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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Justin Crawford, Jordan Lawlar, Jonah Tong - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Throughout the fantasy baseball season, managers have seen ample top prospects get the call to the big leagues. While some have taken their time to flash upside or even make an impact, like Jac Caglianone, others have become must-start options, such as Nick Kurtz.
In this piece, we will look at three of the top performers in the minor leagues this season and determine if we should be stashing them on our bench during Week 19 of the fantasy baseball season.
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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Justin Crawford, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 15% rostered
2025 AAA Stats:83 G, .325/.411/.426, 18 2B, 3 HR, 33 SB
The Phillies were very aggressive at the trade deadline, most notably trading for Jhoan Duran. However, they didn't add an impact outfielder (sorry, Harrison Bader- you are not an impact outfielder) and didn't trade Justin Crawford. That must mean they think Crawford can be an impact outfielder for them this season.
Dave Dombrowski says he believes Justin Crawford is ready to play at the major league level but he needs to play and Dave says he is not sure they have the capability to have him play full-time at this time pic.twitter.com/SDN827Ucpu
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 31, 2025
I've said this before about Crawford, but his profile resembles what you'd expect from Carl Crawford's son. He has an excellent hit tool and will steal a lot of bases. He has 33 SBs this season at Triple-A and had 42 last season. He also has a 127 WRC+ this season at Triple-A.
You're not going to get much power from Crawford as he only has three HRs this season and he hits the ball on the ground... a lot. He has a 61.8 percent ground-ball rate this season and has been over 60 percent at most stops along his minor league career.
If you are looking for someone to provide a Chandler Simpson-esque impact to your fantasy team, Crawford might be your man.
-Written by Kevin Luo
Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 53 G, .319/.410/.583, 19 2B, 10 HR, 18 SB
With Eugenio Suarez now back with his old team in Seattle, the hot corner in Arizona is wide open for Jordan Lawlar the rest of the season. Lawlar is currently on a rehab assignment, but it seems like he could be ready in the next week or so to rejoin the Diamondbacks.
The buzz surrounding Lawlar has certainly died down over the last year or two due to multiple trips to the injured list. However, this is still a talented offensive player and one of the highest upside prospects in the minors for fantasy purposes. In 53 Triple-A games this season, Lawlar racked up 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and 18 steals with a .319/.410/.583 slash line. There's honestly not a prospect in these Top-25 stash rankings with more fantasy upside than Lawlar.'
Even though Lawlar has struggled during his first few stints in the major leagues (holding a .080/.197/.080 line across 22 career MLB games), Lawlar has elite upside and can contribute ot all five standard categories. In addition, during these stints, the former sixth overall pick was not given significant opportunities. With Suarez now back in Seattle, Lawlar could be given a long-awaited full look at the oht ocnrer.
He is worth stashing in all 12+team formats as he possesses the upside to chip in home runs and steals while racking up counting stats batting in the top half of a solid lineup even after the departure of Saurez.
- Written by Eric Cross
Jonah Tong, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AA Stats: 92 IP, 1.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 146 SO, 42 BB
Rounding out this list will be a familiar name to readers of this column. Jonah Tong was featured in a previous edition during the first half, but he will earn another spot as he has yet to slow down.
The 22-year-old right-hander has looked nothing short of dominant during his tenure at Double-A Binghamton this summer. Through 89 innings of work, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the system has posted a remarkable 1.72 ERA with a sparkling 0.90 WHIP. During this stretch, Tong has struck out 128 hitters while allowing just 37 walks.
Since the start of June, Tong has held an even better 1.20 ERA with a 0.73 WHIP. Through these 45 innings of work, the budding ace has struck out an eye-catching 66 hitters while serving up just 13 total free passes.
There is no doubt that Tong is ready to join Triple-A, but unfortunately, the Mets have yet to give him the call. During the 2024 season, Tong spent most of his time with High-A Brooklyn and struggled a bit, posting a 3.71 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP.
Even though he is facing tougher competition, Tong has shown immense growth in relation to his production last season. So far at Double-A, Tong has posted a 29.3% K-BB% compared to the 19.8% he held last season at High-A. In addition, he has been able to lower his BABIP to .247 in relation to the .338 mark he held with the Cyclones.
Tong is a fast-rising pitching prospect. However, given that the Mets have kept him at Double-A, it is tough to envision an outcome where he resides in Queens. Instead, fantasy managers should expect fellow pitching prospects Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat to debut in the second half.
Tong is a must-stash in keeper/dynasty formats, but it's best to leave on your redraft waiver wire.
Final line for Jonah Tong today for Double-A Binghamton:
3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 8 K, 74 pitches/41 strikes
Lowered his ERA to 1.66, and has a minor league-leading 146 strikeouts in only 92 innings.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 30, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
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