If you were fortunate enough to have Jackson Merrill or Paul Skenes on a fantasy baseball roster last season — or Corbin Carroll in 2023, or Spencer Strider in 2022 — then you certainly don’t need convincing about the potential impact of rookies.
Every year, without fail, top prospects are among the most valuable players in our game.
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The trick, of course, is to identify the specific rookies who will actually excel in any given season, recognizing that most of them will struggle. While the Merrill and Skenes managers were thriving in 2024, anyone who drafted Jackson Holliday, Junior Caminero, Evan Carter or Noelvi Marte was not entirely pleased. It’s not as if the immediate success rate on prospects is high. However, the draft cost is typically low, which means that hitting on the right prospect can be a decisive, league-winning event.
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Today, we offer a collection of 2025 rookies capable of tilting the title odds in your favor.
Roki Sasaki, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Under normal circumstances, it feels a little unfair to include veteran international professionals among the prospects. But the 23-year-old Sasaki is actually age-appropriate for this feature.
Many of you no doubt became aware of Roki back in 2023, when he was firing untouchable 102-mph heat past the helpless hitters of the WBC. The fastball might not actually be the best weapon in his arsenal. His splitter is truly an obscenity, not subject to the laws of physics as they are commonly understood.
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Just look at this thing. Absolutely vicious. Good luck, batters:
Sasaki never reached 130 innings in any of his four seasons in Japan, and his velocity was mildly diminished last year (though still elite). It’s not as if there are zero concerns here. He has no obvious path to a significant innings total in his first MLB season, because he’s one of many aces on the Dodgers staff — a team that could easily roll out an eight-man rotation if they chose to do it.
Still, even if we only get 120-140 frames from Roki, his innings should be of the highest quality. He was routinely hitting 99 mph in his first spring start, so let’s not be overly concerned about velocity. You want him.
Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
Crews is only barely still a prospect after seeing 132 plate appearances for the Nats last season. He did not exactly make the game look easy at all times (.641 OPS), but he did clear the fences three times and he swiped a dozen bags over 31 games.
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Crews had a legendary collegiate career at LSU, slashing a ridiculous .426/.567/.713 as a junior, and he’s demonstrated an ability to adapt and adjust successfully at each professional level. He’s also off to a blistering start this spring and he’s set some lofty (also fantasy-friendly) goals for himself in his first full MLB season. It’s easy to imagine Crews as a 20-30-.310 hitter in his best years.
Matt Shaw, 2B/SS/3B, Chicago Cubs
Shaw has an almost unreasonably favorable fantasy profile, including multi-position eligibility. He launched 21 homers and stole 31 bases in the high minors last season while batting .284. His production actually improved when he reached Triple-A (.298/.395/.534), which is always nice to see. He was slowed by an oblique issue early in the spring, but he’s returned to action in recent days, an obviously positive sign. There’s simply no question that he’s the future at third base for the Cubs, and, if he approaches his ceiling, he’s a potential five-category fantasy asset.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
First of all, there should be no doubting the tools that Dominguez brings to the party. He has certainly earned his hype.
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Dominguez famously made his debut with the Yankees at age 20, homered off Justin Verlander on his first swing in the majors, then hit three more bombs within his first seven games. Unfortunately, a torn UCL derailed the phenom’s first big league experience. He’s expected to make New York’s opening day roster as the team’s starting left-fielder, a spot at which he is still very much a work in progress. He’s perhaps not a great bet to hit for average in his first full season, but his 20/20 (or 30/30) upside is pretty clear. Dominguez stole 40 bases in the minors back in 2023 and 37 the season before.
Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
Boston has a trio of high-level hitting prospects who are basically all fully seasoned and ready to go. Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Meyer have all proven themselves in the high minors and the entire group ranks among everyone’s top-10 or 15 prospects. Campbell was actually last season’s minor league player of the year, yet he’s not even the guy who gets the blurb in our prospect feature. Again, the Red Sox simply have an abundance of talent in the minors, ready to claim spots on the big league roster.
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Anthony is coming off an 18/21 season in the high minors with 54 extra-base hits, a .291 average and an OPS of .894. When he reached Triple-A, he was an almost impossible out (.344/.463/.519). Anthony raced out to a big start this spring before he fell victim to whatever gross gastrointestinal plague is ravaging the Red Sox roster. Even if he opens the season in the minors along with Campbell and Meyer, it’s not as if Boston’s major league lineup is so loaded that these guys are hopelessly blocked.
Jackson Jobe, P, Detroit Tigers
Jobe is a 22-year-old right-hander with a deep arsenal, including a fastball that can touch 100. Also, he talks like he’s some salty, haggard closer from 1982, which is absolutely delightful.
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Jobe was mostly dominant at Double-A last season, delivering a 1.95 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 81 Ks over 73.2 innings. He hasn’t yet reached 100 IP in any professional season, so it seems unlikely he’ll top 130 as a rookie (which of course is fine in the current era). If the command improves just a bit, he can be a legit fantasy starter and certainly a difference-maker for Detroit.
Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B, Miami Marlins
You won’t find De Los Santos near the top of anyone’s prospect ranks in all likelihood, but he absolutely has a shot to make a fantasy splash. Last season, at three different stops in the high minors, he banged out 40 home runs, drove in 120 and slashed .294/.343/.571. He also struck out 144 times, so there are no guarantees about his batting average when he faces big league pitching. But when this gentleman makes contact, he hits moonshots. In terms of pure power, few prospects can match him. De Los Santos pretty clearly has Jake Burger-ish upside.
Noah Schultz, SP, Chicago White Sox
Schultz is a gigantic human (6-foot-10) with a devastatingly effective slider that routinely shames left-handed hitters. It’s unclear how any LHB is supposed to deal with his variety of horizontal movement. Schultz whiffed 115 batters over 88.1 minor league innings last season, allowing just three homers and maintaining a sub-1.00 WHIP. His arrival in the big leagues, whenever it happens, will be an actionable fantasy event.
