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When fantasy baseball players begin their first-year player drafts this year, they will have 2022 MLB draftees, foreign imports from Asia, and January 15 signees to sift through.
There can be a lot of static in those stats, especially when you are dealing with minor-league players and some fantasy baseball prospects who haven't even played in the minors yet.
To give at least a start into the messiness of sorting through all of those players, here are the top 25 first-year player rankings for 2023 FYPD drafts.
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FYPD Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball
| Ranking | Player | Pos | Team | Age |
| 1 | Jackson Holliday | SS | BAL | 19 |
| 2 | Druw Jones | OF | ARI | 19 |
| 3 | Termarr Johnson | 2B | PIT | 18 |
| 4 | Cam Collier | 3B | CIN | 18 |
| 5 | Kodai Senga | SP | NYM | 30 |
| 6 | Brooks Lee | SS | MIN | 21 |
| 7 | Gavin Cross | OF | KC | 21 |
| 8 | Masataka Yoshida | OF | BOS | 29 |
| 9 | Elijah Green | OF | WAS | 19 |
| 10 | Zach Neto | SS | LAA | 22 |
| 11 | Chase DeLauter | OF | CLE | 21 |
| 12 | Kevin Parada | C | NYM | 21 |
| 13 | Jett Williams | SS | NYM | 19 |
| 14 | Drew Gilbert | OF | HOU | 22 |
| 15 | Dalton Rushing | C | LAD | 21 |
| 16 | Dylan Lesko | SP | SD | 19 |
| 17 | Jace Jung | 2B | DET | 22 |
| 18 | Spencer Jones | OF | NYY | 21 |
| 19 | Jacob Berry | 3B | MIA | 21 |
| 20 | Justin Crawford | OF | PHI | 19 |
| 21 | Cole Young | SS | SEA | 19 |
| 22 | Cooper Hjerpe | SP | STL | 21 |
| 23 | Cade Horton | SP | CHC | 21 |
| 24 | Daniel Susac | C | OAK | 21 |
| 25 | Cayden Wallace | 3B | KC | 21 |
FYPD Prospects Rankings Analysis
The 2023 FYPD class is headlined by Jackson Holliday and Druw Jones, both children of former All-Star Major League Baseball players. Holliday is on top here as both players are very impressive, but Holliday is perhaps the one of the two that will move more quickly and will play on the infield with strong offensive skills. Termarr Johnson and Cam Collier are two of the most pure hitters at their age in years. From there, it gets more difficult to rank.
Kodai Senga should open the season in the New York Mets' rotation, and the ability to immediately plug him into a major league role out of the FYPD could encourage him to rank even higher for some, but the transition from NPB to MLB could be something that is immediate for Senga or could take him multiple months of 2023 to get his footing in the majors. Masataka Yoshida will likely open the season in the Boston Red Sox lineup, where his on-base skills will allow him to rack up plenty of R/RBI, but whether he offers much in the way of power remains to be seen.
The college crop in the 2022 class is very deep, with Brooks Lee of the Minnesota Twins the top-ranked player in our rankings, but with many excellent options throughout the top 25 and multiple players who would rank from 26-50 in a top 50 list. Lee, Gavin Cross of the Kansas City Royals, Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels, Kevin Parada of the New York Mets, Drew Gilbert of the Houston Astros, and Dalton Rushing of the Los Angeles Dodgers have impressive bats that should allow them to move quickly.
Outfielders Elijah Green of the Washington Nationals and Spencer Jones of the New York Yankees are very volatile players that may need to be selected ahead of the rank listed here in order to be secured, and either player could lay claim to the highest ceiling in the draft class, however, they both have notable floors as well due to a proclivity to strike out and long swings. High-risk, high reward is the play with both players.
Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter has an impressive bat, but his competition level in college was lower and could lead to a longer adjustment time in the minors than a typical college hitter. Jace Jung has an impressive profile at the plate, with excellent on-base skills, but where he ends up defensively is yet to be determined. Jacob Berry is a guy who hasn't shown the power that a guy likely headed to a first base profile really needs to going forward.
While the Athletics have a catcher of the future in Shea Langeliers, Daniel Susac has a bat-first profile that could pair well with Langeliers' excellent defense as he works his way up the system. Cayden Wallace was a draft-eligible sophomore that the Kansas City Royals snagged. He has impressive raw power that could allow him to move quickly at the hot corner.
Jett Williams and Justin Crawford are both elite athletes with tremendous speed that could become elite stolen base contributors down the line. The Mariners' selection of Cole Young gave them a polished shortstop that allowed for the trade of multiple infield prospects in the Luis Castillo deal.
Dylan Lesko very well might have been a top-ten selection in the draft if it were not for Tommy John surgery before the draft. Even then, he was still picked 15th overall, giving an indication of the quality of stuff that he has. Cade Horton was one of the highest-rising arms in the draft before the Cubs selected him. With two elite pitches, he has a floor of a dominant reliever if he doesn't work as a starter. While Cooper Hjerpe has yet to make his pro debut for the Cardinals, he has three strong pitches from the left side that should allow him to move quickly through the St. Louis system.
Beyond this top 25, high school pitching and college hitting would populate the remainder of a top-50 or top-100 list as this year's crop is heavy in both groups. The top international signees from January 15 would come in the 40-50 range in most FYPD drafts at the soonest if you're willing to take that risk. Ethan Salas, a catcher signed by the San Diego Padres, and Felnen Celesten, an infielder signed by the Seattle Mariners, would be the first players to consider from the international signees, and they would fall in that range.
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