Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Prospects - Mid-Season Dynasty Rankings for Non-Debuted Prospects

Kevin's top 20 fantasy baseball prospect rankings for MLB prospects yet to debut in the majors. His mid-season 2025 dynasty prospect rankings for fantasy baseball.

We're almost at the midway point in the fantasy baseball season so it is time to update my top fantasy prospect list. This list will only have prospects that have not made their MLB debut, as small major league samples can often skew rankings quite a bit, and also, I've written many words already this season on top prospects that are in the majors like Roman Anthony and Jac Caglianone in my hitting prospects to stash series.

This is pretty exciting news for my fantasy baseball writing career as I'm putting out my first ever top 100 fantasy prospect list. You can read my thoughts about my top 20 prospects here and the full list will be released in the coming days.

A few general prospect philosophies I have when it comes to ranking since this is my first published list:

• Upside over proximity: the best prospects are often closer to the majors than they seem and the low upside guys will always have factors that block their chances of being too fantasy relevant
• I will probably be lower on your favorite pitching prospect than most lists: I've just seen this film before and I didn't like the ending too many times
• I am a sucker for age-to-level production- there's a reason why the top NBA draft pick every season is a college freshman or teenager playing overseas against grown men, similar analysis can be utilized to value baseball prospects
• What you did as an amateur matters very little to me once you have a solid sample size of professional games under your belt

No. 20: Lazaro Montes, OF, Seattle Mariners

Current Age: 20

There might not be a player in the lower minors with more power upside than Lazaro Montes. After hitting 21 HRs across Low-A and High-A last season, he has already hit 17 this season in only 65 games.

Three homers in the past two games for Lazaro Montes ‼️

MLB's No. 33 prospect is one of six players with at least 17 homers in the Minors this season.@Mariners | @EverettAquaSox | @MsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/PUNXgZK3yB

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 20, 2025

His K-rate is a bit high at 27.3 percent especially since this is his second stint in High-A (had 233 PAs at the level in 2024). However, it's palatable given his prodigious power and very solid 15.7 percent BB-rate. His overall production remains very impressive as he has a 144 WRC+ so far this season.

Pitchers in the Northwest League will all be grateful when Montes gets the call to Double-A in the near future. His power should continue to translate as he moves up the minor league ladder but if he can keep the K-rate in check, he should shoot up prospect lists.

No. 19: Andrew Painter, P, Philadelphia Phillies

Current Age: 22

Andrew Painter serves as a cautionary tale for me on valuing pitching prospects super highly. If I were ranking two seasons ago, he would've probably been my top pitching prospect in the game and a borderline top ten overall prospect.

At just 19 years old in 2022, Painter was absolutely unhittable across Low-A, High-A, and even Double-A. He had an absurd 1.56 ERA and 32.4 percent K-BB rate across the three levels.

Going into 2023, there was speculation about whether Painter could break camp in the Phillies rotation at only 20 years old. However, he started the season in the minors and had the dreaded UCL strain which eventually led to him getting Tommy John Surgery.

Fast forward two seasons, and Painter is back on the mound, but he's had to shake off the rust and is not yet looking like the phenom we saw two years ago. He has a 4.25 ERA with a 18.5 percent K-BB rate so far this season.

The upside for Painter is still one of a fantasy ace, but it might take a while for him to return to the form we saw in 2023, and I have some durability concerns about him as a starter long term.

No. 18: Eduardo Quintero, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Current Age: 19

With prospects of this caliber, there are going to be guys who are looking too good for their level. That is the case with Eduardo Quintero this season. He is simply too good for Low-A pitching. Unfortunately, the Dodgers High-A outfield is loaded with two guys higher on this list along with fellow Top-100 Prospect Mike Sirota.

I believe in transparency as a fantasy writer, and I'll take the public L and say I dropped Eduardo Quintero this offseason in a dynasty league before our offseason prospect draft, as I didn't see him having this much upside.

His 2024 season was relatively underwhelming as he only had a 77 WRC+ after getting moved to Low-A with no HR and three SBs in 112 PA.

This season, he's putting up video game numbers in his return to Low-A. He has a 181 WRC+ with 11 HRs and 33 SBs. His K-rate increasing to 23.4 percent is not ideal but it's a worthwhile tradeoff given his big increase in power this season.

Only two prospects have 25+ XBH and 25+ SB right now.

Konnor Griffin (27 XBH, 32 SB) #LetsGoBucs
Eduardo Quintero (32 XBH, 33 SB) #LetsGoDodgers

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) June 18, 2025

(Spoiler alert- Konnor Griffin will be higher on this list.)

Being in the Dodgers organization is a blessing and a curse. They clearly have amazing player development, but you sometimes deal with log jams, no matter what level in the organization you're in. I imagine the Dodgers will open up their log jam in High-A soon and move Quintero into the slot to fill the void.

Or maybe Quintero will be the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal this summer. When some team moves Quintero up to High-A, he has Top-10 prospect upside if he can continue to be the power-speed demon he's been in Low-A.

No. 17: Bryce Rainer, SS, Detroit Tigers

Current Age: 19

If there's one player on this list that you can maybe buy low on, it's Bryce Rainer. It's easy for fantasy players to be "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to injured prospects and Rainer recently suffered a shoulder injury that will have him on the shelf for the rest of the season.

With him out for the season, it'll be hard for Rainer to move up much this season like other guys on this list but his early start to his professional career warrants this high ranking.

On the surface, he's had a very solid 135 WRC+ with five HRs and nine SBs. However, his quality of contact metrics has been super impressive and started raising eyebrows within a few games this season.

Bryce Rainer (DET) has started off strong in Lo-A this season with a 139 wRC+ in his first 10 games. He is exhibiting elite power metrics for his age while showcasing an excellent eye and solid contact rates

The Tigers look to have another stud on their hands! pic.twitter.com/ju3Gn72scc

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 28, 2025

Shoulder injuries are always a little scary for young power hitters but shortstops with Rainer's power potential do not grow on trees. If he looks like the player he was before his injury next season, we could be looking at a top ten prospect.

No. 16: Bubba Chandler, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

Current Age: 22

Bubba Chandler came into this season as my top pitching prospect in baseball. He had a great 2024 season at only 21 years old where he had a 3.08 ERA across 119.2 innings in Double-A and Triple-A. He also had a very impressive 1.02 WHIP and 22.3 percent K-BB rate.

He's now my number two pitching prospect- partially because another pitching prospect has just been too good to ignore. Partially because a bad habit has been rearing its ugly head for Chandler.

While his ERA in Triple-A so far this season is excellent at 2.60, his BB-rate is at 11.6 percent on the season, up from 8.6 percent last season. Chandler has had some walk issues in the past as he had a 16.2 percent BB-rate in his first professional season in 2022.

He improved his control dramatically in 2023, getting his BB-rate down to 10.5 percent, and took it to the next level in 2024. His BB-rate increasing in 2025 is not overly concerning but I'm extra picky when it comes to elite pitching prospects.

People have been clamoring for Chandler to get the call to the big leagues to give Paul Skenes some help in Pittsburgh for weeks (maybe months) so maybe Chandler is getting a little frustrated to still be in Triple-A. I think he's still an excellent pitching prospect who could start making an impact for our fantasy teams very soon.

No. 15: JJ Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals

Current Age: 22

With a number of college bats from last year's class already making noise in the big leagues, it's easy to forget about JJ Wetherholt since he's "only" in Double-A.

Wetherholt was taken seventh in last summer's MLB draft after a great college career at West Virginia. His debut was solid as he had a 140 WRC+ with more walks than strikeouts, but he was a first-round college bat in Low-A: that's what he was supposed to do.

He's followed that up this season in Double-A by basically improving at everything across the board. He's still walking more than he's striking out and is walking more than last season at 16.8 percent. He has a 156 WRC+ with an improved ISO of .153 and has really started to heat up in June.

Cardinals IF prospect JJ Wetherholt has been absolutely raking in June. He’s hitting .444/.576/.644 in June. With his grandmother being from South Korea, he’s eligible to represent SK in the 2026 WBC. If he plays for SK, he should be in their starting lineup pic.twitter.com/oBUsKoG6Um

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) June 18, 2025

Wetherholt doesn't have huge upside but he's about as solid a middle infield prospect as there is. If he continues to produce, I can see the Cardinals giving him a cup of coffee late this season while maintaining his prospect eligibility for next season.

No. 14: Walker Jenkins, OF, Minnesota Twins

Current Age: 20

Did the Twins build their stadium on an ancient burial ground that has cursed all of their top prospects? Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Walker Jenkins have all demonstrated incredible talents in the minors (and the majors for Buxton and Lewis) but none of them can seem to stay healthy for an extended period of time.

So far in his short professional career, Jenkins has suffered a myriad of injuries, most notably to his hamstring last season and his ankle this season. When he's on the field, he has shown emerging raw power with an incredible approach at the plate.

Last season, he had a 15.2 percent BB-rate and a 12.8 percent K-rate across four levels and is walking as much as he strikes out again this season in a small sample.

The game power has not shown up much yet as he only had six HRs in 368 PAs last season but I think the 6-foot-3, 210 lbs Jenkins will eventually get to more game power (if he can stop getting injured and play in more games).

No. 13: Arjun Nimmala, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

Current Age: 19

What a year it has been for Arjun Nimmala. At this time last season, I don't think he would've ranked in my Top 113 prospects and now he's number 13. As a young 18 year old, Nimmala got a pretty aggressive assignment to Low-A to start last season and for the first couple of months, he looked completely overwhelmed.

This resulted in him getting put on the Development List and getting sent down to the Complex. He was able to right the ship in his return, finishing his full debut season in Low-A with a 122 WRC+ and 16 HRs. However, his K-rate for the season was 31.3 percent.

Given his issues with strikeouts last season, it would've been completely reasonable for the Blue Jays to send him back to Low-A to start this season to "master the level". However, they challenged him by sending him to High-A and he has passed with flying colors as one of the youngest players at the level.

He's still hitting for a ton of power with 11 HRs so far but more importantly, he has decreased his strikeout rate to 19.9 percent on the season while increasing his walk rate to 11.4 percent. As a prep prospect, Nimmala's hit tool was his biggest question mark so this is an incredible development for him.

Arjun Nimmala taps back into his power at High-A 🔌

MLB's No. 54 prospect (@BlueJays) smacks his 11th homer of the season for the @vancanadians. pic.twitter.com/WIRCQGeVnk

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 18, 2025

A risk with Nimmala is that shortstops that don't run usually have to have both above average hit and power tools to have significant fantasy upside. If Nimmala can sustain this improvement in his K-rate, we could definitely be seeing that for him. Like I said with Rainer, shortstops with this much power potential don't grow on trees.

No. 12: Max Clark, OF, Detroit Tigers

Current Age: 20

I feel like Max Clark is one of the most famous players in the minor leagues, at least on social media. He's one of the few prospects I see clips of when I'm doing my nightly TikTok scroll. However, he has a lot of talent to go along with his social media hype.

As an amateur prospect, what stood out most about Clark was his elite athleticism. Along with being a standout baseball player, he also made plays on the gridiron in high school. This athleticism made him a menace on the base pads and in centerfield.

What has stood out for me about Max Clark this season is how mature of an approach he's demonstrating at the plate. He has an incredible 20.7 percent BB-rate and only has a 15.8 percent K-rate so far in High-A. His four HR, nine SBs, and 137 WRC+ are solid but his approach at the plate should help him succeed as he continues to face better pitching.

He always had a good feel to hit, but Max Clark's bat-to-ball (and swing decisions) have leveled up this year. Particularly against breaking balls. Contact% against spin is up by 20% to 85%.

Bringing the hands higher with a narrower, more open setup is yielding great results. pic.twitter.com/Gu1b4Rdp6f

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) May 7, 2025

No. 11: Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Current Age: 20

This year has seemingly been the year of the young slugging first baseman. Earlier this season, I wrote about a number of young first baseman starting to emerge as quality fantasy starters and that was before Nick Kurtz and Jac Caglianone got the call to the majors.

The next young slugger at the position should be Bryce Eldridge. Eldridge was a big riser last season as he put up a 139 WRC+ with 23 HRs across four levels as a 19 year old. Most of that damage was done in High-A as he had a 189 WRC+ at the level with 12 HRs. He was essentially doing what Lazaro Montes is doing this year except a year younger.

The hype train slowed down a bit as he got to the high minors as he didn't hit for much power but he still held his own in the short stints with a 118 WRC+ in Double-A and a 73 WRC+ in Triple-A.

He started this season back off in Double-A here he had a 149 WRC+ and seven HRs, earning himself a promotion to Triple-A and seemingly on the doorstep of a big league call up. Unfortunately, he has struggled a bit there with only a 52 WRC+.

The biggest flaw for Eldridge is his K-rate. He's had pretty high K-rates at multiple levels and is currently striking out 31.7 percent of the time in Triple-A. As a 6-foot-7 slugger, strikeouts will always be a part of his game but he'll need to get them in check to rise any higher and to get the call to play in San Francisco.

That being said, he's only 20 and in Triple-A. He should continue to improve and when he does, he should provide a lot of power and a serviceable batting average for years to come.

No. 10: Chase Burns, P, Cincinnati Reds

Current Age: 22

Gasp- a pitcher in my top ten! Some people might think this is too low for Chase Burns but I'm a huge believer in every hitting prospect above him and I'm always going to bet on elite hitting prospects over elite pitching prospects.

That being said, Chase Burns is elite! After getting drafted second overall last summer by the Reds, he has been blazing through the minor leagues and leaving a trail of dominated hitters in his wake.

Across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, he has a 1.77 ERA, .77 WHIP, and a 31.4 percent K-BB rate. Every one of those numbers is absolutely absurd and he's kicking down the door for a promotion to the majors.

We guarantee that Chase Burns outperforms at least one—if not several—starting pitchers on every major league roster.

He won’t stay in Triple-A for long! pic.twitter.com/Jmio20KjzH

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) June 18, 2025

It's incredibly unfair to any pitching prospect to assume they'll have a Paul Skenes level impact at the major league level right away but if one can, it's Burns. Some fantasy managers might be a tad concerned about him pitching half of his games in "Great American Small Park" but Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo have both shown that you can be a great starting pitcher in Cincinnati.

No. 9: Zyhir Hope, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Current Age: 20

When the Dodgers call about one of your prospects, maybe you should hang up the phone. Michael Busch has been incredibly impressive so far for the Cubs but he was clearly blocked on the Dodgers and the Dodgers got a previously under the radar outfield prospect for him in Zyhir Hope.

Hope is very much not under the radar anymore. He came flying onto the scene last season with a 144 WRC+, nine HRs, and eight SBs in 248 PA in Low-A. He had a 24.2 percent K-rate and a 14.9 percent BB-rate.

For his follow-up act this season in High-A, he's basically had a copy and paste performance. He has a 151 WRC+, seven HRs, and seven SBs in 263 PA so far this season with a 24.0 percent K-rate and 13.7 percent BB-rate.

Zyhir Hope with a dinger off Chase Burns here. He is already a borderline top 10 prospect by StS peak projections.
pic.twitter.com/BLRYJ0yvKC

— Ross Jensen (@RossJensen12) April 18, 2025

Hope and this next prospect should be getting a promotion soon to Double-A and we'll see if either can start to separate himself from the other in the rankings.

No. 8: Josue De Paula, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Current Age: 20

Josue De Paula is fighting Lazaro Montes for the "Baby Yordan" nickname. While Montes has displayed more game power, I think De Paula is more deserving as he's combining emerging game power with an incredible approach at the plate.

While I would like to see more game power from De Paula (eight HRs so far this season), I think he's showing a mastery of High-A. Last season, when he got the call to High-A, he walked a lot more than he's struck out and has continued to do so this season.

The Dodgers #2 ranked prospect Josue De Paula has been making some noise with High-A Great Lakes this season:

.280 AVG | .877 OPS | 8 HR | 23 RBI | 16 SB

De Paula is a STAR in the making ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/kd9mn1O7ZJ

— SleeperDodgers (@SleeperDodgers) June 12, 2025

Along with the strong approach at the plate and solid power, De Paula also has quietly stolen a lot of bases in the minors so far in his career. He stole 27 last year and has 19 so far this season.

Stolen base totals in the low minors should be taken with a grain of salt and De Paula doesn't exactly look like a base stealer but his willingness and effectiveness doing so indicates it could be part of his profile going forward. He also has quite athletic bloodlines as he's the cousin of former NBA point guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair.

A popular prospect debate this season has been between De Paula and Hope. The margin is razor thin as Hope has louder tools but I'm betting on De Paula's better hit tool and the expectation that he'll get to more game power soon. As he continues to fill out his frame, that "Baby Yordan" nickname could be truly coming to fruition for him.

No. 7: Jesus Made, SS, Milwaukee Brewers

Current Age: 18

I don't think I've ever seen a prospect get as much hype as Jesus Made coming out of the DSL. Not only did he have great numbers with a 167 WRC+, six HRs, 28 SBs, and way more walks than strikeouts; he also had very impressive bat-to-ball and quality of contact metrics.

I'm usually super skeptical of prospects getting this much hype out of the DSL as I've seen guys like Hedbert Perez and Reginald Preciado not translate their DSL hype to full season minor league success. However, even I was getting myself excited about Made this offseason.

Made has come stateside this season and has not disappointed. He has a very solid 136 WRC+ with four HRs and 31 SBs while still showing a very strong approach at the plate. He's striking out 18.9 percent of the time while walking 15.0 percent of the time. He's doing all of this while being one of the youngest players at Low-A.

Made appears right out of the Jackson Chourio playbook for the Brewers as Chourio really broke out into the prospect mainstream with his performance for the Carolina Mudcats a few years ago. However, could one of Made's teammates also be on the Chourio path...?

No. 6: Kevin McGonigle, SS, Detroit Tigers

Current Age: 20

These top six were super tough for me to rank. I shifted them around a hundred times and I would hear arguments for them in any order. McGonigle started this season on the shelf with an ankle injury. However, he's returned and has quickly made up for lost time.

McGonigle is making a mockery of High-A pitching as he has a 237 WRC+. His .438 BABIP is due for some regression but his stats are still going to be absurd as long as he's walking 15.2 percent of the time while striking out only 11.4 percent of the time with very strong quality of contact.

Kevin McGonigle is DOMINATING High-A pitching 💪

MLB's No. 23 prospect (@Tigers) rips his fourth long ball of the year, slashing .414/.505/.736 in 87 at-bats for the @WMWhitecaps: pic.twitter.com/y7eFMcheLh

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 20, 2025

McGonigle might be the best pure hitter in the minor leagues but I think the guys above him might just have slightly more fantasy juice.

No. 5: Luis Peña, SS, Milwaukee Brewers

Current Age: 18

One of the hottest debates on the prospect streets so far this season has been Luis Peña vs. Jesus Made. The pair of Carolina Mudcats infielders are two of the youngest players in Low-A and appear to be kept together by the Brewers to push each other to greatness.

Coming into the season, Made was seen as the rocket ship prospect and Peña was seen more as a fun speculative player despite his incredibly strong DSL season. Peña had a 173 WRC+ with 39 SBs while having an identical 8.2 percent K and BB-rate. However, there was more skepticism around Peña due to his lack of game power (only one HR) and his aggressive approach (66.3 percent swing rate).

This season in Low-A, Peña has silenced some of that skepticism while continuing to excel at what he did well in the DSL. He already has six HRs and has lowered his swing rate to 50.2 percent. He's pairing this with a 132 WRC+ and 28 SBs while striking out only 13.5 percent of the time.

Get to know Luis Peña: the game's fastest rising prospect 📈📈📈@CarolinaMudcats pic.twitter.com/L33ReiIxtW

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 16, 2025

Peña and Made will continue to be a debate for years to come but maybe we should all be asking the question: how have the Brewers done this? After hitting on Jackson Chourio, they have found two more elite prospects in the international signing process where the hit rate is supposed to be very low.

No. 4: Leodalis De Vries, SS, San Diego Padres

Current Age: 18

"El Mutante" was one of the most hyped international signings we've had in a while and the Padres did what they do with top prospects- they challenged him immediately. The Padres skipped De Vries over the DSL and the complex, immediately putting him in Low-A ball as the youngest player in the league at only 17 years old.

While he struggled out of the gate (which was to be expected), De Vries turned his season around in the second half, finishing with 11 HRs, 13 SBs, and a very respectable 116 WRC+. His plate approach was also very impressive as he only struck out 23.3 percent of the time while walking 13.9 percent of the time.

De Vries is again the youngest player at his level this season in High-A. His numbers don't jump off the page as he has a 105 WRC+ with five HRs and six SBs but he's clearly not overmatched with an improved 19.7 K-rate compared to 13.0 percent BB-rate. His stat line will look better when his .279 BABIP improves which it should given his power and speed.

"This might sound a little crazy, but I compare him to Michael Jordan."@Padres teen phenom Leo De Vries (MLB No. 17) earned the highest of praise from his High-A @TinCaps manager after a performance for the ages: https://t.co/wSMjqjohYE pic.twitter.com/AdtDgeY6hK

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 23, 2025

18 year olds are not supposed to be in High-A. He's the age of some guys who will be getting drafted out of high school this summer. I imagine no one is "low" on De Vries but if the owner in your league is a little worried about his lackluster surface stats, you have to try and buy him.

No. 3: Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles

Current Age: 20

I've been hoping Samuel Basallo would get the call to the majors for a few weeks, partially because he's awesome and partially because I've written about him a bunch in my prospects to stash series and I knew I was doing this rankings article and I didn't want to sound like a broken record about him.

Basallo's 2023 season was one of the more impressive offensive seasons I can remember seeing from a prospect. he had a 164 WRC+ across Low-A, High-A and Double-A as an 18 year old. He also had 20 HRs and 12 SBs while striking out 19.5 percent of the time and walking 12.6 percent of the time.

His 2023 season was like all of the great things I've said about every other prospect mashed into one monster season. His 2024 season was relatively lackluster by comparison as he had a 116 WRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A but this was still impressive for a 19 year old.

Now as a 20 year old, he's returning to his 2023 form and banging down the door to the majors with a 153 WRC+ and having already hit 15 HRs in 45 games this season at Triple-A. The Orioles don't have an obvious spot for him but his bat is so impressive, they should do what they can to create an opportunity for him.

Samuel Basallo’s HR rate in Triple-A this season:

8.6%

Aaron Judge’s HR rate this season:

8.2% pic.twitter.com/jH1SEI9qTh

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) June 18, 2025

No. 2: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Current Age: 19

If you're looking for power-speed upside in a prospect, it doesn't get much better than Konnor Griffin. In his first taste of professional baseball this season, he already has 11 HRs and 33 SBs to go along with a 164 WRC+.

If that was all he provided, he would still be one of the top prospects for fantasy but the rate at which he's maturing as a hitter at such a young age is astonishing. As a prep prospect, the one big question about Griffin was his hit tool and while his plate approach was not great to start the season, he's making adjustments on the fly and improving rapidly.

The swing adjustments are undeniable from Konnor Griffin and the fact that he made these changes before facing any adversity as a first round high school guy says a lot about the makeup.

When a 6-foot-4 explosive athlete starts interacting with the ground properly…look out. https://t.co/KaxLVxVXrp pic.twitter.com/XvIwkdxhad

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) June 18, 2025

After striking out 22.9 percent of the time in Low-A while only walking 6.5 percent of the time in Low-A, he's striking out only 10.6 percent of the time while walking 8.5 percent of the time so far in his short stint in High-A. This has allowed him to go nuclear as he has a 200 WRC+ at the level.

This small sample in High-A tempted me to push him to my number one spot but it's only 47 PAs so I'll keep him at number two for now...

No. 1: Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers

Current Age: 19

Anyone who has talked prospects with me over the last year knows that I am driving the Sebastian Walcott bandwagon. His prospect storyline has similarities to Leo De Vries' except one year later and I think he's "toolsier".

It's pretty rare for an organization to assign an 18 year old to High-A when they've never played in Low-A but that's what the Rangers did last year with Walcott, making him one of the youngest players at the level (he had 16 PAs in High-A the prior year). He got off to an incredibly slow start and it was looking like a potential development mistake by the organization.

However, something clicked for him in the middle of the year and he was able to finish the season strong, ending his first full season in stateside ball with a 126 WRC+ at High-A (with a short stint in Double-A).

This season, he made the jump to Double-A, again as one of the youngest players at the level. His surface stats are slightly worse as he has a 118 WRC+. However, he's cut his strikeout rate by over five points (from 25.6 percent in 2024 to 20.4 percent) while increasing his walk rate (from 10.3 percent to 12.9 percent). He's also hitting for more power as he already has eight HRs compared to 11 all of last season.

Sebastian Walcott A+ in 2024: 10.6% BB% / 25.5% K%
Sebastian Walcott AA in 2025: 12.5% BB% / 21.6% BB%

His 117 wRC+ is exceptional when age adjusted, and likely artificially anchored by an unlucky BABIP. This is a precocious talent, growing and improving by leaps and bounds.

— Eli Ben-Porat 🇨🇦 (@EliBenPorat) June 7, 2025

Some people in the prospect world consider the jump from High-A to Double-A to be the biggest in professional baseball (excluding the jump from Triple-A to the majors). It can't be understated how impressive it is that he's improving so many facets of his offensive game while making this jump at such a young age. That's why he's my number one overall prospect.

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