Which prospects could make the biggest leaps forward in 2025?
Spring training is right around the corner which means the MLB season is fast approaching and, as is tradition, The Athletic has posted its annual top 100 prospects who could make an impact in the majors in 2025.
Roman Anthony and Sebastian Walcott take positions one and two, but on the latest Rates & Barrels episode, Derek Van Riper and Eno Sarris were joined by Keith Law to discuss some of the lesser-known prospects with the biggest upside.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on YouTube below or in the 'Rates & Barrels' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Eno: We didn't prepare you for this one. But I know that this is something you hear on the radio or in chats or whatever. … Who is somebody in the back end of the top 50 that has a big up arrow on it? Somebody, I don't know, like Zyhir Hope, maybe?
Keith: Well definitely him.
Eno: (Josue) Briceño?
Derek: Anywhere in the top 100 I think. Who could be the next Sebastian Walcott, someone that could be at or near the top of the list a year from now?
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Eno: (Lazaro) Montes, the other Cheerio …
Derek: The other Cheerio? (laughs)
Keith: The other Cheerio. Yes. (laughs)
Eno: Made, is that right? Jesus Made?
Keith: Oh definitely him, he was so good in the DSL (Dominican Summer League) and impressed people. I don't put DSL guys on the list almost ever, but people were like, 'I don't know, that's a superstar.' I think he's actually in the top 50, but also Franklin Arias with the Red Sox, shortstop, 19, destroyed the GCL (Gulf Coast League). I think he was actually in the GCL or whatever, the Florida man league down there. I think he was the MVP of that. I saw him in Low A, the ball really comes off his bat well and he can play shortstop. So just a guy who, if you told me he was going to be in the top 10 a year from now, I definitely could see that. I am just scrolling through. Made — I think that's how he says it — he would definitely be one.
Eno: (Zyhir) Hope gets a lot of love too.
Keith: He is. First of all, he's a crazy athlete. A crazy, crazy athlete. The word on him out of high school, he was from a tiny town in Virginia. He couldn't hit — especially if it wasn't straight — he couldn't hit it. Give that kid all the credit in the world, and the Dodgers too, by the way, for sticking with him and seeing him a little bit after the draft and saying, 'We want this guy.' But he worked and the pitch recognitions and swing decisions aren't great, but they are so much better than they were.
Eno: His walk and strikeout rates are pretty good too.
Keith: They are pretty good. And it's real power and he runs pretty well. He would definitely be one. I mean God, if Noble Meyer throws strikes but you know that's like …
Derek: (laughs)
Keith: I had one more and I scrolled, kept scrolling, kept scrolling and I went right past it. Oh, a little bit of an older guy, but Seaver King. Just for folks who don't know; the 10th overall pick last year. Washington takes him out of Wake Forest, where he was primarily a center fielder. Played some short, and played some third. But he was a natural shortstop, is a natural shortstop. And The Nats said, 'We're putting him out at short.' He goes out to Low A, Fredericksburg, plays short and pro scouts who saw him were like, 'What do you mean he's not a shortstop?'
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There's just no doubt. He's the rare guy where post-draft there's like, 'Move him up, we have new information now.' He looked really good at shortstop. He's a great athlete. He's interesting, he's a little bit of a bad-ball hitter, so I think his chase rate is always going to be a little high, but he hits them. And some may be like, 'Well, we'll let that go for now (but) you might have to change that.'
But I mean actually, the hardest hit ball I ever saw from him was several inches above the strike zone and he just tomahawked it out to left field at about 108 or so. I'm like, 'That's pretty impressive you could do that on a pitch that wasn't a strike.' He's athletic. He's got a good idea of the strike zone, at least in terms of what to swing at. And he can really play short. He could move up pretty quickly and If I'm right about the shortstop, if everyone's right about the shortstop, he might not be in the majors …
You can listen to full episodes of Rates & Barrels for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
(Photo of Zyhir Hope: Chris Bernacchi / Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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