These prospect rankings are based on fantasy value, not real-life value. Considering such, hitters generally weigh a bit heavier for me due to the injury risk and higher volatility of prospect pitchers. Proximity to the majors is also prominent in the equation, though these prospect fantasy baseball rankings are focused on long-term/dynasty outlooks. Think of these rankings as more of a five-year plan.

If you are curious about the fScore ratings make sure to check out my fScore rankings and information. My top 150 prospect rankings are in the works but will be published by the end of January.

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

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2025 First-Year Player Draft Rankings

NOTE: I did a live First-Year Player Draft exercise with the Scout the Statline crew, check out that podcast to see my rankings versus other industry prospectors.

2025 Top 25 First-Year Player Draft Rankings

1. Roki Sasaki (SP – LAD)

• 2024 Japan: 111 IP | 129 Ks, 32 BBs | 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
• Age: 23
• ETA: Opening Day 2025
• fScores: 118 fStuff, 107 fControl, 128 fERA
• Comp: Bryce Miller-esque with better stuff
• Prime Skills: Roki Sasaki throws 100 miles per hour (MPH) at the top of his velocity, but has been hovering closer to 97 MPH of late. He pairs this fastball with the Japanese staple sick splitter and a very nice slider.
• Ranking Explanation: Sasaki is a top-35 starter entering 2025 and has top-10 pitcher upside for fantasy. I’m not going to make the same mistake as I did with Skenes; Sasaki is the easy No. 1 player in this year’s First-Year Player Draft rankings.
• Top 150 Rank: N/A (international pro)

2. Travis Bazzana (2B – CLE)

• 2024 College: .407/.568/.911 | 48 XBH, 28 HR, 16 SB
• 2024 A+: .238/.369/.396 | 13.9 BB%, 25.4 K% | 10 XBH, 3 HR, 5 SB (27 games)
• Age: 22
• ETA: Mid 2025 (June / July)
• fScores: 93 fContact, 122 fDiscipline, 93 fPower, 155 fSpeed
• Comp: Daniel Murphy with more athleticism and quickness
• Prime Skills: Travis Bazzana has the killer Oregon State hit tool and has professional experience already with wood bats, playing in Australia as a pro while he was a teenager. He has power and speed, but to what degree will both show up as a pro is the big question mark, as the game power just appeared in 2024 and is relatively a newer tool. He has a lot of movement pre-pitch at the plate
• Ranking Explanation: Bazzana gets the slight edge as the top position player of the class. Nick Kurtz and JJ Wetherholt are close behind him, but I’ll go with the positional edge over Kurtz and the higher power/speed ceiling over Wetherholt. These top three hitters are close for me, though. We are talking micro rankings of a difference.
• Top 150 Rank: 12

3. JJ Wetherholt (SS – STL)

• 2024 College: .331/.472/.589 | 16 XBH, 8 HR, 6 SB (36 games)
• 2024 A: .295/.405/.400 | 12.7 BB%, 11.9 K% | 7 XBH, 2 HR, 2 SB (29 games)
• Age: 22
• ETA: Early 2026
• fScores: 99 fContact, 126 fDiscipline, 79 fPower, 128 fSpeed
• Comp: Corbin Carroll/Marcus Semien mash-up
• Prime Skills: JJ Wetherholt hits the crap out of the ball for a smaller guy, is athletic and has a great eye at the plate. He has a quick, easy swing and great bat control that will likely lead to an early career high doubles profile that later translates into more power as he gets closer to his peak. Wetherholt had an average exit velocity of 91.8 to go along with an aggressively effective approach in the zone with a 73.4 Z-Swing % and only a 14.1% chase rate.
• Ranking Explanation: I originally had Wetherholt as my third-ranked player from the 2024 draft, but after seeing him live just smashing every ball he made contact on, with excellent swing decisions, I decided to bump him way up my rankings. I expect him to move quickly with an eye on an early 2026 debut. He might come up for a cup of coffee in 2025. I rank him just a hair behind Bazzana, while the plate approach and consistent hard contact make him a better add for the future against the power hitters on this list.
• Top 150 Rank: 13

4. Nick Kurtz (1B – ATH)

• 2024 College: .306/.531/.763 | 34 XBH, 22 HR, 4 SB
• 2024 A/AA: .368/.520/.763 | 24 BB%, 20 K% | 7 XBH, 4 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Early 2025
• fScores: 106 fContact, 129 fDiscipline, 115 fPower, 86 fSpeed
• Comp: Joey Votto-esque profile
• Prime Skills: Big time plate skills with above-average power and a very solid hit tool. Think Kyle Manzardo with more power and a higher ceiling on the hit tool. Nick Kurtz was a beast in his limited debut and returned in the Arizona Fall League from a hamstring injury.
• Ranking Explanation: Kurtz plays as a very well-rounded first baseman who has a hit tool and power that will hopefully lead to avoidance of the Spencer Torkelson/Andrew Vaughn trap of either not a good enough hit tool or not good enough power.
• Top 150 Rank: 16

5. Chase Burns (SP – CIN)

• 2024 College: 100 IP | 191 Ks, 30 BBs | 2.70 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
• Age: 21
• ETA: Late 2025
• fScores: 113 fStuff, 98 fControl, 101 fERA
• Comp: Hunter Greene/Dylan Cease mash-up
• Prime Skills: Insane fastball/slider combo that could be one of the best in baseball. He’s bigger than some of the other guys with this type of fastball/slider combo like Jared Jones and Sean Strider. He could also just be a better version of Jones.
• Ranking Explanation: Burns has top-of-the-line stuff and is only stifled by ballpark concerns. His rough road might be something like Hunter Greene, but his ceiling looks a bit smoother to the top. There’s a gap between the first three hitters and the next tier, so Burns will fill that gap.
• Top 150 Rank: 19

6. Charlie Condon (OF – COL)

• 2024 College: .433/.566/1.009 | 58 XBH, 37 HR, 3 SB
• 2024 A+: .180/.248/.270 | 3.7 B%, 31.2 K% | 6 XBH, 1 HR, 4 SB (25 games)
• Age: 22
• fScores: 92 fContact, 76 fDiscipline, 109 fPower, 112 fSpeed
• Comp: Less athletic righty Cody Bellinger
• Prime Skills: Charlie Condon is all about the power, but how much of the power will translate from college and can he hit breaking pitches? He’s a big-time fastball hunter and guys at the higher levels might expose him. He has a long body but keeps his hands in so he doesn’t get exposed inside. He smashes pitches up in the zone and it will be interesting to see if he can keep the strikeout rate down.
• Ranking Explanation: I originally had Condon ranked ahead of Bazzana and discussed on Prospect One a bit at length why. I knew this going into the draft, but looking further into it, Condon’s home/away splits are incredibly concerning amongst the rumors of SEC teams using a live feed in the dugout when at home (.482/.530/1.125 at home vs. .279/.367/.698 on the road). I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on Condon at the beginning of the season as a High-A assignment out of the gate is challenging. Hopefully, he has not fallen into the Chase Davis trap.
• Top 150 Rank: 25

7. Jac Caglianone (1B – KC)

• 2024 College: .419/.544/.875 | 43 XBH, 35 HR, 4 SB
• 2024 A+: .241/.302/.388 | 5.6 B%, 20.6 K% | 12 XBH, 2 HR, 2 SB (29 games)
• Age: 22
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Matt Olson
• Prime Skills: Massive power potential, so much so that Jac Caglianone only hit eight doubles in college. He could get some reps pitching, but it’s highly doubtful unless they try him as a relief pitcher or at first base perhaps. He showed off some nice power in the Arizona Fall League (five bombs with four doubles and 21 RBI), but there are some obvious holes in the swing right now he needs to correct. It should be noted that Caglione had superior plate skills to Condon in college.
• Ranking Explanation: Caglianone is going to hit tanks, but the big question is whether or not he can make enough contact to be Matt Olson rather than Joey Gallo. He had similar home/road splits as Charlie Condon. With Vinnie Pasquantino ahead of him on the depth chart, I think takes at least all of 2025 to bake in the minors and work on contact. In an ideal world, he would make Bryce Eldridge-like strides in 2025. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice and will buy the hit tool to catch up to the power rather than dismissing the hit tool entirely.
• Top 150 Rank: 28

8. Hagen Smith (SP – CWS)

• 2024 College: 84 IP | 161 Ks, 34 BBs | 2.04 ERA, 0.89 WHIP
• 2024 MLB: 7 2/3 IP | 15.2 K-BB%, 12.7 SwStr%, 28 CSW% | 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
• Age: 21
• ETA: Late 2025 (cup of coffee)
• fScores: 105 fStuff, 97 fControl, 126 fERA
• Comp: Yusei Kikuchi with some Chris Sale-esque arm action on the slider
• Prime Skills: Hagen Smith is a big, strong lefty with a quick 3/4-esque arm action that almost just snaps his fastball and slider straight in there at high 90s velocity. He’s working on a changeup/splitter pitch as well to throw against his primary fastball and slider combo.
• Ranking Explanation: The White Sox have a large arsenal of starters at the AA level right now all slated for 2025-ish debuts. Smith should jump right into the mix and could be a quick riser in the organization. Smith has a prior Tommy John surgery, so there is a little bit of an injury risk. I have a natural inclination to give the edge to the power hitters — Condon and Caglione.
• Top 150 Rank: 32

9. Christian Moore (2B – LAA)

• 2024 College: .375/.451/.797 | 55 XBH, 34 HR, 5 SB
• 2024 A/AA: .347/.400/.584 | 8.2 BB%, 26.4 K% | 12 XBH, 6 HR, 2 SB (25 games)
• Age: 22
• ETA: June 2025
• fScores: 97 fContact, 74 fDiscipline, 102 fPower, 100 fSpeed
• Comp: Connor Norby profile with shades of Alex Bregman (without the plate skills)
• Prime Skills: Christian Moore is a big second baseman with a sweet righty swing through the zone with some easy power for a middle infielder. Killer middle infield power with a great field of hit and very good place skills.
• Ranking Explanation: Moore has been killing it so far post-draft, picking up right where he left off in college. The dude is a winner, a gamer and has a lovely swing. There is a lot of wind behind his sales right now and the Angels promote quickly, but there might be strikeout issues once he gets to the Majors. He doesn’t belong in the same tier as the above hitters, as they have a lot higher ceilings, but he has a relatively high floor thanks to his mix of contactability and power.
• Top 150 Rank: 39

10. Braden Montgomery (OF – CWS)

• 2024 College: .322/.454/.611 | 32 XBH, 17 HR, 6 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Mid 2026
• fScores: N/A (need minor league data)
• Comp: Bigger Jasson Dominguez with less speed
• Prime Skills: Braden Montgomery is an athletic, switch-hitting power hitter. He has an arm as a former pitcher and a quick, short swing where he gets to the ball no matter where it’s thrown.
• Ranking Explanation: Montgomery missed the minor league season after breaking his ankle in college ball, which might provide a bit of a discount, especially with the lack of minor league data. He’s going to be a stud in my opinion, but we have some time to wait on him. Now is a good time to buy. Montgomery has a much higher ceiling for fantasy than Teel and was the star of the trade. There’s a good chance with more data he would have been ranked in the top eight in this class.
• Top 150 Rank: 60

11. Seaver King (2B, 3B – WSH)

• 2024 College: .308/.377/.577 | 33 XBH, 16 HR, 11 SB
• 2023 A: .295/.367/.385 | 10 BB%, 14.4 K% | 4 XBH, 0 HR, 10 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Mid 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Trea Turner-light
• Prime Skills: Seaver King has a good hit tool and electric speed. He has a wide-open stance that generates more power from his smaller frame than you would expect, which will likely translate more for doubles than homers in the Majors. He is aggressive in the zone and should run high averages.
• Ranking Explanation: King has a high-end profile rating, an above-average across-the-board hit tool, plate skills in the power department with plus speed. I expect him to have a killer year in High-A and AA, priming himself for a 2026 debut. He could be a big-time climber up prospect rankings when we get more Statcast data from him.
• Top 150 Rank: 71

12. Cam Smith (3B – HOU)

• 2024 College: .387/.488/.654 | 39 XBH, 16 HR, 4 SB
• A/A+/AA: .313/.396/.609 | 11.2 BB% / 17.9 K%| 16 XBH, 7 HR, 2 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Late 2025
• fScores: 96 fContact, 89 fDiscipline, 102 fPower, 81 fSpeed
• Comp: Josh Jung with shades of Manny Machado
• Prime Skills: Cam Smith began his minor league career on a complete tear, outpacing his college profile. He’s very stoic at the plate. He is very calm with a great eye and quick hands to get to any pitch and crush it. He hits to all fields. If the Astros can teach him to pull more into the Crawford Boxes, there’s quite a bit more of a power upside here.
• Ranking Explanation: I’m always going to lean toward guys who we have more positive data on than younger question marks where there are gaps in data, thus Smith gets the edge over the high school guys who haven’t debuted, even if they might have higher long-term ceilings.
• Top 150 Rank: 72

13. Bryce Rainer (SS – DET)

• 2024 CPX: N/A
• Age: 18
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Lefty Carson Williams
• Prime Skills: Bryce Rainer is a big lefty bat with a nice stroke that should lead to an above-average hit tool. He could grow into some nice power and has a little bit of speed. He was also a pitcher and has a killer arm, so he should be a prime defender as well.
• Ranking Explanation: I like Rainer over Konnor Griffin because I trust for a smoother development based on his profile than Griffin, who has more moving parts that will likely relay to more holes in the swing. The Tigers have done a better job developmentally on their hitters than the Pirates as well.
• Top 150 Rank: 82

14. Konnor Griffin (SS, OF – PIT)

• 2024 CPX: N/A
• Age: 18
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Fernando Tatis Jr.-light
• Prime Skills: Konnor Griffin is a big righty with a good arm as a high school pitcher. He has some massive power upside. The high stance and high and tight hands in his swing remind me of Fernando Tatis Jr. Like Tatis, he will probably have plenty of swing and miss to go with the damage.
• Ranking Explanation: I have a good feeling Griffin moves to the outfield based on his size, but then again, this is a team that developed Oneil Cruz as a shortstop. Like Tatis, he moves to right field to utilize the arm. He’s also put on some good weight this offseason, but as noted above, the Tigers have had more success (sans Spencer Torkelson‘s struggles) when developing their hitting prospects.
• Top 150 Rank: 83

15. Braylon Payne (OF – MIL)

• 2024 A: 438/.526/.625 | 15.8 BB%, 15.8 K% | 2 XBH, 0 HR, 4 SB (4 games)
• Age: 18
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Lawrence Butler
• Prime Skills: Braylon Payne is a big-bodied outfielder who is tooled up with a killer power and speed combo from the left side. He’s one of the faster guys picked in the 2024 Draft. If he can develop the hit tools and classic Brewers plate skills, the tools can play him up with some of the better Brewers prospects.
• Ranking Explanation: FantasyPros’ Chris Welsh turned me onto Payne after he saw him in the Bridge League and told me Payne was electric. He’s super young, getting some solid reps at Single-A ball last year while the other high school guys didn’t debut.
• Top 150 Rank: 101

16. Ryan Waldschmidt (OF – ARI)

• 2024 College: .333/.469/.610 | 31 XBH, 14 HR, 25 SB
• 2024 A: .273/.485/.318 | 12.3 BB%, 24.7 K% | 47 XBH, 16 HR, 9 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Late 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Righty Lars Nootbaar
• Prime Skills: Big outfielder who can play in center field and has great plate skills with an above-average hit tool to pair with a solid power and speed combo. Ryan Waldshmidt hits the crap out of the ball and had some of the highest exit velocities in the 2024 Draft.
• Ranking Explanation: I always love it when guys walk more than they strike out. Waldschmidt is a guy who can do this through the Minors. If he can show power with the big-time exit velocities he’s known for then he could climb the levels pretty quickly based on his advanced skill set.
• Top 150 Rank: 119

17. Carson Benge (OF – NYM)

• 2024 College: .335/.444/.665 | 44 XBH, 18 HR, 10 SB
• 2024 A: .273/.420/.436 | 15.9 BB%, 20.3 K% | 5 XBH, 2 HR, 3 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Late 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Colton Cowser, but a bit more open of a stance
• Prime Skills: Carson Benge is an athletic outfielder who was a two-way player in college and hits to all fields. He’s raw since he’s transitioning from being a two-way player, but there’s a lot of upside to open up now that he’s only focusing on hitting.
• Ranking Explanation: Benge is an interesting player who has 25-homer, 15-steal upside with a good batting average. The college guys always have to prove it fast since they have their player age clock ticking a bit faster when they first come up. Benge should start 2025 in High-A and work his way up for a 2026 debut.
• Top 150 Rank: 124

18. Trey Yesavage (SP – TOR)

• 2024 College: 93 1/3 IP | 145 Ks, 32 BBs | 2.03 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
• Age: 21
• ETA: Late 2025
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Righty Clayton Kershaw-light
• Prime Skills: Trey Yesavage is a big righty with a super over-the-top trebuchet-like delivery that throws a solid fastball (93-95 MPH), slider and changeup combo.
• Ranking Explanation: Yesavage slid in the draft compared to where a lot of the draft analysts thought he would go and I get it — that arm slot might lead to some shoulder troubles in the future. I ding him a bit because the Jays have been pretty bad at developing their prospect pitchers and have had bad injury luck with them as well.
• Top 150 Rank: 138

19. Slade Caldwell (OF – ARI)

• 2024 CPX: N/A
• Age: 18
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Sal Frelick with more power; the ceiling is Steven Kwan
• Prime Skills: Slade Caldwell is best known for having a killer hit tool as a high school guy, but he has a short, quick, compact lefty swing and some nice wheels. He’s not a zero in power and could contribute around 10 homers or so per season.
• Ranking Explanation: Caldwell has a pretty safe floor for a high school guy. He does have a prodigious hit tool and speed to go along with it. He should be a high batting average guy who hits near the top of a lineup.
• Top 150 Rank: 146

20. Theo Gillen (OF – TB)

• 2024 CPX: .154/.353/.192 | 23.5 BB%, 41.2 K% | 1 XBH, 0 HR, 1 SB (8 games)
• Age: 19
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Smaller Parker Meadows
• Prime Skills: Theo Gillen has great timing at the plate, a nice load and gets on pitches with a sweet and powerful lefty swing. He has a nice-sized athletic build and should develop into a power/speed threat. He played shortstop in high school, but with a weak arm, has moved to the outfield.
• Ranking Explanation: Gillen is a bit of a flier as a high school athlete in a system that can get crowded with Tampa, but there is a good power/speed skill set here that will play up in this system behind similar players like Josh Lowe and Aidan Smith.
• Top 150 Rank: 148

21. Ryan Sloan (SP – SEA)

• 2024 CPX: N/A
• Age: 19
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Chris Carpenter-ish with a slider instead of a curve
• Prime Skills: Ryan Sloan is a big dude for a high school guy at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds with a lower-to-mid 90s fastball, multiple changeups and a slider.
• Ranking Explanation: I’m a numbers guy and ranking guys without Minor League stats (or even at least college stats) for comparison is always tricky, especially without live eyes on the dude. However, the reason I slot Sloan ahead of Cam Caminiti is that I trust the Mariners when it comes to pitching development. They have not gone wrong on their previous top picks, especially the pitchers (outside of Emerson Hancock). Trust the process.
• Top 150 Rank: 154

22. Cam Caminiti (SP – ATL)

• 2024 CPX: 3 IP | 4 Ks, 0 BBs | 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
• Age: 18
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: A raw MacKenzie Gore with more wiry mechanics
• Prime Skills: Caminiti has an athletic build with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball from the left side, but inconsistent secondaries.
• Ranking Explanation Caminiti had an impressive debut, but three innings isn’t enough for him to jump the trustworthy Mariners, despite him having better stuff than Sloan at this time. Caminiti does have age in his favor to Sloan by a year.
• Top 150 Rank: 155

23. Jurrangelo Cijntje (SP – SEA)

• 2024 College: 90 2/3 IP | 113 Ks, 30 BBs | 3.67 ERA, 1.10 WHIP
• Age: 22
• ETA: 2026
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Nobody (though I see a little Luis Castillo from the right side)
• Prime Skills: Jurrangelo Cijntje pitches with both arms. If that’s not a skill, I don’t know what is. He’s a smaller bulldog type and is far superior pitching from the right side, throwing 90-98 MPH with a solid changeup and a slider, than from the left side, where he only hits in the low 90s but has a nice sweeper.
• Ranking Explanation: It’s easy to write off Cijntje as a gimmick or a fun bullpen guy because of his size, but there’s a chance he focuses on the right arm and possibly only plays out the left arm when there’s a massive split advantage or when going through the order for a third time. There’s an argument that since he can throw with both arms he might have a health advantage over other pitchers. He’s an experiment, but he’s fun.
• Top 150 Rank: 165

24. Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez (OF – Giants)

• 2024 CPX: N/A
• Age: 17
• ETA: 2029
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Wander Franco (I know, the name is as bad as Voldemort, but it’s true)
• Prime Skills: Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez is a switch-hitting kid with a nice swing from both sides of the plate and plus power from both sides. He is already showing some loud power tools with a wood bat. He has some wheels as well and projects out as a very well-rounded player as long as the hit tool continues to develop as he ages through the levels.
• Ranking Explanation: International prospects who have not played professionally are always a much larger risk than more known quantities in the U.S., especially in comparison to the college guys we have significantly more data to draw from.
• Top 150 Rank: 167

25. Kellon Lindsey (SF – LAD)

• 2024 CPX: N/A
• Age: 19
• ETA: 2028
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Super-light mold of Masyn Winn and Trea Turner
• Prime Skills: Tall, lean shortstop who was known as the fastest guy in the high school class known for speed and electricity. Kellon Lindsey is super athletic. He was his high school’s starting quarterback for four seasons with some pretty nifty stats. He is known for having a good glove as well.
• Ranking Explanation: Later in your first-year player draft you want to draft based on upside. It’s easy to see the upside with Lindsey’s speed, but will the hit tool make it to the same level as the wheels and the glove?
• Top 150 Rank: 200

Tim’s fScores Rankings & Tiers (2025)

• C fScores
• 1B fScores
• 2B fScores
• SS fScores
• 3B fScores
• OF fScores
• RP fScores

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