Fantasy Baseball Today - 2025 Top Outfield Prospects! Jasson Dominguez, Dylan Crews & More! (12/23 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

To display your continued support of the show, please vote Fantasy Baseball Today in the Sports Podcast Awards in the "Best Baseball Podcast" Category https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-baseball-podcast/ Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays (2:35)! ... Let's jump into the top outfield prospects, starting with Alan Roden, Zac Veen and Chandler Simpson (4:53). ... Who are Bo Davidson and Aidan Smith (12:15)? ... We could get lots of speed from Justin Crawford and Jaison Chourio (19:12). ... Cole Carrigg is an interesting prospect for the Rockies (23:03). ... Owen Caissie, Robert Calaz and Zyhir Hope all have big power upside (28:20). ... Chase DeLauter could have a spot on Opening Day (35:32). ... Lazaro Montes and Josue De Paula have big power potential (39:52). ... Emmanuel Rodriguez is an interesting prospect (45:02). ... Walker Jenkins has five-category potential while Jasson Dominguez should make an impact in 2025 (52:27). ... Dylan Crews should run wild next season and Roman Anthony should get a chance with the Red Sox (58:43). Fantasy Baseball Today is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you listen to podcasts.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/FantasyBaseballToday Download and Follow Fantasy Baseball Today on Spotify: https://sptfy.com/QiKv Get awesome Fantasy Baseball Today merch here: http://bit.ly/3y8dUqi Follow FBT on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbtpod?_t=8WyMkPdKOJ1&_r=1 Follow our FBT team on Twitter: @FBTPod, @CTowersCBS, @CBSScottWhite, @Roto_Frank Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fantasybaseballtoday Sign up for the FBT Newsletter at https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/fantasy-baseball-today/ For more fantasy baseball coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ You can listen to Fantasy Baseball Today on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast from CBS Sports. Got a fantasy question? Email Fantasy Baseball at CBSI.com. Get ready to win your league. Well, fantasy. Now here's Frank, Scott, and Chris. Hello, welcome into fantasy baseball today on Monday, December 23rd. I am Frank Sample joined by Scott White and Chris Towers.

Today on the show, we are jumping back into progress. This time, counting down Scott's top 25 outfield prospect. Lots of names for Dynasty, but also some big ones to know for redraft leagues as well. So in case you're tuning in and you're like, I don't know if I need to know about all these prospects. You probably do. Of course, wishing everybody a Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to all. And for anybody listening to the podcast, Chris, we're going to need a description.

A full breakdown of the pajamas you are currently wearing. So I'm a little frustrated because I, we get Christmas pajamas every year. Either my mom or more of my mother-in-law sends them for us. We got this. I got, I'm holding it up. It's a little Santa Claus. Just having a merry old time in the snow as Santa does. But I can't wear them because they're for this Christmas, obviously.

Can't break them out until Christmas Eve. We're recording on the 16th. So this is the past. I don't want to do that. And I couldn't find any of my. Christmas E tops. Yeah. So my,

my sister-in-law got me pajamas for Christmas a couple years ago with my dog, Stevie's face on them. So that, that's what I'm wearing. So that's,

that's little Stevie on, on my pajamas. I'm, I'm trying to figure out. So they have to be like fresh from the package on Christmas Eve. The first time you wear them

is every year is for Christmas. Then you can wear them whenever you want. So you're not a wash it before you wear it kind of guy? We probably washed. I would I don't know. My wife takes care of that. I just do what I'm told. I'm sure she will wash it before we wear them. But the point is I wouldn't wear it until Christmas, whether, you know, we washed it or or not. Okay. I wondered if that was just a universal thing because my mom does the same thing. She gets us. Christmas pajamas every year and I have, I don't know, 10 pairs of Christmas pajamas. But I don't, like, I'm a little worried. Like, I don't know where all the, like, I know I have one that's like,

it's like a, it's like a bunch of animals having a little Christmas party. There's like a little iguana with a hat and like a puppy and a kitty and they're all hanging out, like have an eggnog or whatever. And I can't find it. I'm very, I'm distraught, frankly. Well, you got a, you got a week in a couple days to pull it off, Chris. I know. We're rooting for you, bud.

Let's get into Skyny. top 25 outfield prospects, as usual, with all these positions that we've mentioned, there are articles accompanying them on the site. So if you want to go and read more about these prospects, feel free to do exactly that. We will go in groups of three from 25 through 11 and then focus a little bit more on the top 10. But outfield prospects number 25 through 23, we have Alan Rodin of the Blue Jays, Zach Veen of the Rockies, and Chandler Simpson of the Reyes. Alan Rodin, a little bit older, 24 years old.

He's a third round pick back in 2022. An older prospect chips in across the board. He's a squirrelly little guy. I think there's a chance. You know, he could have some value as soon as 2025 here with the Blue Jays. Zach Veen is a name we have heard about for years. Some prospect fatigue, I think, for some people who've, again, you've just heard his name mentioned many times.

But 23 years old, lots of speed with Zach Veen. He's also dealt with a lot of injuries. And Chandler's since. is someone who's popped up this offseason with the Tampa Bay Rays because they traded away Jose Siri. They could have some openings in the outfield. And he is probably the fastest player at all of baseball. He had over 100 steals in the minors.

That also came with one home run and inside the park home run. It did not even go over the fence. How about that? Scott, what do you got here on Chandler, Simpson, Zach Veen, and Alan Rodin? Well, I think this is a really fun group. And part of the reason it's such a fun group is because I, feel like outfield is the position where I ranked the furthest beyond the consensus. So at every position, there's a certain number of players that, okay, they obviously have to be there.

Everybody understands their top prospects. But then you reach a point where the consensus phrase a bit and you get to you get to dip into those cheese balls, those personal cheese balls. And so what I was trying to do here at the end of my outfield rankings was highlight some players who I feel like, if they became something for fantasy this year, I wouldn't regret not telling you about them before the year. That was kind of my thinking. So what I like about Alan Rodin, he doesn't strike me as a huge ceiling kind of guy.

Like the power production is the most questionable part of the profile here. But his contact, line drive, and on-based skills are all so good that it's hard for me to see Alan Roden, being an out and out failure. And I think there's a chance he becomes a good enough power hitter to be like a real difference maker in fantasy because his max exit velocity of AAA was 112 miles per hour. And his pull rate was over 50%.

So he knows how to maximize his power by pulling the ball. And he actually hits it pretty hard for not having that much home run production. 16 home runs at 451 at bets. That's Alan Rodin. He's 25, like he said. Zach Veen, we've heard about him a lot. Of course, he used to be one of the tip-top prospects in baseball soon after he was drafted. What year was that?

That was like, I think it was 2020, actually. And as he's gone up the ladder, his numbers have gotten worse. And they've been pretty bad over the past few years, but two of those years he was playing through wrist issues that he finally had surgery to correct going into last year. And he started last year after that surgery, slashing three, 26, four, 4-18, 568 in 28 games. And then he had back issues and then he had thumb issues and missed a lot of time and the numbers were dragged down. And I'm just not sure we've seen Zach Veen healthy much in the last three years.

And the little bit of time we did seem healthy, those first 28 games, he looked like a stud still. And obviously playing at course field helps to raise his batting average potential. He should at least steal a lot of bases. that's Zach Vien and finally Chandler Simpson maybe the most interesting of these three players you kind of went into

his whole profile already the 104 104 stolen bases it's not a profile that we see much or that works much in the modern game

the last players who I think had an extended run of success like this Michael Bourne Juan P. Yeah. Some people point out Billy Hamilton, but Billy Hamilton pretty much just stole bases.

He was even at the time he was around stealing those bases. It was like, man, he's such a liability and everything else. You know, Juan Pierre could hit for average. Michael Bourne could hit for average. Chandler Simpson hit 355 between high A and double A. And what I like about him compared to some of these other slap hitting speedsters that have come up through the miners is he seems to know exactly who he is. he doesn't try for power at all. His fly ball rate was below 20% at AA last year. He hits the ball to the opposite field more than he pulls it. So he is selling out for singles, basically, and then just letting his feet do the talking once he gets on base.

And I can see it working. Xavier Edwards this past year for the Marlins gives me hope, because it's a profile like that, just maybe even to a further extreme for Chandler Simpson. So somebody to keep an eye on there. Before we hit our first break, just a reminder that fantasy baseball today is a finalist for the best baseball podcast in the Sports Podcast Awards.

And the finals come down to a fan vote, so we need your help. If you're watching on YouTube, scan the QR code that will take you to the website or head to the link in the episode description. Click on the thumbs up next to the FBT. logo and then punching your info and it's easy as that. We really do appreciate it.

Let's take our first break when we return more outfield prospects right after this. Welcome back in, continuing on the countdown of outfield prospects, numbers 22 through 20. We have Bow Davidson with a Giants, Aidan Smith with the raise, and Enrique Bradfield with the Orioles. Bo, Bo Davidson, 22 years old and undrafted prospect could be a five-tool player. I mean, he hit 327 with a 4.30. on base percentage in the minors this season, mostly came at A ball. Aidan Smith, 20 years old.

He actually came over to the raise in the Randy or Rosa Rana trade. And another potential five-tool player, he's got big speed. He had 41 steals in the minors this season. And Enrique Bradfield with the Orioles, he was a first round pick in last year's draft, 2023.

Incredible speed and defense. There's a little bit more power than someone like Chandler Simpson, but Bradfield had 74 steals, and we are talking elite, elite, level defense. Scott, anything to add here on Bradfield, Aidan Smith, and Bo Davidson. So Davidson and Aiden Smith, Bo Davidson and Avin Smith,

that's kind of the end of the personal cheeseballs, and then you get more into the consensus there with Enrique Bradford at number 20. I'm really sticking my neck out for Bo Davidson because you're not going to see him on many prospect lists. Everybody's a little wary of him, because he went undrafted in 2023. We're not talking that long ago.

Teams didn't even deem him worth drafting. And he was just such a surprise last year. After he came back from a hamstring injury in July, he slashed 405, 522, 763, hitting nine home runs in 38 games. And he's an athletic guy, too. It's not just he's 22 years old, and he's beating up on lesser competition. I mean, it's part of that.

I don't expect him to hit 405 as he moves up the ladder. But I think there's like legitimate talent here that was just overlooked. And we saw it on display over his final 38 games last year. That's Bo Davidson of the Giants. Aidan Smith came over in the Randia Rosarena trade to the raise. We tend to like minor leaguers at the race target and trades. Tends to go well. And I'm not really sure why there isn't more attention on him.

I think just it's hard to it's hard to highlight everybody. And obviously a deep position. And in that organization, you know, he'd probably be a top 10 guy in most organizations. But, you know, baseball prospectus has him 13th in what they view as the deepest organization in baseball. So he's 20, Aidan Smith. He was at low A. He put up good numbers there, 28 batting average. 874 OBS got on base a ton, 41 stolen bases.

The power's still developing, but it's there. It exists. He's just kind of underdeveloped physically. It reminds me a good bit of Evan Carter, actually, a similar skill set, athletic guy with good plate discipline and just needs to add muscle mass to start tapping into that power more. But if he does that, Aidan Smith already knows how to elevate and pull well, His rates on both of those are great.

So his swing is set up for power, which I don't even think was true for Evan Carter for most of his minor league career. So I think he's, you know, a lot of times that's what minor league hitters struggle with is just learning to maximize that raw power. He's still growing into the power, but he knows how to maximize it already.

So Aidan Smith is somebody I'm especially high on. Enrique Bradfield, you kind of laid it out already. Big speed guy like Chandler Simpson. but the biggest difference between him and Simpson is he is a stellar defender. So Enrique Bradfield is going to have a role in the majors for sure. It's a question of whether he becomes an everyday player and whether he produces enough in batting average, I think. That'll determine whether he's impactful in fantasy.

It's a limited ceiling, obviously, since Enrique Bradfield isn't going to hit for much power. but could he have, I guess, I don't know, Cedric Mullins, same team. Less power, more speed than Mullins, but that kind of, he could be that level of impact and fantasy. Yeah, and he feels like a pretty clear Cedric Mullins replacement for the Orioles long term too, because Mullins is a free agent after next season. Enrique Bradfield, he's 23 years old.

He got up to 27 games at AA, so he could potentially, be a late season promotion for the Orioles, but they already have so many names that we usually talk about. If they need the defense, he absolutely could be up and just whatever, bat him ninth in the lineup, whatever that might be. But yeah, seems like a pretty clear replacement for Cedric Mowens in the future. Moving on through outfield prospects, numbers 19 through 17. We have Justin Crawford with the Phillies, Jason Truro with the Guardians and Kevin Alcantra with the Cubs. Justin Crawford, the son of former major leaguer, Crowford. He's 20 years old, first round pick out of high school. And, you know, no surprise, pretty similar skill set to his dad, hits for batting average, a little bit of pop, tons of speed and defense.

Jason Truro, the younger brother of Jackson. He's 19 years old, signed out of Venezuela, had a 414 on base percentage as a 19 year old that A ball this year. You know, the power is still developing, but 44 steals. Pretty interesting skill set there as well. And then Kevin Alcanser as a name that we've heard about for a while as well. He's 22 years old on the Cubs. Big dude, six foot six, lots of upside. We haven't really seen it translate to big numbers in the minors yet. 14 home runs and 14 steals throughout 111 games this past season. Chris, how about you get a word in here? Anyone you'd like to touch on anyone that stands out here that you might have a quick thought on. Justin Crawford, Jason Truro, Kevin Alcansara.

Yeah, I mean, Alcantra stands out just because it's hard to see when he gets an opportunity given the current standing of things in Chicago because one, they already have too many outfielders at the major league level. Like, I think we're expecting, say, a Suzuki to get a lot of DH time. We're expecting Cody Bellinger to get traded.

And still, this is a full outfield. It was a full outfield before they traded for Kyle Tucker. And Kevin Alcounter will not be the last Cubs outfield prospect that we talk about today. So I think that's the one where it becomes, sorry, lost my fantasy football matchup just now, it becomes tougher to see how he gets an opportunity this year, but he's still only 21. He's still only played 35 games of AAA, even though he did get up to the majors last season. The book is not written. It's just

does he get the opportunity with the Cubs this year? Does he get traded? You know, obviously the Cubs are, as we're talking, linked to Jesus Lazzardo with, uh, Owen Casey mentioned as a possible return, that might be asking for too much from the Marlins, but I could see like settling for Kevin Alcantra and another piece. That would make sense. By the time people are listening to this podcast,

that could already be done. That's the problem recording. Maybe Alcantara has already been traded. But as we speak, it's not clear where he plays, but these things tend to work themselves out. So that's the thing with Alcantra. He's not a,

a finish product yet. And that's becoming a concern in itself because it's kind of been the same scouting report for Alcantara for years now. Okay, he should hit for more power. He hits the ball really hard. He's very athletic. But he strikes out too much. Well, he still strikes out too much. He's still not actualizing that power very well. He's still not stealing as many bases as you'd like for him to as fast as he is. And so at some point, I mean, I feel like already, Prospect Fatigue is starting to kick in for this guy. He actually debuted last. year. I need to add those numbers to the article here. He went one for 10. So it wasn't like an electric debut or anything for the Cubs. Yeah, it'll take further development from him and or injury to get him in the mix. But he's nearing a point where he has to show something, Kevin Alcantra, I think, to remain a highly regarded prospect. These other two, just below him, 18 and 19. Jason Chorio, obviously the brother of. Jackson and Justin Crawford, son of Carl Crawford, as you mentioned.

They're kind of part of this trend here, this position more than any other. You know, we've already had Chandler Simpson. We've already had Enrique Bradfield. The comps I'm coming up for these guys are like from 20 plus years ago. I mean, the ideal comp for Justin Crawford is exactly his dad, a guy who could be elite and batting averages and stolen bases without being a total zero in power. And we just don't see that profile much in the majors. We haven't over the past couple decades.

And maybe that guy just isn't capable of succeeding anymore, but you got teams who are targeting these guys again. And it makes me wonder if with the shift ban taking effect, if with all the changes to make stolen bases more plentiful, with the pickoff limits and everything, if teams are starting to think this player could work again. I mentioned it already once, Xavier Edwards.

It was not a full season of success, but it was several months of success. And I think there was a lot of skepticism over whether he could be that impactful. So, yeah, I mean, Justin Crawford puts the ball on the ground way too much, but you could see everything going right, him being kind of like Carl Crawford with the great batting average,

the great stolen base totals, and not a total zero for speed because the exit velocities are actually decent. Jason Chorio. Scouts actually do give him a chance of developing a decent amount of power. He's a bigger dude. Like he's six foot one.

He's just not an all physically developed yet. I made the comparison for Jason Chorio and Jackson Churio like Ronald Acuna and Luis Anhele Cunia, where I feel like Jason's obviously the Luis Un Heil, who himself scouts thought could develop power and showed pretty good power

for the limited time he was in the majors last year. But obviously he's not going to rise to the level of his older brother. Let's continue on in the countdown. Outfield Prospect 16 through 14. We have Cole Carrig with the Rockies, Brayda Montgomery with the now White Sox, and Johnny Farmelow with the Mariners.

Cole Carrig, 22 years old, 65th overall pick in 2023, mostly known for his speed and versatility. He's played center field, shortstop, and catcher, which is just such an interesting combination. Had 17 home runs with 53 steals this year for Cole Carrig. Braden Montgomery, 21 years old, first round pick in this year's draft,

came over to the White Sox in the Garret Crochet deal, has yet to debut because of a fractured ankle, but there's big power potential here. Looks like there's some swing and miss in his game as well. And then Johnny Farmello of the Mariners. He's 20 years old. The 29th overall pick in 2023. He was limited to just 46 games this year due to a torn ACL.

But there is big speed here and looks like a pretty solid hit tool as well. Scott, what do you have here on Johnny Farmello, Brayda Montgomery, and Cole Carrig? Yeah, Cole Carrig was a big riser this past year. And there's still a fair amount of skepticism surrounding him. But the numbers are so good. I mean, the numbers look like something Corbyn Carroll would put up in the majors, 283 batting, average 17 homers, 53 steals. That's in high A mostly, so still pretty far down the ladder, still not seeing a lot of breaking balls yet.

But the knock on Cole Carrig was that he is not all that polished yet, really athletic. But the numbers don't read that way. And maybe he just, maybe it'll show if he starts, once he starts seeing more of those breaking balls, maybe that limited experience will show more in the numbers. But the stat line doesn't look like a guy who is raw. And so I get the feeling that Kerrig is just progressing really quickly. I mean, the fact that he's handling the three most demanding defensive positions at once. I mean, it looks like he's leaving catcher behind. He's maybe a Cedon-Rafela type splitting.

between center field and shortstop. Yeah, he was a catcher last year, right? I think that was only in his first season in 2020. Yeah. And even there was only seven games. Yeah. So I think he's put that behind him, but the point is they don't let the inexperienced guy

handle those positions in particular. So I think he's, he's, I think he's won over a lot of people in the past year. But we'll see how he does at the higher levels. That's Cole Carrig. Braden Montgomery and Johnny Farmello don't have a lot of at-bats to their name yet in the minors. Montgomery obviously was just drafted.

He actually hasn't played in the minors yet, but we've already seen him in the news because he was part of the garret crochet deal, going from the Red Sox to the White Sox, thought to have a lot of power potential, good plate discipline, just a lot of upside overall. And Farmello, his issue is that he was, hurt. I was coming back from

ACL surgery. He's not going to be ready for the start of 2025 even. But he earns high marks for pitch recognition and plate discipline.

Very fast runner. I've seen the trying to think of the guy's name. I'm having trouble remembering people's names these days. Jaron Duran.

I've seen the Jaron Duran comp out there for Johnny Farmello. I will point out Brayne Montgomery is he was also hurt last year.

He fractured his ankle, I believe, at the end of the college season, missed the end of the college World Series. 27 homers in 61 games at Texas A&M. Not like a horribly worrisome strikeout to walk ratio, but 59 strikeouts and 61 games in college. That's a red flag. And then the underlying data was, I believe he was 25th percentile or worse in,

in zone contact rate and overall contact rate among college players. So that's a concern. And I've seen some people who are pretty down on him as one of the big pieces in the garer crochet trade. I mean, look, we just haven't seen him against pros, right? Like, Cam Smith is, Cam Smith went a pick after him in last year's draft, had like 27 good games in the minors. Now everybody loves Cam Smith. and Braynott Montgomery could have done that

or he could have had a Charlie Condon debut where he really struggled. And, you know, I don't think in Condon's case, it's really changed how people view him. But Montgomery, there's a lot of question marks around the ability to make enough contact.

So that's going to be the sweet thing for him. He is pretty universally a top 100 guy. I don't, I'm not sure I saw a top 100 list without him. Not that they're fully updated yet. Yeah. I don't know why it changed since he hasn't played a minor league game. I think he's just controversial.

There are relatively wide-ranging opinions on him. Let's move on to 13 through 11 in Scott's top outfield prospects. We have Owen Casey with the Cubs, Robert Kalaas with the Rockies, and Zahir Hope with the Dodgers. Owen Casey, 22 years old, second round pick back in 2020. Huge power potential here. Only had 19 home runs, but man, the max exit velocity at AAA

115.5. Lots of strikeouts in the profile as well for Owen Casey. Robert Klaus, 19 years old out of the Dominican Republic. He showed off five category potential but mostly known for massive power upside. Hit 344, 12 home runs, 15 seals,

a 1079 OPS in 62 games. He's a little bit further away though. I mean MLB.com has him 2028 as the ATA for Robert Klaus. And Zahir Hope, years old came over from the Cubs in the Michael Bush trade and this dude packs a punch. Five foot 10. He's built like a running back. He's loaded with power and speed potential.

Some questions about the strikeouts and batting average, but he got on base at a 419 clip this season in the minors hit a 470 foot home run in the Arizona Fall League. Scott, I mean, this group is just power potential for days. Owen Casey, Robert Klaus and Zahir Hope. Yeah, now we're really getting into the stud outfield prospects, the ones who very easily could be top 10 and they just happen to be 11 through 13 instead. Casey is the furthest along, obviously, spent all of last year at AAA, 22 years old. Could probably, depending on where he is, currently with the Cubs organization, but depending on where he is at the start of 2025 could compete for an opening day job. but he hasn't optimized that power yet. It's the more common situation.

Remember with Aidan Smith, I referred to him not having a lot of like pure strength yet, but having the optimal spray angle off the bat for power. Owen Casey's the more common scenario of being just the opposite. Has the ball really hard, but suboptimal spray. angle, so he hasn't really played up to his power potential yet. And you'd like to see him do that in the minors before getting a shot in the majors. Only 19 home runs in about 550 plate appearances last year. But upside-wise, Kyle Schwerber, I think, is what you can dream on here for Owen Casey.

It's that three true outcomes profile, which I always go to Adam Dunn when I think of that, but he's the most extreme version of that. I think Kyle Schwerber is a more realistic one. Obviously, kind of a best case scenario, though. Robert Kalaas of the Rockies is like fantasy. The fantasy people who really emphasize prospects are just in love with this guy. And, I mean, the numbers are amazing. And he did reach full season ball.

He made it to low A. Wasn't just playing in rookie ball, only 19 years old. but he started to reach the levels of minor league play where we have to begin to take the production seriously. And in the 13 games, he played at low A, Robert Kalaas slash 327, 386, 571. So it didn't slow down at all. And seems to be on a clear upward trajectory.

So here, Hope is... He is your favorite prospect guy's favorite prospect. I feel like everybody, like the numbers last year were pretty good for a full season debut. He only played 54 games at A ball, but 905 OPS. But he's one that just like, I think aesthetically, people just love Zahir Hope's swing. And he's super strong. He's already putting up 111 mile per hour max ex veloes as a 19 year old.

He's the one that I feel like if he was a top 15 guy next year overall. I don't think anybody would really be surprised. Yep. I agree. Big fan. And it helps that he's in the hands of the Dodgers. Yeah. Because him and the other player they acquired in the Michael Bush deal from the Cubs is somebody will talk about on the pitching prospects podcast.

And that's Jackson Ferris. I feel like Zahir Hope and Jackson Ferris both. They went to the Dodgers. And immediately they had the kind of season that turned him into prospects, at least as high end as Bush ever was, maybe even beyond that. Are you saying the Dodgers saved Ferris? Apparently, yeah, they did. And they have hope, too.

Frank, we'll, we'll show you that movie later. Yes. I think I have an idea. I think I know what you're talking about. Maybe. We'll talk about it after this. Let's take a quick break. When we return, we'll get into the top 10 alpha prospects right after this.

Welcome back in. We are into the top 10 outfield prospects. And at number 10, we have Chase DeLauder with the Cleveland Guardians, 23 years old, a first round pick back in 2022. The guy has just not been able to stay healthy. He broke the same foot twice already. But when he plays, it looks like he can do it all.

Hit for batting average. There's a good eye at the plate. There's power. There's speed. And based on, you know, the Guardian's current roster, it feels like he has a pretty good chance to play in right field at some point in 2025. The question is, can he stay on the field, Scott? What do you think about Chase the Latter?

Yeah, unfortunately, the foot is starting to remind me a little of Alex Kierloff's wrist. So I would say Chase DeLauder's prospect stock is in a precarious spot right now. I was tempted to rank him lower. But there is a lot of upside here as a hitter, and he is theoretically so close to making good on it. Remember, there was a campaign to get him on the Guardian's opening day roster last year because he was electric in spring training trying to find the numbers for that. Last spring, chased a lotter hit 520 with four home runs, more walks than strikeouts in 13 games. So he looked like he was ready. But yeah, injuries continue. He's had the foot operated on twice. He then broke it

again this past year. And great hit toll, good power potential, but just needs to stay on the field. He's played 108 games as a pro since being drafted in 2022. And that is including 12 games at the Arizona Fall League. The problem is the sample size is so small, but like he really doesn't look like he's been challenged yet. It's just how much of that is like he played 30 games at double this year and had a 770 OPS, that's not great. It was 19 strikeouts and 128 played appearances.

That's really good. You kind of can't say what he is right now. It's a little bit of a mystery box, but all of the scouting reports, everything is super positive on him. He's got like a weird swing. It's a little unorthodox, but he's super, super well regarded. It's just 96 games and two seasons. How much more time does he?

he need. How much of what we've seen is for real. These are totally unanswerable questions. I kind of think like maybe the guardians should just treat him like a pitching prospect and just like you don't know how many bullets you've got. You might as well, if he's healthy on opening day, you might as well see what he can do. Yeah. I think if he has a big spring, he's in the running for an opening day roster spot.

I could definitely. Especially if they trade Lane Thomas. Yeah. Which it sounds like they might. All right. The number nine outfield prospect is Max Clark from the Tigers. a little bit further away. Actually, a lot of bit further away.

19 years old. First round pick in 2023. Third overall, loaded with tools, speed being the best of all. We just haven't really seen it translate to big numbers in the miners yet, but it's still so early on in his minor league career.

Scott, do you eventually see those numbers catching up to the potential that we keep hearing about Max Clark? I mean, it could. It's too early to say. I'm a little lukewarm Ramon Clark, I think, relative to the consensus because so much of his value comes from defense. Like that is his carrying tool right now.

And so that's going to elevate his prospect stock. But we don't really care about defense and fantasy except to the extent that it affects players playing time. So, you know, I've seen some scouting reports projecting him to develop power. And yeah, he can run fast as you'd expect for a guy who plays. Centerfield so well. I can envision a scenario where it never manifests his hope and Max Clark becomes this Mark Katsay or Nick Markakis type, maybe running a bit more than that,

but just isn't nearly as impactful in fantasy as your prospect stock would have you believe. But, you know, this is a guy, 2023 was drafted ahead of Wyatt Langford and Walker Jenkins. So clearly there's upside there. I just hope we see clearer indications of it this upcoming season. You know what it kind of reminds me of, and maybe people won't be excited to hear this,

but, you know, like prime Starling Marte, it's a good batting average, 15 home runs, 30 steals, obviously much better defense than Starling Marte, but I could see. I mean, Marte? No, he was great player. A good run in fantasy. I don't think anybody would complain about that.

All right. Well, let's get it. Let's get it done, Max Clark. Number eight, you have Lazaro Montes, of the Seattle Mariners, 20 years old out of Cuba. Six foot three, he has that slugger makeup, that projection. He hit 21 home runs with an 881 OPS in the minors this season. He's managed to hit for batting average end power so far,

though he did struggle with strikeouts at high A, a 29.6% strikeout rate. You know, Chris, some people mention Yordon Alvarez as the high-end comp here, and maybe that's just like the lazy comp for any prospect that, you know, is expected to hit for big power. and batting average. But I'm not sure the batting average will ever get there for someone like Lizarro Montez.

Yeah, it doesn't seem to have the hit tool that Yordon Alvarez did or does. I think the fact that they're both big, left-handed Cuban outfielders probably. It's a big part of comp as well, an aesthetic comp. It's a lot of biographical details. Yeah, well, the physical build is similar also.

But at the same, At the same level, Alvarez was already striking out much less. Cuba expatriate who went to the Dominican Republic and actually worked with the same hitting instructor that Yorden Alvarez had there. But yeah, the strikeouts. It's an unfair con. That's an unfair count. Like what Yordaun Alvarez became as a major leaguer is probably an unfair comp for any prospect. Yeah.

It was probably an unfair thing to expect of Yordon Alvarez when he was, you know, slugging around in high A. like saying, oh, he's not Yordan Alvarez. Okay, well, that that kind of goes without saying. What is he? It feels a little like what Elo Jimenez ended up being, where it's like a corner only, maybe a DH bat, which puts a lot of pressure on the hit. There's power there, but when you read the scouting reports,

he's actually not hitting the ball as hard as you would think, given the profile and what the expectations are. reading a scouting report from fan graphs around midseason, his hard hit rate was down from 2023 to 2024. The average of his hardest 10% bat at balls was also down from last season. And both were a little bit below average for a major leager, which he's not a major league. He's 19 years old. So that's not necessarily a bad thing.

It's just he's not popping off the scales in the way he might need to given the positional limitations and hit tool issues. I, for the last couple years, feel like I've been ahead of the consensus higher than the consensus on Lazaro, Montes, but I feel like I may now have dropped behind the consensus. And it's because Loe this year, this past year, he really seemed to me making strikeouts, making strides with the strikeout rate.

And then he got to high A and it jumped back to 30%. And it's like, well, maybe it doesn't get much better. than that. I don't know. But the power is so much that Lazaro Montes might just be able to overcome it. Number seven on the list, we have Jose Wade de Paula with the Dodgers. He's 19 years old. Another big dude, six foot three. Fun fact, the second cousin of former NBA players,

Stefan Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. I thought that was so interesting. He's born in Brooklyn, but he was signed out of the Dominican Republic. It's kind of an interesting story here for Josea de Paula. Power is supposed to be the calling card. but minor league numbers tell us a bit of a different story. Only 10 home runs in the minors this season, 27 steals. Only slugged 356 at high A, lots of ground balls. Scott, I mean, this is an interesting one.

I know there's a lot of projection involved, but we haven't really seen big power yet. No, but he's 19. Actually, he was 18 most of last year, made it to high A. So he's ahead of the curve. The exit velocities are as high, they get for a player that age. And after reaching high A,

Josue de Pala had 50 walks versus 38 strikeouts, well more walks than strikeouts from a player that young against competition more advanced than him. That is super impressive. And so I think when you're talking about projectable teenagers, I know Lazaro Montas, he's going to be. be 20 before opening day, but Josueh DePaula, clearly, I haven't ranked

ahead of Montez, has kind of replaced Montez as my favorite of that kind of prospect. Plus he's with the Dodgers. So of course it's going to work out. And he's one who the exit velocity numbers do mostly back up the purported skill set

in Josue de Paulus' case where he's putting up some of the best 90th percentile eggs of velocities of any player in the Dodger system, really high average X-Veasces as well. So that's a good sign even if the power in-game is not yet there. All right. Number six outfield prospect, we have

Emmanuel Rodriguez with the Minnesota Twins, 21 years old out of the Dominican Republic. He has power, he has speed, great eye at the plate. Also lots of strikeouts in the profile here, 27.5% in 37 games at AA, which is where he played the most this season. He only played 47 games totally. He dealt with a right thumb sprain all season.

He had surgery after the season ended. Scott, it's an interesting profile. I feel like there are interesting tools here for fantasy. But the skill set, I mean, in terms of plate discipline, reminds me a lot of another twins prospect that recently got called up, Edward Julian. Now, look, they're different players. But that didn't really work out.

So I'm interested to see where things go with Emmanuel Rodriguez. Yeah, but Emmanuel Rodriguez is more of, like, like a prospect prospect than Julian was. Julian was a minor leaguer with interesting numbers, but some pretty glaring flaws. The fantasy world always liked Julian more than the real-life prospect people. Yeah. Part of that was defense.

He can't really play any position, but part of it was exa velocity readings and that sort of thing. Like Rodriguez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, has been considered a high-end prospect for a couple years now. And now he's reached the upper levels. And he does have that one glaring flaw. that he strikes out too much around 30%. But it was more like 28% this year

as he reached double in AAA for the first time. So I think the question of whether he can survive that strikeout rate as he faces more advanced pitchers. We're starting to get an answer to that, and it's an affirmative one. And then if you answer that in the affirmative, you got a guy who's reaching base at like a 450 clip and putting up elite exit velocities.

and oh, by the way, he can steal a bunch of bases and just does every, except for the amount he makes contact, Emmanuel Rodriguez does everything you would want a hitter to do. And I think it's going to end well for him. That's why I have him sixth. The way the twins players go down, and Byron Buxton, God bless him,

he's probably going to miss time in 2025. I think at some point Rodriguez will be on the fantasy radar in 2025. So yeah. He had a three true outcomes rate. So walk, strikeout or homer, 58% last season. That is a that is a startling number that,

you know, it's one of those things where like he's extremely patient. It doesn't seem like it's passive when you read the, the scanning reports. Like it seems like he knows what he can hit and he just waits for it. The problem is, if you were that patient and you have those swing and miss issues

that he does, it can really snowball and you might hit, you know, 190. But if you were worst case scenarios like Joey Gallo with speed, it could still be a pretty useful player for fantasy,

even if it's not the super high end outcome you're hoping for. The number five outfield prospect is Charlie Condon of the Rockies, 21 years old. He was the third overall pick in this year's draft out of the university.

City of Georgia. Top end power upside, has some sneaky speed. Struggled mightily in his first taste at high A, 180 batting average, one home run, 518 OPS, 31% strikeout rate, only 25 games, Scott. So a very small sample. The problem for me is that I just don't really have much confidence

in the Rockies development. I mean, he was such an accomplished player in college. Maybe that doesn't matter. Right. But, you know, some people, Some people are kind of scared off from this really small sample size. Yeah, he was a hard one to rank because how much stock do you put in that 100 at bat sample where he went straight to high A from college? So it was pretty aggressive assignment.

And apparently he was dealing with a hand injury too, which a lot of times can have a big effect on performance. Apparently, he did tattoo fastballs. And that's something he is known for doing. He does not miss fastballs. And that would be a concern for players he works his way of the ladder, sees fewer and fewer fastballs, obviously, in the majors, sees the fewest of all. But it's going to be playing in Cores Field where those breaking balls get flattened out

and often look more like bad fastballs. So it seems like a good match up, a match there between skill set and venue. But it was a horrible pro debut. So this next year is going to be telling. for Charlie Condon. I just, a super decorated player in college, though. So I don't want to,

I don't want to bang the gavel too soon. I mean, and to put some, some color to super decorated, 1565 OPS in the SEC, 37 home runs in 60 games, which is, I believe not the all-time NCAA Division I record,

but is the record since they, changed the the bats don't ping quite as much as they used to so whenever they made that change i think it was like 2009 or something um that is the most that anyone has had in a single season he struck out 41 times to 57 walks he is apparently like a viable enough defender that he may be able to stick in center field which seems like a stretch but might be there um i think we should take basically nothing from the 25 game sample size. And I think we knew that before, like, we've had some really splashy college debuts over the past couple of years

that have kind of changed the way people, like the expectations for Wyatt Langford based on what he did in, like, 30 games. Last year got pretty outrageous. And I think people are holding that against Condon a little bit too much. And the Rockies of it all doesn't help. Certainly their track record is not great. but if it comes together at all, I think he's a fifth round pick

in like a median outcome. I'm really excited about Charlie Condon. But Frank does bring up a good point. And there hasn't been a lot of like actionable fantasy advice in these specific podcasts because we're just so much just digging into players. But this seems like a great by-low opportunity on Condon in Dynasty leagues. I actually, it was a poacher draft in one of my Deep Dynasty leagues where five players are protected and then there's two-round draft to redistribute the sixth and seventh best players on every team. And normally a prospect of condens caliber just would not be available in that draft.

But he happened to be available in this one and he lasted to me with like the 19th pick or something like that. So I was shocked to get a prospect of that caliber in this particular league, and it makes me think that however your particular league economy works, you could manage to pull off something similar. The number four outfield prospect is Walker Jenkins with the Minnesota Twins, 19 years old, a first round pick in 2023. Fifth overall, six foot three, big body, could be a five category contributor for fantasy.

He was limited by a hamstring injury this past season, but still got on base at a 394 clip, six home runs, 17 steals, 833 OPS. We haven't seen massive numbers from Walker Jenkins yet in the minors, but I mean, people seem to just be in love with his just long-term, you know, five-two potential. I mean, that's basically it.

I don't know what more to say than that. He walked more than he struck out between four levels of play. First of all, the fact that he advanced four levels. That's a 19-year-old, yeah. Only really good prospects do that. the four levels, 56 walks versus 47 strikeouts. Yeah, we haven't seen him produce much power yet, but he's supposed to.

And we've said that for like half the outfielder's on this list. It's just part of the developmental process. And we've seen it. We've seen it come true enough times to, you know, give credence to it. And Walker Jenkins right now is, he's among the prospects, I think, in contention for number one overall. It's not going to be number one overall on my list. He'll probably be in the back half of the top ten. He's only four here in the outfield.

But he's that caliber of prospects. People love the upside. All right. We get into the top three, and all three of these names should have a lot of fantasy value here in 2025, beginning with Jason Dominguez of the Yankees, and it should be, should be time to unleash the Martian.

And I think the Yankees are on board. They've already talked up how, you know, they didn't say he's going to have, a job at opening day because they don't want to promise that to a young kid, but it sounds like he should be an everyday player, assuming he doesn't fall flat on his face in spring training. He's turning 22 years old in February. It feels like he's been around forever. You know, didn't perform well in 18 games with the Yankees last season, but still put up power and speed in the minors. And he's being drafted like someone who's going to contribute. The ADP in the NFBC, 155.6

as the 36th outfielder off the board. Chris, what do you think about that price tag for Jason Dominguez heading into the next season? 155-ish top-t 36 outfielder. In a vacuum, I think it's perfectly fine. The problem I have had with Jason Dominguez and where he's being drafted is more that he's been being drafted ahead of Dylan Cruz,

who I just think is a better player with a much more locked-in role. That's been less true. lately in the month of December, Dylan Cruz ADP is 140, Jason Nominguez is 155. That's fine. I would not take Jason Dominguez

if Dylan Cruz is on the board, but if Dylan Cruz is off the board, I think that's reasonable. Dominguez has, you know, the thing was Dominguez was always supposed to be this like special power hitter. And he hasn't really been.

And the underlying data is not really there. At the major league level, I think it's fine. like he played what eight games in 2020. And then last year was basically not an everyday player. I don't hold that against him. But his max exovelo in his 26 games in the majors, 110 miles per hour. Last year his max exeux Velo at AAA was like 111, which is decent, but not top of the scale,

which is what it was supposed to be for Jason Dominguez. He's a good athlete. Yeah, no, but like, he's a good athlete, but 64th percent off sprint speed questions defensively. I just, I think there's a lot of playing time risk this year. In hindsight, it's more reasonable than we acted last year, the way the Yankees treated him, right? Like, Alex Verdugo was bad.

And I think just try anyone with some hope instead of Alex Verdugo. was a reasonable way to approach. I don't blame the Yankees for not throwing Jason Dominguez out there every single day last year. I think it was a reasonable way to treat him given his track record, given everything that he's been through with the Tommy John surgery, all that. I just, if he's not going to be a plus defender and might not even be like a plus defender in the in the corners right now. And the bat is a question. Like, I think the bat really needs to play or there is a chance he's not an everyday player

in a way that I don't really think is true of Dylan Cruz. I guess is for... So I think... Yeah, no, I mean, cruise over Dominguez. Spoiler alert, Cruz is my number two. Yeah, I think he mostly suffers in that comparison. Yeah. And the ADP has changed enough that I think Dominguez is fine,

but he was going ahead of Cruz for a long time before this. Brian Cashman has talked a big game about Dominguez ever since Juan Soto moved on, and maybe that's partly PR. But normally teams, normally teams are reluctant about awarding top prospects jobs. He's talked about him. He's talked about him almost as much as he talked about Caleb Durbin.

Oh, is that true? I didn't see any Caleb Durbin. He talked a lot about Caleb Durbin, but. Okay. Hopefully they don't trade Jason Dominguez. The power production for Jason Dominguez, even if the eggs of velocities were merely good rather than great in the miners,

the power production was there and has been there for a couple years now. He had 11 home runs in 223 plate appearances. No, he had more than that. 240 plate appearances, 11 home runs. And obviously he's been a prolific base stealer in the miners. The plate discipline's been good. Like, he's produced in every way he could.

and is ready for the chance. Defensively, it seems like, I don't know that they're really going to be able to hand over center field to them, but maybe they'll try. There's clearly a lot of upside here for Dominguez, but I agree. Dylan Cruz should be higher.

All right. Let's talk about Dylan Cruz. Your number two outfield prospect. He's turning 23 in February, a first round pick in 2020. He got 31 games in with the Nats, hit 218 with three home runs, 12 seals, 641 OPS,

12 steals in 30. games really stands out. Obviously, that's awesome. The Nationals, super aggressive on the base paths last year. They led all baseball with 223 steals. That tells me that Cruz should have the green light once again in 2025. There's some things to clean up.

The ground ball rate was way too high, but Scott, just in terms of, you know, plate discipline, zone contacts, not chasing pitches, I came away pretty impressed with those parts of Dylan Cruz's game early on. Yeah, it's, he's, it's a weird situation here because he wasn't actually putting up eye-popping numbers in the miners first professional season for full professional season after being the number two overall pick

but the exit velocity readings were great 90 mile per hour average nearly reached 113 miles per hour zone contact rate 89% uh only a 17.6% strikeout rate at triple a so he was making high quality contact and lots of contact, but it wasn't really yielding big numbers. The Nationals decided that the underlying data said more about his readiness than the actual production. So they called him up. And it didn't go great, but he stole 12 bases for it not going great. So he was very, very aggressive, 12 bases and 31 games.

And to me, that's what gives Dylan Cruz such a high floor for fantasy. If he's going to be that aggressive of a base stealer, then he doesn't have. to be a big time masher to be a must-start type of player in fantasy. And of course, he could still turn into a big-time masher. He has that kind of pedigree. The data looks pretty good, the underlying data, as I said. So high floor and also high-ceiling type of prospect here in Dylan Cruz. Playtiscipline looked really good as a rookie.

I think he probably was a little more on the passive side, like had a very very They're pretty low zone swing rate, lows chase rate as well. I think you can chalk a lot of that up to being a 21-year-old in this first taste of the majors. So I don't know. I think he was 21 either way. I just think, like Scott said, it feels like a really high floor. Like I'm expecting him to be pretty useful in batting average and stolen bases this year. And the biggest question for me is whether the power comes.

And if it does, you know, he was a top 10 worldwide prospect. for like the last three years. There's a reason for that. So I'm very excited about Dylan Cruz. All right. Well, you guys mentioned you would take Cruz over Dominguez. One of their young outfielder just in that part of ADP, Pete Crow Armstrong.

Who would you guys take Dylan Cruz or Pete Crow Armstrong? It's Chris. I rate Cruz quite a bit higher than Crow Armstrong, actually. All right, I guess maybe people are kind of dreaming on the steel potential, but, you know, Dylan Cruz should have. that too. Right. I think Cruz has more. Well, maybe he's not as fast as Pekker Armstrong, but

he was 93rd percent on sprint speed. He's very fast and the bat, the difference in the bat might be enough to account for a difference in stolen bases, right? Like, Pekyro Armstrong is still pretty, I'm still pretty skeptical that the bat's going to play as anything more than average.

And for that hot stretch late last season, Crow Armstrong actually didn't run that much. So I think he could be a big base stealer, I have more confidence. Cruz will be. All right. Your number one outfield prospect. Do I have it? Yes, I do.

Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox, arguably the top prospect in all of baseball. He's 20 years old. 79th overall pick in 2022. Another name that looks like a five category contributor for fantasy, though the power could be plus plus. You know, 396 on base

the season, 18 home runs, 21 steals. He got up to 35 games at AAA. We saw big max exit velocities here. Same number of walks as strikeouts at AAA. It seems like he's closing in. I don't want to say he's ready right now to be on the Red Sox roster, Scott. Probably at some point in 2025.

The problem for just his value next season is the Red Sox are loaded as of now when we're recording this. So it's what needs to happen for Roman Anthony to get a job? I don't know. Well, I mean, life will find a way if he does what he's supposed to do at AAA.

This is the, he's a high enough caliber prospect that he could force his way into the picture for sure. Tyler O'Neill's left, so that helps clear up a spot for now. And I don't think there will be anything to stop him if Roman Anthony proves he's ready. And I think he's close to proving he's ready, because this is an example of a prospect, like all the ones we've been talking about where,

okay, all the underlying data looks great. It's the ball hard, good plate discipline. Let's see it actually translate to numbers. And it seemed like the turning point for Roman Anthony last year was the first annual future showcase, All-Star Weekend, where he won the skill, he won the future showcase, mostly just because during the power hitting challenge, he hit monster shot after monster shot.

it was a really gaudy power display for Roman Anthony. And then from that point forward, went back to playing regular minor league games, hit 353 with eight home runs and a 1022 OPS in 52 games. So that seemed like where everything turned the corner for Anthony. He had strikeout issues in lower minors, but as you point out, got to AAA. It was basically a one-to-one ratio.

It's made huge strides in that area too. And just looks like he's going to be, a big time masher. It's between Roman Anthony and Roekeesasaki, I think, who's going to be my number one prospect overall. And obviously, Roki Sasaki's kind of an unusual case being somewhat proven already coming over from Japan. Yeah, not that anybody asks me or cares.

He would be my number one prospect. I'm so excited by Roman Anthony. I think he's going to be a superstar. The only thing is just he is a left-handed hitter in Fenway, park, which it's not a bad place to hit. It's a bad place for left-handed power. So like the really, really high end, like 35 homer outcomes might be hard to get to. But the upside there is it tends to boost Babbin.

So that might actually not be a bad thing. If he's a 25 homer guy who steals 15 plus bases and hits close to 300, that's realistic for Roman Anthony and I don't think that's the ceiling. The only projection system available right now on Fangraphs is Steamer and for Roman Anthony they project 62 games with the Red Sox 244, six home runs, five seals, 723 OPS. Obviously it's a conservative projection but do you think Roman Anthony plays more than 62 games with Boston next season? I would take the over. Yep, I would take the over as well. Okay. The NFBC ADP in December is 369 as the 78th outfitler off the board.

Would you rather take the shot on Roman Anthony or Heston Kirstad from the Baltimore's? I have Anthony higher. I think I have Kirsted higher. But if you gave me some inkling of when Anthony will be up, I mean, Anthony has more upside. Oh, I only have them one spot apart. I have Kirstad one spot ahead of Anthony. Okay. I just put Anthony ahead. Does that range sound right though? Outfielder 78, that means in a 15 team league, very likely should be drafted.

And a 12-teamer may be drafted as like a bench piece on, you know, heading into the season. They're both at the end of my top 300. So I have them higher than consensus ADP. But I'm ranking for 12-team leagues where you can gamble on upside a little more. So maybe at a 15-team league, it does make sense to drop them a bit. All righty. There you have it.

Top 25 outfield prospects heading into next season. A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all once again. We are going to wrap there for Scott and Chris. I am Frank. Thanks as always for tuning in to fantasy baseball today. Please make sure to follow and leave a 5-star rating on Apple or Spotify. And we will be back again on Thursday. Bye-bye.

Paramount Podcasts.