Look, we are in prime small-sample-size season. That being said, the MLB season is well underway, with plenty of trends emerging in many teams’ first 10 games. The minor-league season is also kicking off, with a handful of games already in the books at the Triple-A level. This should catch many dynasty managers’ attention, offering a first look at pitching prospects—whether they’re studs or duds. Week by week, we’ll do just that and keep our fingers on the minor-league PLV pulse.
Be sure to head over to the dynasty team page for all of the latest breakdowns and rankings to help take your team to the next level in 2025!
Checking in on Some Big Name Prospects:
Chase Dollander , 23, Colorado Rockies
Season Stats: 1 GS/ 4.0 IP/ 2.25 ERA/26.3% K%/10.5% BB%/2.00 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 1 GS/ 4.0 IP/ 2.25 ERA/26.3% K%/10.5% BB%/2.00 WHIP
The Colorado Rockies don’t have much going for them in the pitching department, but hopefully help is on the horizon in the form of 2023 first-round pick Chase Dollander. The highly regarded hurler started off the season strong in some ways, though not in all. He held the Sacramento River Cats to one run over four innings, fanning five in that span. His velocity looked strong, he mixed in five pitches, and he looked like a future Opening Day starter at Coors Field.
Dollander did struggle with locating his four-seam fastball and didn’t induce any whiffs on it, though he still registered a 125 Fan 4+ on the day. He got behind in the count early and often, with a 31.6% first-pitch strike rate. The River Cats hit him around quite a bit, doing the most damage on his four-seam and curveball. Although Dollander relied mostly on a sinker, that pitch needs to differentiate more from his four-seam for it to be truly effective.
The odds felt like Dollander would be on the Rockies 26-man roster sooner rather later, and Colorado felt the same way. He made his MLB debut this past Sunday, getting the start against the Athletics. His performance offered more promise, as well as some things to work on, as he went five innings, striking out six but also allowing four earned runs. He is one of the strongest pitching prospects in all of baseball, and his debut will draw plenty of attention. Turning his sinker into his workhorse pitch gives some comfort for longevity, especially if he turns the four-seam fastball into one of a trio of get-out pitches.
Bubba Chandler, 22, Pittsburgh Pirates
Season Stats: 1 GS/2.2 IP/0.00 ERA/36.3% K%/ 27.2% BB%/ 1.50 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 1 GS/2.2 IP/0.00 ERA/36.3% K%/ 27.2% BB%/ 1.50 WHIP
Bubba Chandler’s first start of 2025 was nearly the polar opposite of Dollander, from an arsenal perspective. The Pirates’ top pitching prospect boasts one of the best fastballs among minor-leaguers, earning a 139 Fan 4+ in his short start against the Iowa Cubs. However, he struggled to locate the pitch, only throwing it in the zone 28.1% of the time. Still, posting a 44.4% whiff rate kept opponents off the board, and he allowed just one hit on the day.
Chandler didn’t show much beyond his fastball and slider, which accounted for 48 of his 52 pitches. He struggled with location on both offerings, recording three walks and an overall 28.8% zone rate — figures that are not sustainable for success at Triple-A, much less MLB. Although his curveball grades well, he threw it sparingly and only against lefties, suggesting he doesn’t trust the pitch yet.
Chandler is another popular pick to reach the majors sooner rather than later, but Pittsburgh already has six starters on the 26-man roster. Fellow prospect Braxton Ashcraft further complicates things, as Ashcraft is already on the 40-man roster. Still, if Chandler can start hitting his spots while retaining his swing-and-miss stuff, there should be no pitcher blocking his path in Pittsburgh — well, except that one.
Quinn Mathews, 24, St. Louis Cardinals
Season Stats: 2 GS/7.2 IP/3.52 ERA/13.9% K%/25.0% BB%/ 1.96 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 2 GS/7.2 IP/3.52 ERA/13.9% K%/25.0% BB%/ 1.96 WHIP
There may have been no hotter pitching prospect at the end of spring training than Quinn Mathews. Whether drawing comparisons to future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, or tossing three scoreless innings in the Spring Breakout event, Matthews was turning plenty of heads as the regular season began. But momentum is only valuable if you can maintain it, and Matthews’ hot streak came to a screeching halt in his March 29 start.
Matthews did record a 55.4% strike rate against the Louisville Bats, but his three walks to one strikeout in four innings was a massive black eye on his day. Those numbers are far from his track record in the minors, where he posted a 35.4% strikeout rate with an 8.6% walk rate last year. Matthews was locating his fastball well, posting a 114 Fan 4+ despite some so-so extension. But, few of his breaking balls were landing in the zone or inducing whiffs. The second inning really got away from him when he walked in a run. It may just be opening-start jitters, but Matthews did not look entirely comfortable on the mound, and the results reflected that.
If dynasty managers have Quinn Matthews on their rosters at all, they are either in a deep league or they truly believe in his potential. The Stanford product was MLB Pipeline’s Pitching Prospect of the Year last season, but that accolade — and his spring positivity — will vanish if he continues to struggle in Triple-A. Matthews may be a prospect managers could afford to put back on the wire, as his ceiling will seem less and less attainable if this current trend persists.
Weekly Four-Seam Standouts
Jacob Misiorowski, 23, Milwaukee Brewers
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 134 Fan4+ on Mar. 30, 2025 start
Season Stats: 1 GS/5.0 IP/0.00 ERA/36.8% K%/15.8% BB%/ 0.80 WHIP
The towering righty from Missouri earned International Pitcher of the Week honors to start the season after a dandy of a performance. His fastball was the star of the show — as it has been throughout his minor-league career. While he wasn’t hitting his velocity peaks, averaging 96.6 MPH in this start, he located the pitch exceptionally well. With elite marks like 7.5 feet of extension and a 1.6 HAVAA, there’s plenty to like about Misiorowski’s workhorse fastball. The Brewers’ top prospect is doing everything he can to earn a spot on the 40-man roster before Memorial Day.
Jacob Misiorowski shined in his 2025 season debut, earning International Pitcher of the Week honors 🏆
In 5 innings he allowed no runs on 1 hit and collected 7 K’s on 14 whiffs#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/SSZq2QA2LS
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) April 1, 2025
Zebby Matthews, 24, Minnesota Twins
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 139 Fan 4+ in Apr. 1, 2025 start
Season Stats: 1 GS/5.0 IP/0.00 ERA/25.0% K%/0.0% BB%/ 0.20 WHIP
Whether managers look at the box score or PitcherList’s bevy of metrics tools, there was a ton to like from Zebby Matthews‘ first start in 2025. His fastball was the star of the show, surpassing 99 MPH on the gun and averaging 97.5 MPH on the day. The pitch played well up in the zone, showing plenty of movement with an average of 17.9 inches of vertical break and 1.2 HAVAA. Models love this offering — and for good reason. Matthews should be the next man up if any injury affects the Twins’ rotation, or if Simeon Woods-Richardson stumbles down the stretch.
Zebby Matthews was untouchable in his first @StPaulSaints start of the season 💯
5 IP / 1 H / 0 R / 0 BB / 4 K
He averaged 97.5 MPH in the outing and topped out at 99.2 MPH ⛽️#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/MLJIZKSca1
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) April 2, 2025
Welcome to the Bigs
Roki Sasaki, 23, Los Angeles Dodgers
Minor League Season Stats: N/A
Major League Debut Pitching Line(s): Mar. 19 – 3.0 IP/1 ER/21.4% K%/35.7% BB%/4.20 WHIP & Mar. 29 – 1.2 IP/2 ER/16.7% K%/33.3% BB%/2.00 WHIP
If dynasty owners were hoping that Los Angeles Dodgers super-prospect Roki Sasaki’s shaky debut was due to first-time nerves or playing in his home country, their concerns were only deepened in his second outing. The Dodgers had a competitive series against the Detroit Tigers in Los Angeles, but Sasaki’s stateside debut was a dud when Detroit chased him off the mound in the second inning. He once again walked more batters than he struck out, and simply couldn’t consistently find the strike zone.
All of his struggles were evident in the advanced metrics, as his 4.01 PLV ranks in the 0th percentile. The frustrating part is that Sasaki’s expected batting average and BABIP are among the league’s best so far. However, his free baserunners vastly outweigh any gains in those departments, and his inconsistent control puts him behind in the count early and often.
Still, Sasaki’s prospect profile is leaps and bounds ahead of any other in MLB. If fans were listening closely, they’d know that Sasaki was always going to be a developmental project for the Dodgers — and that’s evident in his first starts. Managers would be foolish to sell him now, but relying on him for win-now hopes is looking increasingly bleak.
Other pitchers that made their MLB debuts this past week:
Thomas Harrington, 23, Pittsburgh Pirates
Ryan Johnson, 22, Los Angeles Angels
Jack Dreyer, 26, Los Angeles Dodgers
Connor Thomas, 26, Miami Marlins
Noah Murdock, 26, Athletics
Chad Patrick, 26, Athletics
Tomoyuki Sugano, 35, Baltimore Orioles
Brad Lord, 25, Washington Nationals
Luarbert Arias, 24, Miami Marlins
Ryan Gusto, 26, Houston Astros
Mike Vasil, 25, Chicago White Sox
Garrett McDaniels, 25, Los Angeles Angels
Shane Smith, 24, Chicago White Sox
