How does the old saying go? Patience is a virtue, right? We are far too quick to bury high-pedigree fantasy baseball prospects who struggle in their first Major League stint or early in their careers right after a significant injury. Baseball is a tough sport and heavily reliant on rhythm and timing for consistency. If a player is not feeling 100% or even close upon return or at a higher level, the game could feel played at an untenable pace.
Luckily, offseasons exist to allow players proper rest and/or rehab. We are allowed to throw mulligans to young athletes who struggled in an abbreviated or inconsistent sample. This piece seeks to highlight the top fantasy baseball players to target in drafts who possess massive upside and are set to receive plenty of playing time early on!
- 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
- Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings
- Fantasy Baseball Research & Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position (ADP)
Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates
Jasson Dominguez (OF – NYY) | ADP: 132
Jasson Dominguez is destined to arrive in 2025. The Yankees’ top prospect–aptly nicknamed “The Martian”–spent a large portion of last year recovering from offseason Tommy John Surgery. He returned in mid-May but was sidelined once again in mid-June due to an oblique strain.
Dominguez was solid in Triple-A last season. He posted a 121 wRC+ and .309 batting average through 44 games and was called back up to the majors in September. Unfortunately, he posted a lousy .617 OPS and a 28.4% strikeout rate across 18 games. Nevertheless, Dominguez can be handed a mulligan for 2024.
Recovering from Tommy John and hopping back to the MLB at 21 years old is a gargantuan task for a player of any caliber. With Juan Soto gone and Giancarlo Stanton injured again, Dominguez has every opportunity to establish himself as the Yankees’ future. Even if he never repeats the stretch of four home runs in eight games as a 20-year-old in 2023, the upside is tantalizing as a five-category contributor.
Brandon Pfaadt (SP – ARI) | ADP: 178
March 31 to June 25:
97 innings pitched, 4.45 ERA, 3.99 xFIP, and 15.4% K-BB
June 26 to September 29:
84.2 innings pitched, 5.00 ERA, 3.11 xFIP, and 22.6% K-BB
Pfaadt transformed his pitching in the second half of 2024. While his ERA inflated half a run, that can be ignored due to his unlucky .360 BABIP and 63.5% left-on-base rate. If Pfaadt can sustain the strikeout-to-walk gains he achieved in that stretch, there is elite potential for fantasy. A pitcher with strikeouts who can last deep into games on a good team is the ideal target in any round. Nineteen of Pfaadt’s 32 starts last season were at least six innings while only four were below five innings. Even if his ERA remains high in 2025, his value in points-based leagues could be absurd.
Jackson Holliday (2B – BAL) | ADP: 183
The former top prospect in baseball will get a real shot this season. Holliday will have an everyday role to start the season and potentially even gain shortstop eligibility if Gunnar Henderson‘s absence is prolonged (Opening Day in question). Holliday with 2B and SS eligibility is a valuable asset but he has to prove it with his bat to last.
2024’s Major League stint was not kind to Holliday as he posted a .565 OPS and a 33.2% strikeout rate. The 20-year-old rookie who crushed every level of the minors was just not ready but managed to play 60 games. Fortunately, Holliday appears comfortable this Spring Training with a .326 batting average and .848 OPS. Most importantly, his strikeout rate is just 21% through 14 games. With his ability to take a walk, Holliday could strike out around 28-30% of the time and remain a positive offensive contributor.
Holliday mentioned to the media that he plans to steal more often and impact the bases which is obvious music to fantasy managers’ ears. Of course, we must see it to believe it but this season could be very promising for a likely future star.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B – CIN) | ADP: 242
2024 was a year to forget for the Cincinnati Reds’ offense. TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all missed significant chunks of time due to injury. Encarnacion-Strand, in particular, broke his hand in early May and did not return due to a lingering wrist injury which was surgically corrected in June.
This wrist injury could explain his ice-cold start to the season. Encarnacion-Strand posted a .513 OPS through 29 games and was likely dropped in fantasy leagues even before his injury. Nevertheless, we could still hold onto the upside 2023 provided for the Reds’ potential everyday designated hitter. Encarnacion-Strand’s 13 home runs and .270 batting average in 63 games that season were a huge boost to any manager lucky enough to acquire him. He has the power and contact ability to prorate that performance across a full, healthy season and is mashing in Spring Training thus far.
Ivan Herrera (C – STL) | ADP: 269
Catcher is a wasteland in fantasy baseball almost every season but there are always one or two diamonds in the rough. Ivan Herrera played 72 games last season yet was not too valuable in fantasy baseball. Herrera’s .301 batting average was excellent but he played irregularly and only received regular opportunities during Willson Contreras‘s injury absence.
Contreras will not play catcher this season which leaves Herrera and Pedro Pages as the primary duo. Pages is the better backstop but Herrera’s bat is very good. Among all catchers with at least 100 balls in play last season, Herrera ranked first in expected wOBA (Willson Contreras right behind him at number two). If he acts as the primary catcher and receives occasional DH duties, he should be the best value at the position for fantasy baseball.
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