When the Orioles made the playoffs back in 2023, most baseball fans thought it was the beginning of a long run for the team based on the young core of talent they had assembled and the deep farm system they could use to trade for pitching. The O's made that type of trade in February of 2024 and acquired their ace, Corbin Burnes, from the Brewers. It led to a second straight playoff appearance, but an early exit in the Wild Card round marked the end of his tenure with the O's as he signed a large free agent contract with the Diamondbacks.
2025 was almost over before it began for the young squad as they went 18-34 in April and May and buried themselves in the cellar of the AL East. The lack of pitching depth issue has cropped up again as young hurlers Grayson Rodriguez (did not pitch in 2025) and Kyle Bradish (32.0 IP in 2025) have had trouble staying healthy, forcing the team to rely on veterans (Dean Kremer, Zach Eflin), journeymen (Charlie Morton and Kyle Gibson) and soft-tossers (Tomoyuki Sugano) to eat innings. Really, the only bright spots included Trevor Rogers finding some extended success down the stretch and Bradish looking like his old self during his six-start return.
This offense is loaded with young talent, and many of the promising prospects they have been counting on to perform have arrived and are starting to contribute, albeit inconsistently. Gunnar Henderson is the best hitter on the team, and despite a drop in power output, he still produced a 120 wRC+. Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday had up-and-down seasons, but are showing that they are major league bats and improving each season. Jordan Westburg played another partial season due to injury, but showed solid production while playing the hot corner. Adley Rutschman had his worst season as a pro in 2025, and many are calling for him to be traded. The truth is, his struggles have stretched over the last two seasons, and it's possible his days as a top 5 dynasty catcher could be over.
Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers made their debuts one day apart and will retain rookie eligibility in 2026. Beavers, in particular, looked like he belonged and should contribute in a full-time role. Basallo, on the other hand, has struggled in his cup of coffee, but has been one of the best hitters in the minors, so you should not worry about his lack of production over 118 plate appearances. Another hitting prospect of note is outfielder Nate George, who hit .337 with 50 SB at Single-A and High-A. The O's used their immense draft capital (4 picks in the first 37) to select three college hitters: Ike Irish, Caden Bodine, and Wehiwa Aloy (and one high school bat), who should all move quickly to meet their young major league core.
There are a number of young pitchers in the Orioles system who took major steps forward in 2025 and should be on your radar. Trey Gibson reached Triple-A at the end of the season, and while his numbers don't show it, his skills took a big step forward (23.7% K-BB). Braxton Bragg is another O's pitcher who turned heads this summer; unfortunately, he went down with a UCL tear and underwent Tommy John surgery in late July, but he could be a great buy-low. Michael Forret is a sleeper on several people's lists and dominated minor league hitters to a 1.58 ERA (2.69 xFIP) and 24.8% K-BB. Esteban Mejia is a younger pitcher to keep an eye on. The 18-year-old dominated Complex hitters with his high-octane stuff, earning a promotion to full-season ball. There are others to keep an eye on, like Nestor German, Juaron Watts-Brown, and Joseph Dzierwa.
After tearing up Triple-A pitching for the majority of 2025, to the tune of a .934 OPS, Beavers finally got the call to the majors in mid-August. He struggled with strikeouts, as many rookies do, but also showcased elite chase (18.9%) and walk (19%) rates in his first 35 games, and wound up performing above league average in the batter’s box with a wRC+ of 125. If he gets 400+ major league at-bats in 2026, the 24-year-old projects to be an underrated power and speed contributor, capable of posting a 20/20 season: Beavers’ combined major and minor league totals in 2025 amounted to 22 home runs and 25 stolen bases. His excellent eye at the plate also makes him especially valuable in OBP-scored formats. The former Cal standout took his game to the next level in 2025, and that bodes well for his ability to continue adapting and improving as a big leaguer.
Michael Forret
Trey Gibson seems to have generated twice as much buzz as Forret in dynasty baseball circles, but Forret deserves equal or greater attention this offseason. His fastball probably scares off some interested parties, given its middling grades from some publications, but he has worked extensively with Tread on his mechanics, and he made some adjustments mid-season to boost his velocity. The results? A season-long ERA of just 1.58 across High-A and Double-A, and a combined FIP of 2.37, to go with an elite strikeout rate of 32.3%. His slider does still do a lot of the heavy lifting, but if Forret manages to sustain even a 50-grade fastball, he has the command and the secondaries to make major league batters miss multiple times through the order. Jump on the bandwagon while you can.
Dynasty Sells
Heston Kjerstad
Keen-eyed readers will have noticed that Kjerstad did not make an appearance in the projected 2028 lineup, and that was fully intentional. The former second-overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, Kjerstad had yet another disappointing season in 2025, playing in just 54 big league games (and posting a woeful wRC+ of 57), and his season ended on a somewhat foreboding note when the team held him out from minor league action for all of August and September after he experienced significant fatigue. Obviously, given his health history, everyone is hoping for the best for Kjerstad and rooting for him to return healthy as soon as possible. That said, it will be an uphill battle for him to earn regular playing time in an already-crowded outfield for Baltimore over the next couple of seasons. Dynasty baseball managers should likely look elsewhere for future value.
Coby Mayo
On paper, Mayo still has many hallmarks of a solid power bat for fantasy: his pulled flyball rate was excellent in 2025 (26.8%), and he showcased above-average bat speed (74.7 mph), but he simply did not make enough quality contact (or contact in general) for these things to matter. His 28.6% strikeout rate and .209 expected batting average are far more indicative data points for how his 2025 season went, and the corner infielder heads into 2026 still in need of a big league breakout. Mayo ought to be viewed similarly to Jordan Walker of the Cardinals: still in possession of intriguing potential, but better left as someone else’s headache in fantasy while he attempts to figure things out.
Top Fantasy Prospects
Players are in order of their fantasy prospect ranking from our September end of season list.
Samuel Basallo was seen as one of the best prospects in baseball entering 2025, after finishing the 2024 season as a teenager in Triple-A. In 2025, he made the level look like Little League, putting up a .270/.377/.589 slash line (151 wRC+) and 23 HR in just 76 games. He was called up in mid-August to preserve his rookie eligibility for 2026 and signed an 8-year, $67 million extension soon after. Though he struggled in his MLB cup of coffee, he did show some power with 4 HR in 31 games. With Adley Rutschman on the roster, Basallo won’t be the primary catcher, but his elite bat will have him in the lineup every day, whether it be at C, 1B, or DH. PLIVE+ projects him to have the highest wRC+ (147) and HR total (31) of any Orioles hitter, which may be somewhat surprising, but with the way Basallo has hit at every level while being so much younger than everybody else, the numbers might just be attainable. - Raj Mehta
Dylan Beavers started the year in Triple-A, and did everything you could ask for from a prospect: a .300/.400/.500 slash line (.304/.420/.515; 153 wRC+), and a near 20/20 season (18 HR/23 SB) in 94 games, with almost as many walks to strikeouts (68:76 BB:K in 418 PA). He was called up to the majors on August 16th (the earliest a prospect can be called up and still retain rookie eligibility), and posted a 125 wRC+ with 4 HR & 2 SB in 35 games. Beavers was sheltered against lefties at the MLB level, and will likely serve in a platoon role for the O’s in 2026. He held his own against lefties in Triple-A (.288/.403/.356 vs LHP), so there’s a world where Beavers can learn to handle them with more reps and become an everyday fixture in the O’s lineup. PLIVE+ projects Beavers for 15 HR & 19 SB, but if he can learn to do damage against LHP, that could push up to 20/20. - Raj Mehta
Not many players did as much to raise their prospect stock in 2025 as Nate George. The 2024 16th-rounder debuted on the Complex, then climbed all the way up to High-A before the season was over. Across all three levels, he combined to slash .337/.413/.483, with five homers and 50 stolen bases in his 19-year-old season. This was accentuated by a 16.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.3 percent walk rate. He did post a 20.7 percent strikeout rate in 92 plate appearances in High-A, which is still very solid. George enters the off-season as a likely top-100 prospect who should be rostered in all dynasty formats. - Trevor Hooth
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Dynasty player of 10+ years. Helping you find the building blocks of your championship rosters as a co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023, joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
Dynasty player of 10+ years. Helping you find the building blocks of your championship rosters as a co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023, joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Dynasty player of 10+ years. Helping you find the building blocks of your championship rosters as a co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023, joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
