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Lauren analyzes top fantasy baseball prospects risers, fallers, sleepers and busts for 2025. Her MLB rookies report for Week 15 and recently promoted prospects.
Welcome to Week 15 of RotoBaller's Rookie Report! Last week, we spotlighted Jacob Misiorowski, Cam Smith, and Nick Kurtz.
This time, we’re turning our attention to Mick Abel, Chase Burns, and Roman Anthony, who are all former top prospects who recently made their debuts and have experienced mixed results at the major league level.
We’ll break down what they've done well, what they haven't, and what fantasy managers should expect from them moving forward as the 2025 season rolls on.
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Mick Abel, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
On May 18, Abel made his long-awaited MLB debut. It was a long road to this moment for the 23-year-old, and he dazzled against the Pittsburgh Pirates across six shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out nine batters in a 1-0 Phillies win.
Unfortunately, it was only a spot start for the right-hander in the wake of Aaron Nola's placement on the injured list. Abel was optioned to Triple-A following a game in which he outdueled Paul Skenes. It didn't seem right, but this wouldn't be the last he'd see of the majors this season.
Track Record:
Abel was a first-round pick out of high school in the 2020 MLB Draft. Due to the pandemic, he didn't begin his professional career until 2021, when he made 14 starts at Low-A, striking out 66 batters in 44.2 innings with a 4.43 ERA. He had some command issues, but impressed with his stuff and ability to miss bats. He started the 2022 campaign at High-A, making 18 appearances, and once again struggled with control, allowing 38 runs and walking 38 in 85.1 innings. However, he struck out 103 and kept opponents to a .230 batting average. The 4.01 ERA wasn't ideal, but perhaps it was a bit deceiving. He was promoted to Double-A before the season ended, starting five games, walking 12, and striking out 27 in 23 innings.
In 2023, Abel tossed 108.2 more frames at Double-A with a 4.14 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. While he allowed 15 home runs and walked 62 batters, the Oregon native had 126 K and kept batters to a .188 average. He then reached Triple-A, making just one start there in 2023. By now, Andrew Painter was the Phillies' pitching prospect that everyone talked about, and new names began to sneak into their prospect rankings. Abel fell out of favor, and he didn't help his cause in 2024 when his strikeout rate went down slightly, and he walked a career-high 78 batters across 108.2 innings in 24 starts.
At that point, it seemed the former top prospect would never make his debut for Philadelphia. Fortunately for Abel, he was still young, allowing him some more time to get things right. When 2025 rolled around, he experienced somewhat of a renaissance on the mound. Before his call-up to the bigs, Abel had a 2.53 ERA in eight starts, walking 19 and striking out 51 in 46.1 innings with a 49% groundball rate and 51% flyball rate.
Outlook:
Abel made two solid starts in Triple-A following his MLB debut before being recalled on June 4. His next three starts in the bigs weren't perfect, but weren't bad, either. He posted a 3.14 ERA and 5.74 FIP with eight strikeouts and four walks across 14.1 innings. His last two starts were where things got ugly, surrendering four home runs against the Mets on June 21, and walking five batters and allowing five runs on two hits vs. the Padres on July 2 after striking out the first two batters of the game.
Mick Abel's 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/4Hq29o3tJ7
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 2, 2025
Abel was optioned to Triple-A on July 4. As for what the future holds for him, that remains a mystery. This may be just who Abel is -- a mixed bag. He has upside, as he'll be turning just 24 in August and has only six big league starts under his belt. Nevertheless, he has struggled to throw strikes, and batters are hitting .270 against his fastball. As a result, he may need to incorporate more of his breaking pitches, such as his curveball and slider, which opponents aren't seeing as well.
Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Unlike Abel, it didn't take Burns long to receive the call to the majors and was predicted to make an immediate impact in the Reds' rotation. The 22-year-old made a great first impression against the Yankees in his debut, striking out the first five batters he faced, becoming the first pitcher since at least 1961 to achieve such a feat. He finished with eight strikeouts over five innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Did Chase Burns just toss the greatest first inning of a Major League debut?
Holy smokes. pic.twitter.com/bFxvcHW3OP
— OnBaseMachine (@RedsFan_Brandon) June 24, 2025
Track Record:
Burns was initially selected in the 2021 draft by the San Diego Padres but chose not to sign. He went on to become the second overall pick of the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest, which has been a hub for MLB talent over the last few years. Before transferring to Wake Forest, Burns starred for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he was named Freshman Pitcher of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2022 after posting a 2.91 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 80.1 innings pitched.
He converted to a reliever during his sophomore campaign in 2023 after struggling as a starter. Burns had a 4.25 ERA with 114 strikeouts across 72 innings out of the bullpen. He entered the transfer portal at the end of the season and went back to starting after joining the Demon Deacons. Despite being at Wake Forest for just one year, Burns' 191 strikeouts in a single season set a school record, and he was named Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year.
One season was all he needed in the minors, too, beginning in 2025 at High-A and finishing in Triple-A before being promoted at the end of June. Burns had a 1.77 ERA in 13 starts, alongside 89 strikeouts and 13 walks in 66 innings.
Outlook:
Burns' first career start wasn't perfect, but he offset his shortcomings with his ability to miss bats. The same could not be said for his second start against the Boston Red Sox. He logged just one out before being removed from the game after surrendering five runs on seven hits, walking two, and striking out none. That said, it was only his second time facing a major league lineup. Growing pains are to be expected, especially considering he was drafted only a year ago and spent a short time in the minor leagues.
Plus, Burns' stuff is too good not to translate well in the majors. What he demonstrated during his start against the Yankees was a mere preview of things to come. His fastball has touched 102 mph and averages 98.4 mph while he mixes in a devastating slider and an occasional changeup. Velocity certainly isn't an issue for Burns, but he must work on his fastball command moving forward, as opponents are hitting an inflated .462 against it thus far.
Roman Anthony, RF, Boston Red Sox
We took a look at Anthony only a few days after his debut on June 9. About a month into his major league career, it's time we once again check in on his performance, especially as more pressure mounts for the top prospect to meet expectations offensively in the wake of the shocking Rafael Devers trade.
Track Record:
Anthony was selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but it wasn’t until the 2023 season that he truly caught the attention of scouts around the league. That year, he launched 12 home runs in High-A while producing an impressive .294/.412/.569 slash line. After opening the season in Low-A, he finished it in Double-A, where he posted a 1.020 OPS over a 10-game stretch.
He returned to Double-A in 2024 and continued to show advanced offensive skills, racking up 38 extra-base hits and drawing 48 walks, thanks to his disciplined approach at the plate. After 94 career games at that level, Anthony earned a promotion to Triple-A and didn’t slow down, hitting .309 with a .940 OPS over 93 games. Given his age, his blend of power, patience, and consistent hard contact is especially promising.
Outlook:
Despite being just 21 years old, Anthony looks well beyond his years in the batter's box and puts together mature at-bats. He rarely chases pitches outside of the strike zone and doesn't whiff on pitches as much as you'd expect from a rookie.
Although he's striking out slightly more than he'd like to, Anthony is hitting the ball hard, with an average exit velocity of 93.9 mph and a hard-hit percentage of 52.1%.
Roman Anthony is hotter than hell. The breakout is here. Sit back and enjoy.
pic.twitter.com/Zt5eSAVjUe— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) July 1, 2025
In 21 games, Anthony has a home run with six doubles, seven RBI, 10 walks, and 22 strikeouts across 81 plate appearances. He's been hot recently, batting .346 and slugging .500 in his previous seven games, and he has plenty more to showcase as we move into the All-Star break and second half.
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