorite players from this bucket way back in the day, and both still hold a warm place in my heart to this day. Alex Freeland, Luke Adams and Nacho Alverez were 3 guys I named targets in this bucket in their draft year. And just this past season, CJ Kayfus, Tre Morgan, and Jonathan Long were three guys who cracked my off-season rankings on the back of their excellent pro debuts. Now moving onto this season, Aaron Parker, who was selected 187th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, is someone that is demanding recognition for his pro debut. The dude absolutely smashed the ball with a 93.9 MPH EV, and it resulted in 5 homers and a 154 wRC+ in 24 games. The 27% K% is too high, but he’s shown a good feel to hit throughout his amateur career, and it comes with a 17% BB%. He was a 6th round pick known for a good bat and decent catcher defense. Catcher definitely isn’t my favorite position to stash for fantasy, but Morgan and Kayfus were 1B without huge power, which also isn’t my favorite thing to stash, but look how that turned out. He’s my favorite pro debut breakout in this year’s class, and is a definite target later in first year player drafts. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 64/18/69/.246/.319/.427/1

73) Cole Messina – COL, C, 21.11 – Selected 77th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, after Aaron Parker, Messina is my top later round catcher target in First Year Player Drafts, and based purely on path to playing time, maybe he should be my top later round target. He has a chance to be a good defensive catcher, Colorado’s organizational depth chart at catcher is terrible, and of course, he will get to hit in Colorado. He also has the big power I generally like to target with my catchers, smoking 21 homers in 59 SEC games with the hard hit ability to back it up at 6’0”, 230 pounds. There are hit tool concerns with a 23.4% K% his junior year, but he had a 16.8% K% his sophomore year, and he had a 19.6% K% in his pro debut (17 games at High-A). Granted, he didn’t hit well in his pro debut with a 33 wRC+, but in this year’s catcher class, you take what you can get. He has the ability to stick behind the plate, the path to playing time, the excellent home park, and power upside. Messina and Parker are my top targets for a late round FYPD catcher in deeper leagues. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 57/18/69/.237/.312/.433/4

74) Carson DeMartini – PHI, 3B/SS, 22.3 – Selected 130th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, DeMartini was a pro debut breakout, and you know how much I love my pro debut breakouts. He slashed .315/.385/.478 with 2 homers, 8 steals, and a 13.5/8.7 K%/BB% in 24 games at Single-A. And it’s not like he wasn’t an absolute beast in his amateur career too. He put up a 1.110 OPS his freshman year in the ACC, a 1.048 OPS his sophomore year, and a 1.072 OPS with 21 homers in 54 games his junior year. He’s not a huge guy at 6’0”, 197 pounds, but he can hit it hard enough, and he knows how to lift and pull it. He’s also not a burner, but he knows how to steal a bag. The reason he got drafted so late is that he had a 27.7% K% this year in college, but it came with a 16.8% BB%, and it was much better his sophomore year with a 17.1% K%, so it’s not like he has some definite fatal flaw there. The fact that he had a 13.5% K% in his pro debut is also a great sign. He might not be a world beater, but DeMartini is a very, very interesting later round college bat for deeper leagues. He’s a definite target late in the draft. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 77/18/69/.253/.321/.422/12

75) Dylan Dreiling – TEX, OF, 21.11 – Selected 65th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Dreiling is a proven SEC performer from the second he stepped on campus and is a complete hitter, slashing .342/.459/.715 with 23 homers, 4 steals, and a 20.5%/17.5% K%/BB% in 71 games at Tennessee. He hits the ball hard and he’s a disciplined hitter. He’s likely a corner outfielder, he’s not a huge guy at 5’11”, 197 pounds, the K rate is a bit high, and he doesn’t run much, so I’m not sure the upside is super high, but it’s a testament to how deep this year’s college bat class is that you can get a guy with these kind of numbers this late. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 68/18/74/.248/.324/.423/7

76) Dakota Jordan – SFG, OF, 21.11 – Selected 116th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft but signing for $2 million, Jordan is a beast at the dish at a rock solid 6’0”, 220 pounds, and he has the big power to back up the build with 20 homers in 63 games. I don’t love the crouched batting stance, but he kinda rises up as the pitch comes, and it’s an athletic swing, so I’m not holding it against him. The hit tool is the biggest issue with a 29% K%, and he also hits the ball on the ground a lot. That is not the best combo of skills to have, but hard hit ability can conquer all, and Jordan has done nothing but hit the ball hard and produce his entire career. If he landed somewhere other than SF, I could maybe see liking him more, but I just can’t come around on him being one of my guys. Love the obvious huge power, but too many other things are going against him (contact, grounders, ballpark). – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 67/21/74/.226/.311/.434/4

77) Cole Mathis – CHC, 1B, 21.8 – Selected 54th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Mathis is 6’1”, 210 pounds and he looks big and physical in the box with a strong and controlled righty swing. He didn’t play in a major conference (CAA), but he dominated the competition put in front of him, slashing .335/.472/.650 with 14 homers, 14 steals, and a 12.6/18.1 K%/BB% in 52 games. Maybe most impressively, he obliterated the wood bat Cape league too, slashing .318/.381/.667 with 11 homers, 0 steals, and a 17.0/8.2 K%/BB% in 38 games. He’s a really good all around hitter with the ability to hit for power and average, and while he’s not a burner, he’s definitely a good athlete. He’s a good pitcher too, and while his future is likely with the bat, I wouldn’t rule out a return to pitching if he doesn’t develop as hoped. He didn’t make his pro debut yet, he didn’t face the toughest competition in college, and I prefer my 1B bats to have big time game power already, but there is plenty to like here. And despite those negatives, a smart organization took him pretty high, although I suspect part of that reason is because pitching might not end up on as much of the back burner as we think, which isn’t great for fantasy. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 71/18/73/.263/.329/.427/9

78) Eddie Rynders – PIT, 3B, 19.5 – Selected 229th overall (and signed for slot value) in the 2024 Draft, the best way I can describe Rynders’ lefty swing is that it’s a bit gangly, but it’s definitely big and powerful at 6’2”, 195 pounds. He has legit power upside and he’s a good athlete too. He struck out 7 times in 13 PA in the 2024 MLB Draft League, and while that is clearly a very small sample, I think it does foreshadow some possible hit tool issues in pro ball. He’s a power first high risk, high reward high school bat. – ETA: 2029 Prime Projection: 66/23/78.241/.313/.435/9

79) Khal Stephen – TOR, RHP, 22.3 – Selected 59th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Stephen reminds me of a classic Seattle Mariners type pitcher. He’s a big guy at 6’4”, 225 pounds with good control of a good low to mid 90’s fastball as his bread and butter. The slider is also pretty good and he’ll use a decent change against lefties. It all resulted in a 3.28 ERA with a 27.9/5.5 K%/BB% in 96 IP in the SEC. It’s probably more #4 type upside right now, but I think there are multiple paths for him to bump that up to a #3 in a best case scenario. Pitching in Seattle would have been one of those best case scenarios, but obviously he got drafted by Toronto, so he will not have that advantage. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 10/4.09/1.25/149 in 160 IP

80) David Shields – KCR, LHP, 18.7 – Selected 41st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Shields is a very athletic 6’2”, 210 pounds who was an excellent high school quarterback as well. He has a smooth lefty swing too even though his future is definitely on the mound, but it does show the type of athlete he is. You can see that athleticism on the mound with a lefty delivery that is easy to dream on, especially since he was one of the youngest players in the draft. The stuff isn’t quite as exciting yet with a low 90’s fastball and 3 still developing secondaries (slider, curve, changeup), but he throws a ton of strikes, and it’s so easy to project improvement on all of his pitches. There is definitely nice upside in here if the velocity ticks up and he refines the secondaries, but there is also a long way to go. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 9/4.16/1.27/145 in 150 IP

81) Dasan Hill – MIN, LHP, 19.3 – Selected 69th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Hill is a thin and lanky 6’4”, 170 pounds who reminds me a bit of Brandon Williamson (Williamson was even lankier at 6’6”). He should theoretically put on weight and gain velocity, but he also might just stay skinny and lanky with low to mid 90’s heat. He combines the fastball with a potentially plus slider, potentially above average change, and good control with an athletic lefty delivery. He’s not my favorite high school arm drafted in this area, but his talent is right there with them. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 8/4.12/1.31/145 in 155 IP

82) Payton Tolle – BOS, LHP, 22.5 – Selected 50th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, when you think of Tolle, think something like a Joey Cantillo type. The fastball might not be huge, the control might be not be great, but he’s a big lefty (6’6”, 250 pounds) with an effective low 90’s fastball and a diverse pitch mix. He’ll never likely get the big prospect hype, but before you know it he’ll be knocking on the door of the bigs while continuing to pitch effectively at every level. He put up a 3.21 ERA with a 37.1/11.0 K%/BB% in 81.1 IP his junior year. He was a two way player in college, so that gives you an idea of his general athleticism. He doesn’t have the highest upside, and there is also risk, but like Cantillo, he just feels like a guy who will keep getting the job done. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 10/3.91/1.30/158 in 160 IP

83) Ryan Forcucci – HOU, RHP, 22.4 – Selected 101st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the Astros took the Tommy John discount in the 3rd round on Forcucci as he was in the running to be a first round pick before his season ended just 5 starts into the season. He hurt his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery in June, which will likely delay his pro debut until mid-season 2025 at the earliest. He was in the midst of a Junior year breakout before going down with the injury with a 2.16 ERA and 37/6 K/BB in 25 IP. The fastball sits mid 90’s and is a bat missing weapon, which he combines with a plus slider as he his best secondary. He also mixes in a curve and changeup to give him a starter’s pitch mix. The righty delivery is controlled, athletic and pretty explosive. I wouldn’t say he’s generally my type to take the Tommy John discount on, but he shouldn’t be very expensive, so if I wanted a more advanced arm later in the draft, and Forcucci was sitting there, I could see taking that shot. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 9/4.05/1.28/145 in 150 IP

84) Bryce Cunningham – NYY, RHP, 22.3 – Selected 53rd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Cunningham is a built up 6’5”, 230 pounds with the big mid 90’s fastball to match. He combines the heat with a slider and changeup that can both miss bats, giving him 3 legit pitches with bat missing ability. There is a reason the Yanks selected him relatively high despite pretty lackluster college production. He has a career 4.95 ERA in 160 IP in the SEC, and while 2024 was his best season, it wasn’t exactly dominant with a 4.36 ERA and 26.6/9.4 K%/BB% in 84.2 IP. The stuff gives him a high real life floor as a potentially impact reliever, and there is rotation upside too if he can improve his control/command and continue to refine his pitch arsenal. He’s not the worst option if you are looking for a college arm in the mid to late rounds of your First Year Player Draft, but he’s not exactly a target for me either. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 9/4.22/1.33/146 in 150 IP

85) Chase Mobley – CLE, RHP, 18.10 – Selected 295th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft but signing for $1.8 million, Mobley’s talent backs up that signing bonus at 6’5”, 205 pounds with a mid 90’s fastball that he fires from a funky, low slot arm angle. That pitch is a straight nightmare for high school hitters, and he combines that with a potentially plus changeup and two breaking balls that need refinement. He generally throws the ball over the plate and the delivery is athletic. Cleveland is an excellent organization for pitcher development, and there are so many things to like here (size, athleticism, strike throwing). Mobley is a definite later round pitcher target. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 11/3.73/1.21/166 in 160 IP

86) Johnny King – TOR, LHP, 18.7 – Selected 95th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft but signing for $1.25 million, King is one of the youngest players in the class, and he also has the size and stuff to get pretty excited. He’s 6’3”, 210 pounds with an athletic three quarters arm slot delivery that fires off a low to mid 90’s fastball to go along with two damn nasty breaking balls. He has to refine all aspects of his game, and the velocity likely has to tick up to reach his upside, but at only 18 years old, all of that could be coming down the line. He’s damn electric out there. I like King as a later round upside pitcher. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 11/3.82/1.29/169 in 160 IP

87) Owen Hall – DET, RHP, 19.5 – Selected 49th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Hall is 6’3”, 185 pounds with an explosive arm action that fires a low to mid 90’s fastball that blows right by hitters. He combines that with two good breaking balls in his slider and curve, and he rounds out the arsenal with a developing changeup. While the ball explodes out of his hand, the delivery does look a bit relievery, and he does have some control risk, so there is definitely bullpen risk here if he can’t improve his control and/or develop the changeup more. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 10/3.95/1.32/155 in 150 IP

88) Kannon Kemp – SDP, RHP, 20.7 – Selected 251st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, but signing for a well over slot deal, Kannon Kemp cracks this list on name alone. Come to think of it, the Padres drafted Boston Bateman, Kale Fountain, Kash Mayfield, Kannon Kemp, Tyson Neighbors, Kavares Tears, Cobb Hightower, and Brandon Butterworth. Are they just picking guys based on cool names? But Kemp is not just a cool name, he also cracks this list for potential at a projectable 6’6”, 225 pounds with a low to mid 90’s fastball that has he good control over and has the potential to be a plus pitch. He combines the fastball with good feel for a slider and changeup, but both pitches still need more refinement. His path can still take many directions, but plus control of a really good fastball with 2 solid secondaries and a beastly frame is a really good profile to bet on. I like Kemp a lot. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 10/3.93/1.24/160 in 160 IP

89) Kevin Alvarez – HOU, OF, 17.2 – I love the guys where the bat looks like an absolute twig when they swing it, and that applies to the 6’4”, 185 pound Alvarez who has an easy, but lightning fast lefty swing. He’s known for his advanced approach and good feel to hit, so when he adds more power onto on his projectable frame, this could end up a truly potent hit/power combo masher from a corner outfield spot. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 79/24/84/.263/.342/.451/8

90) Brody Brecht – COL, RHP, 22.6 – Okay, I guess I’ll put a Coors pitcher on here. Maybe it’s the Dollander afterglow that is easing me up, even if Dollander hasn’t proven anything yet really. We all already knew he was a really good prospect (granted, he’s been better than really good, he’s been great), but it was Coors Field that is the looming problem that he’s yet to truly conquer. Either way, Brecht was selected 38th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, and he deserves to crack this list. He’s 6’4”, 235 pounds and is an elite athlete who also played wide receiver for Iowa. I’m gonna be honest, his delivery doesn’t really look all that athletic to me, and maybe that is why he put up a 14.2% BB% in 78.1 IP, which is simply way too high. The hope is that by focusing solely on baseball, that can improve, and he did have his best season after dropping football, putting up a 3.33 ERA with a 37.2% K%. The stuff is also legit with a mid to upper 90’s fastball, two heavily used, bat missing sliders, and a developing split change. The upside is very obviously quite big, but his control issues, and getting drafted by Colorado prevents me from buying. I’m just not in the market for Coors pitchers. It’s as simple as that. It’s hard enough being a pitching prospect, and I only like to roster a small percentage of pitching prospects anyway, so a Coors pitcher is just never going to be one of them for me. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 9/4.15/1.33/169 in 160 IP

91) Luke Holman – CIN, RHP, 22.3 – Selected 71st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Holman is a safety over upside arm with a strong history of production in the toughest conference in college baseball (SEC). He put up a 2.75 ERA with a 33.7/8.8 K%/BB% in 91.2 IP this year. The stuff isn’t off the charts, but the low to mid 90’s fastball is a good pitch with good life and bat missing ability. The slider is his best secondary and it misses a ton of bats, and he has a good curve too. The control/command is about average. It’s not the most enticing profile, but it’s why he will be available pretty late in first year player drafts, and he’s not a bad option if you are looking for a fast moving college arm. It’s also not like he’s completely devoid of upside at 6’4”, 200 pounds, so there is certainly room to tack on a MPH or two on the fastball. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 8/4.12/1.32/128 in 150 IP

92) Trey Gregory-Alford – LAA, RHP, 18.11 – Selected 322nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, but signing for $1.96 million, Alford has the size and stuff to match that big signing bonus. He’s a built up 6’5”, 235 pounds with a mid 90’s fastball that has been up to 101.4 in a bullpen session, which he combines with a potentially plus, but still developing slider. It’s a reliever profile as is with below average control and without a third pitch, but he’ll still be just 18 years old on Opening Day, so there is plenty of time for him to refine his arsenal and command. There is obviously a ton of risk here, but the upside is high too. He’s likely to be one of the more interesting true upside arms that you will be able to get very late in first year player drafts. At the very least, keep an eye on him early in 2025, because his loud stuff will get people’s attention quickly if he’s pitching well. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 9/3.93/1.30/156 in 150 IP

93) Teilon Serrano – MIN, OF, 16.10 – Betting on Serrano was just as big of a bet on the Dodgers as it was on Serrano, so I can’t say I like him as much with the Twins as I did with the Dodgers (the Dodgers had to decommit to him after signing Roki). But I still love me a prospect with such a visually fast and explosive swing at 6’0”, 185 pounds. Combine that with double plus speed and I think he could have some of the best speed first upside in this class. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 83/16/64/.259/.328/.413/30

94) Royel Strop – STL, OF, 16.10 – Strop has baseball bloodlines with his father, Pedro Strop, just finishing his MLB reliever career in 2021. And now his father is turning to the training/coaching game as he coached his son, Royel, to be one of the best international prospects in the class. Strop is a strong and still projectable 6’1”, 165 pounds, and he has a controlled and powerful lefty swing that is geared for both power and average. Tack on plus speed, and you have a very enticing international prospect. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 78/18/69/.265/.328/.426/18

95) Maykel Coret – TBR, OF, 17.6 – Coret has one of the highest upsides in the class at 6’4”, 190 pounds with a potentially plus power/speed combo. The swing is athletic and powerful, and while it’s not the shortest swing, I like that he’s trying to do real damage. He can already hit the ball very hard. He’s also an excellent athlete who certainly looks the part on the field with smooth and explosive movements. If the hit tool is at least solid in the DSL, he definitely has potential to get some real hype very quickly. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 76/25/81/.254/.329/.453/21

96) Caleb Lomavita – WAS, C, 22.5 – Selected 39th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, taking Lomavita might be an indication that Washington is not locked into Keibert Ruiz as their long term catcher despite Ruiz being under contract until 2032. They are also light on organizational catcher depth, so maybe it has nothing to do with that, but point being, Lomavita could start competing for that catcher job in the next few seasons. And he has enough fantasy upside stemming from his speed to be an interesting deep league option. He stole 12 bags in 55 games in the Pac 12 this year and has stolen 36 in 158 games in his career. He combines the well above average athleticism for a catcher with above average power (15 homers). The downside is that his plate approach is well below average with a 16.7%/4.7% K%/BB%, so he simply just might not be a very good hitter against more advanced competition. And we saw that downside play out in his pro debut with 0 homers, a .213 BA, and a 76 wRC+ in 17 games at Single-A. The 18.3/7.0 K%/BB% wasn’t too bad though, so it’s not like he was completely overmatched or anything, and he stole 3 bags. He’s a deep league FYPD option for a catcher needy team. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 49/14/53/.247/.307/.412/9

97) Jakob Christian – SFG, OF, 22.6 – Selected 149th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Christian is 6’5”, 225 pounds with big power and good athleticism. I love betting on a big dude who is also a good athlete, and while Christian has plenty of flaws, there is plenty to like for fantasy. He’s done nothing but rip homers in his college career starting from his freshman year, crushing 67 homers in 160 career games. He definitely has hit tool risk, but a 20% K% isn’t too bad, and he was good in his pro debut, slashing .267/.378/.500 with 1 homer and a 21.6/13.5 K%/BB% in 9 games at Single-A.. He’s a high risk, high reward power hitting college bat. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 58/16/66/.233/.301/.429/6

98) Kavares Tears – SDP, OF, 22.7 – Selected 134th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Tears is proven SEC power bat with hit tool risk. He’s a strong 6’0” with a powerful lefty swing that is made to do damage. He cracked 20 homers in 71 games at Tennessee. He’s also a good athlete with some speed, and while he’s not a huge base stealer, he should still contribute a handful. The problem is that it came with a 25.3% K%, and while the 15.4% BB% mitigates that a bit, it’s still not good. His bat has a high bar to clear as a mostly corner outfielder, and you can see by him getting drafted 134th overall, teams aren’t fully convinced he can clear it. He’s still worth the shot late in first player drafts if you want a good college bat rather than a 17 year old mystery. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 66/18/74/.240/.314/.420/7

99) Wilfri De La Cruz – CHC, SS/3B, 17.6 – De La Cruz certainly looks the part at a very projectable and relatively broad 6’2” with a smooth lefty swing that is geared for both average and power. The righty swing isn’t as smooth, but you can see he’s trying to drive the ball with that one too, not just slap it. He’s known to have a good feel to hit and a solid plate approach, but it seems likely to me that this will end up power over hit at peak. He’s also a good athlete who should at the very least contribute in steals as he fills out, and maybe more than that. Feel to hit/approach, size, athleticism, projection … that is basically what you look for in an international prospect. De La Cruz is a good one. – ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 77/23/79/.257/.338/.449/12

100) Alejandro Cruz – CHW, 3B, 18.3 – Cruz will already be 18 years old when he enters pro ball, which is a bit on the older side for the international class, although he’s from Cuba and they don’t seem to stick with that 17 year old timeline that other areas mostly do, so I wouldn’t hold it against him too much. He’s already a relatively imposing 6’3”, 180 pounds, and it certainly looks like he could end up being a real bruiser at the dish at peak. He’s fast too though, so maybe he keeps a more a athletic physique to keep his speed. These are the type of guesses you have to make when talking about such young players. No matter how his body fills out though, his righty swing is damn fast and it’s quick and short too, so he could have a pretty potent hit/power combo if it all comes together. Tack on that speed, and Cruz has plenty of upside to be a fun late FYPD lotto ticket. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 72/21/76/.253/.326/.438/14

101) Harold Rivas – BOS, OF, 16.11 – Rivas is visually super explosive at the dish with an athletic and powerful righty swing that definitely has power potential as he continues to fill out his 6’2”, 170 pound frame. He’s also a plus runner who plays a good CF. The hit tool isn’t bulletproof, and he’s not necessarily the broadest guy, but he’s on the young side for the class, so who knows how his body ends up. Either way, he’s got the power/speed combo we like for fantasy, so the upside is definitely in here. – ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 74/18/63/.248/.313/.427/22

102) Manny Cedeno – NYY, SS, 16.8 – Cedeno is one of the youngest players in the class (you are drafting a full child here basically), but you already see the seeds of a grown man righty swing that can potentially punish baseballs. His righty swing is powerful and fast, and he makes it look easy. He also has one of the best hit tools in the class and is a good athlete. He’s currently 5’11”, but I guess at his age he could easily grow more, which would make him even more dangerous. I like him. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 72/23/81/.268/.333/.451/9

103) Cristopher Polanco – TOR, SS, 17.3 – Polanco has one of, if not my favorite pure swing in the class. It is a super sweet and smooth lefty swing that is easy and under control. And when he wants to put his back into one, he can really crank it with that same smooth motion. I love it. He’s not a particularly big guy at 5’11”, 180 pounds, but I think he’s going to have the ability to hit the ball pretty hard at peak, and he’s already known for a good hit tool. If he was a bit bigger, I would really love him, but even at his size I think he can be damn good. I’m a big fan. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 77/18/74/.277/.346/.429/16

104) Nieves Izaguirre – PHI, SS, 17.3 – Izaguirre is Acuna’s cousin, so how could I leave him off this list. He’s more Luisangel than Ronald though, but that ain’t bad either as I like Luisangel a lot. Like Luisangel, he’s not a big guy, but he has a big righty swing that looks pretty damn electric, and he combines that with a good hit tool and speed. I think he can definitely follow in Luisangel’s footsteps. Don’t expect Ronald’s footsteps though. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 81/14/57/.266/.331/.388/28

105) Conrad Cason – BOS, SS/RHP, 18.8 – Selected 237th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and signing for $1.25 million, Cason is a two way player whose future is likely on the mound. He was a multi sport star as well, so this is a guy who can do just about anything athletically at a high level, and the hope is that when he finally focuses fully on one thing, he can really thrive. That one thing seems to be pitching as his fastball already sits mid 90’s and can touch upper 90’s, to go along with a changeup that flashes plus and a solid slider. He’s 6’2”, 185 pounds with an athletic delivery, and while all areas of his game still needs refinement, he’s still just 18 years old. If pitching doesn’t work out, he can give hitting a go with plus speed, above average power potential, a good glove, and decent hit tool. He also needs refinement in all areas of his hitting, so that is why it seems his pitching is a bit farther ahead, and where the most upside lies. You are basically drafting the athlete here, and seeing where the chips fall, just like the Sox did. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 9/4.13/1.29/141 in 150 IP

106) Griff O’Ferrall – BAL, SS, 22.2 – Selected 32nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Baltimore followed up their super risky pick of Honeycutt, with a super safe pick of O’Ferrall. Griff is a low upside college bat without much power, so while the real life profile of up the middle defense, contact, and some speed is enticing, it’s less so for fantasy. He hit only 5 homers in 63 games in the ACC this year, and he hit only 8 homers in 186 career college games. He didn’t hit a single homer in his 20 game pro debut in the lower minors. He did make a lot of contact with a 14.4% K% and he ran a bit with 2 steals in 6 attempts. The deeper the league, the more enticing he becomes, but even in deeper leagues I’m not super excited. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 76/9/58/.268/.324/.392/21

107) Walker Janek – HOU, C, 22.7 – Selected 28th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Janek was the first catcher taken in the draft, but he’s known more for his defense than his offense. He has an excellent glove and excellent arm, so there is zero doubt that he sticks behind the plate. The only question is how much offense he will provide with an average hit/power combo at 6’0”, 190 pounds. He has hit for both average and power all 3 years of his college career in the WAC and CUSA with 37 homers and .325 BA in 166 games, and maybe most notably, he’s done the same in the wood bat Cape Cod League with 5 homers and a .281 BA in 30 games. But he had an awful pro debut with 1 homer, a 29.1/3.9 K%/BB% and 42 wRC+ in 25 games, which really dampens any excitement I might have had for him. I’m projecting him as a light hitting, defense first catcher, and Yainer Diaz isn’t a free agnet until 2029. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 42/14/51/.235/.306/.402/5

108) Johan De Los Santos – PIT, SS, 17.5 – De Los Santos is the brother of Yordany De Los Santos, who went through this process only a few years ago and also signed with Pitt. Yordany was one of the first misses for overall prospect list, but his younger brother cracks it, because the name of this game is finding the lotto ticket that pays off big, not the one you have to hold for 7 years in order to get a utility infielder out of it (not saying Yordany is doomed to that fate, it’s just the long and slow development process is not what you are looking for when you draft a 17 year old). De Los Santos could easily end up in the same bucket as his older brother, but his bonus is expected to double his brother’s, so maybe he has a cleaner path in pro ball too. His lefty swing definitely looks the part. It looks super natural with both feel to hit and the intent to do damage. As he adds more strength at 6’0”, 175 pounds, the hope is that the power comes. And like most of these kids, he has a good feel to hit and speed. He’s pretty electric though, and that electricity does stand out a bit amongst his peers. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 76/17/68/.258/.319/.413/24

109) Jose Pena – BAL, SS, 16.8 – I can’t find any video of Pena, probably because he has such a common name, which is a shame because it seems like he could be someone I really like. I will keep an eye out though and I’m sure I’ll find a video that pops up eventually, in which time I could change his ranking here. He’s one of the youngest players in the class and has one of the best frames at a projectable 6’2”, 155 pounds. He supposedly swings a quick and explosive bat (which I haven’t seen) and he’s fast. I know you could say that seeing a few swings isn’t that big of a deal, but I don’t know, I’ve had a ton of success picking out my favorite international prospects based on watching their swings and movements, so without seeing that, I can’t really say he’s a target for me yet. I’m just going to keep my eye out for that video, which I know is clearly out there somewhere. I just can’t find it. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 78/18/72/.260/.320/.425/28

110) Ayden Johnson – OAK, SS, 17.2 – It’s always a little crazy to me watching some 14 year olds workout video and evaluating them for dynasty baseball, hah, but here we are, and Johnson put together a fire training video. He also shows a body transformation of going from a chubby kid to ripped. At one point his trainer says, “Can you believe this kid is just 14 years old?” … hah, and I mean, you can’t help but laugh and say, “no.” … but I’m just being tongue in cheek, I already talked about not going down that path of disbelieving everyone’s age. It is what it is. He already speaks perfect English, which I guess is considered a good thing? Does that really matter though? I’m not so sure. Okay, on to things that really matter, which is that he has a ton of the traits you look for in a hyped international prospect. He’s a rock solid 6’2”, 180 pounds with a quick and powerful righty swing that should have plenty of power potential at peak. He’s also a good athlete and has a good feel to hit. And he’s quite clearly a hard worker. It seems to me his future is as a power hitting bruiser if it all works out. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 74/24/79/.259/.324/.456/9

111) Brian Holiday – STL, RHP, 21.10 – Selected 80th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Holiday is a small and athletic righty with a plus control profile. He put up a 2.95 ERA with a 28.6/4.2 K%/BB% in 113 IP in the Big West. The fastball only sits in the low 90’s, but it’s a bat missing weapon because of it’s movement profile from a low release point. He also mixes in three secondaries (slider, curve, change) with his slider being his best swing and miss secondary. There could be some little man, and low velocity discrimination going on here, so there might be some more upside in here than he gets credit for. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 9/4.05/1.26/138 in 150 IP

112) Ethan Anderson – BAL, C/1B, 21.6 – Selected 61st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Anderson cracks this list more on the back of how weak of a catcher class it is in first year player drafts this year. I have to grade the position on a curve, and while staying away from it completely even in deep leagues is reasonable, it’s nice to know your best options. Anderson is one of those options after raking all 3 years he’s played in the ACC with a good feel to hit and good pop. He hit .341 with 28 homers in 178 career college games, and then he stepped into pro ball and kept on producing there too. He put up a 125 wRC+ in 14 games at Single-A and a 155 wRC+ in 5 games at High-A. He’s a switch hitter and he’s young for the class, two things that can portend a bit more potential than a typical college selection, and he’s got good size at 6’2”, 215 pounds with a swing geared towards lift. There is no guarantee he can stick at catcher, but there are definitely things to like about Anderson. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 55/14/55/.263/.329/.411/4

113) Jacob Cozart – CLE, C, 22.3 – Selected 48th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Cozart is a big dude at 6’3”, 222 pounds, and he has the big lefty swing and plus power to match. He cracked 19 homers with a 1.038 OPS in 61 games in the ACC. The hit tool was considered a risk coming into the draft, and that unfortunately played out in his pro debut with a 36.7% K% and 26 wRC+ in 13 games at High-A. He’s not a bad defensive player who has a chance to stick behind the plate. He has the upside to be a classic low BA, slugging catcher, but it might take until his mid to late 20’s for him to realistically have a shot at reaching that ceiling with a full time job. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 46/15/54/.227/.301/.418/0

114) Gabriel Davalillo – LAA, C, 17.5 – Francisco Alvarez is really the very easy and perfect ceiling comp here with an almost identical profile. Davalillo is a 5’11”, 215 pound bull with plus power, but the hit tool isn’t bulletproof and neither is his defense at catcher. He’s the top international catcher in the class, and he has real power, but considering I already don’t love rostering a bunch of catcher prospects in dynasty, Davalillo has enough warts to make me hesitant to really fly him up the rankings. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 66/22/78/.252/.321/.443/3

115) Bryce Meccage – MIL, RHP, 19.0 – Selected 57th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Meccage is similar to Josh Knoth, who Milwaukee took 33rd overall in 2023, so they clearly have a type. And Milwaukee has done well with pitching development, so they are a good team to bet on. Meccage is 6’4”, 210 pounds with a low to mid 90’s fastball, two breaking balls (slider, curve), and a developing changeup. He can spin all of his pitches, like Knoth, and he has a solidly athletic right delivery with a good idea of where the ball is going. Not the flashiest profile, but there is plenty to like. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 9/4.02/1.27/160 in 160 IP

116) Drew Beam – KCR, RHP, 22.1 – Selected 76th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Beam is a floor over upside college starter who should move through the system quickly. Plus control is his best attribute, putting up a 6.5% BB% in his 262.2 IP college career in the SEC, and he was throwing strikes the second he stepped on campus as a freshman. He also most certainly looks the part at an athletic 6’4′, 208 pounds. The career 3.60 ERA and 22.7% K% isn’t as impressive as the size and walk rates, and his stuff is more in the average to above average category than truly standout with two 94 MPH fastballs, a curve and a changeup. It’s a #4 upside type profile, as you can see from falling to 76th overall in the draft, and the lack of strikeouts subdues his upside for fantasy too. The deeper the league, the more value he has. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 8/4.21/1.29/130 in 150 IP

117) Emelien Pitre – TBR, 2B, 22.6 – Selected 58th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Pitre is a lower upside infielder who is probably a better real life prospect than fantasy, but that’s not to say there is no fantasy intrigue. He’s 5’11” with some room to tack on a bit more mass, and he had a power breakout his junior year with 10 dingers in 62 games in the SEC (1 was his previous career high). A strong plate approach and speed is what you are buying, and that immediately transferred to pro ball, slashing .299/.402/.403 with 0 homers, 7 steals, and a 12.0/13.0 K%/BB% in 21 games at Single-A. He can hit the ball hard, but it’s geared more for all fields line drives, so there isn’t big upside in here. He likely profiles as one of Tampa’s many moving parts, part time players down the line. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 66/10/51/.262/.323/.393/15

118) Aiden May – MIA, RHP, 21.11 – Selected 70th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, May has that quick, fast moving delivery that has the look of guy that is hungry to attack hitters and is confident in his stuff. And I get it, because he has really good stuff with a 94 MPH sinker that can keep the ball on the ground to go along with a legitimately nasty, plus slider and a lesser used changeup. It all led to a 3.05 ERA with a 27.0/7.4 K%/BB% in 73.2 IP in the Pac 12. It’s probably a back end or a reliever profile, but if he can develop the changeup, or improve his control/command, he could beat that projection. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 8/4.18/1.34/126 in 140 IP

119) Joshua Kuroda-Grauer – OAK, SS, 22.2 – Selected 75th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Grauer has been a contact machine everywhere he’s played, putting up a .428 BA with a 7% K% in 53 games in the Big Ten his Junior year, and then stepping right into pro ball and doing the same with a .324 BA and 7.1% K% in 28 games at Single-A, High-A, and Triple-A. Even the fact he made it to Triple-A shows how fast Oakland thinks he can contribute. He combines the elite contact rates with speed (5 steals in pro ball and 24 steals in college), a solid plate approach, and decent hard hit ability. He won’t hit many homers with very high groundball rates (5 homers his junior year and 0 homers in pro ball), but he doesn’t need to aim for homers with his profile. He’s probably best suited for a utility role on a good team, but his contact/speed profile can definitely make an impact if he works his way into an everyday job. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 66/7/42/.268/.327/.376/19

120) Brendan Tunink – LAD, OF, 19.6 – Selected 250th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Tunink is a high upside high schooler drafted by the Dodgers. That is an excellent foundation right there. He’s a strong 6’0”, 185 pounds with an absolutely vicious lefty swing that is looking to do damage, and it’s a short and controlled swing too. He combines that with plus speed and a good feel to hit. This is a bet on the Dodgers just as much as it’s a bet on Tunink. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 76/17/68/.252/.321/.421/17

121) Ty Southisene – CHC, SS, 19.9 – Selected 120th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and signed for $1 million, Southisene is a small guy at 5’9”, 160 pounds, and he’s on the older side for the class, but Chicago didn’t pay him over slot for nothing. He’s the quintessential little man discount as he’s raked and been a standout performer everywhere he’s been. There isn’t much power potential in the bat, but he has a potentially plus hit/speed combo which can certainly be impactful for fantasy. Utility infielder is probably the most likely relatively good outcome scenario, but if you love betting on the underdog who just keeps on raking while not getting enough love (although he just made one million dollars at 19 years old, so he’s doing just fine ;), that’s Southisene. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 76/9/48/.268/.323/.372/24

122) Ethan Schiefelbein – DET, LHP, 19.0 – Selected 72nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Schiefelbein’s delivery reminds me of Cole Hamels as a 6’2”, 180 pound lefty (Hamels was two inches taller than him, and much better than him, obviously), and he’s known to have some of the best command in his class. The fastball only sits low 90’s and he doesn’t necessarily have any electric secondaries (slider, curve, change), but he’ll rip off some sweet looking curveballs. If he gains velocity and just refines his pitches all around, there is real elite command type upside in here. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 9/3.96/1.22/139 in 150 IP

123) Juan Sanchez – TOR, SS, 17.7 – Sanchez is another one I can’t find video on (see Jose Pena above too), again probably because his name is just too common, but I will continue to keep my eye out and I’m sure I’ll find some eventually. He definitely has the build and tools you are looking for though at 6’3”, 200 pounds with power and speed. That’s a big boy with athleticism. When I find the video, I will add more. Not much more I can say until then. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 71/23/79/.245/.317/.448/10

124) Larry Suero – COL, 2B/3B, 17.0 – Suero is 6’2”, 182 pounds with a sweet lefty swing, a good feel to hit, and good athleticism. Signing with Colorado is a double edged sword, as you get their ballpark at the end of the road, but you also get their poor development on the way to that. There isn’t a ton of video out there on him, and he seems probably 14/15 years old in the video I have seen, but even the younger version of him had an athletic and sweet lefty swing, so it’s not hard to envision legit offensive upside at 6’2”. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 77/22/79/.268/.334/.447/10

125) Raymer Medina – TBR, SS, 17.5 – The thing that stands out about Medina to me is that the ball jumps off his bat from a very controlled and powerful swing from both sides of the plate. He’s not a huge guy at 5’11”, but he’s got the right kind of strength/thickness, and he definitely packs a punch with that swing. I think more power is coming, which he can combine with a good feel to hit and athleticism. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 74/20/77.255/.316/.433/12

126) Warel Soriano – TBR, SS, 17.7 – Soriano has a vicious righty swing that is fast and made to do damage, which is what I love to see from these prospects, and he’s also fast and projectable at a skinny 6’0”, 165 pounds. It’s so hard to say how these kids are going to mature and end up physically, but there is definitely a path for him to develop a truly impact power/speed combo down the line. It’s not like he’s 6’3”, so I’m not going to say it’s super high upside, but this is definitely an upside pick, and the hit tool is solid too. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 71/22/77.251/.314/.442/16

127) Trey Snyder – NYM, SS, 19.6 – Selected 144th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and signing for $1.32 million, the first thing that jumps out about Snyder is how much bat speed he can generate from such a simple swing, and at a solid 6’2”, 195 pounds, there is power behind it too. The swing is more geared for average than power right now, but he has plus speed too, so that profile can work even if he doesn’t try to lift and pull more down the line. He made his pro debut in 2024, and while he didn’t perform well with a 58 wRC+ in 6 games, he was thrown right into Single-A, and the 23.1/15.4 K%/BB% was actually pretty encouraging. He has the potential to be a solid across the board contributor. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 79/16/61/.264/.329/.416/18

128) Ronny Cruz – CHC, SS, 18.8 – Selected 90th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and signing for an under slot $620,000, Cruz is 6’1”, 170 pounds with a big righty swing that has power potential written all over it. The swing mechanics are still raw, there is hit tool risk, and he’s not a burner, so I wouldn’t necessarily circle him as a later round target right now, but he’s young for the class, and the Cubs popped him relatively early, so they obviously like him even if part of the reason was the under slot bonus. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 71/23/78/.244/.317/.441/8

129) Juan Cabata – CHC, SS, 16.11 – Luis Pena of the Brewers is what you hope that Cabata can duplicate in 2025. He has one of the best hit tools in the class with a very smooth, easy and fast lefty swing. He’s not a big guy at 5’11”, 165 pounds, so power likely isn’t going to be a big part of his game, but the hope is that it can get to average. And he’s got some speed and base stealing ability. He could be one of the top hit/speed combo coming out of the DSL if things go right. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 77/14/59/.266/.325/.412/23

130) Brayan Cortesia – WSH, SS, 17.4 – Cortesia hit a growth spurt of late, which yes, that is what boys do from the ages of 13 years old to 16 years old ha, growing to 6’1”, and those extra inches gives him that added boost of upside to combine with his good feel to hit, good glove, and plus speed. If the power really starts to come down the line, there is potential for him to be a complete prospect, and his righty swing definitely looks the part (quick, powerful, athletic, launch). – ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 79/18/69/.266/.326/.423/24

131) Ramcell Medina – KCR, SS, 17.5 – Medina has a perfect combination of refinement, history of production, and now size/projection. He’s grown to 6’2”, 180 pounds, and he looks pretty damn physical in the box already. He could end up with real power to go along with an advanced feel at the plate and solid athleticism. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 77/22/77/.262/.334/.434/7

132) Juan Tomas – CHC, SS, 17.4 – Tomas has that prototypical build you are looking for at a projectable 6’3”, and he’s a switch hitter with a quick and powerful swing from both sides of the dish. He has that Alonso Soriano type athleticism, and like Soriano, he has the potential for an impact power/speed combo if it all comes together. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 76/20/74/.250/.318/.436/20

133) Diego Tornes – ATL, OF, 16.9 – Tornes is one of the youngest players in the class but he’s also already one of the most physically mature at 6’4”, 200 pounds. This is a big boy already with big boy power from a quick and powerful swing. He’s a switch who hits better lefty than righty, and he’s a good athlete despite his already impressive size. He has some of the best power upside in the class. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 74/25/83/.250/.320/.450/9

134) Darwin Ozuna – OAK, OF, 17.0 – Ozuna has big time power upside at a broad and still projectable 6’3”, 195 pounds with a powerful righty swing that already does damage. He’s a good athlete but he’s not a burner, and there are some hit tool questions, so it’s a power first profile with some risk. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 68/23/77/.245/.317/.446/8

135) Nick McLain – CHW, OF, 22.4 – How could I not put little Matty McLain’s little brother, Nicky McLain, on this list. The McLain’s are not big people (Nick is also 5’10”), but they are damn good baseball players. Nick was selected 78th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft coming off a very productive college career in the Pac 12. He slashed .342/.457/.663 with 12 homers, 6 steals, and a 11.7/14.4 K%/BB% in 48 games his junior year. He’s not quite as good of an athlete as his brother with an average power/speed combo, and he’s a corner outfielder, so if he wasn’t a McLain, he might not have cracked this list. But plus bloodlines matter, and he has then. And he also has a good feel to hit. So I wouldn’t bet against him becoming a solid all around baseball player, it just might come as a bench bat. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 65/14/59/.258/.319/.413/8

136) Casey Saucke – CHW, OF, 21.8 – Selected 107th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Saucke was a big time major conference performer his entire career, culminating in a junior year where he slashed .344/.407/.578 with 14 homers, 9 steals, and a 18.2/9.5 K%/BB% in 62 games in the ACC. He also  looks the part at a rock solid 6’3”, 210 pounds with a pretty athletic and controlled righty swing. He’s a corner outfielder, and the bat probably isn’t going to be good enough to clear that bar, which is why he lasted until 107th overall, but the size and production are there, so there is some potential here to become an impact fantasy bat if it all works out. He’s also very young for the class, and he hit decently at the age appropriate High-A with a 110 wRC+, 2 homers, 2 steals, and a 26.3/6.1 K%/BB% in 24 games. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 41/12/46/.238/.301/.413/5

137) Gage Miller – MIA, 3B/2B, 22.1 – Selected 92nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Miller was a standout Junior College player in his freshman and sophomore years, and then he transferred into the SEC and kept on raking, slashing .381/.474/.702 with 18 homers, 0 steals, and a 24/27 K/BB in 55 games. If he had a good pro debut, I could see liking him more, but his debut was rough, slashing .240/.305/.298 with 0 homers, 2 steals, and a 16.9/5.9 K%/BB% in 26 games split between Single-A and High-A. He’s not a particularly toolsy guy and he’s not particularly physical at 6’0”, 200 pounds. His strong amateur production and decent draft slot gets him on the list, but he’s not a very interesting fantasy prospect right now. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 45/12/45/.253/.318/.402/4

138) Eli Lovich – CHC, OF, 19.7 – Selected 332nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft but signing $650K, Lovich has the size (6’4”), projection (a skinny-ish 185 pounds), and athleticism (above average speed) you look for in an enticing fantasy prospect. He can already hit the ball hard, and while the swing isn’t really all that smooth or pretty, it’s definitely fast and powerful. There could be hit tool issues in here, but there is upside as well. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 62/16/66/.244/.315/.426/7

139) Dylan Jordan – LAA, RHP, 19.6 – Selected 143rd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, but signing for $1.25 million, Jordan has prototypical size at 6’3”, 200 pounds, and he has that three quarters arm slot, funky righty delivery which I definitely love, similar to Zander Mueth. It hasn’t worked out fully for Mueth so far, but he still has plenty of time. As for Jordan, the fastball currently sits low to mid 90’s which he combines with a potentially plus slider, but he needs to improve his changeup and control/command. Back end starter/reliever might be the most likely outcome, but there is obviously so much development time to go. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 8/4.24/1.33/126 in 140 IP

140) Kevin Bazzell – WAS, C, 22.0 – Selected 79th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Bazzell is a hit over power catcher who is new to the position. He played mostly 3B before his junior year, but his bat is only interesting as a catcher, so whether he can stick behind the dish will make or break his profile. His bat to ball skills are impressive, putting up a 10.1% K% in 49 games in the Big 12, and then putting up a 16.7/18.3 K%/BB% with a 148 wRC+ in 14 games at Single-A. He didn’t hit a homer in pro ball with a 51.4% GB%, and he hit only 6 his junior year. There isn’t big power upside in here, which makes him a safety over upside option. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 37/8/41/.268/.324/.392/3

141) Warren Calcano – KCR, SS, 17.6 – Calcano simply checks a lot of boxes as a switch hitting SS with projection (6’1”) and an ease about all aspects of his game. He looks like a natural at the dish and in the field with good athleticism. Nothing really sticks out too much in his profile, but he seems to have a high floor (relative to the international class), and there is definitely some upside in here too. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 78/15/63/.265/.335/.415/15

142) Elian De La Cruz – ARI, OF, 17.6 – Cruz checks plenty of the international prospect boxes. He’s projectable at 6’1”, 180 pounds, he has a quick righty swing, he has a good feel to hit, and he has speed. Nothing particularly stands out too much, but he definitely has the talent to pop with a strong showing in the DSL. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 76/17/67/.250/.320/.418/18

143) Carlos Taveras – MIN, OF, 16.10 – Taveras has a smooth and controlled lefty swing that is geared for both power and average, and at 6’1”, 213 pounds, it’s not hard to envision a potent hit/power combo at peak. He’s also a good runner despite his size, so this is a good athlete too. The swing isn’t super explosive and he’s not quite as generally explosive as a lot of the other kids in this class, but he’s a still a good one. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 81/20/76/.267/.333/.440/10

144) Liberts Aponte – CIN, SS, 17.5 – You are hoping for a Starlyn Caba type rise for Aponte. He has a standout glove at SS, so if the contact rates are strong and he steals some bags, the real life hype can be the driver of his value. His BP is pretty unimpressive, but he’s obviously young, so if he gets stronger and bigger as he ages, combined with his other skills, there can definitely be some hype coming down the line on the back of the glove. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 73/10/51/.262/.323/.365/21

145) Kenly Hunter – STL, OF, 16.11 – Hunter has a history of production against international competition, he has a good feel to hit, he’s got speed, and he’s projectable at 6’0”, 160 pounds. I can’t find video on him, but that seems to be a pretty good floor/upside combo, and one worthy of being on the radar. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 76/15/61/.268/.324/.409/21

146) Ruben Castillo – NYY, OF, 17.3 – Castillo has a damn smooth and powerful lefty swing that is fun to watch, and while he’s not a huge guy, there is definitely power projection at 6’0”, 165 pounds. He also has a good feel to hit and speed, giving him plenty of ingredients to be a quick performer in the DSL. – ETA: 2030 Prime Projection: 76/18/71/.263/.323/.427/18

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