It is officially First Year Player Draft Season! Signing Day is behind us, and draft picks are starting to make a name for themselves in the minor league ranks. The Angels have already moved Christian Moore to AA, Charlie Condon and Travis Bazzana have hit their 1st professional home runs, and Jac Caglianone has officially started his pro career. All the draft hype is going to start to fade, and they are going to start being compared to their peers in the prospect ranks. The next few months will be extremely important to see the future value of each draft pick. As you prepare for you FYPD, let’s take a look at some 2024 position groups you should value or fade based on the current strengths and weaknesses of the 2025 draft.
Comparing the Strengths & Weaknesses of the 2024 and 2025 Draft Classes
Every draft class has its strengths and weaknesses. Some classes are more pitching friendly, while others feature better position players. While some classes are high school heavy, and others are mainly top college players. If you are a Dynasty owner, understanding draft class strengths and weaknesses is very important. Assuming you are playing the long game, especially when drafting minor league baseball players, it is important to understand ways to maximize future production. Hypothetically, the 2025 draft class could be deep at pitcher, but the 2024 class could have more high-end pitching talent, it could make sense to make an extra push to add that high-end talent in the 2024 draft because you know you won’t need a 1st round pick to find a good arm in 2025. Having a good draft strategy is important to making the most of your draft picks.
Top End Talent Difference
The top of the 2024 class was historically good. Within the top 12 alone, you had multiple potential super star talents to choose from. A top 10 of Travis Bazzana, Charlie Condon, Chase Burns, Hagen Smith, Jac Caglianone, JJ Whetherholt, Christian Moore, Nick Kurtz, Konnor Griffin, and Seaver King had to make Scouting Directors drafting in the top 10 very happy. There were even players like Braden Montgomery, James Tibbs, Cam Smith, and more who fell out of the top 10 that MLB organizations would all be happy to add. But after the top 15, the drop off was real.
You could tell by the selections from 15-20, that MLB organizations had questions about the rest of the crop outside of the top 15. There were a couple of surprise picks by teams, intentionally signing a player for underslot value, saving that money for picks later in the draft. The names picked in the top 15 were predictable, but from 15 on in the draft it felt randomized because MLB orgs had different values of the best players available. The 2024 class was very solid at the top, almost historically solid, but the drop off was quick.
In comparison, the 2025 class is not as top-heavy. You should get used to hearing the names of Ethan Holliday, Jace Laviolette, and Cam Cannarella, but outside of those 3, the top is not as loaded as the 2024 class. There are always risers in their draft year, but as of now, it seems like the high-end talent of the 2024 class will not repeat itself. If you are looking to maximize your value in the 2024 draft, it will be imperative to get into the top 15. The talent from 15 on will be comparable whether in the draft or on the waiver wire. There are no standouts in that range, and you can go bargain shopping for FYPD sleeper picks. In the 2025 draft, your 1st round pick will not be as valuable as this years, so consider adding it in a trade with your 2024 2nd round pick to get that slam dunk talent, then take advantage of the depth of the 2025 class.
True Up the Middle Talent
The biggest complaint about the top of the 2024 draft class was the lack of true up-the-middle talent. Bazzana and Moore are best suited for 2B, Condon will end up on a corner in either the infield or outfield, Kurtz and Caglianone are 1B only guys, and JJ Whetherholt played some SS, but is better suited for 2nd or 3rd. If any of those combined their offensive tools as a SS or CF profile, they would have had serious consideration to go number 1 overall.
The 2025 class is stacked with up-the-middle talent, especially from the prep ranks. According to Baseball America, 10 of the top 15 High School Draft prospects play SS. On the college side, Laviolette and Cannarella both showcase plus abilities to play CF. Ike Irish and Caden Bodine are both Catchers who will be able to hit and stick behind the plate. Wehiwa Aloy, Jalin Flores, and Marek Houston all showcase plus defensive abilities at SS. The options in 2025 will be much better for true up-the-middle talent than it was in 2024.
In a Dynasty draft, defensive capabilities should never outweigh offensive production, but guys who can hit and play SS or Catcher will always have more value because of the lack of offensive production at the position. This year it will be imperative to get the best offensive player you can get, and next year there will be more position-specific players to choose from.
Power over Hit Tools
If you prefer prospects who showcase plus hit tools with solid power, the 2024 class is the one for you. All of the prospects selected in the top 10 showcased the ability to hit for both high average and power. Even Caglianone, Condon, and Kurtz, who are more well-known for their power, showcased above-average contact abilities. For any Dynasty owners that want to see a certain level of contact and plate discipline to pull the trigger on a prospect, the 2024 is rich with options.
The 2025 class is stacked with legit power prospects. Jace Laviolette could compete with Cags and Condon for the BBCOR era home run record next season, and Devin Taylor has lightning-quick bat speed. On the high school side, Ethan Holliday is more of the power hitter between him and his brother, Jackson. Xavier Neyens is already flashing legit plus bat speed and raw power as a high school senior. As you get deeper into the draft class, players like Ethan Petry, Andrew Fischer, Tre Phelps, and Henry Ford are all high-powered hitters whose power will translate at the next level.
Ultimately offensive evaluation is a lot about preference. The 2025 class is going to be rich with options for players who showcase legitimate in-game power. High-powered hitters are usually the ones with the highest upside, but also the highest risk. For the 2024 class, the top bats feel like extremely safe picks to be successful, but maybe the best player out of all the prospects comes from the 2025 class. Depending on your evaluation preference, you will have plenty of options to choose from over the next 2 FYPD classes.
Conclusion
Draft classes always change a ton over the course of the year. Some players will seemingly come out of nowhere, while others will fall off. This is a very early look at the 2025 class, but it seems as of now that the classes will have distinct differences. The 2024 class was very college-heavy, but the 2025 class has a lot of high-end high-school talent. There is a high probability we see the first-ever brother tandem both taken 1st overall with Ethan Holliday at the top of the draft class as it stands right now and other high school talents will have their name called early. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each class can really help ensure long-term success as a Dynasty owner allowing you to make the best draft decisions this year.
Photos courtesy of Georgia Baseball, Icon Sportswire, and Eddie Kelly at ProLook Photos | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@bearydoesgfx on X)