7 Fantasy baseball breakout candidates for 2025 as spring training opens
Can you feel it? Spring is in the air!
Ok, well maybe not spring spring. But Major League Baseball’s spring training sure is! Pitchers and catchers began reporting to camps this week and we are barely a month away from real, meaningful games taking place.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs open the 2025 season with the Tokyo Series in Japan on March 15.
Which means it’s time to start thinking about fantasy baseball, too. As players start arriving in Arizona and Florida, keep an eye on these seven. They just may be the breakout star you didn’t know your fantasy team needed.
Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP, Atlanta Braves
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Schwellenbach got a taste of the big leagues last year with 21 starts for the Braves. He posted a 3.35 ERA in 123.2 IP with 14 home runs allowed and 127 strikeouts on 23 walks. Now entering his age 25 season and locked into the Braves’ rotation, Schwellenbach might be the next piece to extending Atlanta’s championship window.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Sure, we’ve been hearing about The Martian for years now. But with Juan Soto off to the Mets, the New York Yankees’ highly-touted prospect is poised to become and everyday outfield in The Bronx. Buckle up.
Colt Keith, INF, Detroit Tigers
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
The Detroit Tigers are going to contend for the American League Central once again. Unlike last year, there shouldn’t be much controversy over who gets to play first base. Keith is getting the everyday spot over Spencer Torkelson. Detroit expects big things from the 23 year-old who signed a six-year, $28.6 million extension before he even made his debut. Fantasy managers should expect them, too.
Bryce Miller, RHP, Seattle Mariners
(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
The Mariners starter has been simmering over his first two years in the bigs, taking another step in 2024 with a 2.94 ERA and 171 strikeouts on 45 walks. This could be the year he becomes an All-Star if the trend continues.
Coby Mayo, 3B, Baltimore Orioles
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Coby Mayo has elite power that wasn’t able to get a full display last year after fracturing his rib in mid-May. Don’t give up on the Orioles’ budding slugger just yet. The tools are all there. Let’s see what he does this spring.
Connor Norby, 3B, Miami Marlins
Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Free from the logjam that is the Baltimore Orioles farm system (and stacked MLB roster), Norby gets a chance to play every day in Miami and finally find a rhythm in the bigs. One of the game’s top prospects should be able to put it all together, even in a rather lethargic Marlins lineup.
Noah Schultz, LHP, Chicago White Sox
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Hope is all most teams have this time of year and no fanbase needs it more than the Chicago White Sox. Whether or not the supremely talented Noah Schultz breaks camp with the South-siders is one of the more fascinating questions this spring, but the lefty’s devastating slider will be making hitters look silly whenever his time comes.