Top fantasy baseball prospects: Jac Caglianone crushing in Omaha, Travis Sykora impressing on the mound

NBC Sports

26-05-2025

A reminder: This is ONLY players who have Rookie of the Year MLB eligibility, and ONLY a look at potential help for 2025.
That out of the way, here's a look at the top prospects who can help your fantasy roster this season.
1. Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
2025 stats: 47 G, .321/.453/.518, 7 HR, 3 SB, 42 BB, 43 SO at Triple-A Worcester.
Anthony moves back to his usual top spot, and I'm getting a little tired of updating his stats if I'm being honest with you. It was nice to see some power this week with his two roundtrippers over the week, as they were the first homers he's hit in the month of May. He's also hitting .362 during the month, so yeah, he can hit. Fantasy managers who have rostered Anthony have every right to be frustrated, but they need to remain patient. There's no prospect in baseball who offers close to his upside in the minors.
2. Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Kansas City Royals
2025 stats: 326/.389/.607, 8 HR, 2 SB, 20 BB, 41 SO at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.
Caglianone makes his debut, and I won't be terribly surprised if he's off the list due to promotion when we do this again next week. The 2024 first-round pick has been outstanding since his promotion to Omaha with a slash of .346/.357/.923, and he's homered in four-straight games including a two-homer game Sunday. His patience at the plate has been a bit of a question mark, but there's 80-grade power in his left-handed swing, and the ball jumps off his bat. That's an understatement, really. The Royals have an outstanding pitching staff and an offense that leaves a lot to be desired. This seems pretty obvious.
3. Cole Young, 2B, Seattle Mariners
2025 stats: 50 G, .260/.374/.433, 5 HR, 3 SB, 26 BB, 27 SO at Triple-A Tacoma.
We mentioned it last week, but Young's numbers are so much more impressive when you consider how bad he was to begin the year. After going 3-for-5 with a homer Sunday for the Rainiers, Young is now slashing .345/.436/.667. That slash in April, you ask? How about .200/.327/.274. Yep, that's some improvement, folks. Meanwhile, the Mariners are starting Leo Rivas and Miles Mastrobuoni at second base on a relatively consistent basis. The Mariners may want to see a little more sustained success from Young, but he's absolutely worthy of a fantasy addition if/when they do it this summer.
4. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
2025 stats: 10 G, 52.1 IP, 1.55 ERA, .157 BAA, 20 BB, 63 SO at Triple-A Nashville.
Misiorowski only went three innings in his last start; but he struck out four and allowed just a run in the second game of a doubleheader. The right-hander has not allowed more than in a start since April 16, and his command seems to get better in each start. Misiorowski has as much upside in his right arm as any starter in the minors, and it's a bit weird that he hasn't gotten a chance to help the Brew Crew and their rotation. Whenever they realize the folly in their ways, fantasy managers should add him, even acknowledging that there's some WHIP risk in his profile.
5. Christian Moore, 2B, Los Angeles Angels
2025 stats: 40 G, .272/.377/.374, 2 HR, 8 SB, 25 BB, 48 SO at Double-A Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake.
It's a little surprising that a first-round pick from the previous year hasn't gotten called up yet based on their recent history, but Moore did receive a promotion to Triple-A, and it has gone well so far, albeit in a small sample. The eighth-overall pick has hit .478/.552/.652 since joining the Bees over six games, and he's stolen three bases with a couple of extra-base hits. Moore has plus power and speed in his bat, and while he will strike out, he's also a patient hitter who can draw free passes and put those wheels to work. The Angels have been playing well, but their middle infield still leaves a lot to be desired. I like his chance for fantasy success whenever he does get the call.
Around the minors:
Justin Crawford has a really good last name, but has also performed really well in Triple-A for Lehigh Valley. The son of former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford is hitting .326 with an OPS of .832, and he's stolen 16 bases in that timeframe. The one concern for Crawford is a lack of power -- he's hit one homer in 183 at-bats -- but he's an 80-grade runner with a 60-grade hit tool with enough strength to put the ball into the gaps. The 21-year-old offers some risk because of his less-than-ideal power, but it's not hard to see him helping in several categories, and it's not hard to see it coming before the end of 2025. Also, he has a really good last name. Did I mention that?
Travis Sykora missed the first month of the season while recovering from offseason hip surgery, but he's done nothing but impress since his return to the mound. His latest outing saw him strikeout nine over four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, and he's given up just one run over his 15 innings (0.60 ERA) with an other-worldly 32/4 K/BB ratio. Sykora has three pitches that can miss bats in his fastball, splitter and slider, and the 6-foot-6 21-year-old has above-average command of those offerings, too. Sykora is likely a year away from making the majors, but he has a chance to be a fantasy ace someday.
After going just 1-for-12 in his limited time with Baltimore, Coby Mayo has unfortunately brought those struggles with him to Triple-A. Over his last 10 games with Norfolk, Mayo has hit just .189/.231/.351, and he's struck out in 15 of his 39 plate appearances, giving him a K rate of 38.5 in that timeframe. The 23-year-old still has the tools to be a successful MLB player -- successful is really an understatement -- but he needs to get the contact issues in check if those tools are ever going to translate.
One of the more tough prospects to get a read on from a fantasy perspective is Sal Stewart, and there are certainly things to like, especially in the month of May. He's hit .349 over his last 30 games, and the third baseman has also added four stolen bases for good measure. He's also hit only one homer in that sample, and there's a chance he won't provide even average power production from the hot-corner position. That being said, the hit tool has a chance to be plus, and he's a solid athlete who could provide 15-plus stolen bases at the highest level. Stewart might provide more 'real-life' value than fantasy, but a chance to play in Cincinnati could allow that skill set to play up, as well.
You'd be forgiven if you've never heard of Patrick Copen, but there's a good chance that's about to change, even for the ever-so-small sample of people who don't read this article. He's struck out double-digit hitters in three of his last four starts including 10 in his most recent outing, and he's now fanned a whopping 73 batters over 44 innings for High-A Great Lakes. The 2023 seventh-round pick has outstanding stuff including a fastball that gets into the high 90 mph range with movement, and he complements that heater with 60-grade offerings in his slider and cutter. He also often doesn't know where those pitches are going to end up, as he's walked 29 batters and offers a good deal of effort in his delivery. As long as he keeps the walks to a dull roar Copen has a chance to be a very solid starter. If not, he could be dynamite as a reliever. Either way, a name to keep an eye on.