The key to constructing an excellent farm in dynasty baseball is figuring out early indicators of a prospect’s potential, whereas additionally realizing when to maneuver on after they show in any other case. Listed here are three undervalued prospects to maintain your eye on early into 2025 which have an opportunity to leap towards the highest of prospect rankings.
Ty Johnson
Going into the 2024 season, Ty Johnson was a comparatively unheralded pitching prospect within the Cubs system. Taken out of Ball State within the 2023 MLB draft, Johnson fell to the fifteenth spherical after throwing three uninspiring years for the Division I Cardinals, posting a 5.39 ERA over 157 innings with a modest 10.2 Ok/9. He confirmed command points in his collegiate years, strolling batters at excessive charges whereas giving loads of others free baggage by way of HBPs.
A tall 6’6” righty, Johnson’s arsenal has been a predominantly fastball/slider combine in his first yr in professional ball. Whereas his heater averaged simply 92.4 mph in his last collegiate yr, it boosted up a tick or two as he jumped into the minor leagues, displaying his means to develop additional with skilled teaching. Whereas he sprinkles in a middling changeup and sinker now and again, they don’t but maintain up in high quality to his most popular choices and open him as much as acute reliever danger if he isn’t capable of widen his arsenal.
Video by way of MLB.com
Leaping into the 2024 season as a 22-year-old with the Low-A Myrtle Seaside Pelicans, Johnson solely wanted 33.2 innings of manufacturing to earn a promotion to Excessive-A South Bend. Whereas he appeared to battle in his first month after promotion, he began to search out his groove in his second. By his three appearances within the month, he gave up only one run with a 17/5 Ok/BB ratio by way of 10 innings, showcasing his strikeout upside albeit nonetheless preventing command troubles.
The batters he confronted weren’t the one ones taking discover of Johnson’s prowess, as he was traded to the Rays as an add-in to the Christopher Morel/Isaac Paredes commerce simply earlier than the 2024 commerce deadline. He may not have carried too huge of a reputation on the time, however the Rays’ elite participant analysis group should’ve seen sufficient in Johnson’s profile to need him within the deal.
Per Dylan White of Baseball America, the Rays improvement workers bought proper to work after Johnson’s transfer, tinkering together with his mechanics to extend his velocity and decrease his launch level. With these adjustments, Johnson dominated in his small pattern with the Rays’ Excessive-A Bowling Inexperienced. He had whiff fee will increase throughout his arsenal alongside an improved means to assault the strike zone. He slashed his Excessive-A stroll fee from a problematic 4.0 BB/9 to an elite 1.6 mark by way of a 13.3% enhance in strike share, doubtlessly turning a profile weak point right into a energy.
Noah Cameron of the Royals group is a 25-year-old command-first southpaw pitcher who labored his approach as much as Triple-A in 2024. Standing at a robust 6’3″, the Central Arkansas starter fell to the Royals within the seventh spherical of the 2021 draft after getting TJ surgical procedure throughout his draft yr, however he now ranks as their Twelfth-best prospect, based on MLB Pipeline. He doesn’t have a flashy arsenal and as an alternative profiles extra as a high-volume innings eater, however he’s been distinctive within the minors, because of his strong four-pitch combine.
Cameron doesn’t characteristic an elite fastball as his headliner. His four-seamer averaged simply 92.1 mph with a 15.6 IVB and 6.0-foot extension in Triple-A. These metrics don’t profile out too effectively and end in a paltry 18% whiff fee, though the mid-95 mph velocities that Cameron has flashed this spring give tempered hope that he’s added one other tick. Regardless, he has an excellent supporting forged of pitches to assist hold hitters off of it, enabling him to throw it a sparse 37% of the time.
His hallmark pitch is his changeup that sits 77-80 mph with about 11 inches of armside run. Throwing it round 1 / 4 of the time, he has an excellent really feel for the pitch and might find it successfully. Slower than the typical changeup to keep up an efficient velocity hole from his fastball, the pitch ran a forty five% chase fee with an excellent 47.5% general whiff fee in opposition to Triple-A hitting.
Video by way of MLB.com
Apart from the change, he additionally highlights an efficient 12-6 curveball in that very same 77-80 mph velo band. He solely will get eight inches of drop on it with about 2,100 RPM of spin, nevertheless it’s been an efficient pitch that he can get whiffs with alongside stealing strikes within the zone. And new for his 2024 marketing campaign, Cameron debuted an 88-90 mph cutter with about common spin and average utilization. It has tight motion and is usually used as an in-zone possibility with a 56% zone fee, utilized particularly early or behind within the depend when he wants a strike whereas holding hitters off his fastball. The truth is, all 4 of his pitches had a 66% or higher strike fee in 2024, showcasing his means to make use of any software in his toolbelt when wanted.
Along with his sturdy command and talent to leverage pitch sorts, Cameron pitched 54.1 high quality innings to shut his season with Triple-A Omaha. He had a convincing 2.32 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP, because of his sturdy 23.8 Ok-BB% regardless of not having overpowering stuff. He induced weak contact with an 83.8 EV, the second-best common EV of all Triple-A pitchers with at the least 200 batters confronted, leading to an elite xwOBA of 0.254. Whereas it definitely isn’t MLB-level, these are outcomes to get enthusiastic about as Cameron will get nearer to the majors.
Now, there are many efficient left-handed MLB pitchers with an analogous pitch combine mildew to Cameron (mediocre fastball, curveball-changeup centric), reminiscent of Max Fried, Jordan Montgomery, Ranger Suárez, and Jose Quintana. However every considered one of these pitchers has included a sinker to combine with the four-seamer, so I’m to see if Cameron is ready to discover success on the main league degree with out one. Along with his means to develop a cutter final offseason, possibly he has the texture to develop an efficient sinker sooner or later if he must, although his pretty over-the-top arm slot may make that tougher.
Although he earned a spot on the Royals’ 40-man roster prematurely of the Rule 5 draft, Cameron isn’t anticipated to begin the season with the massive league membership. As an alternative, he’s extra prone to work his approach into the rotation sooner or later mid-season, edging out a spot from Lorenzen/Bubic/Marsh. Watch to see if Cameron begins his yr off sturdy. If that’s the case, there ought to nonetheless be an inexpensive shopping for alternative earlier than he will get his imminent call-up to the massive league membership. Whereas he could not have top-of-rotation upside, he has an opportunity to be an efficient high-volume starter with the Royals.
Peak Profile Projection: 170 IP / 3.65 ERA / 165 Ok / 35 BB
Jimmy Crooks III
Jimmy Crooks III has been a reasonably under-the-radar catching prospect since he was drafted in 2022 by the St. Louis Cardinals. Taken 127th general out of the College of Oklahoma, Crooks spent his time as a Sooner working onerous to enhance his defensive profile to match his offensive propensity. Whereas he succeeded in turning his protection from a minus to a plus, he met some turbulence within the wood-bat Cape Cod League and ended up profiling extra as a defense-first catcher heading into the draft.
Working his approach from Single-A Palm Seaside in his draft yr as much as his 2024 season with Double-A Springfield, Crooks frequently rose to the event. Annually, he maintained a roughly 21% Ok-rate and 11.5% stroll fee, not elite marks however displaying his means to deal with pitching within the center minors. He’s proven first rate contact expertise and endurance to help these numbers, although will probably be attention-grabbing to see the way it interprets in opposition to Triple-A pitching seemingly in 2025.
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He begins his swing in an open stance with a well-timed leg kick to sq. him up, vaguely harking back to a Rafael Devers swing. Whereas definitely not a precise comparability, he’s been capable of swing his approach into sturdy wRC+ numbers at every of his stops by way of the minors, culminating in a career-high 156 wRC+ in his 90-game 2024 season at Double-A. Whereas his slash line of .320/.410/.498 may need partially been fueled by an overinflated .390 BABIP, his sturdy exit velocities and talent to spray the ball at ultimate launch angles point out he ought to be capable to maintain a BABIP at an above-average fee.
Coming into 2025 because the Cardinals system’s prime catching prospect, will probably be attention-grabbing to see how the Cardinals’ catching panorama settles as Willson Contreras strikes to first. Down the stretch final season, Pedro Pagés ended up being the popular possibility over Iván Herrera because of Pagés’ strong protection, although Herrera flashed a stronger bat. Crooks additionally has the sturdy defensive profile that the Cardinals worth, so if he maintains his success in opposition to Triple-A pitching, he may be capable to edge Pagés out offensively.
One factor to regulate in 2025 is that if he can higher handle his splits, as most of his harm comes in opposition to righties. These splits are barely much less essential as a lefty batter and as a catcher, but when he continues simply getting by in opposition to southpaws, it would cap his long-term upside.
Assuming his spring coaching doesn’t miraculously jettison him to the bigs, watch to see if Crooks maintains his strong plate method and powerful contact profile as he seemingly rolls into Triple-A. If he begins the yr off sizzling, he’ll be an excellent purchase in dynasty leagues, as there’s an opportunity he will get his cup of espresso with the massive league membership close to the top of 2025.
Peak profile projection: .275 AVG / .340 OBP / 18 HR / 2 SB
