
Kevin Luo's top hitter fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 16 (2025). His MLB prospects to pick up and stash on your bench and N/A spots in redraft leagues.
I was ready to say this was a quiet week for hitter call-ups. However, the Astros made a little noise by calling up Brice Matthews on Thursday evening.
There are still several good prospects on the precipice of the majors ready to make a fantasy impact.
Let's look at a few top prospects to stash for Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Samuel Basallo, C/1B - Baltimore Orioles
The catcher grim reaper has struck in Baltimore again as Gary Sanchez has a PCL sprain that will keep him out eight to 10 weeks. That makes four catchers who are on the IL for the Orioles.
The Orioles appear adamant on continuing to sign catchers off the street to play until Adley Rutschman (oblique) returns rather than promoting their top prospect. However, we, as a fantasy community, still have to hope that Mike Elias will come to his senses.
Basallo is continuing to do what he does best at Triple-A: hit. He has a 149 WRC+ with 17 HRs. He also has an impressive approach at the plate, as he walks 15.6 percent of the time and strikes out only 21.5 percent of the time.
Samuel Basallo has homered in 8.9% of his at-bats in Triple-A this season.
He has 17 homers in 58 games with a .945 OPS. pic.twitter.com/z2QUh7fiYI
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 9, 2025
I've written about how catcher seems deeper this season than it ever has, but Basallo is a special bat. It's becoming frustrating to roster him due to the shenanigans of the Orioles' front office, but you'll feel like the "guy digging for diamonds and giving up just too early" meme if you drop him and he gets called up shortly after.
Owen Caissie, OF - Chicago Cubs/Spencer Jones, OF - New York Yankees
I'm combining these two because they have similar profiles and similar situations. Owen Caissie and Spencer Jones are two of the hottest hitters in the minor leagues right now and have been hitting tanks seemingly every night.
Both guys have massive power upside, but highly questionable hit tools. Caissie is striking out 30.3 percent of the time, and Jones is striking out 33.1 percent of the time this season.
Caissie is in his second full season at Triple-A and has a 143 WRC+. He hit his 19th homer of the season on Thursday. It was his seventh homer in the last eight games.
ANOTHER Owen Caissie home run 😳
The Cubs’ No. 2 prospect has SEVEN homers in his last eight games.
He entered the night slugging 1.103 this month 🔥
(🎥@IowaCubs)
pic.twitter.com/WN8Qtn1PUi— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 11, 2025
Jones was one of the best hitters at Double-A this season as he had 16 HRs with a 185 WRC+ before getting called up to Triple-A. Since he got the bump, he's been even better. In only 10 games at his new level, he already has five HRs with a 225 WRC+.
Spencer Jones has FIVE homers in TEN games since getting called up to Triple-A 💪pic.twitter.com/w7YG9ShHfU
— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2025
Neither Caissie nor Jones has a clear pathway to the majors, given the Cubs' and Yankees' crowded outfield and DH situations. However, could they be used as trade bait in the near future? The Cubs and Yankees are likely to be aggressive shoppers at the deadline, and sellers will surely be asking about the two sluggers.
If either Caissie or Jones gets the call to the majors due to an injury or trade to a new team, they have some of the biggest power upside in the upper minors.
C.J. Kayfus, 1B/Chase DeLauter, OF - Cleveland Guardians
So can the Guardians do us all a favor and trade Carlos Santana so C.J. Kayfus can get a shot in the majors? Following their ALCS run last season, the Guardians are having a pretty disappointing season and will likely be sellers at this upcoming trade deadline.
Chase DeLauter shouldn't need a trade to open up playing time, as the Guardians have had revolving doors of mediocrity in center and right field.
The Cleveland offense has been one of the worst in baseball, and they're getting very little production across the board from everyone other than Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez.
Whether they intend to contend this season or not, the Guardians should do what they can to give their offense a boost. Kayfus and DeLauter could do just that.
Kayfus has 13 HRs with a 161 WRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A this season (mostly Triple-A). DeLauter only has a 131 WRC+ in Triple-A this season with five HRs, but what makes him special is his incredible approach at the plate. He has a remarkable 15.2 percent BB-rate and 15.9 percent K-rate.
412 feet / 108.9 mph 🤯
Cleveland #Guardians 23yr old OF prospect Chase DeLauter blasts a 2-run HR in the 1st inning for Columbus vs Louisville!
DeLauter has now reached base safely in all 33 games played with the Clippers on the season.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/FLCfZBsfRZ
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 9, 2025
I wonder if the Guardians would call Kayfus and DeLauter up together. That would be a real treat for Guardians fans. Both guys make for interesting stashes. Obviously, if you need a 1B or an OF, you should prioritize that one. However, for Roto leagues, I'd prefer Kayfus, and for points leagues, I'd recommend DeLauter.
Justin Crawford, OF - Philadelphia Phillies
I've said this before about him, but Justin Crawford has the profile you'd expect Carl Crawford's son to have. He has a very solid approach at the plate, a lot of speed, and an unwillingness to hit the ball in the air.
Crawford has a 131 WRC+ with 28 SBs this season at Triple-A. He is walking 11.0 percent of the time, while striking out only 17.8 percent of the time.
While he won't hit for much power, he can still provide some juice to the Phillies' offense that is looking for a spark. If the Phillies aren't interested in calling him up, could Crawford be headed elsewhere? The Phillies will also be extremely aggressive at this deadline, and Crawford could fetch them a high-end reliever plus more.
When Crawford gets called up by the Phillies or another team, he could provide a good average and speed to your fantasy team. He won't post cartoonish steal numbers like Chandler Simpson, but a similar impact could be achieved. If you're looking to stash for speed, he's probably the best current option in the upper minors.
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