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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Roman Anthony, Bubba Chandler, Mick Abel - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Through the first two months of the season, we have seen several prospects produce at a high level in the major leagues. Starting pitchers Logan Henderson and Noah Cameron have looked quite comfortable during their first career starts, and infielder Marcelo Mayer is beginning to find his footing in the big leagues.
In this piece, we will take a look at three top prospects in the minor leagues. Should fantasy managers view outfielder Roman Anthony and starting pitchers Bubba Chandler and Mick Abel as must-stash options going forward?
So, let's dive in and see if these three prospects should be stashed or grabbed off the waiver wire and what their outlook is once they reach the majors.
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Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
Current Level: Triple-A
Availability: 30% rostered
2025 MiLB stats: 53 G, .303/.430/.492, 8 HRs, 23 RBI, 41 R, 49 SO, 45 BB
Another week without a Roman Anthony call-up. The consensus top prospect in baseball is slashing .303/.430/.492 with nine doubles, eight home runs, and three steals in 53 games for Triple-A Worcester. He's also walked nearly as much as he's struck out with a 49:45 K:BB to pair with his elite 94.8 mph AVG EV, 58.1% hard-hit rate, and 20.3% barrel rate.
So when the heck is he going to be up? That's the million-dollar question, but I'm going to predict next Monday for his debut with the promotion news breaking Sunday night.
The Red Sox face two lefties in their series with the Angels this week before a road series against the Yankees. So, it would make more sense for Boston to have Anthony debut next Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays and their right-handed pitchers. This will also be after the Super-2 deadline, when Boston will gain an extra year of control.
Repost this if you think Roman Anthony should be with the Red Sox.
— Beyond the Monster (@BeyondtheMnstr) June 2, 2025
Through his first 88 career games at the Triple-A level, Anthony has posted an impressive .319/.443/.503 slash line with 21 doubles, 11 home runs, and a near-perfect 80:76 K:BB. During this stretch, he has swiped eight bags, scored 74 runs, and tallied 43 RBI.
When he gets the call, fantasy managers should expect him to have an everyday role in the outfield. Given Kristian Campbell's pedestrian .133/.179/.167 line since May 1, Ceddanne Rafalea would be the likely candidate to shift to the keystone, which would open a spot in the outfield for Anthony.
Given his elite eye at the plate and high-upside power, he should be stashed in all formats.
-Written by Eric Cross
Bubba Chandler, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: Triple-A
Availability: 30% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 48 2/3 IP, 2.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 69 SO, 21 BB
What more does Bubba Chandler have to prove at Triple-A? In his last start on May 30, Chandler tossed five hitless frames against Nashville. In this outing, the right-hander allowed just four hits and one free pass. He struck out eight.
It was very positive to see the top pitching prospect in the sport lower his walks in this outing. Prior to this start, Chandler's one blemish was his weak command. In his last 18 1/3 innings leading up to this start, Chandler allowed 13 free passes. However, Friday's outing was a positive step in the right direction.
Through 48 2/3 total innings this season with Triple-A, the right-hander has struck out 69 batters and held a 2.03 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP. During his first stint at Triple-A in 2024, Chandler enjoyed similar success, posting a 1.83 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP.
Across 85 1/3 career frames with Double-A, the right-hander struck out 102 batters, allowed just 26 walks, and held a 3.48 ERA with a stellar 0.96 WHIP.
Bubba Chandler delivered five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts last night 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/8frKjlaFWA
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) May 31, 2025
Currently, Mike Burrows holds the No. 5 spot in the Pittsburgh rotation. During his first two MLB outings, the right-hander has allowed a hefty nine runs (eight earned) with nine hits and a 5:4 K:BB. When Chandler gets the call, he will be locked into a rotation spot for the remainder of the summer.
He remains a priority stash option in all leagues.
- Written by Andy Smith
Mick Abel, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
Level: Triple-A
Availability: 15% rostered
2025 MLB stats: 6 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 9 SO, 0 BB
2025 AAA stats: 57 IP, 2.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 67 SO, 26 BB
The final prospect we will look at is Mick Abel, who is currently ranked as the No. 8-best prospect in the system, according to MLB.com.
Earlier this week, the Phillies announced that Taijuan Walker will be moving to the bullpen, and Abel is being recalled to start for the Phillies on Thursday in Toronto. It sounds like he could stick in the rotation as well, at least until Aaron Nola (ankle) is ready to come off the IL.
Abel tossed six shutout innings with nine strikeouts in his major league debut last month, but it was only a spot start. Following this impressive MLB debut against the Pirates, the Phillies sent him back to Triple-A to open a spot for Walker.
Mick Abel K'ing the Side in the 2nd.
5Ks thru 2. pic.twitter.com/NVHonCgAte
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2025
However, over his last three innings (12 innings), the veteran served up 16 hits and 10 runs (nine earned), which prompted this change.
In Triple-A, Abel has enjoyed a resurgent bounceback season with a 2.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 28% strikeout rate in 10 starts. In 2024, Abel struggled during his first extended look at Triple-A, posting a hefty 6.46 ERA with a 1.81 WHIP. During this stretch, he tallied just 117 strikeouts across 108 2/3 innings.
The walk rate is still on the higher end at 10.9%, but that's a notable improvement from Abel's 15.1% mark in 2024. With a mid to upper-90s heater and sinker along with two good breaking balls, the upside has always been high with Abel, and he's worth targeting for Thursday's outing and beyond.
If Abel can continue to find success in the majors, he should have a clear path to remaining in the rotation until Nola is cleared to return. Nola threw a bullpen session on Sunday but is still several weeks away from a potential return. As a result, Abel should be added in all 12-team formats as a starting pitcher with upside.
Even though top pitching prospect Andrew Painter is slowly increasing his workload at Triple-A and has much higher upside than Abel, Abel is the pitcher to target as he has a path to seeing several turns in the rotation throughout June.
- Written by Eric Cross
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