Welcome back to another exciting season of baseball! Our Dynasty team has been killing it all offseason by providing high-quality content about prospects, dynasty, and more! For me personally, nothing signals the start of another season quite like the Dynasty 350. There has been incredible player movement this offseason, and this edition is likely to look significantly different from the final edition last September. Here is a reminder about the process and how you can utilize these rankings in your own way.
1) Rankings are based on fantasy value only, and several factors go into them. Some of those factors include current and future value, age, team context, injury risk, playing time, skill regression (positive or negative), and prospect proximity.
2) When reviewing these, remember that tiers exist within the rankings. A 30-spot gap between two players is relatively insignificant and could be a matter of personal preference or proximity for prospects. At the same time, all the possible factors should be considered when assessing those two players.
3) My rankings should serve as a baseline for your own. Everyone has their process of player evaluation and value assessment while also working on configuring their rankings toward league settings.
With that in mind, here is your first look at the Dynasty 350 for 2025!
RISERS
Garrett Crochet, SP, BOS
Crochet was already rocketing through the ranks throughout the season in 2024, but his move to Boston this offseason gave him that extra bump. Although they have their own organizational flaws, the Red Sox represent a considerable upgrade over the record-setting White Sox. The rationale is not simply wins and losses but rather the utilization that will unlock the next level of production with Crochet. In 146 innings last season, Crochet logged 209 strikeouts while leading the league with a 35.1% strikeout rate. The 25-year-old left-hander showed an elite arsenal in 2024, headlined by his four-seam fastball and cutter, each generating a swinging strike rate in the 95th percentile or higher. The most exciting piece of his move to Boston is how the team will continue to develop the slider and sweeper. Since the Andrew Bailey era began, the Red Sox have really leaned into breaking pitches. Crochet already has a plus slider, and in a limited sample, the sweeper had a 39% swinging strike rate and CSW of over 51%. With four plus or double-plus offerings, Crochet could quickly move into the elite tier of SPs with Skenes/Skubal/Wheeler.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. 3B/OF, NYY
Chisholm was finally healthy in 2024, and what came with it was a career year for the 27-year-old. In 147 games, Jazz hit .256 with 24 homers and 40 steals, splitting his time between South Florida and the Bronx. The trade really fueled his success as Chisholm hit .273 with 11 homers and 18 steals in just 46 games with New York. In a 150-game pace, Chisholm has 36 homers and 59 steals, which will absolutely play in fantasy. The key to everything is simple: Jazz must stay healthy. The Yankees moved him from OF to 3B when he came to New York, and he’s already shifting to 2B in 2025. Chisholm played 2B primarily from 2020-2022, where he averaged 92 games in the two full seasons, missing time with back and hamstring injuries. I’m cautiously optimistic about moving Jazz so high in the rankings, but it’s hard to argue with the numbers. With reasonable health, it’s easy to see Jazz as a top 5 player at his position for the foreseeable future.
Lawrence Butler, OF, ATH
One of the most dynamic performances we saw in 2024 came from A’s rookie outfielder Lawrence Butler. Following a .179/.281/.274 start to the MLB season, the ‘Lawdog’ was demoted to Triple-A, where he spent a month getting himself right. Upon his return, Butler took off. Over his final 84 games, Butler slashed .291/.330/.565 with 20 homers, 20 doubles, 15 steals, and a .896 OPS, becoming a league-winning performer on my fantasy teams and soaring his stock in dynasty. His quality of contact metrics are plus across the board, and Butler also maintains league-average contact rates and expected stats to support his success. Butler went from a relative unknown to a top-75 player overnight.
Spencer Schwellenbach, SP, ATL
On the topic of dynamic rookies, I present Braves’ rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. Schwelly became a household name in 2024, singlehandedly saving the back half of the Braves rotation and serving as a perfect complement to ace Chris Sale. Schwellenbach debuted in late May, pitching to a 3.35 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 21 starts. Schwellenbach’s success comes from a unique six-pitch mix that produced a 14.1% swinging strike rate, 30.7% CSW, and 25.4% strikeout rate, all while walking hitters at a clip just below 5.0%. Nothing in his repertoire screams elite, but Schwelly has a deep arsenal, throws strikes early and often, and has the pitchability to get guys out. Add that to his early success and a winning organization, and the 24-year-old has leaped into the top 75.
PROSPECT RISER
JJ Wetherholt, SS, STL
Wetherholt was a rockstar at West Virginia and would have easily been the No. 1 overall pick had he not suffered a hamstring injury that limited his final season in Morgantown. Despite the injury, Wetherholt had a solid 2024, slashing .331/.472/.589 with eight homers and eight doubles in 125 at-bats. The missing piece to his production was the running game, noticeably slowed by the hamstring. Wetherholt managed just six bags in 2024, following a 36-steal output the prior year. Regardless of the production, this elite young talent features above-average bat-to-ball skills with power and speed. I would not be surprised to see Wetherholt join the Cardinals late in 2025 and become a fixture in their lineup for the next decade.
FALLERS
Royce Lewis, 3B, MIN
Lewis is one of the most challenging players to value in fantasy. On the one hand, Lewis is an elite talent with incredible raw power and a flair for the dramatics. His 58-game sample in the 2023 season flashed the brilliance of Lewis as he hit .309 with 15 homers and six steals before a hamstring injury ended his season. An early quad injury and a mid-season abductor strain limited Lewis to a career-high 82 games in 2024. Lewis was inconsistent in the stretch, hitting just .233 with 16 homers. I’m not sure we’ll ever see a 100+ game season from Lewis, and that’s why I hesitate. A healthy Royce Lewis is a top 25 overall player with the potential for more, but the floor remains so low because of his 20-grade health. His fall in the rankings (~30 spots) reflects my concerns over durability, not talent.
Noelvi Marte, 3B, CIN
At the end of 2023, Noelvi Marte looked like a budding star, but everything went off the rails early in 2024. It started with a positive PED test in spring training and a subsequent 80-game ban by MLB. He returned in June and struggled mightily over his final 78 games between Triple-A and the majors. For the Reds, Marte hit .210 with just four homers, a 31% strikeout rate, and sub-.550 OPS. There were signs that Marte was pressing, specifically because of his inflated 37.1% chase rate and an uncharacteristic 54.1% overall swing rate. Marte went to the Dominican Winter League to get additional reps but hit just .227 in 29 games for Gigantes. His offensive struggles have also carried over to 3B, and suddenly, the budding star appears headed to Triple-A to open 2025. There’s still plenty to like in Marte’s profile, but he’s got to get right before I can push him back up.
Bobby Miller, SP, LAD
At this point, I don’t know what to make of Bobby Miller. Following a stellar 2023 season, I had Miller firmly inside my top 20 starting pitchers in dynasty, and I tabbed him as a potential top-10 talent ahead of 2024. Miller was dynamic in his first start last season, tossing six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts against the Cardinals. Something happened during his ensuing start at Wrigley. Miller was tagged for five earned runs in 1.2 innings and followed that with an abbreviated four-inning start his next time out. His next two months were spent on the IL with a shoulder injury, which likely occurred during that start at Wrigley or soon after. Following his return, Miller was awful. He made 10 big-league starts over the next three months, posting a 9.34 ERA with a 1.85 WHIP and 11.5% walk rate. The Dodgers also sent Miller to Triple-A, where he experienced similar results. With the Dodgers’ acquisitions of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and a healthy Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound, Miller is on the outside looking in for a rotation spot in 2025. If he looked right, I’d be more inclined to have Miller higher in the rankings, but something is off, and it’s up to the Dodgers to identify and fix it.
Bo Naylor, C, CLE
Admittedly, I was too high on Bo Naylor when he entered the majors. I became enamored with the rare power-speed blend from the catcher position, and his early ranking reflected that. Although Naylor didn’t have any obvious red flags, there were signs of potential contact and swing-and-miss issues that I overlooked, which are now present at the major league level. In 123 games last season, Naylor hit just .201 with 13 homers and six steals, but his 31.4% strikeout rate and 73.6% overall contact rate are alarming. It’s also eye-opening that the Guardians won’t entirely turn over the keys to their ‘catcher of the future,’ signaling they also have concerns. Presently, Naylor is an excellent athlete with some raw tools but also a below-average hitter with questionable contact skills and approach.
PROSPECT FALLER
Chase DeLauter, OF, CLE
To my Guardians friends, I promise I don’t hate you. Writing about DeLauter is a pain point for me, as I’ve been promoting his potential stardom since he debuted in 2022. Unfortunately, the injury bug continues to bite DeLauter, this time with a sports hernia that will keep him out another 12 weeks. This most recent injury is the exclamation point on a laundry list of ailments, most often related to his foot. When he’s healthy, DeLauter is an exciting young player, but staying on the field is half the battle.
Joe Musgrove is on here twice – #177 & #227
No Cam Smith?
Martin: great stuff, as always. For those of us in dynasty leagues, the “Prev Rank” column from last year was a real time-saver!
Ozuna, Paredes?