NCU Fantasy Baseball 2025 League Preview & Rankings
The vibe is very strange right now in our league. It's SO quiet compared to other years, and baseball just kind of seems lost in the noise of the NBA heating up, the NCAA Tournament headed into its Sweet 16, and maybe just the busyness of life.
But all the same, I'm glad to come back home to NCU Fantasy Baseball, where everybody knows your name... including Dave Mowers, who rejoined us after a few years away when Jake Finney honorably took his leave to attend to a higher calling (family!). Of course, we'd welcome him back with open arms if the opportunity presents itself.
This season feels a little odd as well, as a number of major league teams are (needlessly?) fast-tracking prospects without minor league seasoning — players who are obviously talented (Ryan Johnson, for example) but FOR THE LOVE they haven't even seen a Single-A batter, much less the merciless monsters that await at the highest level of the sport. That, plus the Twins ownership saga that has left us local fans feeling a bit hopeless. No spending on the team, no hope for any kind of change... thanks for throwing a wet blanket on our season, Pohlads.
But you didn't come here to hear me whine about the Twins' bleak ownership situation... you came here to GET PUMPED for fantasy baseball! So enjoy these preseason rankings and O/U win totals as you absorb the beauty of Opening Day. Because even if owners try and choke fandom out of us, they'll never get us to stop truly loving the sights, sounds, stats, and poetry of baseball. So after you scan the Day 1 box scores check fantasy totals, maybe pop in Major League, A League of Their Own, or The Sandlot, crack open your favorite beverage, and daydream of long summer days at the ballpark. Because, friends, this is the best time of the year.
The 800 lb. Gorilla start our season at the top spot. He lost in the Wild Card round, which might have stoked some fire as this year's team looks menacing. Lance's rebuild has been quiet, but effective. His hitting is now a gorgeous mix of electrifying veterans (Judge, Harper, Rutschman) and red-hot rising stars (Chourio, Holliday, Henderson). Not to mention guys like Royce Lewis and Lane Thomas, who will be contributors this season. The pitching, led by Logan Gilbert, is not dominant but I project it be effective enough to push the Gorillas to the top of the league — at least at the start of the season.
With a mostly intact 2026 and 2027 draft, plus elite minor leaguers like Andrew Painter and Brandon Sproat waiting in the wings, I'm digging the look and feel of this roster. We haven't seen a Gorilla championship since 2007, but this may the dawn of a new era of dominance.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 17.5
It's been a tough spring for Nick's Brew, with Shane McClanahan, Jared Jones, and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil succumbing to injuries that will undoubtedly have an impact. But the Strange Brew are absolutely filthy yet again, and — unlike some of our other top teams — there's some excellent overall depth and balance.
A vibrant outfield/DH combo of Corbin Carroll, Julio Rodriguez, Kyle Tucker, and Mookie Betts pair well with elite arms Spencer Schwellenbach, Joe Ryan, and Cole Ragans.
I like the way Nick stocked up his minor leaguers as well, with ETAs around 2026 and beyond to begin the process of backfilling. And his draft? Well, let's just say that if he needs to add pieces this summer, it won't be a problem:
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 15.5
3. Jabad's Sheep
In the life of this league, we'd never seen back-to-back champions until Troy won in 2020* and 2021. But last year, Jake managed to navigate a second-straight championship season, proving that a more conservative, isolationist approach can work. A few key pickups (Michael Wacha, Luis Gil) powered his already solid roster, but the man DID NOT MAKE ONE TRADE.
And yet again this year, Jake started with a ferocious core (Devers, Olson, Witt, Oneil Cruz, Sale, Skubal, Wheeler) and added potentially profitable pieces like Kevin Gausman, Jack Flaherty, Buxton and Mullins. Jabad's final standing this year seems tethered to some more significant question marks than usual, but his quiver of draft picks (all intact!) and minor leaguers — headlined by Roman Anthony and Cole Young — should prove to be enough to fill in the gaps.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 14.5
4. Honey Roasted Peanuts
If Ronald Acuña were fully healthy and ready to roll, Team HRP would have climbed higher here. But he won't be around to sometime in the middle of May. Will he be back to his old self by June? One would hope, but he's on the Royce Lewis plan right now, so it's hard to know what his availability will look like. Paul's actual active lineup is kind of a roller coaster... we go to the highest heights with Shohei Ohtani, Austin Riley, and Vlad Jr to the odd depths of PCA, Bogaerts, and Kwan. Altuve has plenty of juice left and will apparently qualify for OF very soon, and Wallner has a ton of breakout buzz.
Paul's pitching may end up being more "roasted" than Honey this year. We've got three categories: Unheralded but effective (Valdez, Fried, Kikuchi); Scary vets (Snell, Severino, Rodon, Baz), and basically Grayson Rodriguez. I'm not exactly a believer, but some of these guys are going to work out, which means that there should be enough to put him over the top against the bottom half of our league.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 13.5
5. Tres Comas
Troy's squad earned a first-round bye in last year's playoff, but was edged by Scott V. (280-277) in last year's semifinal to end his bid to win a third championship in five seasons. Tres Comas finished fourth in scoring with a team that whose foundation is still intact this year. Namely, Freddie Freeman, Marcus Semien, Manny Machado, Yordan, Elly, and Soto. Add to them top prospects Dylan Crews/Junior Caminero and you've got the best lineup in the league.
It's hard to know if the pitching will follow suit as no one has ever ridden a reliever-dominated strategy to a championship. As of today, Troy will start five closers along with two Dodger SPs (Glasnow/Sasaki). I don't know what to make of this, other than to say I don't think it will work and that there's a good chance he's scraping to make the playoffs come August.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 12.5
The Muskies took a big step forward this year and are stepping into the future that was crafted in the 2024 preseason. The remade roster now boasts a combination of dominant pitching (Skenes, Nola, Burnes, etc.) and up-and-coming hitters (Shaw, Langford, Butler). The rest of the lineup is largely unheralded, but a closer look reveals that it does have legs — a Bo Bichette bounce-back, sexy Adames/Nimmo combo, and surprisingly effective SP depth (Berrios, Pablo, Nola, and Bieber/Woodruff in the wings) should produce a playoff appearance.
Young minor-league names of note Walker Jenkins, Chase Brown, and Nick Kurtz won't be up this season, but we may see Josue De Paula in Los Angeles if he gets off to a hot start.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 12.5
7. Papelbon's Bulldog
This is the most pitching-heavy Bulldog team that I've seen in a while. It's not that there aren't any bats at all, but between Trout's very sad career trajectory and Bregman's precipitous downswing, it's just hard to know what to project. I like Jarren Duran and Brice Turang... I just don't know that there's enough to expect a playoff berth.
The pitching is HOT! Castillo, deGrom, Clase/Diaz (two of the only relievers I'd start), and Bryce Miller are going to sizzle all summer long. Maybe Senga and Strider make a full return and really make things interesting. There's a scenario where Lidds' boys get scary, but I'm not a believer just yet.
There's a healthy minor league system and fully stocked set of draft picks here, meaning that if we get to July and Ryan is above .500, we may see him swing a deal to upgrade at any number of his "mid" position players.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 11.5
8. Warriors4Life
What a difficult team to rank. Coming off a season where he scored the second-most points in the league and dispatched Lance's Gorillas win the Wild Card round, Wilson is back again with his unique brand of fantasy baseball.
The Warriors feature a scintillating lineup that will be the bane of our existence. They're solid through and through, with declining Paul Goldschmidt the low man on the totem pole. There are some injury/age concerns, but holy smokes, between Jose Ramirez, Lindor, Chisolm, and Ketel Marte (with Schwarber and Yelich + understated Bryan Reynolds to bash your brains in), it's just wave after wave of elite hitting.
And as we've come to expect, the pitching is more of a quantity over quality approach. None of these guys strike fear in your heart, and to Ryan, their value comes in whether they'll start twice in a week. He rode that strategy to much success in 2024, but my belief is that the teams ahead of him are built well enough to ward off this approach.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 10.5
9. Toast 4 Tatis
This is a perfectly fine roster for an owner who's happy with .500. There's just enough pitching and just enough hitting to be competitive, but make no mistake: This roster is headed for purgatory unless everything breaks right for Scott. Here are the questions in my mind:
1. Can Sonny Gray stave off obvious decline?
2. How will Verlander fare as he enters his /checks calendar 1,000th year in the league?
3. Will we get a breakout year from Jobe/Pfaadt?
4. Is Adolis Garcia's 2024 a major red flag or just a small one?
5. Will Luis Robert clear 100 games?
6. Maybe Tatis can get back to being the power/speed combo that he seemed to be in 2021?
7. After languishing a bit in Oakland and Toronto, Matt Chapman blew up in 2024. Is this for real?
I literally timed it and that list took me 98 seconds. There are more questions... but that's kind of the point.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 10.5
10. Tigerfoxx
The fact of the matter is that in a 12-team league, we don't have as much opportunity for franchises to completely suck unless it's an active effort (See: Madison Muskies, 2024). So Tigerfoxx isn't bad, per se, but they just have more questions than the teams you've already read about. You see more prominent deficiencies and cracks in the foundation. Do I like the outfield? Yes, I do. Infield? Not so much. And I love Webb/Yamamoto (in theory, if he racks up IP). Beyond that I have zero trust in the starting arms. Case-in-point: There are two kinds of people in the world right now — those who are convinced that Seth Lugo is going to repeat his 2024 success, and those who are not. I am in the latter camp. I get that someone had to take a chance here after Lugo had a massive career-rejuvenating performance last season, but anyone who is looking for him to follow this up with sheer dominance at age 35 is asking for trouble. Maybe he's Bassitt 2.0 and I'm just misled.
In addtion, this league has devalued relievers to the point where starting one every week is a highly unreliable way to manage your pitching. Maybe Uceta can be one of the 3-4 exceptions.
However, I'll share some kudos on Chris' minor league system... Max Clark and Jordan Lawlar are a WILD pair of players to hold. And you have to admire discipline that it takes to keep your entire draft intact over the next couple of years. If Chris beats the odds and is in contention later in the year, he has a pretty impressive combination of prospects and picks to get a deal done.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 7.5
11. 1st Place Luzar
It's an all round "meh" lineup for Caleb here at the beginning of the season. Jackson Merrill is a fun young talent that splashed in Year 1 with San Diego, and Brent Rooker continues to bring the pop. There are other OK contributors elsewhere, but at the end of the day there just wasn't enough in the way of keepers and draft picks to fill this thing out in a way that could predict contention.
Pitching is another story, as Dylan Cease, Crochet, Peralta, and Zach Gallen headline. It drops off pretty considerably after that, but you can see how these guys could carry a week here and there with Merrill Kelly or maybe Tanner Houck pitching in. I project pain and frustration for most of the season, but the future is bright with Druw Jones, Carson Williams, and Cam Collier in tow. Caleb drops a bit because next year's draft is straight-up bleak (no picks in rounds 1, 3, or 4).
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 6.5
12. Old Style
It is awesome to have Dave back! Looking forward to seeing how he turns Jake's Garbage into something truly special. There wasn't a lot to love at the keeper deadline, but with some shrewd drafting and scooping a few prospects, things are starting to look a little better. Old Style has hoarded closers, who unfortunately do not have the same status they did when Dave last haunted this hallowed space. A healthy dose of double starts should help him stay afloat from week to week, But from what I can tell we've got a good portion of the 2025 product built on pipe dreams, smoke, and mirrors. I have no doubt that with Dave guiding this franchise that it will flourish within a couple of seasons. Just not this year.
OVER/UNDER WIN TOTAL PROJECTION: 5.5
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