MLB Farm System Rankings: Pre-2025 Season
As the 2025 Major League Baseball season looms, the landscape of potential contenders is taking shape. Not every team is destined for a World Series run; such is the nature of the sport. Some teams are built for immediate contention, others are rebuilding, and still others are strategically developing for future dominance.
This dichotomy in team strategies leads to different approaches regarding farm systems. Some organizations prioritize acquiring immediate talent, often sacrificing their prospect pool in trades to acquire proven MLB players for a championship push. Conversely, other teams focus on cultivating young talent within their system, aiming for sustainable success in the years to come. There’s no inherently right or wrong path; the value of a championship versus sustained competitiveness is a matter of perspective.
However, one thing remains clear: the strength of a team’s farm system is a strong indicator of its future potential. A well-stocked farm system allows teams to replenish their roster with cost-effective talent, make impactful trades, and weather the inevitable storms of injuries and player departures.
Here’s a comprehensive ranking of every MLB team’s farm system heading into the 2025 season, based on talent acquisition, development, and overall potential. (Prospect rankings sourced from MLB.com)
Tier 1: Elite Farm Systems
1. Detroit Tigers: The Tigers have cultivated a system that is considered to be best in baseball with talent that should be MLB ready by 2026. Their high-ceiling talent should make Tigers fans excited for the future.
2. Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox farm system is characterized by top-tier talent with three prospects ranked in MLB’s top 12. This level of elite talent places them among the very best in baseball.
Tier 2: Upper Echelon Farm Systems
3. Los Angeles Dodgers: Even without factoring in Roki Sasaki, their farm is still top 12, adding Sasaki only increases their potential for development and roster control.
4. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs have a deep system with seven top-100 prospects, making them one of the deepest in the league. They are hoping they can hit on some of their talent.
5. Seattle Mariners: They have done a great job balancing between hitting and pitching. They can focus on players from all positions who are ready to contribute.
6. Tampa Bay Rays: After a huge sell off at the deadline, the Rays still have high-end talent coming through their farm system making them an organizational juggernaut.
7. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies have a solid farm but not so much system-depth after many trades have gutted their prospect pool in their quest for a World Series.
8. Cleveland Guardians: They selected Travis Bazzana, they are known for being able to develop their pitching, but their top-five prospects are hitters.
Tier 3: Solid Farm Systems
9. Cincinnati Reds: By the end of 2025, the Reds could very well have their entire starting rotation composed of homegrown arms. Their MLB roster does lack in the homegrown hitter department.
10. Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates have developed tremendous pitchers, and thats no different with their 2025 prospect pool. However, they lack a truly talented homegrown hitter.
11. Minnesota Twins: Walker Jenkins is the best prospect the Twins have had in years. Emmanuel Rodriguez is incredible but has faced some serious injury issues, also they lack a truly elite pitching prospects
12. Washington Nationals: Their farm system is carried by Dylan Crews. The Nationals lack pitching depth beyond Sykora and Susana
13. Milwaukee Brewers: The team continues to boast one of the best international scout teams in the business with the addition of Jesus Made
14. Baltimore Orioles: Its hard to maintain a top spot in the rankings when you graduate all of your top prospects. However, this teams farm is still nothing to scoff at
Tier 4: Middle-of-the-Pack Farm Systems
15. Kansas City Royals: The Royals are praying that Caglianone and Mitchell live up to their expectations. Outside of them, though, there are several question marks.
16. St. Louis Cardinals: The lack of consistent, proven talent is what holds this farm back. Sure, there are prospects who have provided glimpses of greatness that could develop into franchise cornerstones, but until we see those glimpses come more consistently over a longer period of time.
17. Miami Marlins: The Marlins inability to hold onto talent, or even trade them for big prospect hauls has come back to bite them in recent years
18. San Diego Padres: Outside of De Vries and Salas, this Padres farm is subpar to say the least. However, those two players are two of the top-33 prospects in baseball.
Tier 5: Below-Average Farm Systems
19. Colorado Rockies: Given the fact that Coors Field is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in America, the Rockies will need more high-end pitching talent to feel good about their future on the mound.
20. Texas Rangers: The Rangers could end up being much higher on this list by the end of this season, depending on how their 2024 breakouts play this year.
21. Oakland Athletics: Jacob Wilson could be a future batting title champion. Nick Kurtz is a stud at the plate. Thats basically all the As have going for them though.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks: After another injury to Jordan Lawlar and struggles from first-rounders Druw Jones and Tommy Troy, the Snakes have fallen down in the rankings.
23. New York Mets: The Mets may have a deep farm system, but its littered with question marks. Most of the teams top position prospects suffered injuries in 2024.
Tier 6: Bottom-Tier Farm Systems
24. Los Angeles Angels: For once, the Angels are not at the bottom of these rankings. That will likely change given their tendency to call up prospects long before they are ready
25. San Francisco Giants: Bryce Eldridge is a tremendous, enviable talent, the Giants dont have much else going for them. Meanwhile, the Giants only have one other prospect in their top-ten expected to be ready for the majors in 2025.
26. Atlanta Braves: Injury concerns, low ceilings, and long timetables are the most common issues with the Braves farm system. While Baldwin and Smith-Shawver could each be solid contributors for the club soon, the Braves dont boast very many impact hitters or many top-line arms.
27. Houston Astros: When your teams top prospects are all considered MLB hopefuls as platoon players, you know your farm system is in a rough spot.
28. New York Yankees: Jasson Dominguez has been the No. 1 prospect in this system for forever it seems, and even he has his issues. He could be relegated to a platoon role at the major league level.
29. Chicago White Sox: Colson Montgomery experienced an underwhelming season a year ago, the White Sox have done a solid job building their farm system, especially after trading Garrett Crochet to Boston.
**30. Seattle Mariners:**Arjun Nimmala is the best this organization has going for it and hes not even considered a high-end talent just yet. Its near impossible to feel good about this teams future.
These rankings are based on a combination of factors, including the quality and quantity of top prospects, the depth of the farm system, the success of player development programs, and the proximity of prospects to the major leagues. While farm system rankings are not a perfect predictor of future success, they provide a valuable insight into the long-term outlook of each MLB team.
The strength of a farm system can change rapidly due to trades, injuries, and prospect development. These rankings provide a snapshot in time, but the true measure of a farm system’s success will be determined by the players who ultimately contribute to winning baseball at the major league level.
