As we inch closer to Spring Training, one of the biggest topics on the minds of the baseball world is which prospects will emerge as big leaguers in 2025. Consider my recent article, Which 2024 Draft Pick Will Debut First? In this piece, I speculate on what top prospects might debut in 2025. However, the reveal of the new MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects list reshuffles the deck to some extent.
Top 10 MLB Prospects
1. Roki Sasaki, RHP, Dodgers
2. Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox
3. Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins
4. Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals
5. Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers
6. Max Clark, OF, Tigers
7. Kristian Campbell, 2B/SS/OF, Red Sox
8. Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
9. Carson Williams, SS, Rays
10. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians
Made in Japan
It’s no surprise that the recent signing of Roki Sasaki by the Dodgers made a huge splash in the baseball world. Sasaki enters MLB with a career 2.02 ERA, .883 WHIP and 524 strikeouts in his four year Japan Pacific League career. Sasaki is projected to start with Triple-A Oklahoma City and make is big league debut sometime this season. The long-term signing of Shohei Ohtani is likely a major factor in the Dodgers ability to land top Japanese talent. Sasaki may also soon join another young Japanese pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in Dodgers rotation. As if Los Angeles needed more stars on an already loaded roster, they are quickly the MLB destination for the top talent from the JPPL.
Red Sox and Tigers
Another notable element of the Top 10 list is that both the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers account for 40% of these prospects. Jackson Jobe and Max Clark hold their ranking from 2024 at #5 and #6. Jobe saw actions with the Tigers at the tail end of 2024 and into the postseason. He is likely to earn a spot in the Tigers rotation for Opening Day. I’ve covered Max Clark on this website, most extensively in Prospects on Deck: OF Max Clark — Tigers. Clark has the potential to be the player with the highest upside of all.
Boston turned a corning in 2024, competing in a tough division all the way up to the end. As they look to compete with the young, talented Orioles, an improved Blue Jays and freshly stocked Yankees team, their farm system may be their biggest asset. Outfielder Roman Anthony jumped from #3 to #2 on the list and Kristian Campbell from #10 to #7. Just behind them, shortstop Marcelo Mayer dropped slightly from #7 to #12. All three are projected to get the call up to Boston this season.
Ups and Downs
One of the biggest moves from 2024 to 2025 is Phillies RHP Andrew Painter. Painter placed #32 overall in 2024 and has jumped all the way to #8 in 2025. Adding Painter into an already dangerous Philly rotation could cause fits for NL East rivals. Meanwhile, both Dylan Crews and Carson Williams dropped, but still remain in the Top 10. Crews moved from #1 to #4 and Williams from #4 to #9. Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo dropped out of the Top 10, shifting from #8 to #14. The #1 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, Travis Bazzana (Guardians) moved into the #10 spot.
As the 2025 season approaches, it will be interesting to track this list of baseball’s most promising young talent. Who knows, some of them may be the next legend on deck.
