3 Impact Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Nick Kurtz, Andrew Painter, Coby Mayo

Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Nick Kurtz, Andrew Painter, Coby Mayo - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.

Fantasy managers have already seen top prospects make an impact early in the season. Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe has a 2.70 ERA across four starts, Boston Red Sox infielder Kristian Campbell is hitting .305 with three home runs and 10 RBI, and Minnesota Twins utility specialist Luke Keaschall was hitting .368 with three extra-base hits before suffering a forearm fracture a few days ago.

Three more prospects who could make an immediate impact in the majors this year are Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter, and Baltimore Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo. All three of these prospects are currently ranked inside the top 35 on MLB Pipeline and have the chance to be strong fantasy options at some point this season.

So, should fantasy managers stash these three prospects in Week 5 of the fantasy baseball season? Let's dive in and see if Kurtz, Painter, or Mayo should be grabbed off waivers before it's too late.

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Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics

Current Level: Athletics
Availability: 38% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 20 G, .321/.385/.655, 7 HRs, 7 2B, 24 RBI, 10 BB

Kurtz is the only player on this list currently on a major league roster, and the lefty slugger only needed 122 minor league at-bats to prove that he is MLB-ready. The Athletics drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft following a strong final college season at Wake Forest. Once he got drafted, he hit .368 with four home runs, three doubles, and 13 RBI across 12 games at Single-A and Double-A.

As a result, it was only a matter of time before Kurtz would make his major league debut. He has such raw power and a great eye at the plate. After the 22-year-old slashed .321/.385/.655 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in his first 20 games at Triple-A Las Vegas this season, it wasn't a surprise when the Athletics decided to call him up last week.

He hit a combined .336 with 11 home runs, 10 doubles, 37 RBI, and 22 walks in just 32 games across those three minor league levels. Now, Kurtz will be an everyday first baseman for the Athletics. Although the 22-year-old has just four hits across his first 16 major league at-bats, he is someone fantasy managers should be stashing in every format.

Nick Kurtz is getting called up to the Athletics!

AAA Stats:
20 G, .321/.385/.655 - 1.040 OPS, 7 HR, 24 RBI 🔥

Only took him 32 minor league games to reach the MLB 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rGVHPdhvMG

— Wake Forest Baseball Analytics (@Wake_Analytics) April 21, 2025

It's going to take Kurtz some time to get adjusted to major league pitching, but once he does, he will be a solid fantasy option. Just look at what he did across his 32 minor league games. There have also been some encouraging signs from the Athletics first baseman in his first few major league at-bats this season.

He has a hit in four of his five games, and his 77.5 mph bat speed makes his swings one of the fastest in the entire league. Therefore, fantasy managers should stay patient with Kurtz for the time being. We should start to see his power numbers show up at the plate, especially since the A's play all their home games at a minor league ballpark (Sutter Health Park).

Andrew Painter, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Current Level: Single-A Clearwater
Availability: 15% rostered
2022 MiLB stats: 22 GS, 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 155 K, 103 2/3 IP
2025 A stats: 3 GS, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 10 K, 7 1/3 IP

It's finally good to see Philadelphia Phillies' top prospect back on the mound after he missed the past two seasons due to an elbow injury. Painter first sprained his UCL back during spring training in 2023. Although the right-hander tried to rehab that injury at first, the pitcher eventually opted for Tommy John surgery later that season.

As a result, Painter didn't throw a single pitch during the 2023 and 2024 minor league seasons. However, the 22-year-old seems fully healthy for the first time since suffering that elbow injury. He threw 15 2/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League this past November and only allowed four runs (2.30 ERA) to go with 18 strikeouts across his six starts.

Painter is now on a rehab assignment with Single-A Clearwater. In his three rehab starts there, the right-hander has looked solid for the most part. He gave up two runs on two hits across 1 1/3 innings in his first outing on April 7 before throwing three scoreless innings in back-to-back starts on April 18 and April 24.

Andrew Painter was overpowering Low-A hitters yesterday in his third start of the season.

43 pitches, 32 strikes in 3 IP. Struck out 3 and walked 0. Fastball averaged 97.2 MPH, topped at 99.4. Slider has been nasty. pic.twitter.com/cdi9qs1bH4

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) April 25, 2025

With Painter continuing to work his way back from Tommy John surgery, he should be pitching at the Triple-A level in no time. While we shouldn't expect MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall prospect to make his MLB debut in the next few weeks, there's a strong chance he could be called sometime around the All-Star break.

Therefore, Painter could be a solid stash in some fantasy leagues right now. He is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and showed his potential during his last minor league season in 2022. In 22 starts, the right-hander had a combined 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts at Single-A, High-A, and Double-A.

Coby Mayo, 3B, Baltimore Orioles

Level: Triple-A Norfolk
Availability: 7% rostered
2024 MLB stats: 17 G, .098/.196/.098, 4 R, 4 BB, 22 SO
2025 AAA stats: 24 G, .256/.361/.500, 4 HRs, 17 RBI, 15 R, 15 BB, 1 SB

When the Baltimore Orioles called up Mayo at the beginning of August last year, most fantasy managers rushed to the waiver wire to pick him up. The third baseman tore his up at Triple-A Norfolk and had the potential to be a strong fantasy option right away. Unfortunately, the Orioles' prospect really struggled in his first taste of the big leagues.

Mayo had just four hits across 41 at-bats (.098 batting average) with four runs scored, four walks, and 22 strikeouts in his first 17 major league games. Following that poor season in the majors, the Orioles decided not to carry him on their 2025 Opening Day roster. In the team's eyes, he needed more work in the minors before getting another shot.

Nevertheless, his shot could be coming again in the majors. With the Orioles struggling on offense to begin the season, they could decide to call up Mayo in the coming weeks. Given that the 23-year-old is hitting .306 (11-for-36) with three doubles and six RBI over his last nine games at Triple-A Norfolk, he could be the boost Baltimore is looking for in its lineup.

108.8 mph | 422 ft

MLB's No. 13 prospect Coby Mayo (@Orioles No. 2) crushes his second dinger of the year to straightaway center for the Triple-A @NorfolkTides. pic.twitter.com/eG17coKuSH

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 12, 2025

Although Mayo looked overmatched at the plate in his first go around in the majors, he definitely has the potential to be a reliable bat in Baltimore's lineup. He hit .290 with 29 home runs, 45 doubles, and 99 RBI across 140 games at Double-A and Triple-A in 2023 and followed up that campaign by hitting .293 with 25 home runs, 26 doubles, and 73 RBI in 93 games at High-A and Triple-A last season.

Therefore, Mayo could be a solid stash in deeper leagues right now. With the Orioles sitting at 11-17 on the season, MLB Pipeline's No. 13 overall prospect could be up in the big leagues before we know it. Baltimore is having a hard time scoring runs, and the third baseman could provide a spark on offense.

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