This is the first Top 30 Prospect Rankings since our RotoBaller expert mock draft (I highly recommend that you all check out the results of that) and this article combined with the mock draft should give you all a good idea of where certain prospects ought to be drafted. You will notice that many of the players on this list were not drafted, but that should be expected as they will best serve their fantasy owners by being claimed off the waiver wire as replacements for inadequate performers and injuries.

With most of the big name free agents off the board, fantasy owners should begin to get a good idea of what prospects will be in position to have an impact with their team this year. For example the signing of Justin Upton to the Tigers should let people know that Steven Moya will not have much value this year, but by not pursuing Ian Desmond, the Nationals are saying that they are fully committed to the idea of Trea Turner as their starting shortstop in 2016 - eventually.

This list will undoubtedly have some more changes before the first week of the 2016 season, but fantasy owners should get an idea of what prospects will have the most value from this edition when they are drafting their team.

 

Major League Prospects – Fantasy Power Rankings

If you are interested in more MLB prospects columns, be sure to also check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. You can find team-specific prospect breakdowns, tiered positional rankings, keeper values articles, and more - all in one easy place.

 
1. Corey Seager (SS, LAD, MLB) – LW: 1
Stats: 550 PA, .293/.344/.487, 18 HR, 4 SB, 13.8% K rate, 6.7% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
By far the highest prospect taken in the mock draft, Corey Seager is the biggest can’t miss prospect of 2016. Seager was taken in the third round as the third drafted shortstop behind only Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Correa. Seager has tremendous upside and a very high floor, making him one of the most attractive fantasy baseball assets in the game. Though there seem to be more and more shortstops who can hit, few can hit quite like Seager. Do not wait too long. He is a guarantee to be among the first five shortstops taken in the fantasy draft and is a must-own in all leagues.

 

2. Steven Matz (SP, NYM, MLB) – LW: 4
Stats: 105.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 9.14 K/9, 2.91 BB/9, 0.51 HR/9, 1.06 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
If you are surprised to see that Steven Matz is the top starting pitcher on this list and the first rookie eligible pitcher taken in the mock draft, don’t be. No rookie pitcher has a rock solid guarantee quite like what Matz has with the Mets. He will open the season as their number four starter and will arguably be the best fourth starter in the majors. Matz has the stuff of top of the rotation starters, and he has already made quite the impact at the major league level. In the mock draft, Matz was taken in the 12th round where other names like Jeff Samardzija and Julio Teheran were taken. So if you start to see number two/three pitchers start coming off the board, get ready to grab Matz.

 

3. Trea Turner (SS, WAS, MLB) – LW: 3
Stats: 500 PA, .322/.370/.458, 8 HR, 29 SB, 19.4% K rate, 7.6% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
There is quite a significant drop off in draft position between Seager and Trea Turner as Seager was taken in the third round of our mock draft while Turner lasted until the 18th. Turner is not quite as much of a guarantee to produce as Seager, but he still has the potential to finish the season as a top ten, maybe even top five, shortstop. Where Turner differentiates himself from Seager is his great speed versus Seager’s great power. Turner does not need to be taken too early as he is still somewhat of a risk, but fantasy owners need to be ready to take him late in the draft as he could be the steal of the year. Though not an elite shortstop like Seager, Turner has immense potential and could have a big impact on both the Nationals and fantasy owners in 2016. He is a must own in all leagues. Just watch out for Danny Espinosa taking early season reps.

 

4. Tyler Glasnow (SP, PIT, AAA) – LW: 2
Stats: 109.1 IP, 2.39 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 11.20 K/9, 3.54 BB/9, 0.25 HR/9, 1.10 WHIP
ETA: Late April
It no longer appears that Tyler Glasnow will break camp with the Pirates, but don’t expect him to spend too long in the minors. At this moment, it appears that the Pirates will start the year with Ryan Vogelsong and Jon Niese as their four and five starters with Glasnow returning to Triple-A. But even though the Pirates are often very patient with their pitching prospects, they are competing in what could yet again be the toughest division race in baseball. Glasnow is their ace in the hole (or Triple-A). He was one of three pitching prospects on this list that was drafted in the mock and will prove himself to be an ace for the Pirates once he is called up. Though he won’t break with the team, Glasnow needs to be drafted (in the last couple rounds granted) and stashed until the Pirates call him up. He has the second most potential of any pitcher on this list.

 

5. Byron Buxton (OF, MIN, MLB) – LW: 9
Stats: 327 PA, .305/.367/.500, 7 HR, 22 SB, 19.3% K rate, 9.2% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
I was very surprised when looking back over the mock draft to see that Byron Buxton was not among the outfielders drafted. Not that I’m saying he is a must draft, but he has the potential to a five category producer for fantasy owners and will likely break camp as the Twins’ center fielder. The biggest scare with Buxton is his performance in the majors last year. He hit a mere .209/.250/.326 with a frightening 31.9% K rate. Buxton has power, he has speed, he can hit for average, and he has been regarded as the best prospect since Mike Trout.

In many eyes, he is a can’t-miss player, though fantasy owners could potentially decide that the risk is not quite worth the reward. In my opinion, outfield is a surprisingly weak fantasy position this year and fantasy owners would be foolish to not at least give the 22-year-old a chance. Owners could draft him late or even pick him up off the waiver wire in shallow leagues and stash him until he breaks out. Don’t run away from the talented outfielder just yet.

 

6. Jose Berrios (SP, MIN, AAA) – LW: 8
Stats: 166.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 9.47 K/9, 2.06 BB/9, 0.65 HR/9, 1.05 WHIP
ETA: Early May
Another prospect who appears to be on the outside looking in with the starting rotation, Jose Berrios (like Tyler Glasnow) will probably not start off 2016 in his team’s rotation unless he blows their socks off in Spring Training. Berrios has ace potential and shouldn’t be in the minors for too long before the Twins decide to promote him. Due to the fact that he will be in the minors for a month or possibly more, Berrios is not quite worth drafting. Fantasy owners would be wise to follow very closely the performance of the Twins’ starters because if they struggle too much, a change will not take too long to occur especially with the way Berrios dominated Triple-A last year. Berrios will be in the Twins’ rotation by June at the very latest.

 

7. Blake Snell (SP, TB, AAA) – LW: 6
Stats: 134.0 IP, 1.41 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 10.95 K/9, 3.56 BB/9, 0.47 HR/9, 1.02 WHIP
ETA: Late April
The last rookie eligible pitcher to be taken in the RotoBaller mock draft, Blake Snell has an outside shot to make his team’s rotation out of Spring Training, but fantasy owners should not expect that to be the case. He really falls under a similar category as Berrios where owners would be wise to keep tabs on the back end of the Rays rotation and get ready to add Snell if there are any significant struggles. Snell dominated the minors in a big way last year. He is probably not draft worthy just yet because of how long he will have to wait to be called up, but if a door opens up for him to start, fantasy owners should not wait to grab their opportunity at a potential ace.

 

8. Lucas Giolito (SP, WAS, AA) – LW: 5
Stats: 117.0 IP, 3.15 ERA, 2.46 FIP, 10.08 K/9, 2.85 BB/9, 0.23 HR/9, 1.28 WHIP
ETA: Mid-May
As the season draws nearer and nearer, it becomes very apparent that Lucas Giolito is going to be the odd man out of the rotation for the Nationals. But luckily for him, it appears that he is the back up option to any injury or poor performance. Giolito has the highest potential of any starting pitcher on this list and is the type of arm that could have an unprecedented impact on fantasy owners if he is given playing time. Because the Nationals are not going to rush Giolito to the majors, he should not be taken in the draft unless fantasy owners in deep leagues feel like stashing him.

 

9. Josh Bell (1B, PIT, AAA) – LW: 13
Stats: 518 PA, .320/.396/.450, 8 HR, 9 SB, 11.9% K rate, 11.6% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
As of right now, John Jaso and Michael Morse are projected to split the playing time at first base for the Pirates in 2016 on the Fangraphs depth chart. I honestly do not believe this to be entirely accurate and I believe that Josh Bell will win the job in Spring Training. Though he has not displayed it in the minors to this point, Bell has quite a bit of power and could reach double-digit home run totals for the Pirates. The biggest guarantee is that he will be able to hit for a decent average, quite possibly over .300. He has a great approach to the plate which keeps his strikeout rates way down and helps him walk at high rates. Bell could be a late draft steal for fantasy owners if the Pirates give him the first base job out of Spring Training.

 

10. Nomar Mazara (OF, TEX, AAA) – LW: 11
Stats: 558 PA, .296/.366/.443, 14 HR, 2 SB, 18.3% K rate, 9.3% BB rate
ETA: Late April
Nomar Mazara will almost undoubtedly start 2016 at Triple-A, but he could see some time in the majors if the hitters in front of him struggle. The problem is he is just not too high up on the depth chart for the Rangers and is limited to right field or left field (positions occupied by the expensive Josh Hamilton and Shin-Soo Choo). If Mazara is given a chance at playing time, he could have a real nice impact for fantasy owners as he can hit for power and average. As discussed with Buxton, outfield is surprisingly weak this season, and a bat like Mazara could really help a fantasy team with a weak outfield.

 

11. Jon Gray (SP, COL, MLB) – LW: 14
Stats: 114.1 IP, 4.33 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 8.66 K/9, 3.23 BB/9, 0.71 HR/9, 1.49 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
There are only five pitchers on this list that are guaranteed a starting rotation job barring injury or a major surprise, Matz, John Lamb, Tyler Wilson, Zach Davies, and Jon Gray. Though Gray doesn’t have the fantasy upside of Matz (mainly because of where Gray calls home), he still is worth owning for fantasy owners. Gray had such drastic home/away splits which can be easily leveraged by his owner. Fantasy owners should start him when he is on the road and bench him at home until he can prove that he can get over his fear of Coors. His high ground ball and strikeout rates would have you believe that he could eventually be the ace Colorado has never seen. Though not necessarily worthy of drafting, fantasy owners should not rule out Gray as an option if one of their starters underperforms.

 

12. Rob Refsnyder (2B, NYY, MLB) – LW: 15
Stats: 522 PA, .271/.359/.402, 9 HR, 12 SB, 14.0% K rate, 10.7% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
In spite of the acquisition of Starlin Castro, I remain cautiously optimistic that Refsnyder could break camp with the Yankees and platoon with Didi Gregorious (against lefties, Refsnyder at second and Castro at short; against righties, Gregorious at short and Castro at second). Refsnyder can hit and could provide solid fantasy production at the second base position. Because he would be at best a platoon option, he is not quite worth drafting in more formats.

 

13. A.J. Reed (1B, HOU, AA) – LW: 18
Stats: 622 PA, .340/.432/.612, 34 HR, 0 SB, 19.6% K rate, 13.8% BB rate
ETA: Early May
This is essentially Jon Singleton’s last chance to prove that he belongs in the majors. The first base job is undisputedly his to start off the year. He will be given a chance to hold off the emerging presence of A.J. Reed. With the Astros now competitive, don’t expect Singleton to have a long leash. I fully expect that by May, they will give the first base job to Reed. He has hit for insane power, a great average, and has showed tremendous discipline at the plate. Reed has the chance to be an elite first baseman and his potential to produce this season alone is worth fantasy owners stashing him off the waiver wire.

 

14. Jose Peraza (2B, CIN, MLB) – LW: 7
Stats: 521 PA, .293/.316/.378, 4 HR, 33 SB, 8.6% K rate, 3.3% BB rate
ETA: Early May
The Reds have insisted that in spite of the fact that there is no clear opening for Jose Peraza, they will find somewhere for him to play. He could play at third, short, second, or in the outfield. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be completely frightened by the fact that Peraza doesn’t have a clear path to playing time because he is a versatile player and can provide enough offensive value to make him worth owning on some deeper leagues. Think of Brock Holt, but in a slightly different way. Holt qualifies for almost every position whereas Peraza will likely only qualify for the SS and MI positions, but Holt can’t provide quite as much fantasy value as Peraza could. Fantasy owners will have to decide for themselves whether or not they want to take a chance on Peraza, but with his upside, he could be worth the risk.

 

15. John Lamb (SP, CIN, MLB) – LW: NR
Stats: 111.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 9.46 K/9, 2.91 BB/9, 0.57 HR/9, 1.17 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day
Last season, John Lamb was acquired by the Reds in the Johnny Cueto deal and wound up making ten starts for them. Luckily for him, he still qualifies as a rookie because he threw 49.2 innings with the Reds and 50 IP is the cutoff for rookies. His time in the majors was rough to say the least, but a lot of that can be chalked up as hard luck. Opponents hit a whopping .376 BABIP off of him, and 14.3% of his fly balls left the park. He finished with an unsightly 5.80 ERA. But fantasy owners should take note that the advanced metrics really liked his stuff as he produced a 3.73 xFIP and 3.56 SIERA. Lamb will by no means be an ace, but he strikes out a lot of batters (10.51 K/9 in the MLB) and should be expected to produce a 3.50 ERA en route to a solid season for fantasy owners (especially since he is guaranteed a spot in the Reds’ rotation). Fantasy owners could do worse than to pick him up as a spot starter off the waiver wire.

 

16. Joey Gallo (3B/OF, TEX, MLB) – LW: 10
Stats: 374 PA, .240/.342/.520, 23 HR, 2 SB, 37.2% K rate, 13.6% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
Joey Gallo may break camp with the Rangers. If he does, it will be in a utility role. He can play first, third, and outfield and has a potent enough bat to occasionally get time at designated hitter. Fantasy owners would be wise to avoid Gallo for the time being because poses the most risk of any player on this list. There is no doubt that he can hit for power, but he doesn’t have any speed and strikes out at mind-boggling rates.

 

17. Tyler Goeddel (3B, PHI, AA) – LW: 24
Stats: 533 PA, .279/.350/.433, 12 HR, 28 SB, 18.4% K rate, 9.0% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day
Tyler Goeddel may not be in the starting outfield for the Phillies on Opening Day, but he will be on their roster. He has enough speed and power to be able to rack up double-digit totals in both stolen bases and home runs while also hitting for a solid .270-.280 average. Fantasy owners should take note as he presents a great bargain who could be taken off the waiver wire and could have great value at the weak position of outfield.

 

18. Robert Stephenson (SP, CIN, AAA) – LW: 17
Stats: 134.0 IP, 3.83 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 9.40 K/9, 4.70 BB/9, 0.67 HR/9, 1.30 WHIP
ETA: Late April/Early May
The Reds’ rotation is completely filled right now with young pitchers, but that doesn’t mean Robert Stephenson will be completely left out for the season. Sure, he will not break camp with the team, but he could find himself in the rotation by early May. Especially if he pitches to his full potential and Brandon Finnegan appears to need more time to refine in the minors. If Stephenson can continue to improve on his control, he has the stuff to be as good of a pitcher as any on this list. First, he needs to show improvement with his command. If he is promoted, his elite strikeout ability should be enough for fantasy owners to take the risk on him.

 

19. Trevor Story (SS, COL, AAA) – LW: NR
Stats: 575 PA, .279/.350/.514, 20 HR, 22 SB, 24.5% K rate, 8.9% BB rate
ETA: Mid-May
As the season approaches, it seems less and less likely that Jose Reyes will be starting at shortstop for the Colorado Rockies. Because Reyes will be standing trial in March, it doesn’t seem that the Rockies will want him to play even if he were able. If the Rockies decide to avoid playing Reyes, there is little doubt that Trevor Story would be his replacement. Story has long been considered the heir to Troy Tulowitzki and the acquisition of Jose Reyes does little to change that mindset. Story is a shortstop who can hit for power, steal some bases, and should be able to hit for a decent average. Combine all of that with the fact that he will be playing in Coors Field, and you’ve got yourself a very compelling option at shortstop. If Story can get the playing time, he is a must own in all leagues.

 

11 More Prospects

20. Gary Sanchez (C, NYY, MLB) – LW: 20
Stats: 515 PA, .276/.336/.503, 25 HR, 11 SB, 19.6% K rate, 7.8% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day

21. Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN, MLB) – LW: 16
Stats: 525 PA, .288/.339/.386, 6 HR, 19 SB, 13.9% K rate, 7.4% BB rate
ETA: Opening Day

22. Tim Anderson (SS, CWS, AA) – LW: NR
Stats: 550 PA, .312/.350/.429, 5 HR, 49 SB, 20.7% K rate, 4.4% BB rate
ETA: Late May

23. Zach Davies (SP, MIL, MLB) – LW: NR
Stats: 128.1 IP, 3.30 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 7.15 K/9, 3.16 BB/9, 0.42 HR/9, 1.36 WHIP
ETA: Early May

24. Tyler Wilson (SP, BAL, MLB) – LW: NR
Stats: 99.1 IP, 3.17 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 5.98 K/9, 1.72 BB/9, 0.82 HR/9, 1.18 WHIP
ETA: Opening Day

25. JP Crawford (SS, PHI, AA) – LW: 12
Stats: 500 PA, .288/.380/.414, 6 HR, 12 SB, 10.8% K rate, 12.6% BB rate
ETA: Late August

26. Bradley Zimmer (OF, CLE, AA) - LW: NR
Stats: 549 PA, .273/.368/.446, 16 HR, 44 SB, 23.9% K rate, 10.0% BB rate
ETA: Early September

27. Lewis Brinson (OF, TEX, AAA) – LW: NR
Stats: 540 PA, .326/.397/.590, 23 HR, 24 SB, 21.1% K rate, 9.6% BB rate
ETA: Early June

28. Aaron Judge (OF, NYY, AAA) – LW: 22
Stats: 540 PA, .255/.330/.448, 20 HR, 7 SB, 26.7% K rate, 9.8% BB rate
ETA: Late May

29. Max Kepler (OF, MIN, ) – LW: NR
Stats: 549 PA, .309/.407/.518 12 HR, 20 SB
ETA: Mid May

30. Brian Johnson (SP, BOS, MLB) – LW: 27
Stats: 96.0 IP, 2.53 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 8.44 K/9, 3.00 BB/9, 0.56 HR/9, 1.10 WHIP
ETA: Mid-May

 

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