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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Colson Montgomery, Jonah Tong, Jack Perkins - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Through the opening months of the season, we have seen several prospects emerge at the Triple-A level and be awarded an early promotion. Prospects such as Noah Cameron and Logan Henderson were not high on prospect rankings, but have still made a significant impact.
In this piece, we will analyze three prospects who are in the minor leagues. While one of these names is still at Double-A, he is pushing for an early-season call to Triple-A, which could set up a second-half MLB debut.
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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Colson Montgomery, SS, Chicago White Sox
Current Level: Triple-A
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 44 G, .199/.281/.374, 7 2B, 7 HR, 65 SO, 15 BB
Chicago White Sox infield prospect Colson Montgomery was once considered the top prospect in the system, especially after being drafted with the 22nd pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Southridge HS. In 2022, spent most of his time in the lower levels of the minor leagues and posted a .274/.381/.429 slash line with 17 doubles and 11 long balls across 96 games.
Then in 2023, Montgomery continued to perform at a high level, posting a strong .939 OPS with a 56:56 K:BB.
However, at the start of the 2024 campaign, the White Sox opted to move their top infield prospect to Triple-A Charlotte. During his first taste of the highest level of the minor leagues, Montgomery struggled as he held a .214/.329/.381 line across 130 games.
Then, through his first 28 games of the 2025 campaign (with Triple-A Charlotte), these struggles continued to remain relevant as he posted an underwhelming .473 OPS with a hefty 38.5% K rate. However, over his last 19 contests, Montgomery has begun to turn the corner and could be finally reaching the end of his development.
During this recent surge, Montgomery has posted a strong .271/.370/.529 line with a .899 OPS, four home runs, and a lower 25.9% K rate.
Is this recent surge legit?
When looking at his underlying metrics in comparison to his 2024 and 2025 numbers at Triple-A, Montgomery has shown significant improvement. In 2024, Montgomery posted a low 37.4% FB% but has seen this number rise to a 46.2% mark. While his BABIP in 2025 remains lower than his 2024 mark, his recent surge at the plate could suggest he is beginning to turn the corner.
If Montgomery continues to perform at this level, he could reach the majors early in the second half. However, given his rather inconsistent play at Triple-A, fantasy managers in redraft leagues should leave him on their waiver wire for the time being.
Colson Montgomery is 4-4 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs tonight.
Seems good.pic.twitter.com/O0xCuv9Dyo
— Mike (@ChiSoxFanMike) May 25, 2025
-Written by Andy Smith
Jonah Tong, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: Double-A
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AA stats: 59 1/3 IP, 1.97 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 96 SO, 29 BB
While Brandon Sproat and Christian Scott were once viewed as the rising stars in the Mets' pitching system last year, Scott has dealt with injuries, and Sproat has struggled to find consistency. As a result, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong have emerged as the new top arms in the system.
While McLean also has a viable path to reach the majors this season, Tong is flashing immense upside and is quickly emerging as one of the top pitching prospects in the game.
Tong made his professional debut in 2023 after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft. In 2023, Tong logged just 13 1/3 innings, so his 2024 campaign was his true debut campaign.
In 2024, Tong logged 113 innings across time at Low-A, High-A (primarily), and Double-A. Across this stint, Tong struck out 160 batters and held a 3.03 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP.
Through 2025, Tong has shown similar upside and has even taken strides further. He has spent his entire campaign with Double-A and has looked the part. Through 54 1/3 innings, Tong has tallied 91 punchouts with a stellar 1.99 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.
His 41.6% K rate is nearly seven points higher than his 2024 mark. In addition, he has raised his ground-ball rate to 53.2% (from 45.2% in 2024). His lone blemish this season is that his walk rate rose three points in relation to 2024.
Given Tong's emergence at Double-A, fantasy managers should expect the Georgia Premier Academy product to earn the call to Triple-A Syracuse sooner rather than later. While a 2025 MLB debut may seem difficult to picture, the Mets will be in the postseason hunt, and Tong could be their top pitching reinforcement by the end of the summer.
However, given that Tong still resides in Double-A, he is not worth stashing. However, if he were to move up to Triple-A soon, he would be viewed as a top pitching stash.
Jonah Tong now leads the minors with 91 strikeouts in 54.1 innings 🔥
The Mets RHP has been one of the biggest rising pitching prospects in all of baseball this season.
(🎥 @MetsPlayerDev)
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 11, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
Jack Perkins, SP, Athletics
Current Level: Triple-A
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 44 IP, 2.86 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 68 SO, 20 BB
The Athletics' pitching staff has been downright atrocious this season, with a 5.48 ERA overall and a 5.81 ERA over the last 30 days. With them falling out of the American League postseason picture over the last few weeks, it wouldn't be surprising to see them start to bring up some of their top prospects, specifically Jack Perkins, who has been pitching very well in Triple-A so far this season.
In eight starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Perkins has recorded a 3.23 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.6% walk rate, and a 38.9% strikeout rate. Perkins has been able to dominate with his mid-90s sinker and mid-80s slider while mixing in the occasional four-seamer, cutter, and changeup.
Last Thursday, Perkins posted an incredible 12-strikeout performance in which he had 21 whiffs, 20 of which combined on his slider or sinker. He has hit the double-digit strikeout mark twice this season and tallied at least seven strikeouts in all but two starts.
Another name I wouldn't be surprised to see soon is Luis Morales, who has now made five starts in Triple-A.
Jack Perkins in his last 6 starts in AAA:
31.2 IP
2.27 ERA
41.9 k%
9.7 BB%It might be time pic.twitter.com/P3YlNHd4L8
— Adam (@AdamThaSportFan) June 13, 2025
Given the elite strikeout Lopez has begun to show, he has a viable path to earning a spot at the back of the Athletics rotation. He is worth stashing in deeper leagues for the time being.
- Written by Eric Cross
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