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Unlike regular fantasy baseball leagues, participating in fantasy baseball dynasty leagues requires preparing for the future, not just a single season. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a team capable of sustainable long-term success. It's certainly important to have current superstars, but Father Time is undefeated. Eventually, the need for reinforcements is inevitable.
As a result, meticulous prospect management is crucial. Just like a real MLB franchise, the fate of your team is dictated by the players of tomorrow. However, evaluating who will flourish (along with who will flounder) can feel like rocket science. On one hand, a top prospect can crash and burn. On the other, a complete unknown can go from off-the-radar to perennial All-Star. At the end of the day, it's an inherent gamble.
That being said, there are certainly riskier bets than others. Having a list of top prospects is impossible without a few landmines. This article will cover a few of the landmines worth avoiding (or trading away) in your 2025 dynasty leagues.
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Ethan Salas, C, San Diego Padres
Age: 18 years old
MLB.com Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 45
2024 High-A Stats (111 G): .206/.288/.311 (75 wRC+), 27 2B, 4 HR, 10 SB, 47:98 BB/SO
This is not to call Salas a bust -- not at all. Don't get it twisted; he could certainly blossom into an outstanding big-leaguer. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the No. 2 overall catching prospect, according to MLB.com.
It's important to understand how many talented young catchers there are. All things considered, Salas is one of the riskier bets amongst his fellow top-ten catching prospects. He's incredibly young (18) and has a lot of development to do before he makes an impact at the big-league level. If that's a risk you're willing to take, go for it. The upside is clearly there.
Overall, this would be a different story if there weren't such a plethora of intriguing young backstops. If Salas were head-and-shoulders above the pack, he'd be a must-have. Salas could certainly blossom into a fantastic player, but the pros of rostering him won't outweigh the cons until his on-field performance reflects his prospect pedigree (which, again, is totally possible).
Ethan Salas walked away from the season with clear developmental to-dos as he prepared for the AFL:
Sharpen his barrel accuracy, stay on time against different types of pitches and stay in the big part of the field.
It paid dividends. https://t.co/lP5RV6iMF6 pic.twitter.com/DCKtB4hsDA
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 17, 2024
Colson Montgomery, SS, Chicago White Sox
Age: 23 years old
MLB.com Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50
2024 Triple-A Stats (130 G): .214/.329/.381 (88 wRC+), 21 2B, 18 HR, 8 SB, 69:164 BB/SO
After a stellar 2023 campaign, Montgomery struggled with Triple-A Charlotte in 2024. Both his strikeout and walk rate trended significantly in the wrong direction.
More time to develop in the minor leagues would certainly give Montgomery a chance to turn things around (he hits the ball incredibly hard and consistently produces impressive launch angles), but it looks like the White Sox are planning to have him on their major-league roster as early as Opening Day.
If Montgomery makes his MLB debut at the beginning of 2025, it's hard to believe that a .710 OPS in Triple-A will translate well to the majors. Could things "click" for him at the big-league level? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not anytime soon.
Similar to Ethan Salas, Montgomery doesn't necessarily stand out at his position. Rather than waiting on (and hoping for) Montgomery to figure things out, you're better off investing in a more sure-fire shortstop. However, if his performance in this year's Arizona Fall League (.313/.511/.656, 10:6 BB/SO) is an indication of what's to come, I may end up eating my words.
The Chicago White Sox have selected the contract of Colson Montgomery. The infielder is now added to the 40-man roster. pic.twitter.com/fHDBh6s1VH
— Milb Central (@milb_central) November 19, 2024
Brock Wilken, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Age: 22 years old
MLB.com Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 30
2024 Double-A Stats (108 G): .199/.312/.363 (105 wRC+), 15 2B, 17 HR, 63:133 BB/SO
The 2024 season was especially unkind to Wilken, who suffered a fastball to the face and finished with a batting average below the Mendoza Line. There's no doubting his power potential, but it seems like a "swing-big, miss-big" mentality could stunt this college standout's development.
Like most of the players on this list, there are just far safer bets at his position than Wilken. However, third base isn't exactly oozing with talent. Right now, both corner infield spots are unusually weak, so you need to land a high-end third-base prospect before shifting gears to catchers, middle infielders, and outfielders.
Wilken's power upside may eventually shine in the majors, but he's nonetheless a riskier third-base option.
Young stars like Cam Collier (No. 7 overall third-base prospect, per MLB.com), Coby Mayo (No. 1), Matt Shaw (No. 2), Cam Smith (No. 5), and Braden Taylor (No. 3) highlight the hot corner's best options before a noticeable drop-off. As for Wilken, the stress of hoping he improves his bat-to-ball skills isn't worth the potential upside.
#Brewers 2023 first-rounder Brock Wilken drills 14 homers in Round 1 of the AFL Home Run Derby! pic.twitter.com/Er9Xq0cEZa
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 9, 2024
Chase Dollander, SP, Colorado Rockies
Age: 23 years old
MLB.com Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50
2024 MiLB Stats (118 IP): 2.59 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 47:169 BB/SO
Call it low-hanging fruit, but it's almost impossible to feel good about a pitcher's chances of success when Coors Field is their home ballpark. That isn't Dollander's fault; it's just the way it is. He's got tons of talent, but so do a lot of young hurlers who won't make half their starts a mile above sea level.
Don't get it wrong, Dollander was remarkable in 2024. He could very well evolve into a dominant big-league starter, but why take the risk? If he were ever traded, his ceiling would skyrocket, but it's hard to imagine he'll reach his full potential in purple pinstripes.
With so many talented pitching prospects, it's probably best to let someone else have Dollander on their squad. It just isn't worth the stress of Coors Field.
Which members of the @Rockies' Top 30 Prospects list could be in contention for Opening Day roster spots?
Top 100 overall prospects Chase Dollander and Zac Veen, to name a few. pic.twitter.com/9877IYhy8z
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 10, 2024
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