Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects - Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for 2025 (March Updates)

We're inching closer and closer to the start of the regular season, and we've had an exciting Spring Training so far. That's especially true on the prospect side, as some big-name fantasy baseball prospects are standing out while other names are emerging as early-season options.

We even have two members of last year's draft class who could make their respective team's opening day roster who I'll discuss a bit below.

Below, you'll find my updated Top 50 fantasy baseball rookies for the 2025 season, along with their respective ETAs and notes on several intriguing players. Not all of these players will be draft-worthy in 12 or 15-team leagues, but all 50 are either draftable, stashable, or worth monitoring as we enter the 2025 season.

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2025 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings for Redraft

These prospect rankings are for 2025 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2025.  You can also see our top fantasy baseball dynasty prospects rankings for longer-term outlooks and our 2025 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for all other league formats.

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs

It was recently announced that Matt Shaw would travel with the team to Japan for the opening two-game series against the Dodgers. It was a nice 2024 campaign for Shaw, who finished with 21 home runs and 31 steals in 121 games, and most of that damage was done over the final 4.5 months of the season after a slow first few weeks.

Shaw posted a 78.3% contact rate last season with a solid approach and above-average power and speed. A run at 20/20 as a rookie is a possibility.

Cam Smith, Houston Astros

Surprisingly, Cam Smith has a real shot to make the Astros out of camp. That's no knock on Smith, but it's surprising to see him in contention so soon, even getting some home runs in the outfield.

Cam Smith, @MLBPipeline's No. 59 overall prospect, goes the other way for his first #SpringTraining home run 💪 pic.twitter.com/5sNQU849E2

— MLB (@MLB) February 25, 2025

After a dominant final season at Florida State, Smith posted a 78.5% contact rate and sub-10% swinging strike rate in the minors after the draft. His plus power fits very well in Houston. If he does make the team, Smith would have immediate mixed-league fantasy appeal.

Christian Moore, Los Angeles Angels

Another American League West prospect with a chance to make the team out of camp is Christian Moore. However, I'm less optimistic here. The long-term upside is a Top-10 second baseman, but Moore had a 29.6% strikeout rate and 65.1% contact rate in Double-A last season. All that gets remembered, however, is the initial home run barrage.

Moore could really benefit from time in the upper minors, but the Angels are going to Angel here, as they usually do. Given the above concerns, I'm not looking to invest initially in redraft leagues.

Will Warren, New York Yankees

Due to the injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, Will Warren will be a part of the Yankees' rotation to open the season. Warren has been pitching very well this spring with a 2.87 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 16/3 K/BB ratio in 15.2 innings so far. Warren will mix five pitches and can command all five fairly well. While it was a tough 2024 season both in the minors and Majors for Warren, there's some appeal here, given his ability to miss bats (28% K in 2024).

Will Warren Weekend Work 👏 pic.twitter.com/OFQveH6ZKS

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 15, 2025

Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves

With Sean Murphy out for the next month or two with a cracked rib, the door is wide open for Drake Baldwin to receive regular playing time behind the plate to open the season. Baldwin slashed .276/.370/.423 in the minors last season with a 13.1% walk rate, 17.2% strikeout rate, 81.3% contact rate, and a 53% hard-hit rate.

The blend of contact, approach, and power makes Baldwin intriguing as long as he's playing regularly for Atlanta. Just remember, the playing time situation gets pretty murky once Murphy returns from the IL.

Additional Rookie Notes

Hyeseong Kim, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kim was optioned to Triple-A recently and is no longer a late-round flier in 12/15-team mixed leagues. The contact and speed combination could still bring fantasy value when he gets called up though.

Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians: Unfortunately, DeLauter is hurt again and will miss the first several weeks of the season. I'll continue to say that DeLauter is a Top-10 prospect talent when healthy, but his durability is really concerning.

Agustin Ramirez, Miami Marlins: If you have the bench space, I love Agustin Ramirez as an upside flier this season. Ramirez slashed .267/.358/.487 with 25 home runs and 22 steals last season and should be up early for the Marlins, given their lack of adequate catching options. Don't expect a ton of steals, but the bat could be impactful.

Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox: With Colson Montgomery being optioned to Triple-A, that opens the door for Chase Meidroth to make this White Sox team. The power/speed upside is minimal, but Meidroth has an elite contact/approach blend with an 18.3% walk rate, 12.2% strikeout rate, 93.6% zone contact rate, and an 89.4% overall contact rate in 2024.

Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies: Even though he won't debut until June/July, Painter still ranks highly above as the impact in the second half could be massive. In FAAB leagues, this is a prospect who will go for more than 50% of FAAB budget in most cases, so it's more beneficial to be ahead of the game and stash Painter before that happens. In leagues with deeper benches, he's an easy stash, but you'll be better off waiting until May/June or so if you have smaller benches.

Jacob Melton, Houston Astros: While the talk of Astros camp is Cam Smith, don't sleep on Jacob Melton this season. Melton had 15 home runs and 30 steals in just 105 games last season, with a 79.8% contact rate. There's an intriguing five-category upside here, so don't let the non-sexy slash line in the minors last season fool you.

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