Top-5 Hitter Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash For Week 8 - Redraft Leagues (2025)

May 19, 2025

Kevin Luo's top hitter fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 8 (2025). His MLB prospects to pick up and stash on your bench and N/A spots in redraft leagues.

We had another huge week for hitting prospect call-ups, highlighted by Jordan Lawlar, Dalton Rushing, and Moises Ballesteros who were all in the hitters to stash article last week.

There are still quite a few prospects on the precipice of the majors that will make an impact for fantasy this season, hopefully in the very near future.

Let's take a look at a few top prospects to stash for Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season.

Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox

As top prospect after top prospect get called to the majors, the biggest fish left in the Triple-A pond is Roman Anthony. I'm curious how many people have been awaiting his arrival since the beginning of the season, as he was likely drafted in most redraft leagues.

As injuries pile up and fantasy benches get squeezed, are any players going to have to drop Anthony and be the meme where the guy gives up on digging right before he hits the diamonds?

Anthony doesn't need much description. According to many outlets, he's the top prospect in baseball, and he's been producing all season in Triple-A. He has a 149 WRC+, a very strong K-to-BB rate, and has been hitting the ball incredibly hard.

I could watch the Roman Anthony home run amidst the overrated chants on repeat. Volume up! This ball was smoked 110 mph and went 435 feet. pic.twitter.com/G0VRUZtLg9

— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) March 14, 2025

The ball is in the court of the Red Sox front office. They don't seem interested in using Anthony to fill their biggest current need at first base after Triston Casas' season-ending patellar injury.

Wilyer Abreu is off to an excellent start to the season, Ceddanne Rafaela is rebounding nicely at the plate while playing elite CF, and Jarren Duran is coming off a monster breakout 2024 season, so he has nowhere in the outfield to play.

Whenever Anthony gets the call to the majors, he'll be a solid starting outfielder in all league formats.

Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs

I've been saying for the last few weeks that the Cubs are likely waiting for Matt Shaw to heat up a little bit in Triple-A before getting called back up to the majors. I think he's starting to get hot.

His full season line at Triple-A hasn't been super impressive as he came into Thursday with a 125 WRC+ but he's walked way more than he has struck out and now the pop is starting to come out of his bat.

"Goodnight, Matt Shaw!"

MLB's No. 18 prospect (@Cubs) follows up his leadoff homer with a WALK-OFF shot for the Triple-A @IowaCubs. pic.twitter.com/bd4cen7WDI

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 15, 2025

He has now hit four HRs in the minors this season and is looking to regain his confidence at the plate.

The Cubs have not made any moves that indicate they don't view Shaw as their third baseman for this season and the future. Jon Berti has been the Cubs' primary third baseman since Shaw's demotion, and he has a 56 WRC+.

Matt Shaw could get the call back to the majors any day now, and it wouldn't surprise me. When he gets the call back to the majors, I expect him to improve immensely from his first stint and be a solid infield option at multiple positions for fantasy teams for the rest of the season.

Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles

Samuel Basallo is one of the best hitters in all of minor league baseball. Very few hitters have matched his impressive age-to-level production over the last few seasons.

Basallo really burst onto the prospect scene in 2023 when he had 20 HR's, a 164 WRC+, and a sub-20 percent K-rate across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A as an 18-year-old. His follow-up campaign was slightly underwhelming but still a very solid 119 WRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A as a 19-year-old.

This year, at 20 in Triple-A, despite battling a few injuries, he's putting up big power numbers. He has seven HRs already this season and a 138 WRC+.

BIG DOG DOES IT AGAIN

That's 420 feet for Basallo on his second home run of the night, his 6th of the season!!! https://t.co/z4X0TU1MCu pic.twitter.com/CmIttnt4sE

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) May 13, 2025

The Orioles have been one of the most disappointing teams in all of baseball this season. While their pitching has been the bigger culprit of disappointment, their offense has also been extremely underwhelming.

While he has also struggled, Adley Rutschman is firmly slotted in as the Orioles' primary catcher. However, Basallo should be able to serve as his backup behind the plate and get some at-bats at first base or DH. His bat would almost assuredly improve the Orioles' lineup.

Whenever Basallo gets the call, I think he'll be a top 12 catcher for the time he's in the majors. His bat has the potential to be that special.

Otto Kemp, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies

I'll admit that Otto Kemp was not particularly high on my fantasy radar going into 2025. He's put up very solid numbers over the last few seasons, including a 148 WRC+ last season across four levels. However, he's broken out in a big way in 2025.

So far this season, Kemp has been one of the best hitters in Triple-A, with an 182 WRC+ and 10 HRs already. There will likely always be some swing-and-miss in his game, but if he can continue to hit for this much power, he'll be a big league bat.

Otto Kemp has been named the @MiLB April International Player of the Month! Congratulations Otto! pic.twitter.com/ufmNgKFDPm

— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) May 5, 2025

The obvious player for Kemp to replace in the Phillies' lineup is current third baseman Alec Bohm, who is off to a slow start to the season and has been a constant name in trade talks for the Phillies in the past. However, Kemp has seen some time in left field in Triple-A, so he could also play there, moving Max Kepler to center.

I'd likely prioritize stashing Kemp mostly in deeper leagues for now. The ETA is a bit uncertain, as is his potential average in the majors. However, his power potential is much less uncertain, and he could make a big impact for teams looking for home runs.

Marcelo Mayer, SS, Boston Red Sox

So Trevor Story has been pretty bad this season. He has a 72 WRC+ while striking out 31.1 percent of the time and only walking four percent of the time. He's been good for exactly 0.0 fWAR. His full-season stats leave a lot to be desired, but he has been one of the worst players in baseball the last few weeks.

Since April 22nd, Trevor Story has a -12 wRC+, which is the worst mark in the sport.

He's the only qualified hitter to have a negative wRC+ over that stretch.

Brenton Doyle is second from the bottom with a 2 wRC+.

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 15, 2025

It's tough to relegate a former star player to the bench, especially one who makes as much money as Story, but if the Red Sox have playoff aspirations, it's getting harder to justify playing Story when they have Marcelo Mayer playing shortstop at Triple-A.

Mayer has hit for immense power this season while still displaying a very strong hit tool. He has matched his 2024 Double-A homer total of eight in Triple-A this season in less than half the plate appearances. He's also struck out only 18.8 percent of the time while walking 9.4 percent of the time.

Even if Story were to lose his starting job, there's a chance the Red Sox would move Rafaela to shortstop, allowing Anthony to get the call to play in the outfield. Mayer would obviously be the one-for-one replacement.

Whenever Mayer gets the call, expect solid power and average from a solid middle infield option the rest of the way.

BONUS: Thoughts On Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs

I've included Ballesteros a few times in the "Five Other Prospects to Consider Stashing" section, but never really wrote him up. While he's listed as a catcher, his present and future are likely as a primary DH, and it can be hard to predict the timeline for those guys to get the call to the majors.

With Ian Happ going on the IL (oblique), the Cubs have moved Seiya Suzuki to the outfield, opening up DH at-bats for Ballesteros, and he has absolutely earned those opportunities.

He has been one of the best hitters in Triple-A this season with a 150 WRC+, and he's only striking out 10.7 percent of the time. He will likely not put up big power numbers, but he has an incredibly advanced hit tool.

Bally knows ball

SECOND HOMER OF THE DAY

8-5 Buffalo pic.twitter.com/QhQWyJUNvs

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 30, 2025

It's unclear how long Ballesteros will be in the majors. Oblique injuries are always tricky for hitters, but the Cubs are not anticipating a long time on the IL for Happ.

I hope Ballesteros can prove he's a major league bat. Baseball is more fun when beefy boys like him can become quality big leaguers. He has a lot of Alejandro Kirk in his game, although he won't be as good a defensive catcher as Kirk.

The catcher position has been weirdly deep this year, but if you're looking for one in a deep one-catcher or two-catcher league, he's worth a speculative add for however long he's in the majors.

Five Other Prospects to Consider Stashing

• Colby Thomas
• Brady House
• Bryce Eldridge
• Jac Caglianone
• Coby Mayo

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