The Atlanta Braves put together one of the most impressive offensive campaigns in MLB history in 2023, sending players such as Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies flying up Fantasy baseball draft boards in 2024. Injuries and underperformance, however, made all three of those players Fantasy baseball busts last year, and now it is time to decide how to value them and other Braves in 2025 Fantasy baseball drafts. Acuna, who will miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, is being picked No. 39 overall in the latest 2025 Fantasy baseball ADP, while Riley is No. 36 and Albies is No. 38. Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale, who finished 2024 as the NL Cy Young winner with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225:39 K:BB over 177.2 innings, is being picked No. 22 overall.
Having a reliable set of 2025 Fantasy baseball rankings can help you avoid any big swings and misses early in your upcoming drafts. Before finalizing your 2025 Fantasy baseball draft prep, be sure to see the 2025 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last season, SportsLine’s Projection Model identified several top Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, including Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
Montgomery posted a sub-4.00 ERA and made at least 30 starts in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before signing a two-year, $47.5 million to join the reigning National League champions last offseason. However, the model predicted that he might struggle in his transition to Arizona and projected that he wouldn’t live up to his 2024 Fantasy baseball ADP of 140.49.
The result: Montgomery posted a dreadful 6.23 ERA and was eventually moved to the bullpen late in the season after struggling enormously as a starter. Anybody who followed the model’s advice and avoided Montgomery in their Fantasy baseball drafts avoided a major headache in their Fantasy baseball lineups.
The SportsLine model is engineered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2025 Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts long before your competition. Their cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day.
Any time more MLB news comes out about MLB free agency signings or Fantasy baseball injuries, the team at SportsLine updates its projections. Go to SportsLine now to see these proven Fantasy baseball cheat sheets.
Top 2025 Fantasy baseball busts
One of the Fantasy baseball busts 2025 the model is fading: Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. The 25-year-old was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and the Chicago White Sox quickly raced him into their bullpen, where they could make use of a triple-digit fastball and a knee-buckling slider. However, Crochet battled arm issues early in his career, pitching 12 2/3 innings combined in 2022 and 2023.
After beginning another roster overhaul, the White Sox gave Crochet a chance to crack the rotation coming back from Tommy John surgery and he enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, posting a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts over 146 innings. Chicago traded him to Boston this offseason to continue its rebuild and now Crochet is one of the first 50 players off the board in 2025 Fantasy baseball drafts. However, the model has understandable durability concerns and ranks him behind starters like Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta that are available 15 rounds later on average.
Another of the 2025 Fantasy baseball busts the model projects won’t live up to their ADP: Orioles shortstop/second baseman Jackson Holliday. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft made his big league debut last season as a 20-year-old and now he’s expected to make the Baltimore Opening Day roster and sports a 2025 Fantasy baseball ADP of 166.
However, he struggled in his first taste of MLB action. Holliday slashed .189/.255/.311 in 208 plate appearances with the Orioles in 2024 and struck out a staggering 69 times. He’s an undeniable talent who should provide plenty of power and speed at a position that lacks depth, but the model is expecting the swing and miss in his game to continue to be a problem. That’s why it ranks him behind 2B options like Andres Gimenez and Michael Massey, who are available eight rounds later. See more busts at SportsLine.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy baseball rankings
SportsLine’s model is also fading a surprising starting pitcher who is coming off the board in the fourth round on average in early 2025 Fantasy baseball drafts. The model is predicting this ace suffers a setback and finishes outside the top 20 at his position. Avoiding him until later on could be the difference between winning your league or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So which 2025 Fantasy baseball busts should you avoid in your upcoming drafts? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that predicted Jordan Montgomery’s falloff in 2024, and find out.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
