This is a companion piece to our 2025 Dynasty League Rankings. The opinions below are my own and do not reflect the TDG consensus.

Agustín Ramírez, Miami Marlins (AGE: 23, RANK: 21)

Agustín Ramírez is a wonderful example that a slow, patient approach with international prospects can pay dividends. Ramírez spent all of 2021 in rookie ball with the Yankees as a 19 year old, then spent all of 2022 in rookie ball AGAIN as a 20-year-old. It’s safe to say he was on no one’s radar heading into 2023, but he put together a great campaign that saw him rise all the way to Double-A Somerset by the end of the season while hitting 18 home runs across the three levels. 2024 was the beginning of Ramírez’s coming out party, as he quietly mashed for Double-A Somerset, knocking 16 home runs and stealing 13 bases in just 58 games. The blistering start earned Ramírez a promotion to Triple-A, and he was just getting into a groove with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when the Yankees dealt Ramírez to the Marlins as the headliner in the trade that sent Jazz Chisholm to New York. The 22-year-old finished out his 2024 season strong with Triple-A Jacksonville, hitting 5 home runs, stealing 4 bases, and hitting for a very respectable .270 average in 39 games. There are some questions about whether or not Ramirez is going to be able to stick at catcher long-term, but it’s fair to say that the Marlins are going to give him an opportunity to take the job and run with it sooner rather than later. It’s expected that Ramírez will begin 2024 in triple-A, but Nick Fortes, the incumbent in Miami, has failed to eclipse a .600 OPS in each of the past two seasons, leaving a fairly clear runway for the 23-year-old Dominican to take flight in the majors in 2025 and beyond.

Alfredo Duno, Cincinnati Reds (AGE: 19, RANK: 45)

To avoid burying the lede, my second target, Alfredo Duno is a prime prospect breakout candidate heading into 2025. After signing out of Venezuela in January of 2023 with the Cincinnati Reds for a robust $3.1 million, the big-bodied 17-year-old showed off his raw power in the Dominican Summer League, while walking nearly as much as he struck out. Duno received an aggressive assignment to Single-A to kick off the 2024 season and held his own in Daytona before a broken rib derailed what was a promising season. Listed at 6’2”, 210 lbs, Duno’s power is the real deal, and while he doesn’t need any favors from Great American Ballpark to boost his home run ceiling, Reds fans and dynasty managers can dream of the potential of Duno playing half of his games in one of the best hitters parks in all of baseball. Duno appears to be on track to be fully healthy heading into 2025 and should start the season back at Single-A, but keep an eye on the young Venezuelan as it wouldn’t be surprising for him to advance through the Reds system should he get off to a strong start.

(David Gofman)