Because the Pipeline Podcast wraps up 2024, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo preview the ’25 season with a variety of predictions. The duo breaks down eight classes, from Rookies of the 12 months in each leagues and the No. 1 total Draft choose to which group will end with the top-ranked farm system at season’s finish and extra.
Final yr’s version had a couple of massive hits. Callis accurately pegged Paul Skenes to win NL Rookie of the 12 months. He additionally accurately predicted Cubs high prospect Matt Shaw would make an enormous leap on the Prime 100 prospects record, which occurred. (Shaw jumped from No. 96 this time a yr in the past to No. 22 at the moment.)
Let’s examine how this yr’s guesses stack up.
ROOKIES OF THE YEAR (not counting Roki Sasaki)
“With the best way Bubba Chandler completed final yr at Triple-A, he’s shut. Pittsburgh had a reasonably deep rotation on the massive league stage, so I wasn’t certain how that was going to work. And that is the place the Spencer Horwitz commerce comes into play, as a result of in that commerce the Pirates despatched Luis Ortiz to Cleveland, in order that creates a little bit bit extra of a gap in my guide. They’ve another choices, I do know. However for me, that opens an avenue for Bubba Chandler to hit the rotation sooner reasonably than later. Is it Opening Day? I don’t know. However Paul Skenes wasn’t on the Opening Day roster and he ended up being Rookie of the 12 months.
“I suppose the one purpose to not choose Coby Mayo can be, what? The place is he going to play day by day? It’s clear his energy bat is prepared. He has nothing left to show within the Minors. They’re going to need to discover a technique to get that into the lineup each day, even when he has to maneuver round fairly a bit.”
“The caveat right here is we each really feel like Roki Sasaki goes to be the frontrunner and apparent choose for Rookie of the 12 months in whichever league he indicators. I picked Dylan Crews a few weeks in the past. [In the National League], my intestine was telling me to go along with Matt Shaw, however I wasn’t certain if Matt Shaw was going to get sufficient taking part in time on the Cubs. However after the Kyle Tucker commerce, Isaac Paredes is gone, and I feel Matt Shaw goes to finish up at second with Nico Hoerner at third or he’s going to be at third with Nico Hoerner at second. I actually like Matt Shaw now. I’m hedging all over so I can take credit score for whoever wins. I feel its Roki Sasaki if he indicators within the NL. If he doesn’t, I feel it’s Matt Shaw. But when Dylan Crews wins I’m going to level out that I picked him two weeks in the past.
“[In the AL], I feel Mayo is the favourite. My second alternative was Jasson Domínguez. Particularly with Juan Soto leaving, it seems to be prefer it’ll be a clearer path to at-bats for Jasson Domínguez on the Yankees. A few weeks in the past, Jonathan talked about Jackson Jobe. We’ve each talked about Jacob Wilson. I really feel just like the Nationwide League crop is a little bit stronger than the American League crop, however we each have Coby Mayo as our frontrunner.”
PIPELINE HITTER OF THE YEAR
“Many of the finest hitting prospects within the recreation are going to be within the massive leagues subsequent yr. We all the time need to intertwine Walker Jenkins and Max Clark. I feel these are your two main contenders, until you go along with anyone from the Draft final yr like Travis Bazzana, Charlie Condon or JJ Wetherholt. I feel Walker Jenkins winds up being a reasonably apparent alternative. He’s simply very proficient. He wants to remain wholesome. Jonathan and I had been each adamant that he would’ve gained this yr if he’d keep wholesome.”
“The instruments are there. He confirmed when he was wholesome, in order that’s the one factor. There’s nothing to say based mostly on the damage or something we’ve heard, that he doesn’t care for his physique or that there can be a recurrence. All the explanations we thought he was going to win it this previous season nonetheless stand true.”
PIPELINE PITCHER OF THE YEAR
“I’m barely fearful he’s going to be so spectacular he’s going to destroy his candidacy by attending to the large leagues too shortly. Then again, his crew is atrocious and so they aren’t going to contend so that they don’t need to rush him. I’m going with the most effective left-handed pitching prospect in baseball. I need to see a little bit extra sturdiness out of him. They’ve dealt with him rigorously … his fastball’s gotten higher, he nonetheless has the wipeout slider he had in highschool, he’s creating a changeup, he’s throwing strikes. It’s very, very spectacular. I feel he’s going to tear it up.”
“I feel he’s going to spend nearly all the season within the Minor Leagues … and I feel he’s going to place up some fairly spectacular numbers simply due to the premium stuff and the swing and miss he will get.”
“Different guys might leap to the fore. I feel if Tyler Bremner or Jaime Arnold from the school facet take massive jumps, they may issue into it. However proper now I’ve the idea that Ethan Holliday goes to return out this spring … and have an enormous spring that provides him each likelihood to type of separate himself in the best way individuals thought he was earlier than we obtained to final yr’s summer season showcase circuit.”
“He’s good. But it surely’s not like its Ethan Holliday and all people else. He’s one in all 4, 5 gamers within the combine. Jonathan, you didn’t point out Jace LaViolette and I agree, as a result of the Nationals have the No. 1 choose and I don’t see them drafting one other outfielder when that’s clearly the energy of the crew. If I used to be to rank the probability at No. 1, I’d choose Ethan Holliday, then the 2 pitchers, Bremner or Arnold can be my second and third alternative, after which I’d put LaViolette 4 within the pecking order because it stands as we speak.”
NO. 1 PROSPECT AT THE END OF THE YEAR
“He’s a 60-hitter with 60 energy who walked greater than he struck out whereas reaching Double-A as a 19-year-old. That’s a reasonably spectacular resume.”
“Final yr I picked Ethan Salas, who the Padres pushed so aggressively to Double-A. He spent this yr at Excessive-A, and wasn’t nice. He’s down at No. 19 now. I couldn’t look previous Walker Jenkins. Even when he touches the large leagues, possibly he finally ends up being the same state of affairs to Dylan Crews, the place he will get a good variety of at-bats however stays on prospect lists.”
NO. 1 FARM SYSTEM AT THE END OF THE YEAR
Callis: Dodgers (over Tigers)
“The reasoning behind my choose was how younger the Dodgers system is. I don’t assume they’ll get loads of guys promoted out of their Prime 30 to the large leagues. They are not going to lose a Jackson Jobe, as an example. The one man they may lose is Dalton Dashing, a catcher who they did have play some outfield final yr. However I’m not essentially satisfied he’ll lose his rookie standing. He most likely will, however I don’t assume it’s wherever close to a lock. They only have this wonderful assortment of younger teenage expertise, from Josue De Paula to Joendry Vargas to Emil Morales to Eduardo Quintero to Kellon Lindsey to Zyhir Hope to Ching-Hsien Ko. I can go on and on. These guys aren’t all going to turn out to be Prime 100 prospects, however I feel as they get into full season ball and make their U.S. debuts, they’re going to boost their profiles.”
Mayo: Tigers (over Mariners and Dodgers)
“I picked the Tigers, who had been sixth on our midseason rating. We’re going to presume Jackson Jobe will graduate. However they’ll nonetheless have this nice younger core of hitters: Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer, and after seeing Thayron Liranzo and Josue Briceño within the Fall League, I’m persevering with to be actually excessive on them. They’re actually hitter-heavy and I’m OK with that.”
BIGGEST RISER AMONG CURRENT TOP 100 PROSPECTS
“I feel this man’s flown underneath the radar a little bit bit as a result of he was dealt with with care and didn’t have an enormous prospect pedigree. We talked about Kristian Campbell, who was our Breakout Prospect of the 12 months and Minor League Hitter of the yr. He wasn’t even on the Pink Sox’s Prime 30 coming into this season. Alejandro Rosario was kinda the pitching equal of that. He wasn’t on our Rangers Prime 30 coming into the yr – he simply missed. He was in Jonathan’s neck of the draft going again to highschool, after which he went to Miami and he was horrible for 3 years with Miami. 6.53 ERA. He had stuff. There have been no outcomes. So he went within the fifth spherical … The Rangers labored with him on his supply to maintain him closed longer and conceal the ball higher from hitters. He already had some pure deception along with his low launch peak. These modifications helped him throw extra strikes. They switched his pitch combine a little bit bit … swiftly, he has three plus pitches … he’s throwing extra strikes … he had a 2.24 ERA and a 10-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. If he stays wholesome and retains doing this at higher ranges, he has an opportunity to shoot up this record.”
“I’m kinda banking on 2025 being the yr we see the Druw Jones that was ranked so extremely and went No. 2 total in his Draft. He began to actually determine issues out. He simply wanted reps … he is nonetheless younger. Completed the yr .275/.409/.405 with 21 steals. However from July 1 by way of the top of the yr, he had an OPS of .855. Large on-base numbers, nearly as many walks as strikeouts and a bunch of stolen bases. The protection continues to be elite. I feel the facility goes to begin to come subsequent season and we’re all going to see the Druw Jones we had been all so enthusiastic about.”
WHO WILL BE THIS YEAR’S BREAKOUT PROSPECT
“He was a man signed in final yr’s worldwide class. I’m not saying he’s nearly as good as Leodalis De Vries, however he’s kinda comparable. The instruments are comparable .. Made stayed within the Rookie-level Dominican Summer season League, hit .331, had an OPS over 1.000, six homers, 28 steals in 51 video games, 25-25 upside, sturdy arm. I feel he’s going to return over right here … and I guess he tears it up.”
“I rolled the cube massive time right here. Kinda flew underneath the radar as a result of he was harm, so he missed the summer season showcase stuff. He’s a multi-sport man, will get comps to Trea Turner. He’s an 80 runner. He can area. I feel there may be extra energy there than you would possibly assume. He wants so as to add energy, however the instruments and the athleticism are so thrilling. I really feel like that mixture with the Dodgers participant improvement employees, he’s going to have an enormous first full season.”
