Here at the TDG Headquarters, we’ve been busy looking for “The Next Big Thing.”  Just like you, we want to know who’s going to be the prospect that will become the core of our fantasy team, or be the trade piece that lands us the players who put us over the top. With that in mind, we’ve assembled a team of prospect prognosticators and developed a set of tiered rankings for each position. And once they’re all posted, we’ll wrap up with our Top 200 Overall Prospects, putting it all together.

Be sure to listen to the Join the Ranks podcast for more discussion about these prospects.

Today, we bring you the second base prospect tiers 3 through 5, which include prospects #15 – 54. (We couldn’t stop at just 50 when putting together this last tier.  Think of it as a bonus!

Tier 3

The two complex darlings of the group Yoelin Cespedes and Franklin Arias are my favorites. These orgmates were both pushed to Single-A Salem at 18 years old by the Red Sox. Unfortunately for Cespedes, a hamate injury that occurred immediately after this promotion stopped him from getting the chance to prove himself outside of the complex. Hamate injuries run the risk of sapping power, but if they don’t in the case of Cespedes, look out for an incoming breakout to start the season. Although he is prone to chasing pitches out of the zone, he combines strong bat-to-ball skills with impressive power for an 18-year-old, with a reported max exit velocity of 110 MPH. If he continues the dominance at Single-A that he showed in the DSL and the complex, expect a quick rise up these rankings. Franklin Arias did get his chance at Single-A, where he was initially scorching hot, before being brought back to earth. Arias obliterated the complex and hit 9 HRs across 372 at-bats during the 2024 season. The 30 SBs at the complex are likely a mirage, and I would not expect more than 10-15 SBs at peak, meaning belief in Arias should be predicated around the bat. What I like about these players is that they each make the number guys and the scouts happy. Combine this with an organization which has had one of the best recent track records for developing hitting prospects and you have an exciting duo to keep an eye on going into 2025. (Joe Juliette)

Is there anything better than a feel-good prospect story that isn’t just for fans? In 2024, Payton Eeles showed he has the talent to succeed at the major league level. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins after playing independent baseball and proceeded to tear up the minor leagues. Playing across three levels and ending at Triple-A St. Paul, he would hit .306/.435/.497, amassing 41 stolen bases, and 12 home runs. He has superb bat skills, led by top-tier contact rates. In Triple-A last season he had contact rates, in-zone contact rates, and out-of-zone contact rates all north of 83%. He just didn’t whiff and now he might be knocking on the door of a major league callup in the first half of the 2025 season. Welbyn Francisca, Demetrio Crisantes, Juan Brito, Yoeilin Cespedes, and Caleb Durbin all have similar profiles. They are all small stature (even undersized), have above-average bat skills, good speed, and we’ll need to wait and see how the power translates versus big league pitching. (Brian Labude)

Let’s make it the Cleveland Guardian’s hour here. Not really, but again a Guardian second baseman has my attention. Welbyn Francisca played 74 games last season between the Complex League and Single-A Lynchburg. He stood out in both, as he was dialed in to the tune of .326/.411/.474, with seven home runs. He is another extreme hit over power profile player at this time for the Guardians. One of these types should develop power and become a star eventually. Francisca stands out as his plate discipline remained strong even at his young age. He only struck out 15.6% of the time and walked at an 11.7% rate. A very promising start for a super young player for his age to level. (Daniel Labude)

If you listen to Join the Ranks, especially this week’s episode, you know I’ve got a thing for Nick Yorke. And the Pirates do too, which makes me even more on board with him as a flyer in almost all leagues. There are rumblings of him battling for a starting outfield spot this spring, keep an eye on that. If he wins, you’re looking at a good accumulator type with positional flexibility. I’m not saying Yorke is a league winner, he likely has more value in real baseball. But based on assumed acquisition cost, Yorke is worth the gamble in 15 teamers and beyond right now. (Chris Knock)

Tier 4

I was once a big fan of Nacho Alvarez, as he flashed strong age-to-level performance on his way through the minors while having a glove that many scouts raved about. This performance through the minors was buoyed by a strong approach and hit-tool, so much so that he made his MLB debut at 21 years old. His MLB debut, while short, was disappointing enough to force me to look more critically at the profile. Unfortunately, I fear that Alvarez may fall into the category of being a better real-life than fantasy player due to a lack of true impact with the bat. This lack of impact is evidenced by a 86.4 MPH average EV, a 101 MPH 90th percentile EV, and a 106.7 max EV in 2024 at Triple-A Gwinnett. Still, at 22 years old there is always the chance that more power comes (he did post a more acceptable 109.6 max EV at MLB), and he does have room to sacrifice some contact to pull more fly balls (38.9% pull-rate at Triple-A). However, these are both bets that I am hesitant to hang my hat on for Alvarez going forward. (Joe Juliette)

One of the quietest 15+ HR / 20+ SB seasons in the MiLB happened last season in Clearwater, Florida. Devin Saltiban showed this power and speed combo at just 19 years old in Single-A, sporting a 123 WRC+ at the level. Furthermore, there is reason to believe he was actually better than his .237/.346/.428 slash line might suggest, as his .281 BABIP was low for a player with 60 grade speed and impactful EVs. For someone who is measured at 5’9”-5’10”, a max EV of 110 MPH backs up non-zero power that he is clearly getting to in games with 17 HRs on the season. The tools are extremely fantasy friendly, and he makes enough contact (73.7% contact rate in 2024) to make it work. If he can continue to make consistent contact against higher level pitching, expect him to rise quickly up rankings. Given he is un-rostered in many leagues (10% rostership on Fantrax), he is an exciting target that many in the fantasy world are not giving enough credit for the potential breakout that may come in 2025. (Joe Juliette).

We are really deep in the second base rankings and I have a gem for you, Dylan O’Rae. He is a super speed guy, more so than the players a tier above this one. His defect is he lost his shine with an overly aggressive promotion mid-season to Double-A Biloxi. He struggled mightily there, hitting .171/.310/.211. It defies logic really, because he is extremely patient with a 41.1% swing rate on the year and an 83.4% contact rate. I think this shows he could be in for a big breakout with an adjustment in the offseason, one that improves the quality of his already elite contact ability. (Brian Labude)

In this tier, Will Wagner could be the standout. He already has made his major league debut and was able to hit .305/.337/.451, with an OPS of .788 for the Blue Jays in 24 games last season. Positioning could limit his at-bats early, but if the Blue Jays trade Bo Bichette, watch for Wagner to get consistent playing time. He had a minuscule 10.4% strikeout rate in the minors last season, so a continuation of his high batting averages could be possible. Very similar to Spencer Horwitz with less power. (Daniel Labude)

Jansel Luis this low is a surprise to me. It may be an early case of prospect fatigue as he started to show up on radars with a strong showing in Complex ball back in 2023. But fight that illness, Luis still has the potential as fantasy contributor in a few years. Spending all last year at Single-A Reno, he improved his aggressive approach by improving his swing selection and making more contact when he did swing. He hits well to all fields but could add more lift. Along with the hope for more bulk on his frame, his power numbers (and fantasy value) could explode if both come true. (Chris Knock)

Tier 5

A name that has caught some buzz is Aron Estrada of the Baltimore Orioles. At 5’8” with little displayed game power (.129 ISO), I question the ability to become an impact bat at the MLB level. Still, there is always the chance that these guys grow (you have to imagine he weighs in at more than 142 lbs), and his good approach and contact skills provide a solid floor if he is ever able to reach average power. (Joe Juliette)

With the Marlins doing their best White Sox impression going into 2025, Miami has become the land of opportunity for any hitting prospect with a pulse. Enter Jared Serna, who was added to the 40-man roster by Miami in November. The height at 5’7” truly limits what the upside could be with Serna, and a 71.7% contact rate and 44.7% pull rate at Double-A Pensacola suggests he is likely squeezing out all the game power his frame has got. However, his minor league production (15HR/15SB in 2024) and potential opportunity to reach the big leagues in 2025 make him worth a look in deeper leagues. (Joe Juliette)

Let’s take a quick look at the last player on this list, another Blue Jay in Juarlin Soto. He walked more than he struck out in the Dominican Summer League last season and has the bat-to-ball skills to become a very good prospect. Right now he is a bit undersized and lacking the raw power needed, but with his frame a big jump could be in store as there is still plenty of room for projection. He is a long way off from the major leagues, but definitely a name I am keeping an eye on as he moves stateside. (Daniel Labude)

I want to give a shout-out to Drew for bringing Javier Sanoja onto my radar last season. He’s down here in the crevasse of fantasy value in Tier 5 of 2B prospects. With an MLB bench role all but his officially, he’s still a potential stash in many formats. Sanoja is your standard contact-oriented UTIL bench type. His career MiLB strikeout rate is single digits, supported by contact rates around 90%. Even if he gets a regular spot in the lineup, he’ll likely be a bottom-half batter. But he can provide steals and a decent OBP (via his bat-to-ball skills) so keep an eye on him. Not a bad injury replacement target this far down in our ranks (Chris Knock)