Farm Futures: First-Year Player Draft Blueprint

This is the fourth-annual First-Year Player Draft Blueprint for dynasty leagues. If you missed it, the top 400 prospect rankings and top 100 FYPD rankings were fully updated earlier in the week, and those should be used as companion tools with this article before and during your drafts. You can also check out the more in-depth player outlooks I've written for the top FYPD prospects on their player pages.

First-year player drafts are a crucial opportunity for you to add premium talent to your dynasty farm systems. You can always add pop-up prospects in season, but this is your only chance to add the best prospects from each class. It's also an opportunity to add big-league ready talent from Asia and sometimes Cuba if you're a contending team. I usually gravitate toward high-upside draftees, but you should approach your FYPD with a strategy that works best for your tendencies and your specific dynasty roster. This article is just a tool for you to make sure you're looking at the right prospects in the right range of your FYPD.

Make sure to sync your league using RotoWire's My Teams feature before and during your FYPD. That way you can reference the top 400 prospect rankings to see who the best players available are, as non-FYPD prospects become strong options midway through most FYPDs.

1-2

1. Wyatt Langford, LF, Rangers, 2024 ETA, $8 million bonus

2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP, Dodgers, 2024 ETA, $325 million FA contract

The best fantasy prospect vs. a ready to go SP1. I'm going with the 22-year-old hitter over the 5-foot-10 pitcher every time, but it's conceivable you're in a situation where you've got a few elite outfielders already and Yamamoto fits better for your win-now roster, particularly in points leagues. 

If you've got the No. 2 pick and you're rebuilding and Langford is gone, I'd explore trading it, but only if you're getting a great return. Of course if Yamamoto gets hurt in the spring his value will tank, but if he's healthy midseason you'll get a massive haul for him from a contender.

Options: Take Langford or Yamamoto; trade down from No. 2 if you're rebuilding and Langford is gone.

Top-400 Range: 1-5

3-6

3. Walker Jenkins, RF/CF, Twins, 2025 ETA, $7.14 million bonus

4. Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates, 2024 ETA, $9.2 million bonus

5. Dylan Crews, LF/CF/RF, Nationals, 2024 ETA, $9 million bonus

6. Matt Shaw, 3B/2B/SS, Cubs, 2024 ETA, $4.85 million bonus

I love the idea of trading up to No. 5 or No. 6 for Jenkins or Shaw, as Crews and/or Skenes figure to go ahead of them in many leagues. If I'm picking third, I feel confident in Jenkins as the pick regardless of my competitive window, but I'd still make the pick available to try to pick up something to move down to No. 5 or No. 6, where he may still be available. I love the news that Shaw, a middle infielder by trade, has been solely focused on third base this offseason, as it suggests the Cubs are already planning around him slotting in there. His arm might be a little light for the hot corner, but it's great that he won't have anyone in his way when it looks like he's ready.

Options: Take Langford or Yamamoto if one falls; take Jenkins, Skenes, Crews or Shaw; trade down from No. 3 or No. 4 to No. 5 or No. 6.

Top-400 Range: 8-19

7-12

7. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta, 2024 ETA, $3 million bonus

8. Colt Emerson, 3B, Mariners, 2026 ETA, $3.8 million bonus

9. Tommy Troy, 2B/3B/SS/CF/LF, Diamondbacks, 2025 ETA, $4.4 million bonus

10. Max Clark, CF, Tigers, 2026 ETA, $7.7 million bonus

11. Brock Wilken, 3B/1B/DH, Brewers, 2025 ETA, $3.15 million bonus

12. Leo De Vries, SS, Padres, 2027 ETA, $4.2 million bonus

This is the last tier of FYPD prospects worth trading up to get. Waldrep has 250-strikeout upside but his track record of consistently throwing strikes is minimal. Emerson has been trending steeply up since draft day, as he has added good weight and looks like a future top-10 prospect who doesn't have any weaknesses. Troy is a safe, across-the-board contributor who could have dual eligibility some years, as he is capable of playing all over the diamond. Clark, being a potential 60- or 70-grade defensive center fielder, is a better real-life prospect than a fantasy one, at least until he shows he can hit for average game power. Wilken is a high-upside corner-infield slugger who will need to show he can make enough contact in the upper levels. De Vries could be the No. 1 overall prospect two years from now. 

Unless a good amount of your league uses my rankings, you should be able to get someone from this tier at pick 13 or maybe even pick 14, but I doubt anyone from this tier makes it to pick 15.

Options: Take Jenkins, Skenes, Crews or Shaw if one falls; take Waldrep, Emerson, Troy, Clark, Wilken or De Vries.

Top-400 Range: 30-59

13-40

13. Kyle Teel, C, Red Sox, 2024 ETA, $4 million bonus

14. Brayden Taylor, 3B/2B/SS, Rays, 2025 ETA, $3.88 million bonus

15. Aidan Miller, 3B/1B/RF/LF, Phillies, 2026 ETA, $3.1 million bonus

16. Shota Imanaga, LHP, Cubs, 2024 ETA, $53 million FA contract

17. Noble Meyer, RHP, Marlins, 2027 ETA, $4.5 million bonus

18. Paulino Santana, CF/LF/RF, Rangers, 2027 ETA, $1.3 million bonus

19. Arjun Nimmala, SS, Blue Jays, 2027 ETA, $3 million bonus

20. Ralphy Velazquez, C/1B/DH, Guardians, 2027 ETA, $2.5 million bonus

21. Tai Peete, SS/3B, Mariners, 2027 ETA, $2.5 million bonus

22. George Lombard, SS/3B, Yankees, 2027 ETA, $3.3 million bonus

23. Jung Hoo Lee, CF, Giants, 2024 ETA, $113 million FA contract

24. Bryce Eldridge, 1B/DH/RF, Giants, 2027 ETA, $4 million bonus

25. Cole Carrigg, C/CF/SS, Rockies, 2025 ETA, $1.3 million bonus

26. Jonny Farmelo, CF, Mariners, 2027 ETA, $3.2 million bonus

27. Dillon Head, CF, Padres, 2027 ETA, $2.8 million bonus

28. Cooper Pratt, SS/3B, Brewers, 2027 ETA, $1.35 million bonus

29. Walker Martin, 3B/SS, Giants, 2027 ETA, $3 million bonus

30. Jose Perdomo, SS/3B/2B, Atlanta, 2028 ETA, $5 million bonus

31. Dawel Joseph, SS/3B/RF/CF, Mariners, 2028 ETA, $3 million bonus

32. Rhett Lowder, RHP, Reds, 2024 ETA, $5.7 million bonus

33. Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Angels, 2023 ETA, $5.25 million bonus

Once the first three tiers are gone, you can go shopping for the type of prospect/player you value most, and I expect this tier to last until at least the 40th pick in most first-year player drafts. There are lower-upside and theoretically safer options like Imanaga, Lee, Lowder and Schanuel for the win-now, risk-averse teams. Meanwhile, Santana, Farmelo, Martin, Perdomo and Joseph have yet to make their pro debuts and are part of a group of 13 players in this tier with ETAs of 2027 or 2028. In shallower leagues where there are a handful of non-FYPD prospects in my top 150 available, this tier could stretch into the 50s or 60s. I don't recommend trading up for these guys, as there is a decent chance the player you want could last longer than you think.

Options: Take Waldrep, Emerson, Troy, Clark, Wilken or De Vries if one falls; take your favorite available player from this tier; trade back if several players in this tier are falling and you can pick up assets to move down.

Top-400 Range: 67-134

41-60

34. Josh Knoth, RHP, Brewers, 2027 ETA, $2 million bonus

35. Blake Wolters, RHP, Royals, 2027 ETA, $2.8 million bonus

36. Mac Horvath, 3B/2B/RF/LF, Orioles, 2026 ETA, $1.4 million bonus

37. Joe Whitman, LHP, Giants, 2025 ETA, $805,580 bonus

38. Yohandy Morales, 3B/1B/DH, Nationals, 2025 ETA, $2.6 million bonus

39. Colton Ledbetter, LF, Rays, 2026 ETA, $1.3 million bonus

40. Enrique Bradfield, CF, Orioles, 2025 ETA, $4.17 million bonus

41. Luke Keaschall, 2B/3B/CF/LF, Twins, 2025 ETA, $1.5 million bonus

42. Kevin McGonigle, 2B, Tigers, 2026 ETA, $2.85 million bonus

43. Gino Groover, 3B/1B/2B/DH/LF, Diamondbacks, 2026 ETA, $1.78 million bonus

44. Chase Davis, CF/RF, Cardinals, 2026 ETA, $3.62 million bonus

This is the last FYPD tier that should be relevant in all dynasty leagues. Obviously in deeper leagues, the next few tiers will be relevant as well, but in some leagues I play in, I won't need to consider anyone from this class past this tier, as there are too many viable non-FYPD prospects and big leaguers available to need to look deeper than these guys. 

Knoth and Wolters have the upside to finish the year as top-10 pitching prospects, but as prep righties who have yet to debut, they're as risky as they come. Whitman is the best college lefty in the class and got a favorable landing spot with the Giants. We've got some bat-first position players who project to offer minimal defensive value in Morales, Ledbetter, Keaschall, McGonigle and Groover, as well as a couple impressive Orioles position players (Horvath and Bradfield) who will need to contend with Baltimore's impressive depth in the coming years. Davis was a trendy FYPD name before a really rough pro debut. I'm not a believer, but he's got loud tools and still has plenty of name value.

Options: Take a player from the prior tier if one falls; take your favorite player from this tier or your favorite non-FYPD prospect who is available, trade back if several players in this tier are falling and you can pick up assets to move down.

Top-400 Range: 156-195 

61-100

Again, I'm probably going with non-FYPD guys at this point unless it's a super deep league. Here are my favorite upside flyers who haven't been mentioned yet and who should be available at this stage of your FYPD:

45. Adolfo Sanchez, RF/CF/LF, Reds, 2028 ETA, $2.7 million bonus

46. Cole Schoenwetter, RHP, Reds, 2027 ETA, $1.9 million bonus

47. Alex Clemmey, LHP, Guardians, 2028 ETA, $2.3 million bonus

48. Zyhir Hope, RF/CF, Dodgers, 2028 ETA, $400,000 bonus

53. Hyun-Seok Jang, RHP, Dodgers, 2027 ETA, $900,000 bonus

61. Homer Bush, CF/LF, Padres, 2026 ETA, $511,600 bonus

65. Cade Kuehler, RHP, Atlanta, 2026 ETA, $1.05 million bonus

66. Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets, 2026 ETA, $747,600 bonus

67. Brandon Winokur, SS/CF, Twins, 2028 ETA, $1.5 million bonus

68. Jackson Baumeister, RHP, Orioles, 2026 ETA, $1.61 million bonus

69. Francisco Vilorio, RF/LF, Yankees, 2029 ETA, $1.7 million bonus

75. Kyle Carr, LHP, Yankees, 2027 ETA, $692,000 bonus

79. Sammy Stafura, SS, Reds, 2028 ETA, $2.5 million bonus

81. TJayy Walton, LF/RF, Phillies, 2028 ETA, $499,100 bonus

Options: Take someone from the prior tier if anyone falls; take one of the best non-FYPD prospects available; take a flyer on your favorite of the high-risk prospects in this tier.

Top-400 Range: 229-366

Please ask me any questions in the comments section, and good luck in your first-year player drafts!