A reminder: This is ONLY players who have Rookie of the Year MLB eligibility, and ONLY a look at potential help for 2025.
That out of the way, here’s a look at the top prospects who can help your fantasy roster this season.
1. Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
2025 stats: 12 G, .256/.396/.488, 2 HR, 1 SB, 10 BB, 15 SO at Triple-A Worcester.
Anthony still hasn’t homered since a two-brom game in the opening weekend, but the hits are starting to fall for the wunderkind. He picked up seven hits over his last two games, and two of those were doubles. We talked about this last week, but it’s more than worth repeating: Anthony is going to be in this top spot until he’s called up, or if there’s something unforeseeable. Even without stolen bases, Anthony is the prospect fantasy managers should be rostering until he gets that call.
2. Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2025 stats: 15 G, .295/.403/.492, 2 HR, 4 SB, 9 BB, 21 SO at Triple-A Reno.
Lawlar is starting to drive the baseball, and he homered twice over his last four games. The 22-year-old has also shown an impressive approach at the plate; evident by a three-walk effort and 11 free passes over his last 10 games. The Lawlar situation is a tricky one for 2025 because it has the feel that the Diamondbacks want to call him up in a situation where he doesn’t need to be sent down. It’s far from a lock that will take place, but the ability to contribute in five categories makes him a player that has to be monitored. Has to be monitored is an understatement.
3. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
2025 stats: 14 G, .367/.409/.817, 7 HR, 0 SB, 5 BB, 15 So at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Kurtz continues to clobber minor-league pitching, and even in a game Sunday that saw his 12-game hitting streak come to an end, he was able to draw a pair of walks and score a run. The fourth-overall pick of last year’s draft has overmatched Triple-A pitching, and he’s shown offensive upside -- even in a relatively small sample -- that is matched by very, very few prospects. Sure the Athletics look set at first base and designated hitter right now with Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom. Kurtz is the type of player you make room for. That’s true for the A’s and should be true for fantasy managers, too.
4. Coby Mayo, 3B/1B, Baltimore Orioles
2025 stats: 14 G, .245/.371/.490, 3 HR, 1 SB, 11 BB, 15 SO at Triple-A Norfolk.
Mayo went through a power lull -- especially for him -- in the early portion of the season, but that appears to be coming to an end. He homered in back-to-back games over the weekend, and he drew five walks for good measure. Mayo was awful in his taste of MLB action last year, but the talent is obvious. The only reason he ranks this low is no obvious spot, but he’s good enough to force the Orioles to make a difficult decision. It wouldn’t be that difficult a decision to add him to my roster if he got the call.
5. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2025 stats: 3 G, 10.2 IP, 1.69 ERA, .118 BAA, 5 BB, 18 SO at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Chandler’s three starts haven’t seen him go deep, but those punchouts and batting average allowed tell you how good he’s been in the limited sample. The 22-year-old hurler has three pitches that get plus grade in his fastball, slider and change; and he’ll mix in a useable curve for good measure. He throws those offerings for strikes, and the command gets better and better. This is not the next Paul Skenes, but Chandler has the stuff to pitch near the top of a rotation, and he should absolutely be considered as soon as the Pirates decide to give him a chance.
Around the minors:
For the first time since 2022, Andrew Painter was able to pitch in a full-season game, and the results were mixed. He went 1 1/3 innings, gave up two runs, and he struck out three. While it would be great to talk about three scoreless frames and eight strikeouts, the important thing is seeing the 6-foot-7 hurler back on the bump. Simply put, no pitching prospect has better pure stuff, and he showed elite command of that arsenal before the injuries. Maybe he doesn’t make his debut in 2025, but considering he’s only 22 until next April, there’s no real rush -- for the Phillies, anyway. I wouldn’t rule out him helping in 2025, however, and boy oh boy could he help fantasy managers if that takes place; even if his innings are limited.
Colson Montgomery entered the 2024 season with an enormous amount of hype, and then hit .214 with 164 strikeouts in Triple-A. With Charlotte The 23-year-old has unfortunately gotten off to a slow start to 2025 while repeating the level, and slow start seems like an understatement. He did homer Sunday, but he’s now hitting a paltry .122/.204/.245 with 26 strikeouts in 49 at-bats. There’s plus power in his left-handed swing and the ball jumps off his bat, but obviously here’s too much swing and miss for that to play right now. You can’t completely rule out Montgomery being a fantasy contributor, but it’s hard to be too excited about him for 2025, anyway.
The Mariners have one of the top farm systems in baseball, and the player with the most offensive upside in that group -- with all due respect to a plethora of quality prospects -- is Lazaro Montes. Montes doubled and walked Sunday for High-A Everett, and the 6-foot-5 slugger has now hit .290/.452/.677 with a pair of homers over 31 at-bats with the AquaSox. Montes often gets compared to Yordan Alvarez because of his size and the insane exit velocity numbers he puts up, and while that’s not fair in terms of expectations for a player that doesn’t turn 21 until October, it’s not hard to understand why. You probably won’t see Montes until 2026 at the earliest and there’s risk in his profile, but the risk comes with a player who could hit for average and power at the highest level.
Cade Horton has made a pair of starts for Triple-A Iowa, and in those two outings he’s allowed just one run and four hits while holding hitters to a .167 average with a 14.7 K/9. That’s good. He’s also only thrown 7 1/3 innings in those outings and he’s issued seven walks in that time frame. That’s less good. When he’s at his best, the seventh-overall pick has an elite slider that gets double-plus grades, and he complements that pitch with a heater with a pitch that gets into the mid-to-high 90 mph range. Obviously the 23-year-old needs to start throwing more consistent strikes before he gets the call, but it’s worth pointing out that command hasn’t been a major issue in the past. Horton is definitely a name to keep an eye on as a potential fantasy contributor for 2025 and beyond.
