The 5 best hitting prospects in MLB are going to change the game

With the 2025 MLB season approaching, prospect rankings become more and more relevant as many prospects will receive invites to big league spring training with an opportunity to either make an MLB roster or make a name for themselves moving forward.

MLB Pipeline and Baseball America recently released their preseason top 100 prospect rankings, so I've ranked my top five pitching prospects in baseball and will now be shifting my attention to the top five hitting prospects in baseball.

Whether they've already reached the majors, are on the cusp of debuting, or are just getting started, these are the five best position players I believe we will see making an impact at the big league level at some point.

1. Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox

Roman Anthony appears to be the consensus top prospect in baseball for those that don't consider Roki Sasaki a prospect — and for good reason. The 20-year-old outfielder was drafted in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft and has done nothing but perform at a high level at each stop in the minors.

Anthony finished his strong 2024 campaign with 35 games at Triple-A Worcester where he put together a slash line of .344/.463/.519 along with a 162 wRC+ over 164 plate appearances. Between 2023 and 2024 at Double-A Portland (the hardest league of the minors to hit in according to league-wide numbers), Anthony hit 16 home runs with an .873 OPS and a 147 wRC+ over 420 plate appearances. His OPS and wRC+ both ranked in the top five at Double-A within that time frame.

Anthony possesses a 60 grade with both his hit tool and power tool, displaying an above-average ability to get on base and consistently make hard contact to all fields. He has an advanced approach at the plate, and while his strikeout numbers are a little higher than league average, he makes solid swing decisions which result in a higher walk rate than normal too. It also allows him to access his power stroke more often.

On top of being one of the most well-rounded bats in the game, Anthony also stole 20 bases for the first time in 2024, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to do the same at the big league level if he continues to get on base at a high clip. If that's the case, you're looking at a legitimate 30 home run/20 stolen base threat anually.

Anthony has spent the majority of his time in center field, where there are questions on whether he will stick long-term or shift over to a corner spot. Because of his pure athleticism and baseball instincts, it's safe to say he has the potential to be a plus defender at either position at the next level. Depending on the health of the Red Sox, you might see Anthony patrolling the outfield as soon as Opening Day.