Eric Cross' 2025 Fantasy Baseball Rookie Awards

Eric Cross gives out his year-end fantasy baseball rookie awards for the 2025 fantasy season. Which rookies help lead you to fantasy championships, and which disappointed?

With the season in the books, it's time to look back and reflect on the 2025 season. What went right? What went wrong? Who surprised? Who disappointed? One way to slice and dice the 2025 season and answer those questions is by handing out some 2025 fantasy baseball awards. That's what I'll be doing here today for the 2025 MLB rookie class. While the rookie class got off to a slow start, we saw plenty of exciting rookies debut this season.

There are going to be a lot of rookies who are not mentioned below. A lot of really good rookies. But I can't hand out an award to everyone. There are no participation trophies here!

Also, make sure to check out the overall Fantasy Baseball awards, picked by Nick Mariano.

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Fantasy Hitter MVP: Nick Kurtz

Honorable Mention: Drake Baldwin

Is there really any other selection? No, the answer is a resounding no. Kurtz had one of the best rookie seasons this century, swatting 36 home runs in 489 plate appearances with 86 RBI, 90 runs, and a .290/.383/.619 slash line. Kurtz led all rookies in runs, home runs, runs batted in, ISO, slugging percentage, wOBA, wRC+, and WAR.

NICK KURTZ JUST SENT THIS GRAND SLAM TO THE MOON 😤 pic.twitter.com/pXS8KzAWRg

— MLB (@MLB) September 14, 2025

Not only was Kurtz the best rookie hitter in the 2025 season, but he was arguably the best hitter in the entire league from May 20th through the end of the season. In that timeframe, Kurtz had the highest wOBA and wRC+ in baseball. Yes, even ahead of Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. Kurtz should be a fantasy beast for years to come.

Fantasy Pitcher MVP: Cade Horton

Honorable Mention: Chad Patrick

This one is a much more difficult choice, but I'll give the award to Chicago right-hander Horton. In 118 innings, Horton finished with a stellar 2.67 ERA and 1.08 WHIP to go with a 6.9% walk rate and a 20.4% strikeout rate. And while that 2.67 ERA is already impressive enough, Horton was nearly unhittable over his final 12 outings, recording a 1.03 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and allowing just 33 hits in 61.1 innings

Even though Horton's subpar 2024 season in the minors took some of the helium out of his prospect hype, this phenomenal rookie season showed that his 2023 season and Top-10 draft selection were legit and warranted. And I'm not overly worried about the lower 20.4% strikeout rate. Horton had a 31.7% strikeout rate in 151.2 minor league innings and had two offerings in the Majors with a whiff rate above 35% in his sweeper (36.8%) and changeup (47.8%).

Breakout Hitter: Jakob Marsee

Honorable Mention: Dillon Dingler

After a falloff in production in 2024, Marsee's prospect shine had dulled considerably. But 153 games later, Marsee is back to being a buzzy hitter entering 2026. After racking up 14 home runs and 37 steals in 98 Triple-A games, Marsee hit the ground running with the Marlins, slashing .292/.363/.478 with 18 doubles, five home runs, and 14 steals in 55 games.

If Marsee had been up a month earlier and maintained this pace, he might have made the National League Rookie of the Year race even more exciting.

But can Marsee keep this up in 2025? Well, the metrics under the hood are fairly encouraging. Marsee had an 88.9 mph AVG EV, 8% barrel rate, and a 41.4% hard-hit rate while posting an above-average 87.3% zone and 80.5% overall contact rate. He also did a good job keeping his strikeout rate in check at 20.5% and only chasing at a 19.9% clip. Marsee is also an above-average runner.

I'm not sure he maintains a 15/40 pace, but there are reasons for optimism here in 2026.

Breakout Pitcher: Cam Schlittler

Honorable Mention: Chad Patrick

While Schlittler wasn't an unknown prospect by any means, I don't think anyone expected him to have the rookie season he just had. In 14 regular-season starts, Schlittler excelled to the tune of a 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 27.6% strikeout rate in 73 innings. That was just the appetizer, as the main course was Schlittler firing eight shutout innings with zero walks and 12 strikeouts against the Red Sox in a win-or-go-home Game 3 of the Wild Card round.

CAM SCHLITTLER 10 STRIKEOUTS pic.twitter.com/vsRD9l4hjL

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 3, 2025

Schlittler's 4-seamer quickly became one of the best in baseball, registering a .178 BAA, .281 SLG, and .274 wOBA while averaging 98 mph. Out of Schlittler's 84 strikeouts, 50 came via his 4-seamer. And while he didn't have any high whiff rates, all four of his most-used offerings had a whiff rate above 20% with the Yankees. Maybe he won't be a frontline arm, but Schlitter has plenty of upside and intrigue for fantasy moving forward.

Power Plant: Colson Montgomery

Honorable Mention: Agustin Ramirez

Outside of Kurtz, the most impressive rookie power performance of 2025 has to go to Colson Montgomery. Although he didn't debut until the 4th of July, Montgomery finished tied for second in home runs among rookies with 21 in just 284 plate appearances. And among rookies with at least 200 plate appearances, only Kurtz finished above Montgomery in ISO and slugging percentage.

Outside of all the home runs, Montgomery struggled to hit for average, finishing with a .239 AVG and 29.2% strikeout rate. Hitting for average was an issue for Montgomery in 2024 (.214 in 571 PA) and before his promotion in 2025 (.218 in 242 PA).

With his higher strikeout rate and below-average contact rates, I'm not sure Montgomery will ever be more than a .230-.250 hitter. However, his combination of quality of contact metrics and batted ball angles should help him be one of the best power-hitting shortstops for years to come.

Speed Racer:  Chandler Simpson

Honorable Mention: Jake Mangum

One of my preseason bold predictions here on RotoBaller was that Simpson would lead the American League in stolen bases. Well, I was pretty darn close with that prediction as Simpson finished tied for second with Jose Ramirez with 44, and might have risen above José Caballero's 49 if he hadn't been optioned back down to Triple-A for a few weeks in the middle of his rookie season.

The term speed racer 100% describes Simpson. If there were a 100-meter dash with every player in baseball, Simpson would be one of the favorites to take home the gold medal. He's also a high-contact hitter who had a 92.5% zone and 88.5% overall contact rate with the Rays while hitting .295 and only striking out 9.6% of the time. Simpson can be a category winner in steals, but just don't expect any power any time soon.

Most Underrated Hitter: Daylen Lile

Honorable Mention: Isaac Collins

While Collins would've been a fine pick here too, I'm going to go with Daylen Lile, who was one of the best hitters in the second half of the season. Out of the 169 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances in the second half of the season, Lile had the 9th-best wRC+. Just ahead of studs like Juan Soto, Junior Caminero, Kyle Schwarber, Julio Rodriguez, Freddie Freeman, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

DAYLEN LILE, INSIDE-THE-PARK HOMER IN EXTRAS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QUmqYNemFQ

— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2025

Overall, Lile slashed an impressive .299/.347/.498 with 15 doubles, 11 triples, nine home runs, eight steals, 41 RBI, and 51 runs scored in 351 plate appearances. That's a near 100/20/80/20 pace over a full season. On top of having a 92nd percentile sprint speed, Lile recorded an 87.4% zone and 81.1% overall contact rate with around average quality of contact rates. His .309 xBA was the third-highest mark in baseball, trailing only Guerrero and Aaron Judge.

Most Underrated Pitcher: Joey Cantillo

Honorable Mention: Shane Smith

This one could've gone to several different pitchers, but I'm going to show some love to the underrated Cantillo. In 34 total appearances (13 starts) and 95.1 innings in 2025, Cantillo put up a 3.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10.5% walk rate, and a 26.9% strikeout rate. Cantillo was especially impactful down the stretch and into the fantasy playoffs, recording a 1.59 ERA in his final seven starts of the season.

While the walk rate is a bit high, Cantillo showed he can miss bats at a high clip with that 26.9% strikeout rate along with a 29.7% chase rate. His upper-70s changeup led the way in that department, recording a 49% whiff rate, along with a .165 BAA and .270 SLG. And even though Cantillo's fastball velocity doesn't blow anyone away, his elite extension and movement profile help make the pitch an effective offering.

Biggest Flop (Hitter): Jac Caglianone and Kristian Campbell (Tie)

Honorable Mention: Coby Mayo

This one was a coin flip for me, so why not just call it a tie between Caglianone and Campbell?

With Campbell, he started the season strong, slashing .301/.407/.495 through the end of April, but struggled mightily in May and June before being optioned down to Triple-A. A rib injury coincides with the slump at the plate, so I'm not entirely sure that isn't at least partially to blame for Campbell's post-April struggles. I'm a believer in his 2024 breakout and strong April 2025 showing. Campbell is a strong buy-low in dynasty leagues.

As for Caglianone, he struggled nearly the entire time he was up with the Royals. In 232 plate appearances, Caglianone slashed .157/.237/.295 with the lowest wOBA and wRC+ among the 44 rookies who had at least 200 plate appearances. And when you look under the hood, the pros and cons are prominent.

Caglianone had the fastest bat speed among rookies and posted a 12% barrel rate and 42.4% hard-hit rate. But he also had a 50.6% groundball rate and a 38.5% chase rate, the latter of which has always been the issue for Caglianone.

Biggest Flop (Pitcher): Chase Dollander

Honorable Mention: Kumar Rocker

Coors Field remains undefeated, even when it comes to Dollander, who is the best pitching prospect they've had in a long time. Dollander was considered by many (myself included) to be a Top-10 pitching prospect when he got the call to the Majors. But unfortunately, his first 21 starts in the Majors resulted in a 6.52 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 98 innings.

As you can probably expect, Dollander's home and road splits were notable with a 9.98 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in 11 home starts compared to a 3.46 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 10 road starts. The upside of being a fantasy viable pitcher is absolutely there, but it's going to be hard for Dollander to reach his upside when he has to pitch half of his games in a hitter's haven.

The Down But Not Out Award: Roki Sasaki

While I could've put Sasaki as the winner of the biggest pitching flop award above, given the hype and ADP he had entering the season, I wanted to give him his own award here. Yes, Sasaki was a flop, disappointing, and whatever other word you want to use. But as we've seen in the postseason, he's still a highly talented pitcher who should be valued as such moving forward.

Rōki Sasaki, Wicked Back-to-Back Forkballs. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/jqpSXEbQK5

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 17, 2025

In 36.1 innings during the regular season, Sasaki had a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP while walking 13.7% of the batters he faced and only mustering a lowly 17.4% strikeout rate. His xERA was a run and a half higher at 5.97. But it wasn't all bad for Sasaki, as both his splitter and slider had a whiff rate above 33% and an xSLG under .300. The problem was that Sasaki was allowing an 88.8% contact rate in the strike zone and only generated a 22.3% chase rate.

I'm sure Sasaki left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers who invested a high draft pick on him, but there's still plenty of upside here moving forward. Don't give up on him yet. It's far too early for that.

The Roman Empire Award: Roman Anthony

This award is just an excuse for me to sneak Anthony into this article. In 303 plate appearances before his season-ending oblique strain in early September, Anthony slashed an impressive .292/.396/.463 with 48 runs, 18 doubles, eight home runs, and four steals. His .396 OBP was the 6th highest mark in the 21st century by a 21-year-old rookie with at least 300 plate appearances. The three names ahead of him are Mike Trout (twice), Juan Soto (twice), and Albert Pujols.

When you check out Anthony's savant page, there's a ton of red. His quality of contact metrics was elite with a 15.5% barrel rate, 94.5 mph AVG EV, and a 60.3% hard-hit rate. He also walked at a 13.2% clip with a 20% chase rate. He'll need to elevate and pull a bit more consistently as his 49.4% air rate and 13.8% pull air rate limited him a bit, but Anthony should be a stud hitter for years to come.

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