Here are 25 prospect storylines to follow in 2025

We’ve officially turned over the calendar to 2025 this week. Of course in baseball, it feels like we began to flip the calendar the moment Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler struck out Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo in Game 5 to end the World Series on Oct. 30.

Here at MLB Pipeline, we’re always thinking about the future. That is the very nature of covering prospects, the Minor Leagues and the MLB Draft. So before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training next month, let’s take some time to think about what’s to come in prospectdom this year. Here are 25 storylines we’ll follow in 2025:

1. Roki Sasaki arrives: The 23-year-old right-hander will become the most heralded member of an international signing class since Shohei Ohtani joined the Angels in December 2017. As one executive told Jonathan Mayo about signing Sasaki, “Why wouldn’t everyone be trying?” His recruitment and signing process will make for fascinating follows ahead of the opening of the signing period on Jan. 15, and oh, he gets to actually pitch after that. Triple-digit fastballs, arguably the best splitters on the planet, above-average sliders — they’re all part of the package that will make Sasaki’s MLB debut so fun and potentially dominant.

2. The Rookie of the Year races: We don’t know if Sasaki will join an American League or National League team, but he’ll be the instant favorite in either circuit, aiming to repeat Paul Skenes’ path as a ROY starting pitcher. Outside of him, the races could be pretty open. In the AL, Jackson Jobe, Coby Mayo, Kumar Rocker and Jacob Wilson already have MLB experience, while Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell should compete for spots with Boston out of the gate. Dylan Crews might have a half-step ahead of the NL crowd with an Opening Day spot in the Washington outfield, but Matt Shaw, Rhett Lowder and Bubba Chandler should all have a say. The expansion of the ROY ballot from three players to five should also allow for more players to be considered, vetted and voted on in 2025.

3. Trade packages: Some big blockbusters are already out of the way this offseason with Top 100 talents Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery and Cam Smith heading to new organizations. But there’s the possibility that more deals could come in the new year and shake up farm systems, like ones involving Dylan Cease or Luis Robert. Looking back at August, only one current Top 100 prospect (Agustin Ramirez) was moved at the most recent Trade Deadline. Will teams be similarly less willing to trade away big-time prospects in-season, or was that more of a reflection of the 2024 trade candidate class? We’ll find out this summer.

4. The Nationals’ Draft decision at No. 1 overall: Speaking of the summer, Washington landed the 2025 Draft’s No. 1 overall pick through the Draft Lottery at the Winter Meetings. As it stands now, this won’t be like 2009 and 2010, when the Nats had slam-dunk one-one picks in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Ethan Holliday will get plenty of attention with the possibility that he’ll follow in his brother Jackson’s footsteps, both at the top of the Draft and by going to an organization in the DMV area. But the Nationals could aim for a college arm like Jamie Arnold or Tyler Bremner, who could help out more quickly, or add a college bat like Jace LaViolette to the outfield mix alongside Crews and James Wood. The Draft begins July 13 in Atlanta.

5. Next battle for No. 1 overall prospect spot: Sasaki, a potential MLB ace, has the upper hand to claim the top spot on the 2025 preseason list, though nothing is official yet as we continue to go through the Top 100 ranking process. On the position player side, Crews is loaded with tools on both sides of the diamond, and fellow outfielders Roman Anthony and Walker Jenkins have their fair share of fans across the industry. If Sasaki does go to No. 1, he’ll likely graduate early, making his replacement at the top a point of debate across prospectheads. (A personal prediction: Leodalis De Vries or Sebastian Walcott will rank at No. 1 at some point in 2025.)

6. Is pitching back? The evolving role of the starting pitcher (brought on by lowered rate of innings per start leading to decreased seasonal innings totals and therefore decreased overall individual impact) forced us to take a hard look at how we rank pitching prospects compared to their hitting peers. But this current crop of pitching prospects might be too good to ignore. Sasaki is a star in the making. Jobe has a full set of MLB-ready pitches and impressive command. Chandler and Noah Schultz have the stuff to lead rotations, and Andrew Painter (more on him in a second) appeared to be back to his 2022 self in the Arizona Fall League. The quality of arsenals, aided by the modern work of pitch understanding and design, could push several arms into prominent places on the Top 100 to begin 2025 and beyond the start of the season.

7. Painter’s health: Painter was the AFL’s Pitcher of the Year after flirting with triple-digits and showing a well-rounded arsenal in his return from elbow issues and Tommy John surgery that had held him out since spring 2023. The Phillies have indicated he is a candidate to pitch in the Major League rotation. But Painter’s innings limits — both in games and over the season — will determine just how big of a role he’ll have for the NL East contenders, especially down the stretch.

8. Can Ethan Salas rebound? The Padres catcher skyrocketed as though he were shot out of a cannon when he reached Double-A as a 17-year-old in 2023, but he hit just .206/.288/311 in 111 games for High-A Fort Wayne last season. He looked more like his old self at the plate in the Arizona Fall League, where he also strengthened his reputation as a strong defensive backstop. That has buoyed his stock for now, and it’s always good to remember development isn’t always linear. But Salas once looked like a future No. 1 overall candidate, and he’ll need a strong bounce back to get into that discussion again.

9. First member of 2024 Draft to debut in the Majors: The Angels typically move their Draft picks quicker than most anyone else, and first-rounder Christian Moore already has 23 games of solid Double-A experience. It might be the former Tennessee star vs. the field, but don’t rule out A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz in the same division, or other first-rounders Travis Bazzana, Chase Burns or Hagen Smith.

10. Were Charlie Condon’s High-A struggles blips or real? The 2024 third overall pick wasn’t listed above after hitting just .180/.248/.270 with one homer and a 31.2 percent strikeout rate in 25 games for High-A Spokane after the Draft. That came after Condon led Division I qualifiers in average (.433), slugging (1.009), OPS (1.565) and homers (37) over 60 games in his final season at Georgia. The Northwest League woes could have been the effects of fatigue after a long spring and summer, or they could have been indicative of a player with issues against sharper pitching at the pro level. Condon will be refreshed and expand his Minor League sample size this spring, giving us clearer answers.

11. Can Jasson Domínguez finally settle in the Bronx? Juan Soto is out of the Yankees outfield. Cody Bellinger is in via trade (unless he moves to first base full-time). If the season started today, Domínguez would likely slide into the starting left-field role. But while the 21-year-old switch-hitter has shown promising power and speed in the upper levels of the Minors, he’s yet to replicate those results at the plate over 26 games in two Major League seasons, and his defense in left has looked raw at best. He needs ample MLB playing time to adjust to the level, but the Yankees can’t afford to carry subpar production in a loaded AL East.

12. Next steps for Boston’s Big Three: The Red Sox prospect quad lost its backstop with Teel going to the Pale Hose in the Garrett Crochet swap, but Top 10 overall prospects Anthony, Campbell and Marcelo Mayer remain. Anthony and Campbell should get shots to make the MLB club out of spring by continuing to hit the ball hard and in the air while showing decent speed. Mayer will need to reestablish consistent health as he’s still yet to play more than 91 games in any of his four Minor League seasons.

13. Minor League ballparks take big stage: They don’t come under usual circumstances (ongoing construction/end of a lease and hurricane damage), but for those of us who follow the Minor Leagues daily, it’ll be something to see West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park and Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field become temporary Major League homes to the Athletics and Rays, respectively. Sutter Health Park has historically been one of the more pitcher-friendly ballparks in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, while GMS Field has the same dimensions (and short porch) as Yankee Stadium. Prepare accordingly.

14. New Minor League ballparks: Four new stadiums will arrive in Minor League Baseball in 2025: Triple-A Salt Lake, Double-A Columbus, Double-A Knoxville and High-A Hub City. Salt Lake and Knoxville are relocations within the same region, while Columbus and Hub City bring new environs in Georgia and South Carolina, respectively. We’ll learn more about how the parks play once games get underway in March and April.

15. Jesus Made heads stateside: Remember Jackson Chourio’s breakout in 2022, when he skipped over the Arizona Complex League and climbed three levels? The hype is even higher around Made, a Brewers prospect at the same stage of his career now that Chourio was at before ’22. The 17-year-old switch-hitting middle infielder ranked among the top five percent in the Dominican Summer League in contact rate and chase rate while showing impressive hard-hit rates and exit velocities. Milwaukee likes to test its brightest young stars, and Made might already be the best prospect in the system before playing a single game in the U.S.

16. How high can the steals leader go? Rules changes involving pickoff limits and base sizes have allowed teams to get more aggressive on the basepaths, and no one has taken more advantage than Chandler Simpson, the two-time Minor League leader in steals. The Rays’ No. 4 prospect was the Minors’ first player to steal 100-plus bags since 2012 when he nabbed 104 between High-A and Double-A in 2024. He could conceivably go for 110-plus in 2025, but if that happens, he’ll probably be in the Majors first, leaving another speedster to pick up the mantle. Orioles prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. and fellow Ray Homer Bush Jr. are two candidates.

17. Trickle-down effects of Soto in Mets system: The offseason’s biggest free agent plays in the outfield. Five of the Mets’ top six prospects (Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, Carson Benge, Ronny Mauricio) have outfield experience. Depth on the grass is a good thing to have, but Soto’s arrival could provoke some moving and shaking among that group in the short and long term. Maybe Williams starts playing more in the middle infield, Gilbert gets more looks in center and Clifford becomes more of a full-time first baseman (especially if the Mets don’t re-sign Pete Alonso or add a similar-quality player there). Benge, last year’s first-rounder, might be too far away to consider Soto effects next summer, while Mauricio needs to show he’s healthy after missing 2024 with a torn right ACL.

18. Shaw manning the hot corner at Wrigley: The Cubs dealt away Isaac Paredes to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal, leaving third base open for now. It just so happens No. 22 overall prospect Shaw could slide in perfectly after posting an .867 OPS with 21 homers and 31 steals at Double-A and Triple-A last year. The 2023 first-rounder could be tested defensively there, but his above-average hit, power and speed tools could immediately help Chicago in its bid for a first postseason appearance since 2020.

19. Returns from injury: Top D-backs prospect Jordan Lawlar was limited to 23 Minor League games by thumb and hamstring issues and has been making up for the lost time in the Dominican Winter League. Top Brewers prospect Jeferson Quero suffered a torn right labrum in his first game of the 2024 season. Top Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton managed only nine starts due to a right lat strain. All three should open at Triple-A in 2025 and reestablish their prospect statuses.

20. Jac Caglianone’s two-way status: The Royals selected last year’s John Olerud Award winner sixth overall in the Draft and seemed open to allowing him to hit and pitch, though they kept him as a position player in early work at High-A Quad Cities and the Arizona Fall League. Caglianone’s top-of-the-scale power could make him a quick mover if he can reign in his high chase rate, but there is a temptation to see what his mid-90s fastball could do with pro-level pitching instruction. He’ll be one of the most closely followed prospects in his first Spring Training and into the regular season.

21. Next Kristian Campbell/Quinn Mathews from 2024 Draft class: Mathews and Campbell were selected 122nd and 132nd overall in the 2023 Draft respectively and went on to lead the Minors in strikeouts and wRC+, fueling their surges into the Top 100 overall prospect list. Could anyone follow in their footsteps with similar breakouts in 2025? A personal favorite candidate: No. 134 overall pick and Padres No. 6 prospect Kavares Tears, who was a star for Tennessee’s College World Series-winning team with above-average power and speed.

22. What do the Rays do with all this depth? The Rays used last year’s Trade Deadline to bulk up their pipeline and once again ascended to the top of our in-season Farm System Rankings. They’re particularly loaded at first base (Xavier Isaac, Tre’ Morgan) and the outfield (Chandler Simpson, Theo Gillen, Brailer Guerrero, Aidan Smith) but have the middle infield (Carson Wiliams, Brayden Taylor) and catching (Dominic Keegan) spots covered nicely too. There are solid arms in Gary Gill Hill, Santiago Suarez, Brody Hopkins and Jackson Baumeister and the potential reclamation of former Top 100 prospect Dylan Lesko. Having a top system and a top MLB team are two different things, and it’ll be on Tampa Bay players, coaches and coordinators to turn this group into the next contender on the Gulf Coast.

23. Detroit’s up-and-coming catching duo: Anyone who followed the Arizona Fall League this autumn is aware of the hitting prowess of Fall Stars Game MVP Thayron Liranzo and Triple Crown winner/regular-season MVP Josue Briceño. The two will be on different paths in 2025 — Liranzo spent all last season in High-A while Briceño missed much of the Single-A year with a knee injury — but they could be on a collision course before long. Expect Briceño to be the one who moves to first base if and when that happens, but both boppers have the plus raw power to feature in the middle of a Motown lineup quicker than many catchers their age.

24. New Cardinals player development setup: Former Red Sox exec Chaim Bloom will replace outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak after the 2025 season, and the club has already added new assistant general manager for player development and performance Rob Cerfolio and farm director Larry Day, both from the Guardians organization, following Gary LaRocque’s retirement. Bloom had a hand in building up the Boston farm before his departure, while Cerfolio and Day helped Cleveland develop five current Top 100 prospects and more candidates for that list just behind them. The Cards have three Top 100 players themselves now in JJ Wetherholt, Tink Hence and Mathews, but they could use a deeper and more robust system when they’re looking to retool the MLB club for a new era.

25. Spring Breakout, Part II: The first edition of Spring Breakout — a series of Spring Training exhibitions placing prospects from all levels in the spotlight — gave us an epic Paul Skenes vs. Jackson Holliday matchup that became the talk of baseball for the day. What can 2025 provide as an encore? Spring Breakout arrives in Arizona and Florida from March 13-16.