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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Carson Williams, Cam Schlittler, Grant Taylor - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Through the first half of the fantasy baseball season, we have seen many prospects get the call and make an immediate impact in the major leagues. Milwaukee right-hander Jacob Misiorowski looked near-perfect in his first two MLB starts.
In this piece, we will look at two pitchers who recently got the call and a budding shortstop who is quickly nearing his MLB debut.
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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Carson Williams, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 MLB stats: 77 G, .213/.324/.441, 11 2B, 15 HR, 113 SO, 41 BB
The former 28th overall pick from the 2021 MLB Draft spent the entire 2024 season with Double-A and was able to receive his long-awaited first extended look at Triple-A at the start of the 2025 campaign. While he did appear in a few Triple-A games back in 2024, this season marked his first "true" look at the level.
Through his first, Williams holds a modest .212/.322/.442 line that suggests the young infielder has experienced some significant growing pains as he continues to adjust to the top pitching in the minor leagues. However, Williams has begun to hit for high power and is making a strong case to join a Tampa Bay team that is almost at the top of the AL East.
Over his last 12 contests (June 18 - July 4), the infielder has posted a remarkable .326/.463/.767 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and five long balls. On the season, Williams has gone deep 15 times. In his last four games entering Saturday, Williams has launched three of these home runs, suggesting he is beginning to find his swing.
Last season, through 115 games with Double-A Montgomery, Williams posted a .256/.352/.469 with 20 doubles, 20 home runs, and 33 stolen bases.
Is the infielder finally turning the corner at Triple-A?
While his metrics still remain a bit skewed from his rough start, Williams is showing even higher power upside than he did at Double-A. With Durham, Montgomery has generated a strong .223 ISO, which is 11 points higher than he did last summer against lesser competition. He also has posted a similar BABIP in relation to 2024, with a .296 compared to the .332 he held last season.
He has also maintained a 37.7% fly-ball rate at Triple-A, which is nearly identical to the 38.1% fly-ball rate he posted last season.
While his slow start may have taken him off the first-half fantasy radar, his recent late surge has put him back in the conversation. Currently in Tampa Bay, Taylor Walls and Jose Caballero have seen most of the time at shortstop, with Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder) missing the first few months of the campaign.
While Kim recently made his season debut, he is currently day-to-day with a calf injury and will likely see his workload closely monitored.
If the Rays remain in the Wild Card race and continue to push the Yankees for the top spot in the division, Williams should be in play to make his MLB debut in the second half.
For now, given his modest start, he should only be stashed in AL-only leagues. However, if Williams continues to show this impressive power surge is not a fluke, he will quickly enter must-stash territory shortly after the All-Star break.
Carson Williams has been one of the hottest hitters over the last month in MiLB.
He has the upside to be a premier shortstop at the MLB level with elite defense and yearly 20/20 capabilities. While there are K and whiff concerns, you cannot ignore what the 22-year-old is doing https://t.co/VKSUHGPwZg
— Inside The Diamond (@InsideTheDiamnd) June 30, 2025
-Written by Andy Smith
Cam Schlittler, SP, New York Yankees
Current Level: MLB
Availability: 10% rostered
2025 MILB stats: 76 2/3 IP, 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 99 SO, 26 BB
The final player we will look at this week is right-hander Cam Schlittler. Schlittler did not appear to be in contention to make his MLB debut early this season, but he has begun to make a strong case.
The former seventh-round pick opened the season with Double-A Somerset and looked quite strong in his second stint with the club. Through 53 innings of work, Schlittler posted a 2.38 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. During this stretch, he struck out 64 hitters while allowing only 17 walks.
This impressive start earned him a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Since moving up to Triple-A, Schlittler has performed at the highest level in his minor league career.
Through his first 21 1/3 innings at the top level of the leagues, the right-hander has posted a stellar 1.69 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP. During this stretch, Schlittler has struck out 33 batters while allowing only eight free passes. In his last two outings in June (June 19 and June 25), Schlittler has struck out at least nine batters in each game and allowed only two total walks.
Unfortunately, the right-hander took a slight step back in his first start in July when he allowed seven hits and six runs.
However, unlike the other names on this list, Schlittler has a clear path to the big leagues. Currently, Marcus Stroman occupies the No. 5 spot on this list but has not been remarkably consistent. Luis Gil (lat) is nearing a rehab assignment and could even take this spot, but will likely be on a strict innings limit.
On Saturday afternoon, following the news that Clarke Schmidt (forearm) will undergo Tommy John surgery, the Yankees announced that they will be promoting Schlittler to the major leagues.
While he may not be given a long leash, given his elite production at Triple-A, he is worth adding in all 12+ team leagues this weekend.
Cam Schlittler (NYY) was dominant today as he struck out 9 over 6 scoreless innings
The stuff is bonkers! pic.twitter.com/jbrO0dHhwG
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) June 26, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
Grant Taylor, RP, Chicago White Sox
Current Level: MLB
Availability: 30% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 12 1/3 IP, 4.38 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 14 SO, 3 SV
It's not very often that I can include two exciting closer options who are under 40% rostered, but that's what you're getting this week. Grant Taylor has been one of the most exciting rookie arms over the last few weeks following his mid-June debut.
In 10 appearances since being called up, Taylor has a 4.38 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 6.4% walk rate, and a 29.8% strikeout rate. That ERA was bloated due to allowing three earned runs in 1.1 innings to the Dodgers, but Taylor has been highly impressive so far.
Grant Taylor, Elevated 99mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/UpXm5eQl7C
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 20, 2025
Taylor's 4-seamer is his bread and butter. The pitch averaged 99.2 mph with 17 inches of induced vertical break. Taylor has yet to allow an extra-base hit on his 4-seamer while generating an impressive 37.1% whiff rate, which is the 6th-best whiff rate for pitchers with at least 100 4-seamers thrown this season.
The White Sox have no legitimate alternative for the closer role right now, so I'm expecting Taylor to hold the role down for the remainder of the season. He is worth adding in 12+ team leagues if you are falling behind in saves.
- Written by Eric Cross
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