1 Kelly’s Heroes SP Roki Sasaki: After four seasons in the Nippon Baseball League, Sasaki is considered by many the top talent in Japan and could arguably become baseball’s top prospect once he signs. Sasaki is billed as a near-ready top-of-the-rotation starter and figures to soon lead an MLB rotation for years to come.
2 BROB’s Barnacles 2B Travis Bazzana: The top pick in the draft brings a well-rounded skill set for fantasy with batting average and OBP upside, plus above-average power and speed. Bazzana could develop into a dynamic leadoff hitter and potential run producer.
3 Danimals 3B Charlie Condon: It hasn’t been the professional debut that Condon or the Rockies hoped for yet. Despite some serious whiff concerns, however, the power is worth gambling on. He’s no longer the slam dunk 1.1 he was in July. For some reason I though Brob had this pick?
4 Kelly’s Heroes 1B Nick Kurtz: Might be a bit of a stretch but Source in the Kelly’s Heroes seem to love his upside. A hamstring injury brought an outstanding debut to an abrupt end. Kurtz has the best combination of hit tool and power of any hitter in the draft. The skills aren’t a question with Kurtz, but there are durability concerns.
5 The Big Units SS J.J. Wetherholt: Wetherholt is arguably the best pure hitter in the draft. The underlying data supports that claim with low whiff and chase rates in his pro debut. The ceiling is a .280 hitter with 25+ home runs at shortstop.
6 Danimals 2B Christian Moore: The Angels surprised us and didn’t rush Moore up to the big leagues in 2024. The initial debut showcased Moore’s elite quality of contact but some concerning whiff. A left meniscus injury may end Moore’s season prematurely, but he is likely to move quickly in 2025 assuming a clean bill of health.
7 Pro Bowlers OF Braden Montgomery: Pat has no glaring roster holes, and Montgomery is great value here. The Red Sox hitting development has been on fire of late, and the idea of a super-charged Montgomery is intriguing. Montgomery will debut in 2025 and will showcase some of the best power in this year’s FYPD class
8 Baby Seals SP Chase Burns: Fred is not afraid of taking a SP and he is the best one in the draft and offers good value. Burns won’t debut until 2025, but he may quickly ascend to the majors. An upper-90s fastball and low-90s slider give him two swing-and-miss pitches. Burns’ curveball and changeup have shown well in spurts and could be used more in pro ball.
9 Danimals 1B Jac Caglianone: The Danimals with the team’s 3rd pick so far in the draft, they keep adding infielder this draft. The swing decisions are concerning, but Caglianone possesses plus-plus power and the ability to get to it. An overzealous approach gives Caglianone a bigger bust factor than similarly tiered college bats. Was one of my favorites coming into the draft back in July.
10 Banocolates 3B Cam Smith: The Cubs first rounder has had arguably the best debut of any draft hitter, showing feel to hit and power. Smith is an above-average athlete with legitimate plus power and an average-or-better hit tool. Did i mention the fact he is a Cub yet? All kidding aside he is one of the few “safe” college options that Jeff tends to like in the draft.
11 Pro Bowlers SP Hagen Smith: Great value here, as he is ranked 7th on BA’s FYPD board. Smith’s fastball is extremely unique, sitting 95-96 mph with a distinctive angle. His low-to-mid-80s slider is a plus pitch that generates copious amounts of swings and misses. Smith shows a low-80s curveball and changeup, too, but he’ll need to develop a third secondary.
12 Danimals SS Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez: Dan completes with his 4th pick of the draft so far a whole infield. He is the top IFA that is expect to sign this year and carries Future 60 grade power and hit tools. Always risky drafting IFA’s but its his 4th 1st rounder of the draft already so why not take a big swing. Switch-hitting shortstops with a polished approach at the plate from a young age are sure to draw lofty comparisons, and there’s no shortage of them with it comes to Gonzalez, whose ceiling has been held in the same regard as All-Stars Francisco Lindor and José Reyes.
13 Kelly’s Heroes SS Elian Pena: The 2nd IFA leave the board. Pena’s hit tool is his calling card. Equipped with oodles of bat speed from the left side, he complements his propensity to hit the ball hard with some of the most advanced plate discipline seen on the international scene in years
14 Nellamaniacs: SS Theo Gillen: Gillen has a strong combination of fantasy relevant tools in his above-average plate skills, raw power and plus speed. He will need to make some swing path adjustments to tap into his raw power. A physical infielder with power and speed upside, but it comes with a murky injury history.
15 Motley Shue: SS Konnor Griffin: Shue needs star power in the minor league ranks at this point and Griffin is the most tooled-up player in the draft thanks to plus-plus runner with size and projectable raw power. There are, however, some hit tool red flags that give him a boom or bust label. Griffin has legitimate 30/30 upside but major risk.
16 G.I. Zo’s OF Vance Honeycutt: Another lofty lottery ticket type that if he hits could give the GI Zo’s a star. If you’re a Honeycutt believer, then you buy in on his potential 30/30 upside and on-base ability. If you’re a Honeycutt skeptic, you’re worried about strikeouts and his hitting at higher levels. There’s no denying the tools or potential upside.
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