UPDATE:

With the J15 class signed and some trades changing player values, we felt it was appropriate to update our FYPD list. Now included are all relevant J15 signings slotted in where we feel they will be valued in most dynasty leagues. We also adjusted some players who have changed addresses since this list first posted. Big thanks to Matt Thompson for his hard work on this; the list is now 206 names long!  

Happy New Year, Prospects Live subscribers! We hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's celebration and is ready for 2025! What better way to ring in the new year than a fresh (and very deep) FYPD list for your upcoming drafts? Matt Thompson, Drew Wheeler, and Greg Hoogkamp have put together this comprehensive list (along with a few other members of the dynasty team sprinkled in) to give you as much information and insight as possible. The MLB draft is unlike any other in professional sports, and while the first round or two can yield some promising talent, there are always diamonds in the rough that are discovered in the later rounds. We have given you 170 names to digest and highlight strengths and weaknesses for all of them. Best of luck with your drafts. We hope this helps you dominate!

1. Roki Sasaki, LAD RHP

Long considered the finest baseball prospect in open-universe leagues, 23-year-old Roki Sasaki is poised to join an MLB franchise this offseason and should immediately slot into not only the top spot in FYPD drafts and the top spot in any prospect list that includes him but in all likelihood, lists of the top 50-75 dynasty baseball assets overall. While his “Monster of the Reiwa Era” nickname refers to his 101 MPH fastball in high school, which broke Shohei Ohtani’s record, he sits high-90s with the pitch, which has received scrutiny for its shape this offseason; it is most commonly accepted as an arm-slot shift and different approach angle allowed more contact and less velocity in 2024. Metrics imply the pitch will still be plus, but ‘plus-plus’ may be a bit overreaching. Beyond the heater, Sasaki offers a curveball, slider, and a stellar fork splitter, which employs gyroscopic arm-side movement – yummy. Consider, if this were a collegiate senior, you’d be giddy to snap him up – do not let the ‘NPB vs. MLB’ nonsense pollute a perfectly logical decision. Sasaki has thrown a perfect game professionally, set NPB strikeout records, and has been compared to Stephen Strasburg by MLB executives. With the Dodgers he will be eased in with a 6-man rotation and the best analytics department money can buy. He should be either the first pick in your FYPD draft or ineligible therein. – Drew Wheeler

2. Travis Bazzana, CLE 2B

The top pick in the draft, Bazzana checks all of the boxes and is pretty easily the top bat in FYPDs. The Australian does everything offensively, showing power and speed with batting average and on-base upside. No real weakness combined with significant upside. He’s a top-15 fantasy prospect out of the gate. - Matt Thompson

3. JJ Wetherholt, STL 2B/SS

Wetherholt might be the best hitter in the draft, and lingering hamstring issues pushed him down to the Cardinals at seventh overall. Don’t sleep on his power despite the smaller frame, as the former West Virginia Mountaineer has 25-homer upside. Will either settle in at second or third base. - Matt Thompson

4. Nick Kurtz, ATH 1B

Kurtz would top this list if we were ranking by floor. His approach at the plate is a hitting coach’s dream; he manages the strike zone as well as any prospect in the game. Kurtz also offers a plus hit/power combination that should make him one of the top first basemen in the game for a long time. When he’s slumping, Kurtz will still get on base because of his great eye, but when he’s hot, watch out! He handles LHP and RHP equally and doesn’t struggle with a particular pitch type. He's also a skilled fielder, which will keep him in the lineup every day. Kurtz is a 4-category stud who you will not regret drafting in the top 5 (even top 3) picks of your FYPD. - Greg Hoogkamp

5. Chase Burns, CIN RHP

Burns is electricity personified with his high-octane fastball and wipeout slider. After transferring from Tennessee, he dominated in his Junior season at Wake Forest, striking out 48.8% of the hitters he faced. Burns has the talent and potential to headline a pitching staff for a long time. Burns’ Achilles heel in college was the long ball, and pitching his home games in “Great American Smallpark” is obviously not ideal. He will have to harness this in order to reach his sky-high ceiling. - Greg Hoogkamp

6. Cam Smith, HOU 3B

The former Florida State Seminole was fantastic during his professional debut, hitting his way up to Double-A, up FYPD lists, and likely into the top ten in your upcoming drafts. With big power and athleticism combined with an average or better hit tool, Smith was a key cog in the Kyle Tucker to the Cubs trade, and the trade to the Astros provides him with a slight boost in long-term value. - Matt Thompson

7. Hagen Smith, CHW LHP 

The 1A to Chase Burns’ 1, Smith lands in an interesting landing spot as the White Sox have a strong track record developing low-slot left-handed starters. Smith’s fastball and slider are plus or better offerings, but he needs to develop a third pitch. His college numbers were insane; he had a 48.6% strikeout rate and held opposing hitters to a .144 average. Rare ace upside here. - Matt Thompson

8. Christian Moore, LAA 2B

The spark plug for the 2024 NCAA Champion Vols, Christian Moore has shown ability to act as a catalyst for a rowdy, homer-merchant offense and has all the power befitting this role; in 2024, Moore had stellar velocity showings (average exit 96.3, 90th percentile 110.6, max exit 117 on a bomb in Omaha) and flashed all of it in a dynamic pro debut, among the best of the class. The 21-year-old showed a top-of-class ability to hit for contact, power, and extra bases and has room for growth with greater plate discipline. Defensively, Moore can handle the middle-infield dirt, but it’s heroics in the vein of his CWS cycle that will (justifiably) drive his draft price to the mid-first round in FYPDs. The Angels’ propensity for rapid promotion may stunt what he could have been in a more progressive development org, but CMo will be a big part of the next Angels core, and a fantasy darling players will love – though likely not as much as I will. – Drew Wheeler

9. Jac Caglianone, KC 1B/LHP

Cags is a physical specimen and there isn’t much he can’t do on a baseball field. Blasting EVs over 120 mph and lighting up the radar gun at triple digits are all things he can do without any exaggeration. The Royals seem committed to at least trying Caglianone as a two-way player, but his true value in fantasy will be as a hitter. Cags is unique because he has top-of-the-scale power and does not swing and miss very often; his downside is that he swings at everything! Overaggressive hitters often play into the pitcher's hands by getting themselves out, and Caglianone has been a victim of this. He is especially susceptible to pitches down in the zone, leading to an undesirably high ground ball rate, which is not great for a slugger. As is, Cags is a bit of a risky player to spend a first round FYPD pick on, but if the Royals can get him to tone down his swing rate, the sky's the limit for his potential, and maybe even higher. - Greg Hoogkamp

10. Charlie Condon, COL 3B/OF

Condon hit 37 homers in 60 college games, the most ever in a single season since the switch to BBCOR bats. The elite exit velocity numbers from college followed him to pro ball, and getting this type of power upside in Coors is exciting. He played through a hand injury during his brief professional debut, and that, plus his sudden inability to handle spin (which wasn’t an issue while looking at his college data), does raise some red flags. - Matt Thompson