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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Brady House, Carson Whisenhunt, Colby Thomas - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Targeting the right prospect can provide a significant boost to your fantasy team. This season, fantasy managers have seen Athletics first base prospect Nick Kurtz flash elite power on the inside during his first taste of the majors, and he is proving to be a top-10 first baseman.
In this piece, we will look at three top prospects and determine if they are worth rostering. We will analyze two hitters, including one who recently got the call to the big leagues. We will also look at one of the top pitchers 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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Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals
Current Level: MLB
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 MLB stats: 9 G, .250/.282/.278, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 SB
Brady House hit his way to the majors and got a well-deserved call-up to Washington. At Triple-A Rochester this season, House was one of the most dominant hitters in the minor leagues, which earned him an early promotion.
While the numbers don't look great, House still has six hits in his first seven games, and while all singles, it has still been encouraging to see.
House hung out in the minors for what seemed like an eternity at times, but he just turned 22 years old. He improved nearly every facet of his game this year, and the injury bug seems to be behind him at this point.
In the minors, House had results. His .304/.353/.519 slash is backed by good underlying data. The ground-ball rate of 47 percent is still an issue, and he needs to show improvements in sweet-spot rate, meaning he will need to hit the ball at ideal launch angles more often.
House has always hit the ball hard, so it is not a surprise to see the impressive hard-hit rate of 45 percent, but his 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and 90 mph average exit velocity stand out. Despite the groundballs, House still hits the ball hard often enough to run a barrel rate north of ten percent.
The approach has been cleaned up a bit. Last year, House chased around 40 percent of the pitches he saw out of the zone. This year, that number has dropped to 34 percent, and House is showing more aggression on pitches in the zone.
House still has talent, and if he can show just an average approach and contact skills, there are 30 home runs in the bat with a solid glove at third base. The 22-year-old has continued to see an everyday spot in the starting nine and is worth adding in all formats, especially if you need a corner infielder.
PRICELESS MOMENT: @Nationals prospect Brady House gets his first MLB hit and his family is loving it! pic.twitter.com/t5cU9LiUrg
— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2025
-Written by Chris Clegg
Carson Whisenhunt, SP, San Francisco Giants
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 79 IP, 4.10 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 22% K%, 5.6% BB%
It's interesting to talk about Whisenhunt and compare him to the higher-octane guys like Boyle and Burns mentioned above. Why? Because, as the top pitching prospect for the San Francisco Giants, his best pitch is a changeup, which has an elite 80-grade.
You'll note the ERA is higher than one would like, the strikeout percentage middling, the walk percentage quite good. Whisenhunt moved from a mediocre curveball to a serviceable slider in the last two seasons. While he has posted a hefty 7.24 ERA and a .64 WHIP over his last 32 1/3 innings of work, the top pitching prospect in San Francisco was quite productive during the start of the season.
Across his first 51 innings of work, the southpaw posted a strong 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a dominant 52:7 K:BB.
Carson Whisenhunt’s changeup is a legit double plus pitch. Averages 11-13 MPH off the fastball with excellent fade and depth. Very difficult for RHH to square up. This was his best one of the night to get Luis Castro to swing over the top. pic.twitter.com/O8Lp1WCf0I
— Will Thompson (@will_thompson33) June 6, 2025
With two starters with checkered injury histories in Justin Verlander and Robbie Ray, and the possibility that Landen Roupp could get some time to rest this summer, Whisenhunt should be on your radar. If he can turn the corner and return to his early-season form, Whisenhunt should be in the mix to reach the majors early in the second half.
- Written by Mike Carter
Colby Thomas, OF, Athletics
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 330 PA, .297/.362./548, 58 R, 17 HR, 66 RBI, 6 SB, 6.7% BB%, 26.1% K%
We will round this piece out with Colby Thomas of the Athletics.
Thomas is relatively unknown outside those who follow prospects very closely, but his chance could be coming for the Athletics. The team has shown a recent propensity for giving young players an opportunity at the major league level, such as Denzel Clarke and Jacob Wilson, which makes a path for Thomas seem difficult, at least in the short term.
Currently, the Athletics have a deep outfield with Tlyer Soderstrom, Clarke, Lawrence Butler, and occasionally Brent Rooker when he is not operating as the designated hitter. However, Thomas' impressive production at Triple-A could push their hand.
Thomas could be next. He has a mix of power and speed, with 17 home runs and six stolen bases this season. Thomas is coming off a 2024 season in which he slugged 31 home runs while also stealing 15 bases. The issue is swing and miss; last season, he struck out over 30% of the time in Triple-A, while this season, he has shaved that down to 26.1%.
Through his first 145 games with Triple-A Las Vegas (Across 2024 and 2025), Thomas has posted a remarkable .910 OPS. If the Athletics continue to remain out of the playoff race, they will likely opt to give Thomas a look in the majors during the second half.
A no-doubter off the bat of @ProspectsLive A’s No. 8 prospect Colby Thomas, who goes down to get this breaking ball for the three-run shot. Thomas’ stance starts open and he stays more crouched than most, doing a really good job engaging his lower half. Thomas has serious raw… pic.twitter.com/lUf1UZAaKc
— Will Thompson (@will_thompson33) May 23, 2025
- Written by Mike Carter
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