Top Prospects Who Could Break Camp on Opening Day Rosters
Two top 100 prospects just made their MLB debuts by playing in the Tokyo Series. Who will soon follow suit and break camp with their clubs?
It was around this time last year that I dropped the 2024 version of this article, which highlighted players like NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill, Wyatt Langford, and Jared Jones.
What the release of this article means should bring a smile to baseball fans across the world because it signifies the near start of the 2025 season. By the time this article comes out, the series taking place in the Tokyo Dome will have concluded. With that, we will have seen the debuts of two of the top prospects in all of baseball, per Just Baseball’s Top-100 Prospects heading into 2025.
Much like we witnessed last year, the new CBA no longer precludes teams from service time manipulation and we should continue to see the debuts of baseballs future stars begin to showcase their talents at the highest level.
To view the entirety of Just Baseball’s Top-100 Prospect List, click here
Tokyo Series Debuts
When the Cubs and Dodgers kicked off the official start of the 2025 season, we saw Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw and the Dodgers off-season International Signing star Roki Sasaki make their MLB Debuts for their respective teams.
Sasaki ranked as Just Baseball’s No. 2 overall prospect in his first season after signing over from the NPB. There were questions regarding Sasaki’s health when he decided to be posted during this international signing period, but that did not stop the pursuit of multiple teams vying for his services.
Shaw made his debut for the Cubs after being selected 13th overall by the Cubs in the 2023 draft and slashing .284/.379/.448 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases across AA and AAA.
Should Be No-Brainers:
Jackson Jobe (RHP) – Detroit Tigers (No. 3 Prospect)
Jackson Jobe got his first taste of the Major Leagues at the tail end of last season as the Tigers were looking to make a push for the playoffs. While they weren’t starts, he was still used in high leverage, specifically in the Wild Card round against the Houston Astros late in a one-run game.
As we head into the 2025 season, the Tigers have done a good job solidifying their starting rotation by bringing Jack Flaherty back to slot in at number two behind the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal. After those two, the last three spots should be up for grabs.
The 70-grade fastball, paired with a near similarly graded slider spinning at over 3000 rpms consistently, is what separates Jobe from the rest of the prospects across the minor leagues. While the strikeouts aren’t there right now, there is plenty to bank on with the intangibles that Jobe brings to the mound every fifth day.
With Jobe looking as if he is ready to become a staple in the Tigers’ rotation for the foreseeable future, he should slot comfortably in the number five spot behind Reese Olson and what looks to be a revamped Casey Mize.
Cam Smith (3B/OF) – Houston Astros (No. 15 Prospect)
I do not think there is any other player turning as many heads as Cam Smith has with the Houston Astros.
After being selected 14th overall in last year’s draft by the Cubs and immediately being traded over to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker trade, Smith is already vying for a starting spot on the Astros Opening Day roster, and for good reason. In 11 spring games, he is slashing .423/.516/.846 with three home runs and five walks across 31 PAs.
Astros new top prospect Cam Smith is looking like a steal from the 2024 MLB Draft!
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) March 11, 2025
He's our #15 prospect in our Top 100👀 pic.twitter.com/OAvP1mZzc3
The most telling part about Smith’s breakout is the push from the veterans on the roster and the Astros giving him reps in right field, where there is a glaring hole with the departure of Tucker.
Smith should be locked into this lineup from day one.
Drake Baldwin (C) – Atlanta Braves (No. 17 Prospect)
Coming into spring, it was likely considered a long shot for Baldwin to make the Opening Day roster. Not because he was not ready for the jump, but because Atlanta already had their catcher position set with Sean Murphy.
He is one of the more polished catching prospects in all of the Minor Leagues and has shown to be big league ready entering camp. The upside to look forward to will be the power he can project in to with further development.
Well, with Murphy now set to miss time with a cracked rib, the Braves No. 1 Prospect, per Just Baseball, not only looks like he is going to make the roster, but he is going to be the starting backstop for the Braves when Opening Day rolls around.
Kumar Rocker (RHP) – Texas Rangers (No. 46 Prospect)
Much like Baldwin, Rocker is going to benefit from an injury to a few starting pitchers in the Rangers rotation as we approach the start of the 2025 season.
With Jon Gray already on the IL and Cody Bradford likely following soon, Kumar Rocker looks to be penciled into the Rangers’ starting rotation.
It has been a roller coaster ride for Rocker since he was drafted out of Vanderbilt by the Mets. By now, it is likely known around the baseball world what happened with his medicals, him playing in the independent league after not signing due to failed medicals, and re-declaring for the draft where the Rangers took him higher than his original draft spot.
Kumar Rocker has all the intangibles to be a bulldog of a starting pitcher. He used his time away after undergoing Tommy John surgery to refine his mechanics into a more repeatable action, and it has shown to work. His ability to command his fastball-slider combination the way he can, will only make the addition of an average change-up that much more will be that much more devastating for opposing hitters for years to come.
Competing for a Spot:
Christian Moore (2B) – Los Angeles Angels (No. 92 Prospect)
Even prior to the injury to Luis Rengifo that has the Angels Front Office wondering whether he would be ready to start the season, Christian Moore was going to be given every opportunity to make the Opening Day roster solely based on how aggressive the Angels are with their prospects.
Granted, the aggression is not unwarranted after the absolute heater Christian Moore was on to start his professional career after being drafted with the eighth pick overall in last year’s draft.
Though there are still questions surrounding his overall hit tool, the Angels are traditionally take a “baptism by fire” approach so seeing Moore in the Opening Day lineup should not be a surprise.
Strong Performance Without a Spot:
Chandler Simpson (OF) – Tampa Bay Rays (No. 85 Prospect)
By now, everyone should be well aware of who Chandler Simpson is, and what he brings to the game of baseball.
Rays prospect Chandler Simpson can FLY. pic.twitter.com/s72j4BvbVn
— The Call Up | An MLB Prospect Podcast (@The_CallUpPod) March 3, 2025
The 90-grade (I know that’s not real, but come on) speedster in the Rays organization is causing whiplash across the league with the speed at which people’s heads are turning. Not only is he flying, but he’s consistently able to put bat-to-ball and he is a ball magnet in the outfield.
To this point, he is not likely to break camp with the Rays because of the logjam they currently have in the outfield, but Simpson has proven enough to now be in consideration of the first wave of call-ups when someone is needed at the Major League level.
Not Ranked in the Top-100 Honorable Mentions
Caleb Durbin (3B) – Milwaukee Brewers and Chase Meidroth (SS) – Chicago White Sox
The Brewers and White Sox currently have a prospect in camp who should be on their respective teams’ Opening Day rosters. Caleb Durbin and Chase Meidroth might not have made the Top-100 list, but they were surely in consideration.
The Brewers acquired Caleb Durbin this off-season in the trade that sent Devin Williams to New York. Durbin’s hit tool is already MLB-ready, entering this season ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Brewers system by Just Baseball.
With Adames now out of town, Joey Ortiz looks to slide over to the shortstop position, leaving third base as an open competition between Durbin and Owen Miller. Durbin should be able to beat out the journeyman for that job.
In 2024, Durbin put together a 90% in-zone contact rate across the Minor League season and the Arizona Fall League, where he was likely being showcased by the Yankees to use in a trade. The above-average glove at second base should be able to translate over to third base should the Brewers allow him to do so.
Even if they choose to go the veteran route, Brice Turang is currently dealing with an injury that may hold him out at the beginning of the year. Should be miss time, Durbin should be a lock to fill that role.
Like Durbin, Chase Meidroth was also acquired this off-season in the Garrett Crochet deal with the Red Sox. Heading into 2025, Meidroth is ranked as Just Baseball’s No. 7 prospect. While the game power might not be there for him, the hit-tool is well above-average and is going to be the reason why he should be an everyday contributor at the Major League level.
What is most impressive about Meidroth’s game is that, even though it is his first name, he does not chase outside of the zone at all. Last season proved that with just a 15% chase rate to pair with a 92.5% in-zone contact rate.
With the White Sox now entering the next phase of their franchise, young players like Meidroth should get all the run possible to showcase their abilities and be in consideration for the future of the White Sox lineup.
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