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Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Updated Rankings for 2023 Redraft (Week 11)

Eric's updated top 25 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for Week 11 (2023). MLB prospects, rookies, call-ups to make fantasy baseball impacts in redraft leagues.

The past week was another exciting one in the world of prospect promotions. Not only was Jordan Walker recalled from Triple-A, but we also had a trio of pitching prospects in my top-100 overall make their debuts with Bryan Woo, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Andrew Abbott all getting the call. Even with them off of this week's list, we still have plenty of exciting names to consider stashing, especially on the hitting side.

Stashing fantasy baseball prospects should be done strategically, not haphazardly. You need to be cognizant of which prospects will be up sooner and can make the biggest short-term impact on your teams – even if that means stashing a prospect that might be ranked lower than another in long-term dynasty prospect rankings.

In this article, we will focus on MLB prospects, rookies, and call-ups who could make impacts for the 2023 fantasy baseball season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Top 25 Prospects to Stash for Fantasy Baseball

Notes on plenty of prospects can be found below the rankings table. And remember, these rankings are for 2023 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects to potentially make a rest-of-season fantasy baseball impact in 2023. As prospects are called up, they are removed from the rankings. You can also see our top 250 fantasy baseball dynasty prospects for long-term outlooks.

Called Up Last Week: Jordan Walker (STL), Bryan Woo (SEA), AJ Smith-Shawver (ATL), Andrew Abbott (CIN)

Honorable Mentions: Justin Dirden (HOU), Justin Foscue (TEX), Pedro Leon (HOU), Samad Taylor (KC), Sal Frelick (MIL), Addison Barger (TOR), Kyle Harrison (SFG), Moises Gomez (STL), Davis Schneider (COL)

Rank Name Position Team ETA Last Wk
1 Elly De La Cruz SS CIN July 3
2 Colton Cowser OF BAL June 4
3 Jordan Westburg 2B/3B/SS BAL June 1
4 Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B/3B CIN June 6
5 Ronny Mauricio SS NYM June 2
6 Gavin Williams SP CLE July 8
7 Kyle Manzardo 1B TBR July 7
8 Bo Naylor C CLE June 10
9 Justyn-Henry Malloy OF DET June 12
10 Endy Rodriguez C PIT July 9
11 Grayson Rodriguez SP BAL July 11
12 Oscar Colas OF CHE June 17
13 Connor Norby 2B BAL July 20
14 Dominic Fletcher OF ARI July 13
15 Ben Brown SP CHC June 14
16 David Hamilton SS BOS June 15
17 Curtis Mead 2B/3B TBR July 19
18 Brandon Pfaadt SP ARI July 21
19 Heston Kjerstad OF BAL July NR
20 Tyler Soderstrom C/1B OAK July 23
21 Joey Ortiz SS BAL June 24
22 Colt Keith 3B DET July 25
23 Dominic Canzone OF ARI June NR
24 Luis Matos OF SFG July NR
25 Cade Marlowe OF SEA July 22

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Elly De La Cruz (SS - CIN)

Well, Cincinnati called up two prospects over the last week and neither one was named Elly De La Cruz. But given the fact that De la Cruz is still dominating in Triple-A and Cincinnati has been starting Kevin Newman regularly, you have to imagine the call is going to come sooner rather than later. De La Cruz is up to 12 home runs and 11 steals in 38 games and trimmed his strikeout rate from 41.9% in April to 23.8% combined in May and June. There's not one single prospect in the minors right now that can match Elly's fantasy upside.

UPDATE 6/6: The Reds officially called up Elly De La Cruz on Tuesday!

The Baltimore Trio (Westburg, Coswer, Norby)

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the best teams in baseball right now and are on the verge of adding a trio of exciting young bats to their lineup over the next month or two. Usually we talk about how a top prospect is blocked at the Major League level and needs an injury or position change to break into the lineup (Like Mauricio). But that's not the case here in Baltimore as the paths for Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, and Connor Norby are all fairly open.

All three are hitting very well right now too. In two games since returning from injury, Cowser has reached base in six of his seven plate appearances with a double and a home run and is slashing a robust .347/.484/.590 on the season with eight home runs and five steals in 39 games. As for Wesrburg, he's been on fire basically the entire season as he's eclipsed a .300 average, .380 OBP, and .550 SLG in both months this season. His ability to play multiple spots on the diamond only helps his chances of cracking Baltimore's lineup in the upcoming weeks.

Even Norby is heating up of late after a slow start to the season. After a lackluster .265/.311/.347 line with one home run and one steal in April, Norby slashed .314/.372/.492 in May and is 5/14 so far in three June games. I'd definitely stash Cowser and Westburg over him, but Norby is one to at least keep on your radar moving forward as a potential 2nd half callup.

Heston Kjerstad (OF - BAL)

Oh look, another Baltimore bat jumping onto the list. Yes, I could've included Kjerstad in the section above with the other three, but as he's a new addition to the list this week, I wanted to give him his own section. Kjerstad's professional debut had to wait until later in 2022 due to a medical issue, but all he's done since debuting is hit at a high level. In 46 Double-A games this season, Kjerstad has slashed .310/.384/.576 with 10 doubles and 11 home runs while only striking out 15% of the time. That performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A where he should debut on Tuesday.

The power is easily plus here and I saw him flex that power during the Arizona Fall League and also during the AFL home run derby which he came in second in. He's still behind Cowser on the depth chart, but we're likely going to see Kjerstad up with Baltimore at some point this summer.

Bo Naylor (C - CLE)

While they're still second in the weak American League Central, the Cleveland Guardians are five games under .500 and don't appear to be contenders after winning the division in 2022. With that in mind, they really have no reason not to bring Bo Naylor up in the near future to see what he can do in the starter's role.

Naylor is their catcher of the future and has been performing well this season in Triple-A with a .258/.402/.505 slash line, 12 doubles, and 11 home runs in 53 games. I'm going to be putting up missing posters on telephone polls to try and find where all of his steals went, but Naylor can still make an impact with his bat and has greater impact potential in OBP formats.

Gavin Williams (SP - CLE)

Last but not least we have stud pitching prospect Gavin Williams. Unfortunately, I'm not sure we see him this month unless there's another injury in Cleveland's rotation. Even Cal Quantrill and Peyton Battenfield on the IL, Cleveland still has a full rotation with Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie recently returning from the IL, and all five arms are pitching well right now. However, there are some rumblings that Shane Bieber could be dealt at the trade deadline, but that's still nearly two months away.

It does appear that Williams is finally the next man up though and he would be a priority add once he gets the call. Williams has a 2.43 ERA in seven Triple-A starts and a 1.93 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 35.9% strikeout rate overall.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.



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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kirill Marchenko

Returns From Four-Game Absence
De'Anthony Melton

to be Capped at 20 Minutes on Thursday
Carter Verhaeghe

Ready to Return Thursday
Scott Wedgewood

Skips Thursday's Game
Paolo Banchero

Upgraded to Questionable for Friday Night
Danila Yurov

Misses Second Straight Game
CFB

Billy Napier Finalizing Deal to Become James Madison's New Head Coach
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Unavailable Thursday
CFB

Buster Faulkner Set to Become Florida's New Offensive Coordinator
Dereck Lively II

to Seek "Multiple Opinions" on Right Foot Treatment
David Pastrnak

Still Out Thursday
Ryan McDonagh

Lightning Sign Ryan McDonagh to Three-Year Extension
Trayce Jackson-Davis

Set to Suit Up Thursday
Ja Morant

Considered Day-to-Day
Tee Higgins

Ready to Return After Full Practice?
Jimmy Butler III

Sidelined Thursday
Jayden Daniels

Practices in Full on Thursday
Jaylen Brown

Ruled Out Thursday Against the Wizards
Lamar Jackson

Expected to Play Against Steelers
Quentin Grimes

Is Ready to Return on Thursday
Deshaun Watson

Not Expected to Play This Year
Paul George

Will Not Play Against the Warriors
Joel Embiid

Upgraded to Questionable for Thursday
CFB

Joe Sloan Expected to be Kentucky's New Offensive Coordinator
Justin Herbert

Chargers "Really Optimistic" That Justin Herbert Will Play on Monday
Michael Porter Jr.

Will Not Play Thursday
CFB

Lane Kiffin Working to Keep Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker at LSU
Noa Essengue

Out for the Season
Mike Evans

has "Real Chance" to Return in Week 14
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Expected To Miss 2-4 Weeks
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Realistic Expectation is for Amon-Ra St. Brown to Return Next Week
Jalen Carter

Won't Play in Week 14 After Having Shoulder Surgeries
Justin Herbert

Expected to Practice Either Thursday or Friday
Mike Evans

Practicing Again Thursday
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Questionable With Rib Contusion
Marcus Smart

Sidelined Thursday Against Raptors
Los Angeles Clippers

Chris Paul Set To Part Ways With Clippers
CFB

Brian Daboll a Candidate for Penn State Head-Coaching Job?
Yves Missi

Sidelined vs. Wolves
Quentin Grimes

Uncertain To Play Against Golden State
Bilal Coulibaly

Likely Out Multiple Weeks With Oblique Strain
Karel Vejmelka

Records Impressive Shutout
JJ Peterka

Rocks Ducks With Four-Point Effort
Cole Caufield

Extends Point Streak With Power-Play Assist
Matvei Michkov

Delivers Two Assists Wednesday
Jake Oettinger

Grabs Fourth Consecutive Victory With Shutout
Ryan Leonard

Tallies Four Points in Wednesday's Win
Cam York

Exits Win Early
Jakob Poeltl

to Sit Out Thursday's Game
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Third Straight Game Thursday
Kyren Williams

Expected to Play in Week 14
Davante Adams

Expected to Play Despite Missing Wednesday's Practice
Kyle Tucker

Visits With Blue Jays
Woody Marks

Texans Say Woody Marks Will be Fine
Rasmus Ristolainen

to Miss at Least One More Week
Drew Doughty

Logs Full Practice Wednesday
Emilio Pagán

Reds Bring Back Closer Emilio Pagan on Two-Year Deal
Jeff Skinner

Remains Sidelined Wednesday
Petr Mrazek

Out 2-3 Weeks
Tyler Seguin

Likely Done for the Season
Neal Pionk

Returns to Jets Lineup
J.J. McCarthy

Practices in Full, on Track to Return in Week 14
Cedric Mullins

Rays Agree on One-Year Deal
Mark Andrews

Agrees to Three-Year Extension With Ravens
Freddy Peralta

Brewers Considering Trading Freddy Peralta
Kyle Schwarber

Reds Serious About Adding Kyle Schwarber in Free Agency?
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Officially Questionable for Thursday Night
Omarion Hampton

"on Track and Looking Good" for Week 14
CFB

Brent Key Signing Five-Year Deal to Remain at Georgia Tech
Joey Bosa

Week-to-Week With Hamstring Injury
Bryce Young

Panthers Expected to Pick Up Bryce Young's Fifth-Year Option
Deshaun Watson

Browns Opening Practice Window for Deshaun Watson
CFB

Brian Hartline Expected to Land USF Head-Coaching Job
CFB

Collin Klein Expected to be Top Target for Kansas State if Head-Coach Job Opens
CFB

Chris Klieman Considering Stepping Down at Kansas State
Aaron Rodgers

Appears to be Healthier Heading into Week 14
Alexander Wennberg

a Game-Time Call Wednesday
CFB

D.J. Durkin Staying at Auburn Under Alex Golesh
CFB

Charlie Weis Jr. Permitted to Coach Ole Miss Offense in College Football Playoff
CFB

Five-Star Quarterback Jared Curtis Flips Commitment From Georgia to Vanderbilt
CFB

Florida Hiring Brad White as Defensive Coordinator
Kyle Schwarber

Giants Have Checked in on Kyle Schwarber
Willson Contreras

Willing to Waive his Full No-Trade Clause?
Edwin Díaz

Mets Still Interested in Re-Signing Edwin Diaz
Devin Williams

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Mets
Cole Ragans

Red Sox Targeting Cole Ragans in a Trade?
CFB

Kentucky Hires Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein As Head Coach
CFB

Kalani Sitake the Top Target for Penn State Coaching Job
CFB

Josh Heupel Says He's Not a Candidate for Penn State Head Coach Job
CFB

Will Stein, Brian Hartline the Top Candidates for Kentucky Job?
CFB

Nebraska Fires Defensive Coordinator John Butler After One Season
CFB

UCLA Expected to Hire Bob Chesney as Next Head Coach
CFB

Lane Kiffin to Make $13 Million Salary, Ties Kirby Smart
CFB

Buster Faulkner, Joey Halzle Candidates for Florida Offensive Coordinator Job?
Zack Wheeler

Likely to Return in May
Ryan Helsley

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Orioles

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP