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This is the third chapter of my fantasy baseball league winners series. Today's focus is on league-winning prospects, where we look at rookies available outside the top 100 that can put your team over the top. You can read my 10 league-winning hitters and 10 league-winning pitchers articles as well.
Keep in mind that prospects have a low floor. Just look at Jackson Holliday, who struggled and was sent back down. Or Junior Caminero, who wasn't called up until August. With that said, the goal here is to focus on upside, seeking out later-round prospects who can significantly outgain their draft capital.
We'll look at NFBC ADP since March 17 because this is the most active platform that includes several high-stakes leagues, featuring some of the best players in the fantasy baseball space. So without further ado, let's dive into my 10 league-winning prospects for the 2025 MLB season.
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Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
NFBC ADP: 114.95
Blink and you might miss it!
Top-ranked @Nationals prospect Dylan Crews flies around the bags for his second triple of the Grapefruit League. pic.twitter.com/xf4XB5MB8c
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 19, 2025
The path to league-winning upside for Dylan Crews lies with his elite stolen base ceiling with the ability to chip in some power. This is a former second overall pick in the 2023 draft who is a polished hitter, putting up an 8.3 BB% and 19.7 K% in 132 PA with the Nationals last season.
That small sample included 12 steals, which works out to a 50+ SB pace across 600 PA. Washington is a team that loves to run wild, leading MLB with 223 stolen bases last year. There's a legit path for Crews to get to 15 HR and 50 SB in his first full season.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
NFBC ADP: 139.41
Jasson Dominguez flashes the wheels yet again for his second stolen base of the day!#Yankees pic.twitter.com/jRFhUZhTlK
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) March 24, 2025
Jasson Dominguez is similar to Crews with his power and speed appeal. This is a 22-year-old hitter who put up 37+ SB in two seasons in the minors, back in 2022 and 2023. We also saw The Martian swipe five bags in only 67 plate appearances last year.
Playing in a lineup with Aaron Judge in a hitter-friendly ballpark gives Dominguez a favorable team context. Add in the prospect pedigree and you can see why there's league-winning appeal here. It wouldn't surprise me to see Dominguez put up a 20 HR, 35 SB season in a ceiling outcome.
Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs
NFBC ADP: 204.43
Matt Shaw is penciled in as the Cubs everyday third baseman. Here we have another top prospect, this time at a thin position in the hot corner. What's unique about Shaw is that he provides rare speed for 3B. This is a 23-year-old who racked up 31 steals in 523 plate appearances in the minors last season.
There's some power here as well, as that sample includes 21 homers. The Cubs finished with the eighth-most stolen bases last year, so perhaps they let Shaw run wild on the base paths. There's a ceiling for 20 HR and 30 SB here.
Jackson Jobe, SP, Detroit Tigers
NFBC ADP: 223.92
Jackson Jobe, 3107 RPM Sweeper. 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/uwa6xng6tP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 2, 2025
Jackson Jobe is an elite prospect who boasts a diverse arsenal that includes a 98 MPH fastball along with a cutter, sinker, curveball, and changeup, grading out as a 106 Stuff+ per Eno Sarris of The Athletic. This five-pitch mix gives Jobe ace potential.
We've seen the Tigers become terrific in pitching development -- just look at how they turned Tarik Skubal into a Cy Young winner and revived Jack Flaherty's career. Don't count out their chances at getting Jobe to put it all together. The 22-year-old put up 91.2 innings last year, so 130+ seems attainable this season.
Kristian Campbell, 2B, Boston Red Sox
NFBC ADP: 291.65
Kristian Campbell is one of the jewels of the Red Sox farm system, which is considered to be the best in MLB. The second baseman had an impressive 2024 season in the minors, registering a 180 wRC+ with 20 HR and 24 SB in 517 plate appearances. The 23-year-old won a spot as the primary second baseman, so he'll have a chance to run away with the job.
That's good news in an improved lineup that added Alex Bregman. Add in a favorable park in Fenway and we could see Campbell make a major impact right away. The ceiling looks like 20 HR/30 SB.
Kumar Rocker, SP, Texas Rangers
NFBC ADP: 291.65
Kumar Rocker's 8 Strikeouts. 😷 pic.twitter.com/zp8jCpb5x9
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 21, 2025
Kumar Rocker put up elite strikeout rates in the minors last season, including a 39.6 K% in 36.2 innings. While it's unlikely that we see more than 120-130 innings, that could come with strong ratios and elite strikeout potential. This is a 25-year-old righty with a dominant breaking ball, so expect a lot of whiffs here.
Playing for one of the best teams in the AL will also help give Rocker more chances for wins. We could see Rocker stick in the rotation all year long, especially with Cody Bradford and Jon Gray nursing injuries.
Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
NFBC ADP: 304.81
Roman Anthony is widely considered to be the top prospect in baseball, boasting elite plate discipline with power and speed that reminds me of Kyle Tucker and Christian Yelich. This is a player who posted a 14.6 BB%, 23.5 K%, and 149 wRC+ with 18 HR and 21 SB in 540 PA as a 20-year-old in the minors last year.
While we won't see Anthony in the big leagues on Opening Day, he has the talent to force his way into the lineup sooner rather than later. We just saw a 21-year-old in Jackson Merrill make a major impact as a rookie, so why not Anthony?
Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Houston Astros
NFBC ADP: 306.24
Cam Smith was one of the key pieces of the Tucker trade. We've seen the former Cubs prospect tear the cover off the ball in spring, slashing .342/.419/.711 with four homers in 43 plate appearances. The Astros have a thin outfield -- just look at how Jose Altuve was moved from 2B to LF -- so Smith could quickly establish himself as a fixture in right field.
What's great about Smith is the polished approach, as highlighted by his 11.2 BB% and 17.9 K% in the minors last year. This is still a strong lineup without Tucker, giving Smith a chance to still put up solid counting stats as well.
Bubba Chandler, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
NFBC ADP: 307.89
Top @Pirates prospect Bubba Chandler picks up his fourth strikeout of the day on a 100 MPH pitch 🔥 #SpringBreakout pic.twitter.com/18Odh7YPkK
— MLB (@MLB) March 14, 2025
Bubba Chandler is among the top pitching prospects in MLB, playing in a pitcher-friendly park in Pittsburgh with a team that has developed Paul Skenes and Jared Jones over the last year. We saw the 21-year-old put up an impressive 30.9 K% in 119.2 innings in the minors in 2024.
While Chandler's going to start the year in the minors, it's only a matter of time before he supplants the likes of Bailey Falter, Andrew Heaney, or Carmen Mlodzinski. It was only a year ago that fellow Pirates in Skenes and Jones made major impacts for fantasy baseball teams -- Chandler is up next.
Jack Leiter, SP, Texas Rangers
NFBC ADP: 307.89
Jack Leiter with 4 Consecutives 100 mph Heaters. 😳
T101 mph pic.twitter.com/DQ9umQ2RHF
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 22, 2025
Jack Leiter is similar to teammate Rocker in that he's an arm with a high strikeout upside. The difference here is that Leiter struggled to translate his 30+ K% in the minors to the majors, putting up a middling 17.9 K%. With that said, we've seen improvements during spring, where he's put up a 24.1 K%.
If Leiter can get off to a strong start, there's a reasonable chance that he can stick in the rotation. Unlike Rocker (36.2 IP), Leiter went more innings last year (120.2 IP), so there's more potential for volume here.
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