10 Non-Debuted Prospects Who Will Make A Fantasy Baseball Impact In 2026

September 23, 2025

Kevin Luo's top prospects who will make a fantasy baseball impact in 2026. These prospects should be considered in dynasty, keeper, and redraft formats for next season.

We're wrapping up the fantasy baseball season, which means it's the perfect time to start looking forward to next season. One of the best ways to get an advantage in your league is by hitting on a big-time prospect. I wouldn't advise anyone to invest in too many prospects, but if you hit on one like Nick Kurtz or Nolan McLean, they could be league winners.

The prospects below should all make their debuts in 2026 and all have the potential to really help your fantasy team. If you have them in dynasty leagues, your patience will finally bear fruit. If you're in a keeper league, you might consider scooping one of them up before the season ends. For redraft leagues, you might want to bookmark this for some targets going into your drafts for next season.

I'm dividing these prospects into two main groups: prospects who could break camp or be called up early, and prospects who I think will be called up over the summer. I'm also going to add a few high-upside guys who could see late-season call-ups, but I wouldn't really expect them to make a big impact in the majors in 2026. I'm only including prospects who have not yet been called up, as I think we can assume most of the guys who have made their major league debuts will have some impact next season as well.

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Potential Early 2026 Call-Ups

I expect all of these players to be up fairly early in the season, and some might even break camp with their big league club. I'm considering most of these guys in redraft for next season, or at least putting them on my early season watchlist.

To see where I rank these guys for dynasty, check out my latest Top 100 Prospect Rankings.

Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B, Detroit Tigers

Kevin McGonigle might be the best pure hitter in the minor leagues. He has a super special hit tool for such a young player. Across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A this season, he has a 14.9 percent BB rate and only a 11.6 percent K rate.

He has a 182 wRC+ across the three levels, and his 162 wRC+ at Double-A really impressed me as he did it with only a .230 BABIP. Despite his elite hit tool, McGonigle is not a Luis Arraez-esque player; he has a bit of pop in his bat and even a little speed. He had 19 HRs and 10 SBs this season.

In the last 20 years, there have been 13,073 individual minor league player-seasons where a hitter has 400 or more PAs in a single season.

The only player to have a wRC+ of 175 or higher while walking 25% more than he struck out in the same season:

Kevin McGonigle

— Joe Rampe (@joe_rampe) September 20, 2025

The biggest hole on the Tigers roster going into next season will probably be at shortstop, so I can see McGonigle breaking camp with the team. His elite plate skills should make his transition to the majors a little bit cleaner than some other top prospects. I'd be open to taking him in all redraft leagues, but really targeting him in points leagues.

JJ Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals

If McGonigle starts picking up too much helium going into next season, a good consolation prize for fantasy managers could be JJ Wetherholt. A bit of a forgotten man from the top of last year's draft class, as so many top draftees have already made it to the majors, but Wetherholt has had a great debut season and is on the precipice of the majors himself.

Wetherholt also possesses an excellent hit tool. He's walked (14.6 percent) almost as often as he's struck out (14.8 percent) this season across Double-A and Triple-A. He also has a 151 wRC+ with 16 HRs and 23 SBs.

Like McGonigle, I think Wetherholt should be able to get off to a solid start to his major league career. He doesn't have super elite tools that roto fantasy managers crave, but he'll still make a solid all-around target in those leagues and a better target in points leagues.

Almost forgot to include JJ Wetherholt pic.twitter.com/RrwtKP8X7i

— Prospect Savant (@ProspectSavant) August 29, 2025

While there isn't a firm spot for Wetherholt on the Cardinals right now, he doesn't have anything left to prove in the minor leagues. I also expect the Cardinals to actively shop Nolan Arenado this offseason, opening up some playing time in their infield.

Carson Benge, OF, New York Mets

Just look up on X how Mets fans are talking about Cedric Mullins. Carson Benge will be a breath of fresh air in their outfield next season between Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo.

Benge has been one of the big fantasy risers from the 2024 MLB Draft this season. In his debut season, he has a 151 wRC+ across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with a solid approach at the plate. He also has 14 HRs and 22 SBs. He has struggled a bit with performance and injury since getting the bump to Triple-A, which I think is the reason he hasn't gotten the call to Queens this season.

I feel like I'm sounding like a bit of a broken record with these first three prospects, as they're probably all better targets in points leagues than Roto/categories, but Benge fits the bill there as well. He also offers cheap exposure to what should be a good Mets offense.

Robby Snelling, P, Miami Marlins

Robby Snelling's resurgence since getting traded to the Marlins might lend some credence to the concept that players/prospects perform better on teams that view them as part of their future and not just an asset.

Snelling was one of the top pitching prospects in the minors coming into the 2024 season with the Padres organization, but fell flat on his face early in the season before being traded to Miami in the Tanner Scott deal.

The Marlins pitching factory did what they do with Snelling almost immediately, and he is again looking like an elite pitching prospect this season. He has a 2.51 ERA in 136 innings across Double-A and Triple-A this season with a 23.2 percent K-BB rate. He's been even more ridiculous since getting the bump to Triple-A, as he has a 1.27 ERA at the level with a 26.0 percent K-BB rate.

One of the big indicators of success for pitchers is the ability to generate whiffs with your fastball, and Snelling has really done that.

Robby Snelling’s in zone fastballs in AAA:

41.7 K%
160 xBA
220 xSLG
170 xwOBA
36.1 whiff% (!!!!!!!!!!) pic.twitter.com/0lFkiENi5Y

— MDV (@Mardevicre) September 19, 2025

Snelling was a big riser for me in my last prospect update, but I don't think I moved him quite high enough. He should be viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, and I think he'll likely get a crack before one of his org mates later in the article next season.

Justin Crawford, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

Harrison Bader and Brandon Marsh seemed to hear the footsteps of Justin Crawford over the last few weeks because they have been super hot for the Phillies of late. If they hadn't been hitting this well, I think Crawford might already be in Philadelphia.

The young outfielder was not moved during the Phillies' aggressive deadline spending, seeming to indicate they see him making an impact on their major league squad very soon.

It's a bit too on the nose to say that Crawford could have an impact like his father, Carl Crawford. He should provide a strong average as he's hit over .300 at every stop in the minors over the last two seasons. But what fantasy managers can really get excited about is that he should provide a lot of speed. He has over 40 SBs in each of the last three seasons in the minors.

Crawford does hit the ball hard, but he's a bit of an ant killer as he's had super high ground-ball rates at every level, and I don't expect that approach to change much when he gets to the majors. One aspect of his game that has improved this season is that he's walking 11.5 percent of the time, which is a big increase over the last few seasons, while not increasing his K rate.

Crawford should provide a solid average and speed for fantasy teams next season. If he does develop into a good hitter early, we could see him near the top of the Phillies lineup, which will make him a great source of runs as well.

Other Potential Early 2026 Call-Ups to Consider

• Spencer Jones, OF, NYY
• Travis Bazzana, 2B, CLE
• Chase DeLauter, OF, CLE
• Jett Williams, SS, NYM
• Andrew Painter, P, PHI

Potential Midseason 2026 Call-Ups

I expect all of these guys to be up sometime in the summer, perhaps after the Super Two period. I would be interested in these players in redraft leagues with NA slots. However, I'm probably waiting to dish out some FAAB on them in leagues where I'd have to roster them normally except for...

Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

I said that I wouldn't really be valuing this group of players as highly in regular redraft leagues, where you would likely be holding a dead roster spot for a chunk of the season, but Konnor Griffin is worth that risk.

I know fantasy managers might also feel a bit snake bitten when it comes to rostering a top Pirates prospect after how they handled Bubba Chandler this season, but Griffin's upside is simply too high to ignore.

My top dynasty prospect (which is the general industry consensus at the moment) is the only player who could be considered above Nick Kurtz in a 2024 FYPD redraft. He has been unstoppable at every level of the minors this season with a 165 wRC+ across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. He also has 21 HRs and an absurd 65 SBs.

Konnor Griffin is now slashing .356/.437/.563 in 22 Double-A games as a 19-year-old after last night's 3-hit playoff game

This is my unquestioned #1 prospect heading into 2026. The upside here is a tier above any other prospect in baseball right now.pic.twitter.com/FkuUlz5yDh

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 17, 2025

Griffin has the five-category upside that fantasy managers dream of. I'm still targeting him in redraft leagues even though I don't expect to be called up until the summer. If there's any indication that the Pirates will do a very non-Pirates thing and sign him to a big extension and have him break camp, he'll likely be a top 100 pick.

Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B, Texas Rangers

I am one of the bigger Sebastian Walcott stans in the dynasty prospect community. (Am I part of that community? I don't know.) He was my top prospect before Konnor Griffin's massive surge this season.

On the surface, Walcott had a bit of a disappointing season as he only had a 111 wRC+. However, I was still rather encouraged by his season as he made big strides in one of his biggest problem areas -- his plate approach. Last season, he struck out 25.6 percent of the time while walking 10.3 percent of the time. He greatly reduced his K rate to 19.6 percent while increasing his BB rate to 12.7 percent.

He did this all while being one of the youngest players at Double-A (19, and he won't turn 20 until March). He's also still providing good power and speed as he has 13 HRs and 32 SBs.

If you're rostering Walcott next season, I have to insist on exercising a little patience with him. As he has always been super young for his level, he has struggled a bit at the beginning, but once he starts to figure things out, he really shines. He's doing that to end this season.

Sebastian Walcott in his last 20 games:

.338 AVG
.929 OPS
16 BB | 12 K
166 wRC+

The 19-year-old has found it in Double-A👀 pic.twitter.com/AliYeJhgow

— The Call Up | An MLB Prospect Podcast (@The_CallUpPod) September 12, 2025

I imagine the Rangers will want to wait to see Walcott get off to a hot start in Triple-A next season before calling him up to the majors. Once he starts to get warm, it'll likely coincide with an inevitable Corey Seager or Josh Jung injury, which should open up playing time for him on the right side of the infield in Texas.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Minnesota Twins

Please, can one top Twins prospect just stay healthy? Twins-itis has struck with Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Walker Jenkins.

There aren't a ton of questions about Jenkins' ability on the field. He had a 136 wRC+ this season as a 20-year-old across Low-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with a strong approach at the plate. He also had 10 HRs and 17 SBs in only 361 PAs.

Walker Jenkins is a scoring machine 🤖

MLB's No. 14 prospect (@Twins) lasers an RBI single, giving him six straight games of scoring or driving in a run for the Triple-A @StPaulSaints.

Watch what happens next LIVE: https://t.co/lX9hi2VegR pic.twitter.com/A3ozBeOyHV

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 20, 2025

Jenkins has struggled a bit since getting the bump to Triple-A. Once he gets on a bit of a hot streak there next season, could the Twins use the "not wasting bullets" mentality with Jenkins and call him up to not waste a healthy period from their top prospect in the minors? When he's up next season, Jenkins should provide a solid all-around fantasy profile.

Thomas White, P, Miami Marlins

In my latest prospect update, I had Thomas White as my top non-debuted pitching prospect. So, why is he in this section while Robby Snelling, his teammate, is in the first section? I think White needs a bit more work on his command before getting the call to the majors. He also has never pitched 100 innings in his minor league career, so the Marlins probably won't want him to have a huge workload spike.

White is having an unbelievable season at only 20 years old as he has a 2.31 ERA with a 38.6 percent K rate in 89.2 innings across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A this season. The walks have been a bit of a problem, though, especially in his two Triple-A starts. His BB rate for the season is 13.6 percent.

If White cleans up the walks next season, I think the Marlins won't hesitate to call him up, and he should make for a high-strikeout pitcher who has arguably the highest upside in the minors.

Thomas White, best pitching prospect currently in the minors?

The @Marlins player dev is on fire this year. pic.twitter.com/qIQ7bAvJVQ

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 8, 2025

Nelson Rada, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Could Nelson Rada be 2026's Chandler Simpson? Rada doesn't have the cartoonish speed that Simpson has, but his speed-contact profile could give fantasy owners a similar boost to what Simpson provided this season. Rada has a 123 wRC+ this season with 56 SBs. He has always been super young for the level, as he just turned 20 and is already in Triple-A.

Like Simpson, he provides basically no power as he only has two HRs this season, which ties a career high for him. Unlike Simpson, Rada is an excellent outfield defender. Simpson is not a great defender, which I thought was almost impossible for an outfielder with his speed, but it did lead to him getting sent down for a short period this season.

I don't think that'll be a problem for Rada, and once he's up, he should be up for good. Rada won't be every fantasy manager's cup of tea, but if you're lacking speed, he's someone you might want to dump some FAAB on when he gets the call next season.

Other Potential Midseason 2026 Call-Ups to Consider

• Gage Jump, P, ATH
• Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, MIN
• Hector Rodriguez, OF, CIN
• The Big Three 2025 Draft College Arms:
  • Kade Anderson, P, SEA
  • Liam Doyle, P, STL
  • Jamie Arnold, P, ATH

Potential Exciting Late 2026 Call-Ups

I'd consider these guys as late-round dart throws in draft and hold leagues.

• Leodalis De Vries, SS, ATH
• Jesus Made, SS, MIL
• Max Clark, OF, DET
• George Lombard Jr., SS, NYY
• Josue Briceno, C/1B, DET

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