Worst MLB farm systems 2025: Yankees, Giants, Astros among worst in baseball

Several of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ top prospects have been promoted to the majors in the last two years, taking some of the top-tier talents out of this farm system. That will be the case for infielder Jordan Lawlar, who will exhaust his prospect eligibility early this season. Once that happens, Arizona will likely be viewed as having a bottom-seven farm system. What hurts Arizona’s crop of minor-league talent right now is the team whiffing on 2023 first-round pick Tommy Troy (.681 OPS in 2024 between Rookie Ball and High-A) and 2022 first-round pick Druw Jones (150 games played since being drafted). However, Arizona has some rising prospects (Demetrio Crisantes and Yilber Diaz – with a track record in the draft and international scouting that warrant confidence in a rebound.

• Arizona Diamondbacks farm system rank: B/R – 26th, 25th – ESPN, The Athletic – 6th

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It’s ok to have one of the worst MLB farm systems when you already have Bobby Witt Jr. playing at an MVP-caliber level in the majors. The Kansas City Royals lineup could be even better in the long term if catcher Blake Mitchell and first baseman Jac Caglianone continue their progression. The issue for Kansas City is that the rest of this farm system lacks any prospects whose potential even scratches the surface of becoming an above-average regular. There are always surprises – Cole Ragans – but the lack of depth behind Caglianine and Mitchell is a problem.

• Kansas City Royals farm system rank: B/R – 25th, ESPN & The Athletic – 22nd

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Landing Roki Sasaki certainly would’ve taken the Toronto Blue Jays off the list of the worst MLB farm systems in 2025. Unfortunately for the Jays, it was just the latest setback in a rough year on the pitching side. Brandon Barriera, Ricky Tiedemann and Landen Maroudis all suffered elbow injuries, heightening long-term concerns on that side. On top of that, infielder Orelvis Martinez received a PED suspension. With several of their top pitching prospects sidelined for a significant portion of the 2025 campaign, the Blue Jays need one or both of Jake Bloss or Trey Yesavage to blossom this summer.

• Toronto Blue Jays farm system rank: B/R – 27th, The Athletic & ESPN – 24th

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Once Jasson Dominguez exists his prospect eligibility this spring, the New York Yankees farm system will take an even bigger hit. Of course, ranking this low is in large part because pitcher Luis Gil and catcher Austin Wells were among the best rookies in the American League last season. New York also drained some of its top prospects in trading for Jazz Chisholm Jr and Devin Williams. While this is a bit of a low point for the system, the Yankees’ scouting and player development is excellent. It shouldn’t be more than a year or two before this is one of the best MLB farm systems again.

• New York Yankees farm system rank: B/R – 29th, The Athletic & ESPN – 21st

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The San Diego Padres had one of the best farm systems in MLB for years and then experienced a talent drain thanks to blockbuster trades and some promotions to the majors. A primary source of hope for San Diego right now is top prospects Leodalis De Vries and Ethan Salas. If they hit, those could be two new future All-Stars added to the Padres lineup. A lot is riding on them, however, with the Padres’ farm system severely short-handed on quality outside its two emerging stars. Fortunately, like the New York Yankees, the Padres’ scouting department is well-regarded with many around the league particularly respectful of San Diego’s international scouting.

• San Diego Padres farm rank: B/R – 28th, ESPN – 26th, The Athletic – 25th

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Under team owner John Fisher, very little money has been invested in making this club better and that unfortunately includes the minor league side. Thankfully, this farm system is on the upswing. Recent first-round picks Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz and Max Muncy are showing serious promise and could add multiple above-average regulars in a few short years for this Athletics lineup. Furthermore, this club has pumped out impact talent in Lawrence Butler and Mason Miller, while doing a fine job with Brent Rooker as a reclamation project. There isn’t a lot of All-Star ceiling talent in this farm system and more money still needs to be invested into scouting, but the A’s are in a better spot than they were just a few years ago.

• Sacramento Athletics farm system rank: ESPN – 23rd, The Athletic – 27th

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For now, even with battery mates Drake Baldwin and AJ Smith-Shawyer headlining the Atlanta Braves top prospects, this is one of the worst MLB farm systems in 2025. While Atlanta isn’t hurting on pitching in the minors, there are a lot of shortcomings on the everyday player side. Maybe infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. can build upon his breakout at the Triple-A level (.861 OPS) last season, but once he loses his prospect eligibility, there’s an even further falloff to the next top hitter in this system. At a minimum, the Braves’ international free-agent signings from the last 3 years need to start putting it together this summer.

• Atlanta Braves farm system rank: The Athletic – 28th, ESPN – 27th, B/R – 18th

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There are myriad of reasons why the San Francisco Giants fired Farhan Zaidi, leaving this team with one of the worst MLB farm systems plays a significant part in that. San Francisco boasts one of the best prospects in the National League (Bryce Elridge) but he’s likely a year away from making contributions to the Giants lineup. Fans should see top prospect Carson Whisenhunt take the mound at Oracle Park in 2025, joining success story Kyle Harrison. What San Francisco really needs in 2025 is for former top international free agent Rayner Arias to round and Marco Luciano (.590 OPS in 115 ABs) must finally show some signs of improvement at the major-league level.

• San Francisco Giants farm system rank: B/R – 3oth, ESPN – 29th, The Athletic – 26th

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The Los Angeles Angels are a perennial bottom-five team when ranking the worst MLB farm systems. They do have some success stories – Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel – now contributing in the majors, with right-handed pitcher Caden Dana also likely to join them and exhaust his prospect eligibility. There’s also obvious hope for 2024 first-round pick Christian Moore, who excelled in the minors after being drafted. That’s about it. Premium talent and depth are both issues for the Angels and years later, never trading Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout looks like an even worse decision by the franchise.

• Los Angeles Angels farm system rank: ESPN – 28th, The Athletic -30th

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The Houston Astros have the worst farm system in MLB, even after landing top prospect Cam Smith. This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the emphasis the organization has put on winning in the majors, but that has taken a toll on the club’s future outlook. A source of hope, however, is the fact that Houston is well-regarded for maximizing the talent it has to work with. So, while there might not be any true All-Star ceiling players in this farm system right now, the Astros can turn role players into very productive contributors in the majors.

• Houston Astros farm system rank: ESPN – 30th, The Athletic – 29th, B/R – 19th

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