Just Baseball’s Top 100 MLB Prospects for 2025: Biggest Risers
Just Baseball recently released a Top 100 Prospects update for the 2025 season. Here are the names that jumped the highest in the ranks.
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Last week marked our first top 100 prospect update of the 2025 season, which featured plenty of shakeup given all of the graduations the first few months of the season brings along with 40 or so games of new live looks, video and data.
With somewhat of a cross between a refresh and recalibration, there were some prospects who really moved from their preseason rankings as we get a look at what they may have been working on this offseason or just have larger samples of rising prospects who finished 2024 strong.
Without further ado, here are the biggest risers on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list for 2025.
More High Risers on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects List
If you would like to read more on each of these biggest risers, click on the player’s name to get Aram Leighton’s full breakdown!
- C Moises Ballasteros, CHC: No. 80 → No. 55 (+25)
- OF Chase DeLauter, CLE: No. 59 → No. 37 (+22)
- RHP Charlee Soto, MIN: No. 99 → No. 69 (+30)
- SS Bryce Rainer, DET: No. 63 → No. 31 (+32)
- RHP Brody Hopkins, TBR: No. 94 → No. 60 (+34)
- RHP Travis Sykora, WSH: No. 71 → No. 35 (+36)
- SS Cole Young, SEA: No. 69 → No. 26 (+43)
- SS Cooper Pratt, MIL: No. 98 → No. 52 (+46)
Top 100 Prospects: Biggest Risers
10. OF Max Clark, DET: No. 44 → No. 15 (+29)
Height/Weight: 6’1″, 195 | Bat/Throw: L/L | 1st Round (3), 2023 (DET) | ETA: 2027
The Clark preseason ranking was probably the one I caught the most flack on aside from Kristian Campbell for being too low and, I have to admit, I did not see the Tigers top outfield prospect making this kind of leap hit tool and plate discipline wise.
It seems like the conversation around Clark had long been, “just wait until he taps into more power!” which I never really subscribed to because I didn’t see room for much more juice given his frame and swing path. What actually has Clark climbing now is the fact that his hit tool went from roughly 55 grade to a potential 70.
It’s not just the bat to ball, it’s also the swing decisions. He detailed the adjustments he made in both areas on “The Call Up,” and the results have been impossible to deny. Clark’s in zone contact rate jumped from 85% in 2024 to 92% in 2025 with a 9% gain in his overall contact rate.
Clark is recognizing secondary stuff more easily as well, trimming his chase rate by 7% against non-fastballs with a swing path that gives him a wider window for contact, illustrated by his near 20% leap in contact rate against such offerings.
The idea of waiting for power that may never come was a big reason why I skewed on the lower end of things when ranking Clark, but I clearly severely underestimated his hitting aptitude. I believe the best version of Max Clark is exactly what he has started to lean into. Contact, approach with impact speed and defense in centerfield. And it’s not like he’s a slap hitter. The exit velocities are up a tad, giving him 10-15 home run potential.
Read more about Max Clark on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
9. C Cooper Ingle, CLE: No. 97 → No. 56 (+41)
Height/Weight: 5’10″, 195 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 4th Round (125), 2023 (CLE) | ETA: 2027
One of the more underrated prospects in the game, Ingle offers a well-rounded game headlined by a well above average hit tool and good approach. Ingle is a great athlete behind the dish, having played all over the diamond at Clemson in addition to catcher. His athleticism gives him a chance to be an above average defender at the position with a high-floor offensive skill set that is easy to buy into given how low the offensive barrier is for MLB catchers.
While it is hit-over-power, Ingle is doing more damage in 2025, seeing his hard hit rate jump by 8% and average exit velocity by more than two MPH. Ingle does a lot of things well and his Double-A success in his second pro season only supports his case of it translating at the highest level.
Read more about Cooper Ingle on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
8. C/1B Josue Briceño, DET: Unranked → No. 59 (+41)
Height/Weight: 6’4″, 200 | Bat/Throw: L/R | IFA: $800K, 2022 (DET) | ETA: 2026
Briceño’s likelihood of moving to first base full time placed a lot of pressure on his bat, but around the same time that it became increasingly clear that the 6-foot-4 20-year-old projected best out. of the crouch, he really started to convert is plus raw power into game power.
He finished the 2024 season strong upon returning from a knee issue, making some adjustments to help him create more barrel depth in his swing along with a steadier lower half. The power was crazy impressive when I saw him in the Arizona Fall League, launching no doubters to all fields and putting on eye-popping performances in batting practice on his way to the league’s Triple Crown.
Briceño has cut his ground ball rate by nearly 20% from 2024 while handling a High-A promotion. Pair the huge shift in launch angle with a 90th percentile exit velocity of that has leapt three MPH to 107.3 MPH and it becomes decreasingly important where he plays defense. Oh, and his contact rates are slightly above average.
Read more about Josue Briceño on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
7. SS Arjun Nimmala, TOR: No. 92 → No. 50 (+42)
Height/Weight: 6’0″, 185 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (20), 2023 (TOR) | ETA: 2027
An exciting high upside selection in the latter half of the first round of the 2023 draft, Nimmala struggled to get acclimated to Low-A in 2024, hitting the development list after posting a .586 OPS while striking out 34% of the time.
Nimmala focused on refining his swing mechanics and approach in his month and a half on the the development list starting in May of last season, cleaning up his path to handle spin better while recognizing it with more ease as well. He finished the year strong, OPSing .915 the rest of the way in Low-A and has kicked things into another gear in 2025.
The Blue Jays saw enough improvement from Nimmala to assign him to High-A to start the season where he has cut his strikeout rate nearly in half (18.8%) from where it was at this time last year, while posting an OPS north of .850. With good defense at shortstop to pair with his above average power potential and improved approach, Nimmala is an easy prospect to get excited about.
Read more about Arjun Nimmala on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
6. LHP Gage Jump, ATH: Unranked → No. 57 (+43)
Height/Weight: 6’0″, 200 | Bat/Throw: L/L | CB-B (73), 2024 (ATH) | ETA: 2026
Jump boasted impressive fastball characteristics at LSU, which is why he was a 2nd round selection by the Athletics despite being very reliant on the pitch as an amateur. There’s two ways to manage high fastball usage: continue to improve the fastball quality or gain confidence in your secondaries. Jump has done both.
He has seen his fastball velocity climb by nearly two ticks, which paired with the elite ride he generates, has made the pitch dominant at High-A and Double-A. His breaking balls are far improved from his draft year, with a sweeper that he manipulates and a curveball that have combined to hold opponents below a .600 OPS through his first 11 starts.
There’s some deception to his delivery as well with a jerky arm action that seems to throw off the timing of hitters, though he is able to repeat his mechanics well and fill up the zone. With a fastball that could be better than plus, a pair of breaking balls that are effective against hitters of both handedness and the ability to fill up the strike zone (66.4% strike rate), Jump will be rising top 100 lists everywhere and could fly through the minor leagues quickly.
Read more about Gage Jump on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
5. OF Carson Benge, NYM: No. 100 → No. 41 (+59)
Height/Weight: 6’2″, 185 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 1st Round (19), 2024 (NYM) | ETA: 2027
Benge just snuck into our preseason top 100 list off of an impressive pro debut and spring training. The 19th overall selection in 2024 was a two way talent for Oklahoma State and has added impact since shifting his focus to the plate. The bat-to-ball and approach have been there for Benge so the fact that he is sporting an average exit velocity of 91.5 MPH and a 90th percentile exit velocity of 106 MPH is huge.
He looks like he can play a decent center field with undoubtedly above average range in a corner where his plus arm would give the glove a shot to be plus. With solid tools across the board and the intangibles to get the most out of them, Benge is a high floor outfielder who has elevated his ceiling in 2025.
Read more about Carson Benge on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
4. RHP Jacob Misiorowski, MIL: No. 82 → No. 20 (+62)
Height/Weight: 6’7″, 200 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 2nd Round (149), 2021 (MIL) | ETA: 2025
I have been all over in my assessment of Misiorowski over the last couple years, somewhat accepting that he may not throw enough strikes to fend off a move to the bullpen by the end of last season. Misiorowski’s stuff is so absurd that he was still a top 100 prospect based on that outlook, ranking at 82 with the idea that his outlier fastball, near mid 90s cutter and power curveball would dominate.
Though the Brewers made it clear it was not a permanent move, the team put the 6-foot-7 right-hander into Triple-A Nashville’s bullpen in the final months of the season where he was effective. Just as I thought the Brewers may just fast track him via the bullpen, the team made it clear he was going to get all of the runway needed as a starter in 2025 and the decision is paying dividends.
Misiorowski is still handing out a few too many free passes, but he has cut the walk rate by more then two percent, while pitching to a 2.13 ERA through his first 63 1/3 innings. He has completed five or more innings in nine of his 13 starts this season, completing seven innings for the first time in his pro career which came in a stretch of five starts where he allowed just two earned runs in 30 2/3 innings while striking out 38 and walking seven.
It seems as though Misiorowski may never completely shake the occasional blow up start where he gets out of sync with his freakishly long levers, but it’s clear that he is making those faux pas fewer and further in between with the outings when he’s on being as dominant as ever.
While there’s still reliever risk, Misiorowski is progressing towards a Dylan Cease type of experience, which I’m sure the Brewers would welcome.
Read more about Jacob Misiorowski on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
3. SS Franklin Arias, BOS: Unranked → No. 24 (+76)
Height/Weight: 5’11″, 170 | Bat/Throw: R/R | IFA: $525,000, 2023 (BOS) | ETA: 2027
Viewed as a glove-first shortstop when he signed with the Red Sox for a little over half a million in 2023, Arias quickly flipped the script posting impressive offensive numbers in the DSL and Florida Complex League, encouraging the Red Sox to push him to Low-A in his age 18 season.
Arias continued to put up strong numbers in Low-A, but he was understandably challenged some by spin and would get a bit trigger happy against fastballs. While he is still aggressive on heaters, Arias has vastly improved his ability to hit breaking balls, hitting his way to High-A just 19 games into the season.
It’s been more of the same for Arias in High-A, as he just continues to hit. The glove has caught up as well, as Arias looks the part at shortstop, committing just two errors through his first 36 starts. The way Arias has responded to quick promotions and his ability to impact the game offensively, defensively and with his legs, it’s easy to see why the 19-year-old is suddenly a top 30 prospect in the game.
Read more about Franklin Arias on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
2. SS George Lombard Jr., NYY: Unranked → No. 23 (+77)
Height/Weight: 6’3″, 190 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round, (26) 2023 (NYY) | ETA: 2027
Lombard generated plenty of buzz when he showed up to camp looking more physical with a refined swing. He made an impression on Yankees veterans and scouts alike with his polish and the way he goes about his business. The newly-turned 20-year-old built on the momentum with a fantastic High-A showing, boasting elite plate discipline while barreling balls to all fields.
His .983 OPS through 24 games earned him an aggressive Double-A promotion where he is still getting his feet under him, but the 2023 first rounder is clearly far improved from the teenager who was working uphill to league average offense in Low-A last year.
The glove continues to look more solid each time I check in, projecting to stick at shortstop with potentially above average defense. Lombard looks like he could provide above average tools across the board with top-of-the-scale swing decisions and the makeup to get the most out of his ability.
Read more about George Lombard Jr. on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list
1. SS Luis Peña, MIL: Unranked → No. 12 (+88)
Height/Weight: 5’11″, 185 | Bat/Throw: R/R | IFA: $800K, 2024 (MIL) | ETA: 2028
This may be the most significant climb of any prospect for as long as I have been doing these lists. I detailed why Peña’s stock is soaring in an earlier piece, highlighting the dramatic shift in batted ball data that can in large part be attributed to the Brewers phenomenal hitting development infrastructure, but also a special athlete getting after it in the weight room and in the cages as he turned 18 years old.
Peña cleaned up some load patterning and focused on functional strength at the Brewers complex during the offseason which resulted in a three MPH jump in average exit velocity and more than a six MPH gain in 90th percentile exit velocity.
The data paired with the fact that Peña is torching Low-A after skipping the Arizona Complex League not long after his 18th birthday makes it easy to thrust the infielder into the top 15 overall prospects in the game. With plus wheels to pair with the exciting uptick in power and a great feel to hit, the feedback I continue to get is that the question should not be how far apart Peña is from his teammate Jesus Made, but rather, who do you like more.
Read more about Luis Peña on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list