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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Nolan McLean, Spencer Jones, Sal Stewart - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Stashing the right prospect could provide your fantasy baseball team with a much-needed boost, especially in the second half. Through the first few months of this season, fantasy managers have seen several high-end prospects get the call to the bigs and make an immediate impact. Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson has become an optimal option for speed production while Nic Kurtsz has flashed immense power upside.
In this piece, we will look at a pitcher who is racking up strikeouts at Triple-A and a budding outfielder who is flashing elite power upside at the Triple-A level.
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: 15% rostered
2025 MiLB Stats: 90 2/3 IP, 2.58 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 101 SO, 41 BB
Sitting comfortably in the third spot is New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean. Despite Sean Manaea making his season debut, McLean should be in the mix to join the MLB roster in the coming weeks. McLean opened the season with Double-A and needed just 26 1/3 innings to prove he was ready to join the top ranks in the minors.
During this stint, the right-hander struck out 30 hitters and held a 1.37 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP.
Since moving up to Triple-A, McLean has remained impressive. Through his first 64 1/3 innings with Triple-A Syracuse, McLean has held a 3.22 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. During this stretch, his right-handed prospect has struck out 71 hitters and allowed only 29 free passes.
Over his last two outings, McLean has hit the double-digit strikeout mark in each. Over his last four starts (22 innings), McLean has posted an elite 2.45 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 30:9 K:BB.
While Jonah Tong and even Brandon Sproat have flashed elite upside at times in the New York system, I would give the slight edge to McLean as the pitcher to stash in Queens. He is a strong stash option in all 12+ team leagues as we enter the back-half of the fantasy baseball season.
Given his high strikeout upside, McLean is worth stashing in all deeper 12+ team formats. He will likely be the first name called when the Mets need additional reinforcements in their rotation during the second half.
Nolan McLean (NYM) continues to decimate AAA batters!
He racked up 10 K across 6.0 while leaning on his strong breaking balls and generating a ton of whiffs. He is going to be a stud! pic.twitter.com/OD7n1D5L03
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 10, 2025
-Written by Andy Smith
Spencer Jones, OF, New York Yankees
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 MiLB stats: 65 G, .317/.415/.691, 13 2B, 26 HR, 16 SB, 91 SO, 41 BB
For the most part, I haven't been writing up the same prospect two weeks in a row in these stash rankings, but with what Spencer Jones is currently doing in Triple-A, discussing him again this week feels warranted.
With another three home runs over the weekend, Jones is now up to 10 in 16 Triple-A games with five doubles, six steals, and a ridiculous .426/.481/.941 slash line. Over his last 29 games, including Double-A, Jones has cranked 16 home runs with a .427/.493/.897 slash line. He's also struck out at a manageable 25.7% rate over that span with a 12.5% walk rate.
Spencer Jones is UNSTOPPABLE! A two-homer game gives him 10 in 16 games at Triple-A! pic.twitter.com/igHRrG3EZA
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 20, 2025
You've probably heard me mention countless times that Jones' strikeout and contact rates are major red flags. That hasn't changed either, but Jones trimming the strikeout rate over the last five weeks is certainly encouraging. And when it comes to contact, I'm not asking for above-average contact rates, or even average contact rates here.
Even if Jones is in the 75-77% range for zone contact and above 65% overall, he could still become a high-impact player for fantasy purposes. Will he be able to get to those ranges? That remains to be seen. However, he remains an intriguing prospect to consider stashing now or targeting when he receives the call. Just remember, the peaks and valleys will likely be extremely prominent here.
Jones is worth keeping a close eye on as his power production could push for a promotion despite the Yankee outfield being quite crowded. However, given that Jasson Dominguez, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge do not appear to be in any danger of losing playing time, Jones will likely have to wait for an injury before moving up to the Bronx.
- Written by Eric Cross
Sal Stewart, INF, Cincinnati Reds
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 MiLB Stats: 83 G, .303/.371/.472, 19 2B, 11 HR, 14 SO, 53 SO, 27 BB
Sal Stewart joins the Top-25 this week after getting the bump to Triple-A a few days ago. On Sunday, Stewart hit his first Triple-A home run in his third game at the level, and is now up to 11 home runs in 83 games this season with 19 doubles, 14 steals, and a .303/.374/.472 slash line.
Stewart is far from the flashiest prospect around, but this is one of the better pure hitters in the minor leagues with a relatively high offensive floor. Stewart blends above-average raw power with a contact rate above 80% while striking out only 15.5% of the time this season. I'm usually terrible with comps, but a Bryan Reynolds comp feels right with Stewart.
If Noelvi Marte struggles, or there's an injury, Stewart could see Cincinnati by the end of the season and provide sneaky fantasy value.
Given that he was only recently bumped up to Triple-A, he should be stashed in deeper 14+ team leagues for the time being. However, if he continues to produce at a high level, he could push for an MLB promotion before the end of the campaign.
Noelvi Marte moving to the outfield feels like a sign that Sal Stewart is knocking on the door.#Reds pic.twitter.com/1WpeKDB86F
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) July 21, 2025
- Written by Eric Cross
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