Top FYPD Prospects: First-Year Player Drafts

Eric Cross' top 50 fantasy baseball prospect rankings for 2025 first-year player drafts (FYPD). MLB prospect rankings for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues.

While the weather outside might be frightfully cold in the northern part of the country, spring is inching closer, and we're getting into the heart of offseason drafts for dynasty leagues. This is always an exciting time of year in dynasty leagues as we get to add new players to our teams and try to improve our teams for the future. Offseason FYPD drafts are an intricate part of any dynasty league and you can approach the draft differently depending on your contention window.

If you're more of a win-now or win-soon team, one of the more advanced collegiate bats or arms will likely be more appealing to you. But if you're in more of a rebuild, you might be more inclined to take a toolsy high school player with the hope that they blossom into a high-impact player for fantasy purposes.

Below, you'll find my Top 50 FYPD rankings, which combine the 2024 Major League draft class with the 2025 international class, headlined by Roki Sasaki. For my full FYPD rankings, check out my Patreon. Also, make sure you check out Chris Clegg's article here on RotoBaller, outlining some of his favorite FYPD targets!

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MLB Prospect Rankings for First-Year Player Drafts

2025 FYPD Rankings Notes

Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers

There's no need to get cute if you have the top pick in your FYPD draft. As long as international prospects are included, Roki Sasaki should be the first player off the board. While there are some concerns with Sasaki's declining performance and velocity last season, he will contribute to your fantasy team from day one, which you can't say about any other name on this list.

Roki Sasaki, 92mph Splitter and 102mph Fastball, Overlay. pic.twitter.com/EIf8bh6Qdf

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 21, 2023

In 111 innings last season, Sasaki finished with a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 7.1% walk rate, and a 28.7% strikeout rate. As mentioned, the velocity dipped a bit in 2024, but Sasaki was still in the mid-90s with a devastating splitter.

Even if Sasaki is only in the 130-140 inning range in 2025, he could provide immediate top-20 starting pitcher value. If there were a Wyatt Langford in this draft, it'd be a debate, but Sasaki is the unquestioned No. 1 for this class.

Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

You could make a case for Konnor Griffin having the highest fantasy ceiling of anyone in this draft class. Griffin is a premium athlete with elite speed and more than enough range, arm, and feel for the position to remain at shortstop long-term if that's where Pittsburgh wants him.

At the plate, Griffin has already shown glimpses of impressive power upside and appears to have added a decent amount of bulk since the draft. But the big question is how will the hit tool play. Griffin wasn't challenged much in high school, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against more advanced pitching in the minors this year, but the long-term upside is a star for fantasy purposes.

Charlie Condon, Colorado Rockies

Right after the draft, Charlie Condon was considered the No. 1 player for 2025 FYPDs by many after a dominant two seasons at the University of Georgia. However, since then, Condon has struggled mightily in 25 minor-league games and has seen his stock fall. I'm not going to let a few rough weeks wipe out two stellar collegiate seasons, though. Plus, there were reports Condon was playing hurt after the draft.

Chuck digs the long ball.#GoDawgs | @CharlieCondon14 pic.twitter.com/LXIiL0TquN

— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) May 5, 2024

I'm a believer in the hitter we saw in college. Condon displayed an elite blend of hit and power and was arguably the best hitter in the nation in 2024. In 60 games last spring, Condon slashed a robust .433/.556/1.009 with 20 doubles, 37 home runs, and more walks than strikeouts. The upside is a middle-of-the-order force, and I'll happily buy the dip in my FYPD drafts this spring.

Vance Honeycutt, Baltimore Orioles

One of the most polarizing prospects for 2024/25 FYPDs is Vance Honeycutt, and it's not hard to see why. For real-life baseball, Honeycutt can bring plenty of value on the field to the Orioles given his all-around blend of skills, including plus defense and a strong throwing arm.

Offensively, Honeycutt is an above-average or better power bat with plus speed as well. In his final season at North Carolina, Honeycutt racked up 28 home runs and 28 steals in 62 games.

Four of Honeycutt's tools are above average or better. However, the one that lags behind a bit is the hit tool. That's why Honeycutt is such a decisive player in FYPDs this spring. He didn't do himself any favors after the draft either, hitting .177 with a 42.9% strikeout rate in 13 games.

The upside is an all-star caliber player with the power and speed to exceed 20 home runs and 20 steals annually. But can Honeycutt hit enough to reach that lofty upside? Landing in a great player development organization like Baltimore certainly makes me feel a tad better about his long-term outlook.

International Prospects

While there are several intriguing international prospects who recently signed and made this Top 50, let me be clear that none of them are on the same level as Leodalis De Vries last year. I've changed my approach to targeting them in FYPDs as well over the last several years.

While it's fun to dream on the upside, there's just so much unknown with the 16 and 17-year-old prospects being signed out of Latin America that it makes it difficult to invest too heavily in them.

You'll definitely see me targeting them, but unless it's someone who is head and shoulders above the rest of the class (like De Vries last year), I'll wait to target them past pick 40 or so after I've already secured two or three players.

Remember back in 2019? For most, the top three international bats were Jasson Dominguez, Robert Puason, and Erick Peña. While Dominguez has flourished and is one of the best prospects in the game currently, both Puason and Peña struggled and probably won't ever make it to the Major Leagues. For every Dominguez, Jackson Chourio, or Jesus Made, you'll have 10 Puasons or Peñas.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see the full top 100, along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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