As we enter March, 2025 MLB Spring Training is in full swing. This also means that the much-anticipated 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Season is about to kick off, and Fantasy Baseball’s ADP (Average Draft Position) is gradually becoming clear. In the eyes of many players, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt, and Juan Soto are undoubtedly the unanimous draft favorites who are firmly in the top four. At the same time, in most drafts, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are the first two starting pitchers to be eliminated. Skenes is currently the +400 favorite to lead the 2025 regular season in strikeouts, but when should you start drafting the Pittsburgh right-hander?
Last season, SportsLine’s model pinned several top fantasy prospects, breakouts, and busts, including Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. From the beginning, the SportsLine team viewed Rutschman as a strong candidate for a fantasy underdog, given that he was selected in the average first five rounds of the draft.
Although Rutschman finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 after playing just 113 games, and was an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner in 2023, his numbers have declined across the board in subsequent seasons. He finished sixth among catchers despite being drafted two rounds earlier than any other catcher on average. There were better value options at that draft stage, and the model helped fantasy baseball players avoid making a difficult and potentially unwise choice early in the draft.
The SportsLine model is backed by a strong team of people who also provide expert predictions to all three major fantasy sports sites. Now, the team is sharing their carefully crafted 2025 fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets on SportsLine, aiming to help you accurately identify the best prospects, breakouts, and busts in the fantasy baseball field before your competitors do. Their cheat sheets are available for leagues on many major websites and are updated multiple times a day to ensure that players have access to the latest and most accurate information.
As soon as any news about MLB trades, signings, fantasy baseball injuries, etc. is released, the SportsLine team will quickly update their predictions to ensure that the predictions are timely and accurate. So, players must immediately visit SportsLine to check out these rigorously verified fantasy baseball cheat sheets and prepare for your draft.
2025 Fantasy Baseball Prospects
For the list of 2025 fantasy baseball prospects, the model focuses on Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor. Naylor was originally a first-round draft pick of the Marlins and made his major league debut with the Padres in 2019. In the past few seasons, he finally made his breakthrough with the Guardians. Just last year, he hit 31 home runs, contributed 108 RBIs, and was selected to the MLB All-Star team for the first time while playing in Cleveland.
Now, after an offseason trade, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks and will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in this athletic team. It is worth noting that Chase Field has been ranked as the sixth most hitter-friendly stadium in MLB for the past three seasons. Through accurate data analysis, the model predicts that Naylor’s excellent high contact rate (in the 80th percentile) and above-average exit velocity (in the 64th percentile) will be fully utilized in this desert field. Based on this, the model ranks him third among first basemen, even ahead of players who were selected earlier in the draft, such as Matt Olson and Pete Alonso. For more fantasy baseball prospects, head to SportsLine.
2025 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Player Prediction
For the 2025 Fantasy Baseball Breakout Player Prediction, the model has focused on Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews. A consensus top 10 MLB prospects last season, Crews made his major league debut in 2024 and showed amazing talent and ability in 31 tryout games with Washington. Now ranked as the top prospect by MLB Pipeline, he will have ample opportunity to become a regular starter for the Nationals in 2025.
Although Crews’ batting numbers in the major leagues last year were not very impressive, with a batting average of only .219/.288/.353, he managed to hit 9 extra bases and completed 12 stolen bases. In the long run, he is projected to have average to above-average batting patience and high-level hitting ability to go along with his power and speed. This is a key reason why the model ranks him ahead of more established outfielders Lars Nootbar and Kris Bryant.
2025 Fantasy Baseball Most Likely Flops
Among the players to be avoided, the model clearly points to Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto as one of the most likely 2025 Fantasy Baseball Flops. In his 2025 Spring Training debut, Yamamoto threw 1.2 scoreless innings. Last year, Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers after moving from Japan. In his rookie season, he had an excellent record of 7 wins and 2 losses, a low ERA of 3.00, and successfully struck out 105 batters in 90 innings. There’s no doubt that he’s great when healthy. However, a right shoulder injury kept him out for three months.
Given the high expectations for Yamamoto next season, he currently ranks in the mid-50s in 2025 fantasy baseball ADP. However, the potential for another injury and some worrying underlying metrics are cause for concern. Last season, he ranked 27th among MLB pitchers in slugging percentage (41.3%). The model’s in-depth analysis predicts that although he is ranked in the top 60 in the early 2025 fantasy baseball draft, he actually ranks outside the top 80 pitchers in fantasy baseball. For more details on fantasy baseball failures, head to SportsLine for a deeper look.
How to Get Verified Fantasy Baseball Rankings for 2025
SportsLine’s model also rates a young shortstop extremely high, predicting he will jump into the top 11 among shortstops, despite his current draft ranking outside of the top 150. The model predicts that he will outperform established stars such as Bo Bichette and Dansby Swanson this season. Such a seemingly insignificant draft pick could very well be the key factor in whether you win the league or not, so don’t underestimate it.