Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
Has worked for three MLB teams.
Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’
Welcome to our first team-by-team MLB prospect rankings big board update. The top 10 prospects for all 30 teams are updated below for where they stand entering May.
What has changed since our initial offseason list?
Below you will find the rankings for your favorite team, along with what to know for the month ahead, and all 30 of these lists will continue to be updated regularly throughout the 2025 season.
What to know: Keep an eye on risers such as RHP Braxton Bragg, RHP Levi Wells and C/1B/OF Ethan Anderson, who were all close to making the list. RHP Keeler Morfe and CF Austin Overn are exciting tools types who need some refinement but could get on the list by the end of the season. The early returns on Honeycutt are better than I expected, so his rise could continue.
What to know: He’s about to graduate, but Campbell has made the offensive adjustments needed at the big league level so far, so I’d move him into the tier with Anthony and Mayer if I were to re-do the top 100 now; they’re all pretty tightly packed in those top three spots.
Behind those three emerging stars, there are a lot of arrow-up guys in the early going and good depth throughout the list, largely on the pitching side: Fitts, Valera, Early, Brandon Clarke and Payton Tolle have all impressed and I ran out of room to include them all.
What to know:Jasson Dominguez has graduated, opening up the top spot on the list. Lombard will swing-and-miss in the zone a bit, but the rest of his game is above average across the board. I still don’t know what to do with Jones, who is showing a power-and-patience-and-athleticism combination that’s rare, but his in-zone miss could undermine the big tools; I don’t know what version of Joey Gallo he’ll look like when he gets to the big leagues. Warren, Rodriguez-Cruz and Schlitter are all variations of pitchers who excel at throwing multiple breaking pitches.
What to know: This system is really deep with another roughly dozen players I could’ve snuck in the last spot: RHP Yoniel Curet, UT Mac Horvath, C Dom Keegan, CF Theo Gillen, RHP Jackson Baumeister, LHP Ian Seymour and a number of pitchers in need of one adjustment to jump onto the list. Simpson is a force of nature and now the world knows why I love watching him, but most of the rest of the guys on this list haven’t moved a ton lately.
What to know: Early returns are positive on the Jays’ top three picks from the 2024 draft, all pitchers: Yesavage, Stephen and King. This list is mostly pitchers, with a little bit of everything from currently injured (Barriera, Tiedemann), to hasn’t debuted in 2025 yet (King, Rojas), to high probability back-end types with a shot for more (Yesavage, Bloss and Stephen). Martinez and Roden haven’t been great in 2025, so Nimmala carries a lot of the hopes of developing another standout offensive player from this system.
What to know: Both Schultz and Smith are off to slower starts, but I’m not panicking yet. Taylor has built on his strong end to 2024 and is now a top 100 arm, and Pallette is now showing the promise he did in his best healthy days at Arkansas. Meidroth and Bonemer are both big arrow-up guys this spring, and Colson Montgomery is a big question.
What to know: Not a ton of movement here just yet. Messick looks as if he’ll get a big league shot at some point this year to prove he’s a starter. Doughty is arrow-up since the draft due to his feel and off-speed stuff, with the velo the last part to hopefully join the profile soon. Kayfus is hitting well at Double-A but has little defensive value and fringy raw power.
What to know: Clark is off to a hot start with underlying metrics to match while Jobe still has plus stuff to the eye and in the data but just isn’t getting the whiffs you’d expect. Like the other top prep hitter in the 2024 draft (Konnor Griffin), Rainer is arrow-up in the early going, with underlying data matching the results and the rosiest amateur scouting reports, after a dozen games. Anderson is also taking a step forward this season. SS Trey Sweeney, LHP Brant Hurter and C Dillon Dingler have all graduated recently.
What to know: Wolters is still having some trouble finding the strike zone, but the raw stuff and athleticism is still there, so I want to stay on board a bit longer. Ricardo is a switch-hitting shortstop with power but was in the Dominican Summer League last year, so it’ll be a while. Cameron is a nice big league inventory starter that they’ll probably need at some point this year. And yes, Cags is still hitting well while he works to improve the finer points.
What to know: Rodriguez is off to a slow start and Keaschall is closing in, but his lack of power and defensive value (which are Rodriguez’s strengths) hold him back. I picked Soto as a breakout for the end of my top 100 before the year and he has held up his end of the bargain. Hill is one of the top prep breakout arms from last year’s draft, delivering on his projectable frame in short order by sitting 94-98 mph.
What to know: Jacob Wilson graduated soon after the season started, paving the way for Kurtz to take the top spot just as he was promoted to the big leagues. Hoglund’s velo is up and he should be getting the call soon as well, now that he is looking again the way he did at his best at Ole Miss. I wasn’t that big on the Athletics’ draft last summer, but the early returns on Gage Jump and Tommy White, former LSU teammates, has been positive.
What to know: Smith has continued to outperform his draft position and predraft scouting reports. Brito and Blubaugh have also continued to trend up on the pitching end. Jaworsky doesn’t have good surface numbers in his small sample so far this year, but the underlying metrics, his performance last season and his tools suggest he’s a real prospect.
What to know: Dana’s fastball quality is still in question, and Klassen’s stuff is outstanding — with strike-throwing his biggest question entering the year. It has progressed, so he takes the top spot. Moore is having some in-zone miss issues at the same time that Guzman is tapping into his raw power at a new level, with underlying numbers to make it seem real. Cortez and Johnson are 2024 draftees who might both be in the big league pen for good later this year; also keep an eye on Samy Natera Jr. and Jose Fermin along those lines.
What to know: Farmelo has returned from his torn ACL early in last season. I ranked him aggressively since the injury expecting him to hit the ground running when he returned. He hit a homer in his first game back earlier this week. This a deep, diverse group of position players and there will be a few busts, but these players should make up a good bit of the big league lineup a few years from now. Just beyond this list there are some intriguing arms, like the recently debuted Logan Evans and possible debut-to-come of Brandyn Garcia.
What to know: Leiter, Rocker, and Rosario are jumbled together in the same tier now after Leiter returned to his Vanderbilt form this spring, Rocker started slow then had a shoulder issue, and Rosario is down for the year with elbow surgery. Scarborough is the main arrow-up guy here, with a mid-90s sinker and deadly sweeper combo after being a near-anonymous prep righty in the draft a few years ago. Dreiling gets the nod over Alejandro Osuna due to his raw power.
What to know: RHP A.J. Smith-Shawver graduated, with a long list of pitchers and international signees lined up behind him; I’d expect a couple from that group to jump onto this list later in the year. Keep an eye on 3B David McCabe, who is having a renaissance at Double-A at age 25 and last year’s fourth-rounder LHP Herick Hernandez.
What to know: The Robby Snelling resurgence is upon us. His velo on all three of his primary pitches (four-seam fastball, slurve, changeup) is up two ticks and the fastball and changeup have also added a nontrivial amount of movement. He’s also still throwing strikes at a high rate. Ramirez has been excellent so far and Mack, Acosta and Alderman are also all arrow-up in the early going.
What to know: Sproat, Tong and McLean (along with graduated/injured RHP Christian Scott) could be ranked in any order and seem to be making the case to president of baseball operations David Stearns to stop handing out big money on the free agent starting pitching market for the foreseeable future. The bats aren’t bad either, as the system is stocked with infielders: Jacob Reimer, Marco Vargas and Daiverson Gutierrez just missed the list, and Elian Pena (and his highly anticipated pro debut) and Jeremy Rodriguez aren’t far behind.
What to know: You could put Miller and Painter in either order; Painter has a higher upside but is also a pitcher and has had arm trouble. Crawford is still hitting the ball on the ground too much to reach his upside. Escobar and Abel have taken steps forward this year. Also of note: Tait has incredible raw power and Nori has been a bit better than I expected at draft time.
What to know: Dylan Crews graduated from the top spot soon after the season started and that makes way for Dickerson (the Nats’ big overslot bonus in the 2024 draft) to sneak onto the list before his pro debut. Their top 2024 pick King just needs to chase fewer pitches out of the zone to become a clear top-100 prospect.
Susana was already the top pitching prospect in this system for me but could be on the verge of becoming one of the best in baseball, which would help soften the blow of hip surgery that has delayed Sykora’s 2025 debut.
What to know: I hedged a bit on Horton’s placement on the top 100 going into the season, unsure if his flagging stuff down the stretch was due to an injury that would be an issue in 2025. He looks back to his old self and should be a big league factor soon. Ballesteros and Mule are also off to nice starts but keep an eye on SS Cristian Hernandez. He was highly touted and started his career slowly, but might be turning a corner, just missing this list.
What to know: Burns has been as advertised so far in pro ball, showing two plus-plus pitches in his fastball and slider; at this rate he’ll be a big league factor in the second half. Lowder has already debuted (currently on the IL) and Petty is looking crisp, knocking on the door at Triple-A as another potential big league starter.
What to know: Made’s outstanding pro debut in the Dominican Summer League has held up in the early going as a 17-year-old in Single-A. He’s still showing above-average offensive upside and a clear fit somewhere in the infield. Misiorowski is showing some progress with strike throwing, Pena’s stateside debut is also going well, and Adams and Payne are both arrow-up position players; you might be noticing a trend with Milwaukee. There are a number of position players who just missed that could easily be listed: Josh Adamczewski, Tyler Black, Mike Boeve and Luis Lara.
What to know: Chandler is carving up Triple-A and his velo is up 1.4 mph from last season. He ranked behind Roki Sasaki and Jackson Jobe among pitchers on the top 100 going into the season, but you could certainly argue Chandler is the top dog now given his continued progress while the other two have had slow starts in the big leagues. Chen is dealing and he has good feel and off-speed stuff, but his fastball velocity is still well below average.
What to know: There has been some injury issues small (Hence, ribs), medium (Mathews, shoulder after losing the strike zone), and big (Hjerpe, elbow surgery) on this list since the season started. Michael McGreevy was the first cut from the list and profiles as big league pitching inventory. The rest of the list consists of position players who have largely been solid.
What to know: Caldwell and Waldschmidt are both arrow-up relative to expectations in their first full season, but also keep an eye on another 2024 draft pick: RHP Daniel Eagen, who just missed this list. The third-rounder out of Presbyterian College is dealing in High-A and might be in line for a promotion in short order.
What to know: Dollander is in the big leagues and pitching well, despite losing some lift to his fastball, because he’s throwing almost two ticks harder. Hill has turned a corner and I like what I’ve seen so far from Thomas. He got a “poor man’s Cody Bellinger” comp from one team I spoke with before the 2024 draft and he’s off to a hot start.
What to know: George’s power has spiked this year, addressing the major concern on his profile, so he’s now tracking like a potential everyday player. Some other risers who didn’t make the list because the Dodgers’ system is loaded, all pitchers: righties Christian Zazueta, Eriq Swan, and Patrick Copen.
What to know: De Vries is the same age as the top high school players in this year’s MLB draft. He not only would be the No. 1 overall pick by a mile, but he’d be one of the best No. 1 picks in recent memory.
Four of these 10 haven’t played yet this year, so there hasn’t been a ton of movement in this list, but Balzer is the big riser. He has plus stuff with some relief risk as a near-anonymous signee born in Japan.
What to know: This system hangs largely on near big league ready pitching and higher variance position players with some ceiling. De Jesus and Level are two exciting talents who will get going later when short-season leagues begin. Jordan was last year’s electric tools acquisition via an overslot deal in the draft, and Davidson was the underappreciated prospect who had his breakthrough last season continuing into this season.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby in the slop on Saturday.
Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay.
This time, he knew right away.
Sovereignty won by 1½ lengths and snapped an 0-for-13 Derby skid for owner Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
It was quite a weekend for the sheikh. His filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday, Ruling Court won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain.
Sovereignty covered 1¼ miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds.
Journalism found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside. He and Sovereignty hooked up at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away.
Baeza was third, Final Gambit was fourth and Owen Almighty finished fifth.
Rain made for a soggy day, with the Churchill Downs dirt strip listed as sloppy and horse racing fans protecting their fancy hats and clothing with clear plastic ponchos.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old driver already with two NASCAR Xfinity Series race wins, will miss Saturday’s race at Texas because of lower back injuries sustained in a last-lap wreck at Talladega.
Trackhouse Racing said Wednesday that its development driver will return as soon as possible to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The team didn’t provide any additional details about Zilisch’s injuries.
Cup Series regular Kyle Larson will drive the No. 88 in Texas. After that, the Xfinity Series has a two-week break before racing again May 24 at Charlotte.
Zilisch, sixth in points through the first 11 races, was driving for the win at Talladega Superspeedway when contact on the backstretch sent his car spinning, and head-on into inside wall.
Zilisch won in his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen last Sept. 14. He added another win this year at Austin, the same weekend that he made his Cup Series debut. He has six top-10 finishes in his 15 Xfinity races.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The two teams suing NASCAR asked a judge to dismiss the sanctioning body’s counterclaim in court Wednesday.
In a 20-page filing in district court in North Carolina, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports opposed NASCAR’s motion to amend its original counterclaim. The teams argued that the need to amend the counterclaim further demonstrates the weakness of NASCAR’s arguments, calling them an attempt by NASCAR to distract and shift attention away from its own unlawful, monopolistic actions.
NASCAR’s counterclaim singled out Michael Jordan’s longtime business manager, Curtis Polk. Jordan is co-owner of 23XI Racing.
The legal battle began after more than two years of negotiations on new charter agreements — NASCAR’s equivalent of a franchise model — and the 30-page filing contends that Polk “willfully” violated antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in connection with the most recent charter agreements.
23XI and Front Row were the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign the new agreements, which were presented to the teams last September in a take-it-or-leave-it offer a mere 48 hours before the start of NASCAR’s playoffs.
The charters were fought for by the teams ahead of the 2016 season and twice have been extended. The latest extension is for seven years to match the current media rights deal and guarantee 36 of the 40 spots in each week’s field to the teams that hold the charters, as well as other financial incentives. 23XI and Front Row refused to sign and sued, alleging NASCAR and the France family that owns the stock car series are a monopoly.
NASCAR already has lost one round in court in which the two teams have been recognized as chartered organizations for the 2025 season as the legal dispute winds through the courts. NASCAR has also appealed a judge’s rejection of its motion to dismiss the case.