9 Starting Pitcher Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2025)

The fantasy baseball season is right around the corner, and it's never too early to start researching for your drafts. While some in your leagues are focused on the first few rounds, the middle-to-late round of drafts is where championships are made.

In this article, we will look at the best pitcher prospects for fantasy baseball in 2025. Most of these pitcher prospects aren't going early in drafts, but they could turn out to be league winners. Just look at Paul Skenes and Shota Imanaga last year. Both pitchers were dominant for fantasy managers down the stretch.

So, let's look at the best pitcher fantasy baseball prospects for the 2025 fantasy season and determine if they are worth a selection in drafts.

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Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers 

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki comes in as the No. 1 prospect for the 2025 season. Sasaki signed with the Dodgers this offseason after spending the past four years in the Japan Pacific League. In those four seasons, the right-hander was one of the best pitchers in the JPPL. He had a 2.02 ERA and 524 strikeouts across 414 2/3 innings of work.

Sasaki was the most prized international prospect this offseason, and the Dodgers were able to add another Japanese star to their rotation. This past season, the right-hander had a 10-5 record with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts across 111 innings pitched. Given that he has a fastball that could top 102 mph and a nasty splitter, the 23-year-old has the makings of a star.

Teams going up against the Dodgers next season are going to get a heavy dose of the splitter 😮‍💨

Who has the best splitter? Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Roki Sasaki?

(📹: @_dadler) pic.twitter.com/bRlgZbOR4v

— MLB (@MLB) January 30, 2025

As a result, he is a great selection in fantasy drafts this season. His ADP is on the higher side for a first-year pitcher, but it's hard to ignore his potential in this Los Angeles rotation. Sasaki is also one of the few pitcher prospects on this list with a starting rotation spot already locked up entering the year. So, don't shy away from taking the Japanese pitcher in drafts.

Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers 

Jackson Jobe will be an elite starting pitcher in the MLB one day. He has a plus slider and a plus fastball that could reach triple digits. We saw both of those pitches play a key role at the end of the regular season in 2024. Jobe didn't give up any runs across four innings of relief and struck out two batters in his first two career appearances.

Although Jobe struggled a bit in the postseason by allowing three runs on five hits across one and two-thirds innings of work, his potential was surely on display once he was called up. Therefore, the No. 2 pitching prospect has a great chance to open the season as part of Detroit's rotation. He also seems to have the inside edge, as Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic said the team "wants" him in the rotation.

So, Jobe could be an excellent pick in fantasy drafts this season. His ADP currently sits around 202, but that should only rise in the coming weeks, especially if the Tigers announce that he will start the season in the majors. If you are drafting earlier, though, make sure to use a late-round selection on the flame-throwing right-hander.

Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies' top prospect, Andrew Painter, should make his MLB debut at some point in 2025. Fantasy managers, though, shouldn't expect the right-hander to start the season with the major league club. Painter has not pitched in the minors for the last two years as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

As a result, the Phillies will almost certainly be cautious with their top prospect in 2025. That's on par with what president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said back in January. He said Painter's innings will probably be limited until "July-ish."

The good news for Painter heading into the 2025 season is that he did throw in the Arizona Fall League in November, so he has some innings under his belt entering the year. In six appearances, the right-hander had a 2.30 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 15 and two-thirds innings of work. Still, if you are selecting MLB Pipeline's No. 8 prospect, you should be prepared to stash him for most of the fantasy season.

Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates' top prospect, Bubba Chandler, has the potential to open up the season as part of Pittsburgh's rotation following a strong 2024 minor league season. Chandler finished with a combined 3.08 ERA and 148 strikeouts across 26 appearances (23 starts) in Double-A and Triple-A last year.

The right-hander has slowly climbed the minor league ranks since being drafted in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft. However, Chandler really started to gain recognition when he was called up to Triple-A at the beginning of August. The 22-year-old had a 1.83 ERA and 54 strikeouts in his first seven starts for the Indianapolis Indians.

Bubba Chandler takes the honor for the top fastball on the list.

"His heater is a demon in the making." 😈https://t.co/SKdLdoSSJD pic.twitter.com/XQkWAsZ0j1

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 23, 2025

As a result, Chandler does have a chance to make the team's Opening Day roster. He could slot in behind Skenes, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller in the rotation, which makes him a value pick later in drafts. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him make an immediate impact in the majors, given how he looked at Triple-A toward the end of last season.

Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox

There's a strong chance that the Chicago White Sox's top prospect, Noah Schultz, will make his MLB debut at some point in 2025. He has quickly risen up the minor league ranks and will almost certainly start the year at the Triple-A level. Schultz ended his 2024 campaign at Double-A Birmingham, where he had a 1.48 ERA and 73 strikeouts across 61 innings pitched.

Schultz has been really impressive since being drafted in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but it's almost certain that he will not be with the White Sox to open the season. The left-hander was limited to just four innings or 67 pitches per outing during the 2024 season. Therefore, the team will likely have him get used to a normal workload in the minors before calling him up.

That means Schultz is probably only going to be a stash candidate for your fantasy team to begin the year. While we don't know when the 21-year-old will be called up, he could make an immediate fantasy impact once he is called up. So, it might be worth taking a chance on him in the later rounds if your league has a ton of bench spots. He has a 2.03 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 33 minor-league appearances. 

Late Summer Prospect Call-Ups?

Chase Dollander, Colorado Rockies 

With only one minor league season under his belt, Chase Dollander will probably start the 2025 season down in Triple-A. But it shouldn't be too long before we see the right-hander in the big leagues. He finished with a combined 2.59 ERA and 169 strikeouts across 118 innings of work in High-A and Double-A last season and has a strong fastball that touches 99 mph. 

Dollander is an exciting pitching prospect, and it'll be interesting to see how he fares at Coors Field once he does make his debut. We should get to see that play out at some point this upcoming season. 

Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds

Chase Burns was drafted second overall by the Cincinnati Reds and was the first pitcher selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Although Burns didn't throw in the Reds organization after getting drafted, there's still a chance that the right-hander gets called up in September. In his last college season in 2024, he had a 10-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 191 strikeouts across 100 innings pitched. 

Now, you likely aren't stashing him in most leagues to begin the season, but keep an eye on him as the year goes on. He is MLB Pipeline's No. 26 prospect and could make an impact later in the year. 

Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals 

Quinn Mathews could wind up in the big leagues sooner rather than later. He quickly rose through the minor league ranks in his first full pro season, jumping from Single-A to Triple-A in the span of six months. Mathews did struggle a bit in Triple-A to end the year, as he had a 6.48 ERA and 22 strikeouts in four starts. 

Okay fine, here's just bunch of silly swings thanks to Quinn Mathews. pic.twitter.com/X1kcxApYoD

— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) January 14, 2025

However, the left-hander should find himself in the majors by later this summer. Mathews had a combined 2.76 ERA and 202 strikeouts at all four levels last season, and he could help a Cardinals team that needs some back end of the rotation options in 2025. 

Brandon Sproat, New York Mets

Brandon Sproat showed a lot of great things in the minors last season, particularly in High-A and Double-A. The right-hander gave up just 20 combined runs across 87 2/3 innings at those levels and was eventually promoted to Triple-A at the beginning of August. Although Sproat had a 7.53 ERA in seven starts with Triple-A Syracuse, he could be called up by the Mets later this summer. 

As of now, there is no room for Sproat to be a part of New York's rotation. Sean Manaea was re-signed, and both Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes were signed by the team in free agency. (Manaea and Montas are already injured to start the year, though!) Nevertheless, the right-hander is just a lengthy injury or two away from making his career debut at some point during the 2025 season.

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