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 put together 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 pitcher prospects #51 -100.

51-60

If you like buying in on a prospect’s ‘post-debut blues’ (yes I made that phrase up but you know what I mean), you’ve got a slew of options here. Drew Thorpe was the belle of the pitching prospect ball a year ago. But the command artist didn’t have the same level of success striking out batters in ‘24 as he did when he popped in ‘23. And the comparatively rough ‘24 ended with elbow surgery removing bone spurs. If you like the inning eating, low variability types, he’s a great target at this point in the hype cycle. 

Speaking of hype cycles, Cade Cavalli’s cycle circled once 2 years ago and has been on pause since then. With only 8.1 meaningful innings since his ‘22 Tommy John surgery, it’s no surprise the cycle has ceased to exist. If a manager has held onto him this long, good luck paying a reasonable trade price. But if he’s on the wire, keep a close eye in almost all league types. If he’s healthy and striking out MLB batters, swoop in ASAP. 

Christian Scott is another TJS name I need to mention here. The killer slider and excellent command had him starting in the majors last year as the calendar turned to May. He struck out 34 in 20.2 Triple A innings at that point, walking only FOUR batters. That success carried over his first two starts for the Mets as well. Scott struck out 14 in just under 13 innings and the things fell apart. It could be the point when his elbow started barking, though that’s never been official from what I can tell. For the next 33 MLB-level innings, he struck out only 25 batters and walked 9. While his fastball/slider combo are analytical dreams, they’re also the bane of elbows. Just another post-hype pitching prospect I’d recommend if you have the roster space. (Chris Knock)

The Rays are known for their ability to develop pitching prospects, and so my ears perk up whenever Tampa Bay acquires a young arm. Jackson Baumeister was part of a three-player package that went to Tampa from Baltimore for Zach Eflin, and it’s clear the Rays saw something in the 22-year-old righty. While Baumeister spent all of his age 21 season at High-A, his numbers look like two completely different pitchers when he was with Baltimore versus with Tampa. Baumeister increased his strikeout rate from 29.5% to 41.9% while also cutting his walk rate from a problematic 14% to a minuscule 4.8%. It would be a stretch to say Jackson Baumeister is on many radars outside of dynasty formats with deep minor leagues, but he is absolutely a pitcher I am grabbing wherever I can heading into 2025.

Robert Gasser’s career in the majors was off to a nearly perfect start in 2024, but the lefty’s debut season was cut short after just 5 starts as Tommy John surgery ended his season after just 28 major league innings. Before he got injured however, Gasser showed a lot to like as he pitched to just a 2.57 ERA in the big leagues, driven by a willingness to pitch to contact and a microscopic 0.9% walk rate. His 14% strikeout rate in the majors would be a major issue from a fantasy perspective, however Gasser’s strikeout rate in the minors has always hovered in the high 20%-low 30% range. Gasser is out until at least mid-season, but he’s just 26 and now could be the perfect time to add him across dynasty leagues. (David Gofman)

Brody Hopkins was moved from the Mariners to the Rays in the deal that sent Randy Arozarena westward at the trade deadline in 2024. Chase Dollander, Brody Brecht, and Sean Sullivan have to be livid watching Hopkins go from one incredible pitching organization to another. When two of the smartest pitching organizations in the Mariners and the Rays target a player, I get excited. Hopkins is still pretty raw, as he was a two-way player in college who only threw meaningful innings in his senior season. The Mariners and Rays were able to refine his 7.33 BB/9 in his senior season to a 4.15 BB/9 in 2024 across stints at Low- and High-A, and he maintained a 10.41 K/9 in the process. If anyone is going to unlock Hopkins it is the Rays. Speaking of Sean Sullivan, I am at a bit of a loss of what to make of him. He started out incredibly hot at Low-A to start 2024, putting up a 29% K-BB% in 83.1 innings, but as he moved to Double-A that number cratered to 13.8%. The drop in strikeouts (6.75 K/9 at AA) coincided with a velocity drop from low-90s to high-80s, which could be due to fatigue or a hip injury that ultimately knocked him out of 2024. I am choosing to believe that the hip drove the lack of production at AA, and that Sullivan’s unique delivery will allow him to bounce back in 2025. How he survives in Coors is another issue, but perhaps his deceptive approach could crack the code in Colorado. (Joe Juliette)

61-80

Daniel Espino is a pitcher I’m completely out on. I still remember his pre-draft videos posted to Twitter by his travel team during his draft year in 2019. He was remarkably flexible, athletic, and his arm was fantastic. With all that strength and flexibility he demonstrated it was easy to think he would be indestructible. It turned out he was incredibly destructible. Espino has been a top pitching prospect since he was drafted, despite managing only 133 innings in his professional career. He hasn’t pitched since April of 2022 and will not pitch until late this year. Espino already has two shoulder surgeries under his belt, including the dreaded anterior capsule repair surgery. I hope for the best for Espino because he had an electric arm when healthy. (Brandon Ring)

Grant Taylor is one of my favorite under the radar pitchers in the minors. He was recovering from a 2022 Tommy John surgery during his draft year in 2023, but the White Sox took him in the 2nd round anyway. Taylor throws a mid-upper 90’s fastball and a power breaking ball. He threw strikes at Kannapolis, only walking one hitter while striking out 25 in 16 innings. He has a starter’s frame at 6’4” and is listed at 230 lbs. He suffered a lat strain early in 2024 and the White Sox handled him cautiously. Taylor is a pitcher who I can see rising quickly through the White Sox system with a healthy return in 2025. (Brandon Ring)

I don’t quite understand why the hype train is so quiet surrounding David Sandlin. Okay, I do. But it’s essentially the same old story as so many others: injury and reliever risk. He’s got the athletic pitcher frame along with a starter’s arsenal. A plus 4-seamer he dials up into triple digits comes with a high octane, upper 80s slider plus a slower sweeper and splitter gives him 4 plus to average pitches. A 25.9% K-BB-rate over the course of last year underlines that arsenal, though it came over only 57 innings, which is down from his 66 the year before. Sandlin needs to stay healthy and go deep into games to become the next BoSox prospect name.  (Chris Knock)

I know, I know another Rays pitching prospect… but boy is Yoniel Curet’s arm electric! Curet rose all the way to Double-A in 2024, and his 35.9% strikeout rate at that level is no aberration; his high 90’s fastball and plus slider are a dangerous combination. As is often the case with the exciting arms this far down our rankings board, the question with Curet centers around whether or not he’ll be able to continue to develop the control required to stick as a starter. Of note, Curet appears to have made strides with his change-up, which would be a very strong third offering for the 22-year-old righty.

Will Warren entered his age 25 season without having broken into the big leagues yet with the Yankees. But he had put together a very solid 2023 campaign at Triple-A and finally got his chance in 2024. The results weren’t there for Warren as he went 0-3 in five starts with an ERA of 10.32, but under the hood it seems like he got really unlucky as his xERA (expected ERA) was a much more respectable 4.52, and he showcased very respectable strikeout and walk rates (26.4% and 9.1% respectively). Warren’s ERA primarily fell victim to an unbelievably low left on base percentage (LOB%) of 45.9%, and the fact that he gave up a remarkable .431 BABIP. Warren is again on the outside of the starting rotation looking in heading into 2025, but Luis Gil’s injury in spring training has cracked the door open just enough for the 6’2” righty to see if he can put it all together in the big leagues. (David Gofman)

While Charlee Soto’s 2024 was not exactly inspiring, he still has a good deal of upside. It is okay for high school pitchers to struggle a bit, and with a 3.88 FIP, it is reasonable to say that he got a bit unlucky with his 5.23 ERA last season at Low-A. He’s got strong stuff (hit 100 MPH this year in camp) with a reliable change-up that should help him stick at starting pitcher in the long-term. In a range where the upside of a lot of pitchers is capped at SP4, Soto intrigues me as a guy with enough stuff to become an impact fantasy pitcher at some point in his career, you just will have to be patient. Speaking of upside, I’ve been taking fliers on Raudy Reyes of the Atlanta Braves. Flier is maybe even generous, as we are talking about a 16-year-old DSL prospect. However, Reyes is a 16-year-old who has already his 102 MPH and can sit in the high 90s. Like Soto… why not? I would not be surprised to see Atlanta get him to the complex quickly, and if he is remotely decent, Reyes will find himself in the top 25 of these rankings in no time. There is obvious risk here, but the reality is that the pitchers around him in these rankings all have their warts and could fall off the rankings just as easily. You can’t fake stuff, and Reyes has it. I look at a guy like Jarlin Susana who will continue to be ranked highly based on the upside, and see Reyes as the next up in that mold. (Joe Juliette)

81-100

Jurrangelo Cijntje is a really fun pitcher. He was selected by the Mariners in the 2024 draft at 15th overall as a left AND right-handed pitcher. Cijntje has not made his professional debut after throwing 90 innings at Mississippi State. Cijntje has plenty of stuff to get batters out from the right side. He throws mid-upper 90’s with a good curve. Cijntje is naturally left-handed, but he’s less impressive from that side. His fastball is lower 90’s and his offspeed pitches aren’t as sharp. He might be best suited to stick to refining his right-handed arsenal going forward, but that’s a lot less fun so I’m rooting for the Mariners to continue developing him as a switch-pitcher. (Brandon Ring)

I have a real problem with some profiles in the minor leagues when trying to reconcile Minor League success with future Major League roles. Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson has one of those profiles. He has the statline of a guy who throws 101 with devastating offspeed pitches and pinpoint command. While he has excellent walk and strikeout rates (174K’s in 119 innings), his stuff more closely resembles that of a swing-starter or long reliever. He’s usually in the 89-91 mile per hour range on his fastball, and his breaking pitches are more slurvy than sharp. Against Minor League competition this can work, and Wilkinson has had success everywhere he’s pitched. He is going to have to prove his arsenal can work every step of the way, and he might not be challenged until Triple-A or even the Majors. (Brandon Ring)

Since Shohei Ohtani proved that you can in fact be an elite hitter and pitcher at the same time, many teams have attempted to catch lightning in a bottle themselves and allow a select few prospects to try to develop as two-way players. The trouble is that just about every time the player does need to give up either hitting or pitching because they are more advanced on one side of the ball than the other. That’s the story for Mets prospect Nolan McLean, a 3rd round pick in 2023 out of Oklahoma State. McLean’s pitching was ahead of his hitting and he and the organization decided it was best to put the bat down for good going forward. It’s not all bad news though, because McLean was able to advance through two levels in 2024 as a result, climbing from High-A to Double-A, and showcasing a plus fastball and slider. There’s optimism that McLean focusing on pitching full-time will unlock another level to his game, as he was already showing promise while trying to juggle developing as a hitter and pitcher simultaneously.

Brett Wichrowski falls into the category of being another electric arm, with questions about whether or not he’ll have the pieces to stay in the starting rotation as he continues to advance to the higher levels of the minors. From reading scouting reports, what Wichrowski seems like he’s missing is a change up to help him get lefties out more reliably, and his control issues may have been masked by the less disciplined bats in the lower minors. Some of this is reflected in how easily Wichrowski managed High-A over his 14 innings there to start 2024 (33.9% K rate, 4.8% walk rate, 2.45 ERA) when compared to his numbers over 74.1 innings at Double-A to close out the year (18.8% K rate, 11.1% walk rate, 4.12 ERA). Wichrowski’s floor seems to be that of a high leverage reliever, but I tend to be optimistic about how the Brewers develop prospects, and Wichrowski is one of those players that could quickly move from Double-A to Triple-A in 2025 if he can show improved control. (David Gofman)

Because I chase upside and good pitching organizations, Braylon Doughty and Chase Mobley are two of my favorites among this bunch. Doughty has a smaller frame at 6’1”, but is more further developed than most HS arms. Mobley stands at 6’5” with a dominant fastball that he heavily relies on. Mobley, signed for $1.8 million after being drafted in the 10th round, was clearly a target for the Guardians who leveraged Bazanna’s under-slot deal for additional flexibility in the late rounds. I personally prefer Mobley to Doughty, as I care a lot about frame and trust the Guardians to refine Mobley’s control and arsenal, but both are great options in the middle-to-late rounds of FYPDs and should be snagged if they are sitting on your waiver wires. (Joe Juliette)