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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Kristian Campbell - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Stashing the right prospect can provide a much-needed boost to your fantasy team. Through the first half of the campaign, fantasy managers who stashed Milwaukee right-hander Jacob Misiorowski and Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz are enjoying the results.
In this piece, we will look at three of the current top performers at the Triple-A level and determine if fantasy managers should consider stashing them during Week 18 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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Nolan McLean, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 98 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 107 SO, 41 BB
New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean enjoyed a much-needed bounce-back in his most recent outing. After allowing six runs on July 18, McLean returned to form, tossing 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball en route to picking up the victory over Triple-A Omaha. In this start, McLean struck out six hitters and did not allow a walk.
The right-hander opened the season with Double-A, but needed just 37 1/3 innings to prove he was ready to make the jump to Triple-A Syracuse. With Double-A, McLean posted an elite 1.37 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.
Through 71 2/3 total innings at the top level of the minor leagues, the No. 75-ranked prospect on MLB.com has posted a solid 3.01 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He has struck out 77 hitters while serving up just 29 walks.
However, with Sean Manaea back in action, McLean (and the name below him) may have to wait a bit longer to join the MLB roster. Will Sammon of The Athletic recently reported that the Mets could opt to shift McLean to the bullpen, as there will likely not be room in the rotation. McLean would likely piggyback Clay Holmes on starts, as he has only been able to go five innings deep in most outings.
If a Mets starter were to miss time, McLean would become a must-stash. However, knowing that the Mets have already begun to kick the tires on a potential shift to the bullpen, his fantasy ceiling would be quite limited.
Nolan McLean in his Triple-A outing tonight;
7.1 IP | 4 H | 2 ER | 0 BB | 6 K
WHEN WILL WE SEE HIM ON AN MLB MOUND 🤔⁉️ pic.twitter.com/BFruVOpMQ0
— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) July 25, 2025
-Written by Andy Smith
Brandon Sproat, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 MiLB stats: 90 IP, 4.30 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 73 SO, 40 BB
Next up is another New York Met, Brandon Sproat. Unlike McLean, Sproat had a rough start to the Triple-A regular season, which is why he has not found himself in this column in nearly two months. However, the Florida product has even flipped the script and could even get called up to the big leagues before McLean.
Over his last 28 innings of work, the right-hander has posted an elite 0.64 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. During this stretch, the former second-round pick has struck out 30 hitters and allowed just eight walks. He logged 23 straight shutout innings at the start of this impressive run.
However, before this impressive run, Sproat held a hefty 6.29 ERA through his first 63 innings of the campaign.
Similar to McLean, Sproat could (and will likely) be promoted to the MLB roster as a long relief option as the Mets do not have any openings in the rotation. Given McLean's strikeout production this season, I would give him the slight edge over Sproat. However, if Sproat can continue this impressive run, he could even push the Mets' hand and find a role in the rotation later in August.
Brandon Sproat has not allowed an earned run in his last 4 starts (23 IP), with 27 Ks and 6 walks(3 in his last 17 IP).
It looks to be fueled by a couple of changes. Sproat has moved closer to 1B on the rubber and has changed his mix. FB velo is also up. Fun trends to watch. pic.twitter.com/NxKKKutUu7— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) July 21, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
Kristian Campbell, INF/OF, Boston Red Sox
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 MLB Stats: 67 G, .223/.319/.345, 10 2B, 6 HR, 2 SB
After initially struggling following his demotion to Triple-A, Kristian Campbell has been heating up of late. With a home run on Sunday, Campbell is now on an eight-game hitting streak and has three home runs in his last 13 games. He's also reached base in 14 of his last 15 games.
With the Red Sox having to play Ceddanne Rafaela at second base and still rotating Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro at first base, Campbell could be recalled in the near future to provide some additional stability and depth at those two positions. I'm still a firm believer in the 2024 minor league breakout and the April version of Campbell we saw before his rib injury.
During the opening month of the season, Campbell looked like an early favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year when he posted an impressive .287/.388/.460 line with an .848 OPS during April. However, in May, the former top prospect took a significant step back, posting a much lower .134/.184/.171 line with a .355 OPS.
If Campbell can continue to find his power swing at Triple-A, he should be in the mix to join Boston during the stretch as they look to claim a Wild Card. In addition, with Camnbepp starting to learn first base, he should have a relatively clear path to starting opportunities over Gonzalez and Toro, as neither has been able to lock down the job.
Fantasy managers in 12+ team leagues should view Campbell as a solid stash option in Week 18. When he gets the call, he will have solid value given the ability to play middle infield, outfield, and with the upside to gain first base eligibility.
Kristian Campbell since the All-Star Break? Red hot 🔥
The @RedSox infielder is slashing .364/.432/.576 with his latest home run for the @WooSox: pic.twitter.com/3s2OFudA9Z
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 27, 2025
- Written by Eric Cross
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