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Zach analyzes three top fantasy baseball prospects - Agustin Ramirez, Kyle Teel, Zebby Matthews - who could make big impacts this season. These MLB prospects are potential waiver wire pick-ups or stashes.
Grabbing the right rising star at just the right time can be just the boost your fantasy team needs. After just a few weeks of the regular season, most fantasy baseball managers are looking to tweak and adjust their teams and are identifying some positions of need. Two of the most common spots where teams need a boost are behind the plate and in the starting rotation. In this post, we'll look at three fantasy baseball prospects to stash that can help you at those tricky positions.
Whether your starting rotation or catcher situation has been stretched thin by injury or you're looking for an early-season upgrade, there are some good options to watch closely and stash where possible. In this post, we'll take a look at Agustin Ramirez of the Marlins, Kyle Teel of the White Sox, and Zebby Matthews of the Twins.
All three of the prospects in this post started the season in the minors but could get the call-up at some point this season and have an impact on the fantasy baseball scene. Let's dive in and see if these three prospects should be stashed or grabbed off the waiver wire before it's too late.
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Agustin Ramirez, C, Miami Marlins
Current Level: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (AAA)
Availability: 1% rostered
2025 MLB stats: 10 G, .275/.318/.475, 5 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R
Ramirez was the biggest prospect the Marlins got back from the Yankees in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade last season. He started the year ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Miami's system, according to MLB Pipeline. He's one of the closest catching prospects to making a difference for fantasy baseball because the Marlins don't have much blocking his way.
He played nine games with the MLB team in spring training and went 4-for-17 (.235) with a pair of home runs. In 10 games in Triple-A, he has shown dramatically improved defense behind the plate while going 11-for-40 with five doubles and a home run.
Round-tripper Ramírez💥 pic.twitter.com/LIVW0WSSoz
— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) April 9, 2025
Ramirez has plenty of power and really shines in batted ball metrics. His exit velocity is among the best in the minors, and as he improves his plate approach, he has a very high ceiling. He has 13 strikeouts for a 29.5 percent strikeout rate, which is still something he needs to improve before making the next step.
He has plenty of power potential at a position that is short on potential home runs. He makes a good backstop stash if available, especially if your league doesn't penalize for strikeouts.
Right now the Marlins are going with a combination of veteran Nick Fortes and Liam Hicks behind the plate, but Ramirez is viewed as the future of the position. When he gets his chance, he'll bring instant upside from a power perspective.
Kyle Teel, C, Chicago White Sox
Current Level: Charlotte Knights (AAA)
Availability: 2% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 11 G, .190/.292/.381, 2 2B, 2 HRs, 9 RBI, 5 R, 1 SB
Teel is a more well-rounded prospect than Ramirez, even though he doesn't have one outstanding characteristic like Ramirez's power. He was traded this offseason from the Red Sox to the White Sox as a key piece in the Garrett Crochet deal and has impressed when given an opportunity.
The 23-year-old lefty hit .288 with 13 homers in Double-A and Triple-A last season but has only hit .190 in his first 11 games in Charlotte. He does have a pair of home runs, though, including this blast, which highlighted a six-RBI performance.
Have yourself a night, Kyle Teel!
The @whitesox No. 2 prospect hits a three-run homer for Triple-A @KnightsBaseball en route to a 6-RBI game: pic.twitter.com/u14TJdrYZ5
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 30, 2025
Teel was ranked as the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball and the No. 2 prospect in Chicago's system to start the season. He hit .316 with a couple of home runs in spring training, so the low batting average to start the Triple-A season is most likely just a result of the limited sample size.
The White Sox had an opportunity to promote Teel or fellow catching prospect Edgar Quero when Korey Lee (ankle) was placed on the injured list ahead of their series finale in Cleveland, but instead, they opted to call up veteran Omar Narvaez, leaving Teel and Quero to keep working in Charlotte. Before his injury, Lee had been platooning with Matt Thaiss, but it looks like Narvaez will fill that role rather than one of the rookies.
When the White Sox do finally call Teel up, he'll be one of the best bats behind the plate. He has an excellent hit tool with good power and a strong plate approach, so he'll help your team in multiple categories without hurting you, as Ramirez could do with his batting average and strikeouts.
If both prospects were called up today, Teel would be the better pickup unless your team is only desperate for power and can absorb a hit in batting average.
Zebby Matthews, SP, Minnesota Twins
Level: St. Paul Saints (AAA)
Availability: 16% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 2 G, 1.80 ERA, 1.23 FIP, 13 K, 1 BB, 10 IP
Matthews skyrocketed through the minor leagues last year and spent the second half of the season in the Twins' starting rotation. He went 6-3 in starts in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with a 2.60 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 97 minor league innings.
He struggled in the majors, though, going 1-4 with a 6.69 ERA and a 5.72 FIP. He still had a 10.3 K/9 but gave up too much hard contact with 11 home runs allowed and a 42.1 percent hard-hit rate.
His struggles last season may have just been that he was rushed to the MLB due to the team's injuries, since he looks to be back on course this season. He was lights out in spring training, allowing four hits in nine 1/3 shutout innings and racking up 12 strikeouts.
Since he was sent to Triple-A to start the season, he allowed just two runs in 10 innings with 13 strikeouts. Those numbers are a vast improvement, even on his Triple-A numbers from last year.
A Zebby Matthews recall to the big leagues feels imminent after last night’s start and Pablo Lopez’s injury
5 IP
4 H
2 ER
BB
9 K
14 WhiffsPitch velo was up across the board compared to his season averages as well, and if the velo gains stick Matthews has the upside of a… pic.twitter.com/oV9o65IvHs
— Owen Hurd (@Owen_FBB) April 9, 2025
On the other side of the Twin Cities, Pablo Lopez (hamstring) just landed on the 15-day IL, and the Twins are tweaking their starting rotation as a result. They're planning to start David Festa on Friday and could add Zebby Matthews to the mix on Sunday or Monday as they make their transition to a six-man rotation, according to the latest reports from Bobby Nightingale Jr.
Twins pregame notes:
-David Festa is expected to start Friday. Don’t be surprised if they use a temporary six-man rotation between off days, which would make room for Zebby Matthews too.
-The latest in Brooks Lee’s rehab.
-Byron Buxton update. https://t.co/5Igj7b0NcC
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) April 10, 2025
Don't be thrown off by his tough numbers from last season; Matthews is a great addition this year after adding extra velocity and improving his pitch mix. If he gets the call, he has the upside to settle in as a top starter the rest of the way.
While you can wait and see or possibly stash the two catchers in this post, the time to add Zebby Matthews is now, and he's a great waiver wire option in all formats that shouldn't cost you a lot of your waiver wire budget unless you're in a very sharp league.
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