The Orioles’ farm system looks completely different now than it did a year ago. With the graduation of Heston Kjerstad, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Cade Povich, the Orioles no longer have one of the top farm systems in baseball. However, that does not mean there are no impactful dynasty prospects toward the top of the list. Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo remain two of the top prospects in baseball and there are plenty of other names flying under the radar behind them. The Orioles have a good track record of player development making even the back-end names on this list worth monitoring.
This article is part of a series focusing on each MLB team’s top 20 prospects for fantasy baseball heading into the 2025 season. Stay tuned for prospect breakdowns for all 30 teams throughout January here at Pitcher List, and head over to the Pitcher List dynasty page to check out the rest of the farm system rankings!
- NL East: Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Nationals
- NL Central: Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates, Cubs, Reds
- NL West: Giants, Diamondbacks, Dodgers
- AL East: Red Sox
Top Orioles Prospects
The Top Tier
1) Coby Mayo – 3B/1B, 23 YO
2024 MiLB Stats (A+/AAA): .293 AVG | .372 OBP | .592 SLG | 25 HR | 4 SB | 25.1 K% | 10.3 BB%
2024 MLB Stats: .098 AVG | .196 OBP | .098 SLG | 0 HR | 0 SB | 47.9 K% | 8.7 BB%
After being selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, Coby Mayo quickly joined the next-wave of Orioles coming to save the franchise. Standing at 6’5″ and 230 pounds, Mayo has some of the best pure power in all of the minor leagues. Mayo has hit 25+ home runs in each of the past two seasons and has 35+ home run potential at the MLB level. Mayo does everything fantasy managers want out of their power hitters. He has a natural feel for pulling the ball, he hits the ball extremely hard, and also gets it in the air plenty. His Triple-A batted ball data is phenomenal and supports the idea that Mayo could turn into one of baseball’s most prolific power hitters.
Mayo’s power should excite dynasty managers. However, a rough MLB debut in 2024 has many questioning his hit tool. Mayo collected just four hits in 46 plate appearances last season while whiffing over 45% of the time. In limited playing time, Mayo was obviously pressing for results. Should dynasty managers be concerned over his hit tool? The answer there is twofold. His debut makes it obvious that his floor is not as high as originally assumed. However, Mayo is not known for having a lot of swing and miss in his game and his plate discipline in the minor leagues has been excellent. There should not be long-term concern with Mayo although he may continue to experience growing pains in 2025. Mayo’s power potential makes him a top-tier prospect for dynasty managers despite his struggles in 2024.
2) Samuel Basallo – C/1B, 20 YO
2024 Stats (AA/AAA): .278 AVG | .341 OBP | .449 SLG | 19 HR | 10 SB | 21.1 K% | 8.6 BB%
Not many paid attention when the Orioles signed Samuel Basallo out of the Dominican Republic back in 2021. Basallo’s numbers were underwhelming in the lower levels of the minor leagues before exploding onto the scene in 2023. His ascent continued through last season turning Basallo into one of baseball’s top prospects. Standing at 6’4″, Basallo’s calling card is his power. His power is some of the most effortless in baseball. He generates significant pop from his back leg but his arms have the kind of power that can drive the ball to all fields. His power projection is so significant that the likely move to first base does not forecast to negatively impact his fantasy value. 30+ home runs is a reasonable projection.
The biggest knock on Basallo is an inconsistent hit tool. Basallo is not only aggressive but also can struggle to make contact at times. In particular, Basallo struggles with pitches down in the zone. While he hunts velocity, breaking pitches have given Basallo fits leading to high strikeout rates. The key to remember is Basallo is only 20 years old and has already reached the Triple-A level. Basallo was 4.6 years younger than the average competition last year in Double-A and 7.3 years younger than the average competition in Triple-A. There is plenty of time for Basallo’s hit tool to develop consistency. He has the kind of power and potential that dynasty managers do not want to miss out on.
3) Dylan Beavers – OF, 23 YO
2024 Stats (AA/AAA): .242 AVG | .342 OBP | .408 SLG | 15 HR | 31 SB | 23.5 K% | 12.8 BB%
The 33rd overall pick from 2022 has a lot of skills that dynasty managers look for in prospects. He is big standing at 6’4″, with projectable power. He has an excellent eye at the plate. His contact skills have been above the league average throughout his professional career. He hits a lot of line drives thanks to a smooth swing that drives the ball to all fields. He also has plus speed and has proven to be a threat on the bases in the minor leagues. Despite the potential to become an elite dynasty asset, Beavers has never fully put things together.
Yes, Beavers has the frame to hit for plus power, but his profile is designed to spray rather than drive. Beavers takes what pitchers give him and profiles to be a doubles monster. However, doubles don’t help fantasy managers quite like home runs do. A career-high 15 homers is a plus, but that could be his ceiling. Also, just two of Beavers’ 26 career home runs have come against left-handed pitchers. Beavers’ fantasy value hinges on his base-stealing abilities. He profiles to post plus on-base numbers and projects for 25-30 stolen bases a season. The Orioles’ outfield depth chart is crowded with young talent, but Beavers deserves more recognition than he receives in the dynasty community.
4) Creed Willems – C, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A+/AA): .243 AVG | .322 OBP | .462 SLG | 17 HR | 2 SB | 20.5 K% | 9.4 BB%
Creed Willems was taken in the eighth round back in the 2021 draft and signed with Baltimore for $1 million. With long flowy hair and a stocky frame, Willems catches the eye of viewers. He looks more like a player from the 80s than he does an up-and-coming prospect. Despite his unique look, Willems is not a player dynasty managers should overlook. From the left side, Willems packs plenty of pop into his bat. A small leg kick with plus bat speed help Willems get to his pull side a good amount. He has hit 17 home runs in back-to-back seasons in the minor leagues and projects to hit 15-20 in a full MLB season.
From a hit tool perspective, Willems hits a lot of line drives. This high line drive rate should lead to better BABIP luck than he experienced in 2024 and help to create a solid batting average floor in the future. One of the primary issues for Willems up to this point in his career has been his struggles against left-handed pitching. He has hit just three home runs against lefties the past two seasons while seeing his batting average dip. With a move to first base or DH potentially on the horizon, Willems will need to shore this up in 2025 in order to maintain fantasy relevance in the future. Willems has offensive potential but is a tier below the prospects ranked above him.
5) Vance Honeycutt – OF, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): .176 AVG | .250 OBP | .196 SLG | 0 HR | 4 SB | 42.9 K% | 7.1 BB%
Entering 2024, the expectation was that Vance Honeycutt would go much higher than 22nd overall in the draft. An up-and-down final collegiate season allowed Baltimore to grab Honeycutt late in the first round with many in the dynasty world excited by the landing spot. Honeycutt has the tools to turn into an elite dynasty asset. Standing at 6’3″, Honeycutt has plenty of raw pop. In three seasons at the University of North Carolina, Honeycutt mashed 65 home runs. On top of the power, Honeycutt also has excellent speed. A plus athlete all around, Honeycutt has great baseball instincts that allow him to use his speed on the basepaths. He has 35+ stolen base potential and should be an excellent defender.
Honeycutt’s hit tool is the concern and what lands him down at sixth on this ranking list. Honeycutt battled with strikeouts throughout his collegiate career. The one season he showed improvements, his slugging dropped down below .500. The power and speed combination is what makes Honeycutt such an exciting prospect. Eliminating the strikeouts could negatively impact his power. Although Baltimore will now have a chance to develop Honeycutt, it seems that dynasty managers may need to take the good with the bad. The strikeout issues were obvious in a small 13-game professional sample this season. There is plenty of reason to be skeptical of Honeycutt’s ability to hit enough in the future.
6) Trace Bright – SP, 24 YO
2024 Stats (AA): 112.0 IP | 4.18 ERA | 24.5 K% | 12.3 BB%
Trace Bright popped up on my radar first during last year’s Spring Breakout game. Bright pitched four innings in that game showing off a plus fastball/curveball combination that caught many dynasty managers’ attention. Bright, a former fifth-round pick in 2022, did not carry that success over into 2024. Although wins and losses for minor league pitchers are often irrelevant, seeing 0-11 on the season is certainly not pretty to look at. Control issues that have plagued Bright dating back to his time at Auburn came into play again. Bright walked over 12% of batters last season. Walks and deep counts resulted in Bright only pitching 5+ innings one time in his final 23 starts.
Although the control has been disappointing, Bright still has intriguing stuff. His fastball sits around 94 mph on the gun and gets a good amount of arm-side run. The run on the pitch often results in Bright missing arm-side as well. The pitch has plus potential but lacks the command to be consistently effective. Bright’s curveball is his best strikeout pitch. The big breaker sits in the low 80s and is a plus offering. Both Bright’s changeup and slider lack consistency. His slider is a high-velocity low-movement pitch that he can hang at times and his changeup is really only used against lefties. Bright’s lack of consistency and inability to pitch deep into games could land him in a bullpen role long term.
7) Michael Forret – SP, 20 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): 99.2 IP | 3.88 ERA | 28.8 K% | 10.2 BB%
There is a chance the Orioles struck gold with their 14th-round pick from 2023. Forret looked excellent in his first professional season. He spent time with both Low-A and High-A showing off impressive stuff throughout the season. His velocity increased in his first season with the Orioles and considering his age, it would not be surprising to see another velo bump in the coming years. His fastball currently sits around 94 mph but touches higher at times. He throws from a lower arm slot creating deception and getting good rise on his heater.
With Forret’s fastball already projecting to be a plus pitch, the attention shifts to his breaking stuff. His slider gets big movement in the shape of a sweeper. This is his go-to strikeout pitch once he gets two strikes and is a plus offering. Forret overthrows the pitch at times, but more precision will come in time. Forret also mixes in a changeup primarily to lefties. He showed off significant strikeout potential in his first full season last year. Despite playing in college, Forret is young and has time to continue developing in Baltimore’s system. Harnessing his stuff is the biggest key to Forret reaching his ceiling. He is an underrated name for dynasty managers to keep their eye on in 2025.
Prospects Dynasty Managers Should Know
8) Enrique Bradfield Jr – OF, 23 YO
2024 Stats (A+/AA): .272 AVG | .358 OBP | .371 SLG | 4 HR | 74 SB | 15.4 K% | 10.7 BB%
Speed is the name of the game for Enrique Bradfield. The Orioles’ first-round pick from 2023 stole 74 bases last season between High-A and Double-A. Bradfield gets the most out of his speed by getting on base at an excellent rate. He has a great eye and makes contact at an above-average rate. Notably, Bradfield’s ground ball rate dropped throughout the year helping to improve his floor and create a small amount of upside in the power department.
9) Nestor German – SP, 22 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): 73.2 IP | 1.59 ERA | 31.4 K% | 5.9 BB%
The pitcher nobody is talking about who needs to be on every dynasty manager’s radar is Nestor German. German has added significant velocity to pair with a big breaking curve ball and plus slider. German dominated the lower levels of the minor leagues in his first full professional season. He showed off plus stuff (31.4 K%), plus command (5.9 BB%), and has the making of a true breakout candidate for 2025. Building his innings will be the biggest test in 2025, but do not be surprised to see German rank much higher this time next year.
10) Chayce McDermott – SP, 26 YO
2024 MiLB Stats (AAA): 100.0 IP | 3.78 ERA | 32.9 K% | 13.7 BB%
2024 MLB Stats: 4.0 IP | 6.75 ERA | 16.7 K% | 11.1 BB%
Chayce McDermott has posted big-time strikeout numbers throughout his time in the minor leagues. McDermott has a deep arsenal and gets good extension, allowing his stuff to play up. Stuff has never been the issue, but controlling it has caused McDermott issues in the past. High walk rates have plagued McDermott throughout his professional career and could force him into a bullpen role long-term. There is upside here but also significant relief risk.
11) Griff O’Ferrall – SS, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): .250 AVG | .344 OBP | .276 SLG | 0 HR | 2 SB | 14.4 K% | 11.1 BB%
Griff O’Ferrall is one of the more polished hitters to come out of the 2024 draft. After three seasons at the University of Virginia, the Orioles selected O’Ferrall 32nd overall. With good speed and an excellent hit tool, O’Ferrall projects to be a strong on-base player for Baltimore. The issue for dynasty managers is a lack of power in O’Ferrall’s profile that lowers his ceiling. Without elite speed to make up for the lack of power, he profiles as a fringe fantasy asset.
12) Elis Cuevas – 1B, 20 YO
2024 Stats (CPX/A): .260 AVG | .382 OBP | .408 SLG | 8 HR | 47 SB | 15.6 K% | 12.7 BB%
Elis Cuevas is not your stereotypical first baseman. Cuevas does have a powerful swing, but he lacks the true game power necessary to be a fantasy-relevant first baseman. What has dynasty managers paying some attention to is his ability to steal bases. Stolen bases are rare for first basemen but Cuevas stole 47 last year. There is upside here, but he is a risky profile with plenty of red flags.
13) Thomas Sosa – OF, 20 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): .230 AVG | .321 OBP | .332 SLG | 4 HR | 30 SB | 29.1 K% | 11.2 BB%
6’3″ with a pretty left-handed swing, if you only watched the highlights, Thomas Sosa would rank toward the top of this list. Sosa has the raw power and speed to turn into a legitimate dynasty prospect. However, he has failed to hit consistently in the lower levels of the minor leagues. An overly patient approach combined with high whiff rates has led to high strikeout rates and a low batting average. Sosa has also struggled to turn his raw power into game power adding more risk to his profile.
14) Luis De León – SP, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): 87.2 IP | 4.62 ERA | 26.3 K% | 12.2 BB%
Luis De León signed with the Orioles as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. Although his fastball velocity still sits in the low 90s, he generates good extension from a low arm slot, helping the pitch play up. De Leon’s money pitch is his slider, which is borderline unfair for left-handed batters. Harnessing his stuff has been an issue early on in De Leon’s professional career, which prevents him from landing higher on this list.
15) Stiven Martinez – OF, 17 YO
2024 Stats (DSL): .278 AVG | .417 OBP | .466 SLG | 4 HR | 2 SB | 30.4 K% | 16.7 BB%
Stiven Martinez was the Orioles’ big international signing from last year’s free agent period. Martinez stands at 6’4″. At just 17 years old, there is plenty of projectability to his frame giving him significant power potential. He played well in his first DSL stint posting a 137 wRC+ although a swinging strike rate of 37.1% is an area of major concern. Martinez’s dynasty profile is built solely around his home run potential as he lacks the speed to be an elite fantasy contributor.
The Next Five
Although these prospects do not crack the top 15, dynasty managers should keep their eye on these five players.
Felix Amparo – 18 YO – A smaller middle infield prospect with plus speed who showed off significant improvements to his hit tool in his second DSL stint.
Jud Fabian – 24 YO – Power-hitting outfielder who has struggled to hit throughout his professional career.
Douglas Hodo III – 24 YO – Hodo has excellent speed and on-base skills, but his overly patient approach has led to high strikeout rates and he has below-average power.
Braylin Tavera – 19 YO – Tavera has incredible tools but struggled in his first full season of professional baseball posting a 65 wRC+.
Austin Overn – 21 YO – Third-round pick out of USC who has plus speed but a questionable hit tool.