With the 2024 campaign rapidly approaching the final month of the regular season — and a fresh Fantrax Top 500 Dynasty Rankings update in the works — it’s worth taking a moment to check back in on the latest starting pitcher rankings for dynasty purposes. It’s critical to remember that these dynasty rankings are merely snapshots in time, and long-term outlooks can change rather rapidly in the current pitching development era. Without further delay, let’s dive into the rankings.
Top 25 Pitching Prospects for Dynasty Leagues
Tier 1
1A. Jackson Jobe, Tigers
Jobe further cemented his status as one of the top pitching prospects in the game with a dominant run this season at Double-A Erie, posting a microscopic 1.91 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 53/25 K/BB ratio across 42 1/3 innings (10 starts). The 22-year-old right-hander, who was the third overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, pairs a high-90’s fastball with a high-spin sweeper and a phenomenal cutter and changeup. The usual TINSTAAPP caveats still apply here, but Jobe offers realistic fantasy ace potential and a relatively high floor, barring injury. His immense talent and proximity to the majors is enough to land him the top spot as arguably the pitching prospect in the dynasty landscape.
1B. Andrew Painter, Phillies
The buzz was palpable last spring at Phillies camp when Painter appeared to be on the precipice of breaking into the majors as a teenager prior to suffering a UCL sprain that ultimately wound up requiring Tommy John surgery. The precocious 21-year-old right-hander has finally progressed to throwing bullpen sessions and appears on track to return to minor league game action next spring. Philadelphia’s front office is understandably proceeding with an abundance of caution during his rehabilitation process, but Painter figures to be ready to reach the majors at some point next year. Assuming the near triple-digit velocity and elite command remain intact, he’s unquestionably the best pitching prospect in baseball. We’re giving Jobe the slight edge for now, but there’s easily an argument for taking Painter over him in dynasty leagues. It really comes down to risk tolerance and roster construction.
Tier 2
3. Noah Schultz, White Sox
Schultz has been virtually un-hittable since being selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, compiling a stellar 2.23 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 125/23 K/BB ratio across 92 2/3 innings (27 starts) across three minor league levels. Here’s an oversimplification: the towering 6-foot-9 southpaw possesses arguably the highest ceiling of any starting pitching prospect in the game — with the notable exception of the aforementioned Painter — which leads to his astronomical ranking from a fantasy standpoint. The cental question moving forward is whether his stellar stuff and body will hold up to a traditional starter’s workload. We won’t get the answers to those questions for a bit, but it’s hard to overlook what he’s done so far. He’s a surefire top five fantasy pitching prospect until further notice.
4A. Chase Dollander, Rockies
We’ve touched on Dollander’s meteoric rise on several occasions this season and it’s going to be a while before he faces the Coors Field challenge. However, the 22-year-old right-hander has answered pretty much every question this season in his professional debut, compiling a pristine 2.81 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 124/34 K/BB ratio across 83 1/3 innings (17 starts) between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. He hasn’t skipped a beat since arriving in Double-A following an impressive performance in last month’s All-Star Futures Game. We’re giving him the slight edge over some of the other upper-echelon pitching prospects in this tier based on the combination of his present talent and long-term upside, despite the Coors Field factor. His progress has been a considerable win for the *checks notes* Rockies player development department, which is rather unexpected to say the least. He’s earned a top-100 overall dynasty ranking heading into 2025.
4B. Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves*
Schwellenbach technically doesn’t qualify for this list anymore since he’s already at 64 2/3 innings in the big leagues, but it feels worth mentioning him in this space just for additional context. Simply put, we’re inclined to push him this high over some of the more notable prospects in this tier based on his current results at the highest level. The unheralded 24-year-old righty, who was a second-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, made the jump directly to the majors back in late May and has posted a remarkably strong 4.04 ERA (3.46 FIP), 1.04 WHIP, and 70/10 K/BB ratio across 64 2/3 innings (11 starts). We’re giving the edge to Dollander and Schultz in our Fantrax Top 500 Overall Dynasty Rankings for the moment based on their high ceilings, but Schwellench is firmly in their territory based on his remarkable progress and what he’s doing in the big leagues.
6. Brandon Sproat, Mets
Fresh off one of the more impressive outings at the MLB Futures Game, Sproat received a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse over the weekend after authoring one of the more dominant pitching performances of the season on Friday evening for Double-A Binghamton, piling up an eye-popping 21 swinging strikes, and striking out the final 13 batters over five shutout innings. The 23-year-old right-hander has been arguably the fastest-rising pitching prospect this season for fantasy purposes as he’s recorded a sublime 2.05 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 110/31 K/BB ratio across 87 2/3 innings (17 appearances, 16 starts) between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. It might be unrealistic to expect him to reach New York before the current season wraps up, but he’s going to enter the 2025 campaign as one of the top pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape. There’s enough volatility and uncertainty with his control at the moment that we’re not ready to push him any further up this list into Jobe or Painter territory, but he’s been extremely impressive over the last few months and it’s not out of the question that he could arrive in New York for a late-season cup of coffee before the year wraps up.
7. River Ryan, Dodgers
Speaking of how quickly things can change. The injury-ravaged Dodgers made the decision to rush Ryan to the big leagues last month for his debut after just a handful of innings this season at the Triple-A level following a lengthy absence at the outset of the year recovering from a shoulder injury. The 25-year-old right-hander is a converted collegiate infielder, which his late-blooming status and sudden meteoric rise up these rankings as he rocketed to the big leagues. He’s been utterly dominant in a handful of starts so far, posting a sparkling 1.72 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 14/9 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings (three starts). What’s even more impressive is those outings have come against the Giants, Astros and Athletics. So he’s been facing some decent lineups. There’s enough volatility in his profile based on the fact that he’s a pitcher and is still a work in progress, but we’re extremely encouraged by what he’s done so far. He’s clearly established himself as a borderline top-five pitching prospect, if he still qualifies for this list, heading into 2025.
8. Bubba Chandler, Pirates
Chandler received a well-deserved promotion over the weekend to the doorstep of the majors at Triple-A Indianapolis after striking out seven and allowing one run over seven innings on Friday night in his final outing for Double-A Altoona. The 21-year-old right-hander has been one of the biggest risers this season from a dynasty standpoint as he’s seemingly turned the metaphorical corner from a command standpoint in the upper minors, cutting back on the free passes and home runs, while maintaining a near-elite strikeout rate. The 21-year-old top prospect has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 11 outings dating back to May 29 and holds a solid 3.70 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 94/26 K/BB ratio across 80 1/3 innings (19 appearances, 16 starts) this season overall at the Double-A level. He’s on the precipice of making it to the majors and is clearly one of the top overall pitching prospects in the game at the moment.
9. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers
The range of potential outcomes is wider than the Grand Canyon with Misiorowski, who is in the process of converting to a relief role at Triple-A Nashville in an effort to aid Milwaukee’s impending postseason run. The towering 22-year-old right-hander dominated at Double-A Biloxi this season with a 3.50 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 105/50 K/BB ratio across 79 2/3 innings (19 starts). The omnipresent control issues are the major bugaboo in his profile as he profiles as a high-WHIP, high-strikeout fantasy contributor, if he makes it as a starter. The fact that he could go the Mason Miller/Josh Hader route here and emerge as one of the better relief arms in the majors insulates against some of the risk here, which is why he’s still a top 10 dynasty arm. There’s a ton of risk here, but if everything comes together, he could be a real difference-maker for fantasy purposes.
Tier 3
10. Chase Burns, Reds
11. Hagen Smith, White Sox
This is an extremely interesting tier as Burns and Smith stand out since they were just picked up last month as the top pitchers off the board in the 2024 MLB Draft. We’re inclined to give Burns the slight edge here based on his dominant collegiate performance at Wake Forest where he punched out 191 batters over 100 innings. His impressive fastball/slider combo should carry him to the majors in relatively short order, which puts him at the top of this tier, just a notch below some of the best pitching prospects from a dynasty standpoint as he kicks off his professional career.
12. Cade Horton, Cubs
The biggest faller in these rankings among the consensus top prospects entering the year is probably Horton, who remains shut down at Triple-A Iowa due to a shoulder strain. The 22-year-old righty has struggled in his first taste of Triple-A after a handful of dominant outings to open the year at Double-A Tennessee. We’re not ruling out a return to top 10 pitching prospect status for Horton, but he’s been surpassed by some of the notable risers at this juncture heading towards 2025.
13. Hayden Birdsong, Giants
Birdsong deserves a mention here since he appears to be carving out a role at the highest level for the Giants, and won’t be on this list for much longer. The hard-throwing 22-year-old rookie has posted an excellent 2.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 38/15 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings (six starts). It’s worth noting that a pair of those outings have come against the Rockies, who looked completely overmatched, but he’s arrived as advertised at the highest level. There might be some turbulence coming in the near future, but he’s looked like an impact fantasy contributor so far.
14. Quinn Mathews, Cardinals
We’re admittedly a bit little bit late on getting Mathews higher in our rankings as he’s been one of the biggest risers in the entire dynasty landscape this season, thanks to some unexpected development. According to Baseball Prospectus’ midseason Top 50 prospects update, he’s experienced a “huge velocity jump” this season, putting his fastball in the mid-90’s range, which he’s paired with an above-average changeup and slider. The 23-year-old southpaw, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, tore through the lower minors earlier this year and has looked the part in a handful of outings at Double-A Springfield. He boasts a sublime 2.67 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 140/31 K/BB ratio across 101 innings (18 starts) across three levels. We’re going to need to see him sustain the velocity bump moving forward, and excel in the upper minors for an extended period, but he’s looking like one of the top pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape heading into n next season.
15. AJ Smith-Shawver, Braves
16. Tink Hence, Cardinals
17. Noble Meyer, Marlins
We’ve seen some really impressive flashes from Smith-Shawver and Hence that portend futures as impact fantasy contributors, but we’re not ready to push them past the upper-echelon prospects on this list, or some of the other notable risers over the last few months. At 19 years old, Meyer is still a hyperspace jump or two away from the majors and still needs to iron out his command issues in the lower minors. The talent is there, but he’s so far away that we can’t really push him any higher at the moment.
Tier 4
18. Hurston Waldrep, Braves
19. David Festa, Twins
We’ve seen Waldrep and Festa in the big leagues already and they pretty much encapsulate the wide range of potential outcomes from a volatility standpoint as Waldrep is one of the riskier long-term prospects on this list, while Festa might be the safest bet to settle in as a back-end rotation stabilizer at the highest level, which he’s already doing.
20. George Klassen, Angels
Klassen was one of the biggest pitching prospects moved at the trade deadline as he headed to the Angels as the headliner in the deal for closer Carlos Estévez. The 22-year-old right-hander appeared to solve his control issues earlier this year in the lower minors and continues to miss a ton of bats. We’re unwilling to push him much higher in these rankings until we see him sustain these skill gains over a longer period, but the progress he’s made has been extremely encouraging.
Tier 5
21. Yilber Diaz, Diamondbacks
22. Caden Dana, Angels
23. Zebby Matthews, Twins
24. Travis Sykora, Nationals
Sykora has been absolutely electric this season in his professional debut after being taken in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft as a prep pitcher from Texas. The hard-throwing 20-year-old righty boasts a remarkable 2.67 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 86/21 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings. He was already on the map for dynasty purposes, but his performance over the last few months has made him one of the better long-term pitching prospects out there heading into next season.
25A. Jarlin Susana, Nationals
25B. Ricky Tiedemann, Blue Jays
We’re unwilling to drop Tiedemann completely from these rankings, but he’s tumbled from univerally-regarded top five status at the outset of the year as he’s slated to miss the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s at least worthy of a low-risk, long-term speculative stash for dynasty managers moving forward.
Honorable Mentions: Emiliano Teodo (Rangers), Will Warren (Yankees), Chase Hampton (Yankees), Rhett Lowder (Reds), Drew Thorpe (White Sox), Cade Cavalli (Nationals)