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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Bryce Eldridge, Mick Abel, Justin Crawford - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
In the second half, it is crucial to target high upside players as they could be the difference between you winning and losing your fantasy baseball league. Last season, Junior Caminero flashed high power upside as soon as he earned the call late in the season.
In this piece, we will take a look at two of the top prospects in the Philadelphia system and a budding ace who was recently acquired by the Minnesota Twins shortly before the trade deadline and determine if any of them should hold a spot on your bench.
Should those players be left on the waiver wire, or should fantasy managers add them before their breakout? Let's dive in!
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Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats:43 G, .236/.300/.497, 6 2B, 12 HR, 1 SB, 60 SB, 16 BB
With the San Francisco Giants losing seven of their last 10 games and falling 5.5 games back in the National League Wild Card picture, it wouldn't surprise me to see them give their top prospect a cup of coffee to end the season. If Eldridge does get the call, the potential power impact makes him highly intriguing for fantasy purposes.
106.6 mph | 425 ft 🎇
MLB's No. 1 first-base prospect Bryce Eldridge (@SFGiants) mashes his 11th homer of the year -- 4th for the Triple-A @RiverCats. pic.twitter.com/ctP21cVgkF
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 23, 2025
In his last 24 games in Triple-A, Eldridge has swatted nine home runs with a .253/.324/.582 slash line. The quality of contact metrics has been truly elite with a 94.2 mph AVG EV, 58.8% hard-hit rate, and a 17.6% barrel rate. However, Eldridge has also recorded a 65.7% contact rate and 34.5% strikeout rate in 113 Triple-A plate appearances, albeit with a respectable 81.1% zone contact rate.
Earlier this season, the former 16th overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft spent time at Double-A and flashed high power upside there as well. Through 34 games with Double-A Richmond, Eldridge posted a .280/.350/.512 line with an .862 OPS and seven home runs.
He is worth closely monitoring for the time being, as he should be in the mix to join San Francisco in the near future.
-Written by Eric Cross
Mick Abel, SP, Minnesota Twins
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 89 1/3 IP, 2.22 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 104 SO, 38 BB
The former 15th overall pick made it to MLB earlier this season with the Philadelphia Phillies. During his first look in the big leagues, Abel had mixed results, logging 25 innings to the tune of a 5.04 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. During this stint, Abel struck out 21 batters and served up walks at a modest 8.3% rate.
However, Abel was one of the top names that was shipped to Minnesota in a deal that brought high-end closer Jhoan Duran to the Phillies.
Since joining the Minnesota organization, the Twins have opted to keep Abel at Triple-A, and this decision appears to be benefiting him greatly. Through his first three starts with St. Paul (25 IP), Abel has posted a strong 1.76 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. During this stint, Abel has tallied 23 punchouts and walked only six batters.
Abel enjoyed success at Triple-A in Lehigh Valley this season, holding a 2.31 ERA and 1.116 WHIP across 74 innings of work. Abel flashed a similar stroke upside, tallying 81, but he lacked consistency in his command, as he allowed 32 free passes.
Seeing Abel continue to lower his walk rate with his new club is an auspicious sign.
Currently, the Twins have three pitchers on their injured list: Pablo Lopez (shoulder), Simeon Woods Richardson (illness), and David Festa (shoulder). This situation could open the door for Abel to return to the majors in the future. With the Twins far out of the playoff picture, giving Abel another taste of the majors could put him in a good position to take the next step in 2026.
He is a solid stash option in all 12+ team leagues this weekend.
Mick Abel in his third start with the @Twins organization 🎤
6 IP / 2 H / 2 R / 0 BB / 11 K
He had a 43% whiff rate on all his pitches, including a 50%+ whiff rate on his secondary pitches⚔️#MNTwins
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) August 17, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
Justin Crawford, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 100 G, .333/.314/.441, 22 2B, 4 HR, 39 SB
Dave Dombrowski is known for being a "turn over every rock to try and help the team win" kind of GM. He demonstrated that at the trade deadline by making an aggressive trade for Jhoan Duran.
Now he should demonstrate it by calling up the Phillies' top hitting prospect, Justin Crawford. The Phillies' pitching has been very good for most of the season, but the offense is lacking a bit of a spark, and the team is getting minimal production from its outfield.
Crawford could provide that spark with his blazing speed and above-average hit tool. At Triple-A this season, he has a 131 WRC+ with 37 SBs. He is also striking out only 18.2 percent of the time while walking 12.2 percent of the time.
Crawford is an imperfect offensive prospect in that he hits the ball on the ground A LOT, so we shouldn't expect many homers from him. However, he could potentially have a Chandler Simpson-esque average and stolen base impact to the Phillies and our fantasy lineups if called up.
If you are looking to boost your speed production, Crawford is worth a look as a stash option in deeper 12+ team, five-outfielder formats. He should be in a good position to join Philadelphia over the final weeks of the season as they prepare for a deep playoff run.
Justin Crawford in AAA Lehigh Valley-
.332 4 HR 39 RBI 38 SB .853 OPS
Crawford played left field again tonight, his 23rd game out there overall.
pic.twitter.com/fTvew5AAik— Phils News (@philliessports_) August 17, 2025
- Written by Kevin Luo
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