These rookies are expected to have a major impact on their big league clubs in 2025:
Roki Sasaki, RHP Los Angeles Dodgers:
Roki Sasaki classifies as a prospect due to him not reaching rookie status and being younger than 25-years-old. He possesses the most electric arm to come out of Japanese Professional Baseball. His fastball reaches 102 MPH while averaging 98.8 MPH. He pairs his fastball with an above-average slider and devastating splitter. Scouts tabbed Sasaki’s split-finger as one of the best they’ve seen. Last season, at 22 years old, Roki Sasaki made 18 starts, going 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. Through four seasons in Japan, he compiled a 2.02 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 524 strikeouts in 414.2 IP. The talent is without question, but the most innings he’s ever thrown is 129.1 in 2022. The Dodgers will be careful with their young superstar and could decide to skip starts later into the season. His early 10th-round ADP is the lowest it will ever be. Should he not skip a beat in his first MLB season, he can finish as a top-10 fantasy starting pitcher while being a draft-day steal.
Dylan Crews, OF Washington Nationals:
Crews enters Spring Training competing for a starting outfield role with Washington after finishing 2024 slashing .270/.342/.451 with 13 home runs, 68 RBI, and 25 stolen bases between AA and AAA. Last year, the top prospect received his first call-up in August and appeared in 31 games, tallying three home runs, eight RBI, and 12 stolen bases. He accompanies great bat speed with the ability to hit to all parts of the field and possesses power in his 5’11” 203lbs frame. His plus speed will lead to 30/30 seasons in the Majors.
Jackson Jobe, RHP Detroit Tigers:
Jobe is ready for the Majors and will have every chance to earn a rotation spot in Spring Training. He finished a strong 2024 campaign between A+, AA, & AAA, posting a 2.85 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 96 strikeouts in 91.2 innings. At the end of last season, Jobe received his first call to the Majors making two appearances and finishing with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings while surrendering zero runs. Jackson Jobe has the makeup of a front-line starter and features a fastball that reached 101 MPH while sitting in the 95-97 MPH range. He accompanies his blazing fastball with a plus-slider, plus-cutter, and changeup. If Jobe breaks Spring Training with Detroit, he will instantly help fantasy baseball rosters. If he starts in the minors, he should arrive by mid-May and should be selected in the upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.
Coby Mayo, 3B/1B, Baltimore Orioles:
Mayo enters Spring Training with every opportunity to leave Spring Training with the Orioles. After finishing 2023 with 29 home runs and 99 RBI, Mayo finished last season slashing .293/.372/.592 with 25 home runs and 73 RBI. His power bat is ready for the Majors, and an Open Day roster spot makes him an immediate fantasy baseball option.
Jasson Dominguez, OF New York Yankees:
Dominguez entered 2024 following a season where he registered 15 home runs, 76 RBI, and 40 stolen bases. A strained oblique limited his 2024 production, but he finished slashing .314/.376/.504 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. 2025 feels like the year Dominguez breaks Spring Training with a spot on the Yankees Opening Day roster, and his draft stock will rocket once it is official. Dominguez’s bat speed is in a league of its own, and he accompanies this with great power and surprisingly good speed on the base paths. His overall makeup is eerily like Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.
Andrew Painter, RHP Philadelphia Phillies:
Early into 2023 Spring Training, Andrew Painter was on pace to break camp with Philadelphia as a 19-year-old. This never came to fruition as an elbow injury caused Painter to undergo Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2023 season. Painter finished 2022 making 22 starts, posting a 1.56 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 155 strikeouts in 103.2 IP between A+, A, and AA. He made his post-surgery return during the 2024 Arizona Fall League, making six starts and finishing with a 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. He will start the season in the minors as he builds up his stamina, and a realistic expectation is reaching the Majors after the All-Star break. Painter has an elite+ arm seeing his fastball reach triple-digits while averaging 97 MPH. His curveball is a plus pitch, and he garners swings and misses with his solid changeup.
Carson Williams, SS Tampa Bay Rays:
The Tampa Bay prospect has one stop left in the minors and finished 202,4 slashing .256/.353/.469 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, and 33 stolen bases at AA Montgomery. He will start 2025 at AAA and will receive his call-up as soon as he shows he’s ready to face Major League pitching. His combination of hit, power, speed, and defense projects him as an All-Star shortstop in the Majors.
Roman Anthony, OF Red Sox:
Anthony is set to start 2025 at AAA Worcester but will reach the Majors early this season. He finished 2024 slashing .291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI, and 21 stolen bases between AA and AAA. He possesses some of the best plate discipline and hitting abilities in the minors. He projects as a .300 hitter that can reach 30+ home runs per season.
Jordan Lawlar, SS Arizona Diamondbacks
There’s an outside chance Lawlar makes the Diamondbacks roster out of Spring Training, but he will realistically start 2025 at AAA Reno. Limited to 23 games due to a hamstring injury and torn thumb ligament, he finished 2024 slashing .318/.418/.482 with two home runs, 20 RBI, and six stolen bases. It wasn’t the ideal encore performance after a strong 2023 season where he slashed .278/.378/.496 with 20 home runs, 67 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. Jordan Lawlar is as ready as a prospect can be, and a strong start to the upcoming season should have him reach the Majors by the end of May.
Travis Bazzana, 2B Guardians:
The 2024 1st overall draft pick is on the fast track to the Majors. Fast success in 2025 can see him reach Cleveland shortly after the All-Star break. Bazzana finished his final season at Oregon State, slashing .407/.568/.911 with 28 home runs, 66 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. Following the draft, Bazzana played in 27 games for A+ Lake County, hitting three home runs while driving in 12 runs. He possesses a quick, compact, left-handed swing with phenomenal plate discipline.
Matt Shaw, INF Cubs:
The 13th pick in the 2023 draft, Matt Shaw is ready to open the season in the Majors. The front office is giving Shaw every opportunity to break Spring Training with the Cubs. Nico Hoerner may not be ready for Opening Day, and the recent signing of Justin Turner could pave the way for Shaw to start the season in Chicago. In 2024, Shaw slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 HR, 71 RBI, and 31 stolen bases between AA and AAA. He’s a true professional hitter, and assuming he receives at-bats every day for the Cubs, he is projected to hit 15-20 HR, drive in 50-60 runs, and steal 20-30 bases. His 3B/2B/SS eligibility would be a warm welcome for fantasy baseball rosters.
Deyvison De Los Santos, 3B Miami Marlins
Deyvison De Los Santos is not getting as much publicity as he should be. The former Arizona prospect was dealt to Miami last season and can realistically make the Marlins Opening Day roster. His power is unmatched, and he finished 2024 slashing .294/.343/.571 with 40 home runs and 120 RBI. His power bat is ready for Major League pitching, and should he win an Open Day spot with Miami, he can finish his rookie season with 30+ home runs. Fantasy baseball players should try to select De Los Santos at the end of their upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.
Bubba Chandler, RHP Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh’s 2024 starting rotation saw Paul Skenes and Jared Jones solidify the future, and 2025 can be the year Bubba Chandler joins the duo. Chandler finished a dominant 2024 season with a 3.08 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 148 strikeouts in 119.2 innings between AA and AAA. Pittsburgh will follow suit with Skenes and Jones by having Chandler start 2025 in the minors, but fantasy baseball players should see him in the Majors early this season. Chandler brings an elite-level fastball that touches 99 MPH while averaging just under 97 MPH. His quick development from a thrower to a pitcher aided his slider and changeup developing into strong secondary pitches. Chandler warrants a late-round draft choice, and this may be the best route because he will be grabbed off the waiver wire immediately following his call to Pittsburgh.
Brandon Sproat, RHP New York Mets
Sproat is the next superstar pitcher drafted and developed by the New York Mets. The right-handed pitcher finished a second consecutive season with 130+ strikeouts and 100+ IP following the 2024 season, where he posted a 3.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 131 strikeouts in 116.1 innings. Sproat has pitched at every level in the minors and the recent new Frankie Montas is missing an extended period with an oblique injury, leaving the door wide open to break Spring Training in New York’s starting rotation. His fastball sits in the mid-to-high 90s while touching triple digits. His plus-changeup is a dynamic secondary pitch followed by a plus-slider and above-average cutter. Sproat is a player to target in upcoming fantasy baseball drafts. If he leaves Spring Training with a rotation spot, he will provide an immediate impact. Should he start 2025 in the minors, he should see his call to New York within the first few months of the season.