The divisional reports are a recurring series put out by the PitcherList dynasty team. These reports provide a list of the top ten prospects on each team in the division and highlight two players from each organization. Each division will be updated once per month by our divisional experts. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
The National League Central is home to several of baseball’s most historic teams, including the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. While the division has had various degrees of success lately, it’s also hosted perennial cellar-dwellers like the Reds and Pirates. Things are looking up, though, as every team in the division has a talented young core of players with farm systems that rank in the top half of the Majors. Here is a look at a very deep crew of prospects in the NL Central!
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Assignments
- After missing the final four months of 2024, RHP Cade Horton is back healthy and starting his season with Triple-A Iowa. Horton made five starts there last season, pitching to a 7.50 ERA in 18 innings. Following his final start in May, Horton was shut down due to a shoulder injury and never returned.
- Despite performing well during the Spring, outfielder Kevin Alcántara was reassigned to Minor League camp and will join Horton at Triple-A. The 22-year-old has impressive raw power and speed while playing an outstanding center field. Unfortunately, the Cubs’ acquisition of Kyle Tucker this offseason put Alcantara in a lose-lose situation. The writing was on the wall that he wouldn’t break camp outside of an injury on the MLB roster, so it’s back to the Minors for Alcantara.
Notable Prospect News
- Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw has made the Opening Day roster as the primary third baseman. The 23-year-old has done nothing but hit since being drafted in the first round in 2023. Across four levels, Shaw has a .303/.384/.522 slash line with 29 homers, 28 doubles, and 46 steals in his Minor League career. Assuming health, Shaw will graduate from prospect status in early May and hopefully go on to a long, successful Major League career.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Assignments
- 2024 first-rounder Chase Burns seems to be headed to the Complex League to open the 2025 season. Burns did not debut following the Draft last Summer and has yet to make his Reds debut. Although the Reds were pretty aggressive with Burns’ teammate Rhett Lowder, I anticipate the team is overly cautious with Burns early in his pro career.
- 23-year-old fireballer Luis Mey, who gained a cult following during the Spring Breakout game, will start 2025 at Triple-A Louisville. Mey pitched at two levels last season, including a 26-inning sample at Double-A. The Reds’ bullpen is typically a revolving door, so the talented righthander may push his way to the big leagues with his high-octane arsenal.
Notable Prospects News
- Reds’ top prospect Cam Collier underwent thumb surgery in early March to repair a torn UCL ligament in his hand. The injury will sideline Collier for 4 to 6 weeks early in 2025. Collier was a breakout candidate of mine entering this season after batting .248 with 20 homers at High-A Dayton last season.
- Elbow soreness has sidelined Rhett Lowder for most of the Spring and has him on the IL to start 2025. Lowder was initially shut down in early January and has only recently begun throwing. There is no timetable for his return, but Lowder will need plenty of time to ramp up before returning to the mound at Triple-A.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Assignments
- The most notable assignment is the one we don’t have confirmation on. Where will DSL breakout Jesus Made play in 2025? Made was one of the fastest prospect risers in 2025 and has already come stateside for Spring Training. Still just 17 years old, the Brewers have a few options. They can go the conservative route and let him play in the Complex League. Or, they can do what the Rangers did with Sebastian Walcott in 2024 and start him at High-A. The main difference is that Walcott had an entire DSL/Complex/Low-A season in 2023 before jumping, but both players were 17 to open that season.
- Catcher Jeferson Quero, who missed 2024 with a labrum injury, will open 2025 at Double-A. Quero spent the entire season at the same level in his last healthy season (’23), playing 90 games with 16 homers and 12 doubles. The Brewers do not need to rush their top catching prospect with C1 William Contreras locking down the position at the MLB Level. Even with the conservative assignment, Quero should see ample time at Triple-A in 2025.
Notable Prospect News
- One name to monitor closely in early 2025 is reliever Craig Yoho. The 25-year-old made a strong impression during Spring Training, pitching 8 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts. That performance comes on the heels of a 0.94 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings split between three levels last season. With Devin Williams now in NY, the closer job has many viable candidates, but few lack the potential upside of Yoho.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Assignments
- 2025 is an important season for infielder Termarr Johnson. The #4 pick in 2022 has battled inconsistency early in his career and is trying to restore some of his lost value. That journey starts at Double-A, where Johnson played 14 games to close out last season. The key for the 20-year-old is to improve his contact rates, which sat around 71% overall last season. If those skills improve, Johnson has the potential to be a high-impact offensive performer, especially with his newfound power.
- Rather than opt for the shiny new toy, the Pirates continued their shenanigans and optioned Bubba Chandler AND Thomas Harrington to Triple-A to start 2025. That’s disappointing, particularly when Bailey Falter and Carmen Mlodzinski still have jobs. It’s worth noting that Chandler did not perform that well this Spring (aside from the Breakout game), but Harrington was serviceable and showed well. Either way, good luck to all the hitters facing Triple-A Indianapolis this Spring with Chandler, Harrington, Braxton Ashcraft, and Mike Burrows in the rotation.
Notable Prospect News
- I’m anxiously awaiting the fate of Konnor Griffin, the first-round pick this Spring. He had just 11 at-bats in ST, hitting one homer and stealing a base. Pirates leadership indicated early on that Griffin would go to the Complex League, but based on the skills he displayed in Spring Training, I wonder if the Pirates will get more aggressive with his assignment.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Assignments
- Top prospect and 2024 first-rounder JJ Wetherholt is skipping over High-A and leaping Double-A to start 2025. Wetherholt played only 29 games at Low-A following the Draft, batting .295 with two homers and five doubles. I’ve got Wetherholt firmly inside my Top 15 prospects, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him wearing Cardinals’ red late this Summer.
- I’m intrigued by the Cardinals’ assignment of Tink Hence to Triple-A. Since his debut, Hence has been handled with kid gloves. He pitched just 79 2/3 innings last season at Double-A after a career-high 96 in 2023. Their usage of Hence only exacerbates my concerns over durability, and I wonder if he will end up in the bullpen long-term.
Notable Prospect News
- Despite his utter dominance this Spring, the Cardinals are moving forward with Quinn Mathews at Triple-A Memphis. The 6’5″ left-hander tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts during Spring Training and is coming off a season where he struck out 202 batters across four levels. It won’t be long until Mathews makes his MLB debut and projects as a top-of-the-rotation starter in the Majors.
