Top-5 Hitter Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash For Week 18 - Redraft Leagues (2025)

July 29, 2025

Kevin Luo's top hitter fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 18 (2025). His MLB prospects to pick up and stash on your bench and N/A spots in redraft leagues.

With the MLB Deadline coming up this week, there are quite a few prospects that could suddenly get an opportunity in the big leagues.

Will any of these prospects finally get that opportunity? Many of these prospects could have opportunities arise from major league players on their team being traded or being included in a trade themselves to a team that would give them an immediate chance in the majors.

Let's look at a few top prospects to stash for Week 18 of the fantasy baseball season.

Samuel Basallo, C/1B - Baltimore Orioles

So the Orioles have made it pretty clear by their actions that they don't want Samuel Basallo to play catcher for them, at least this season. They've had many catcher injuries at the major league level, but that didn't motivate them to call Basallo up.

However, with the deadline looming and the Orioles selling off their impending expiring deals, one hitter that is likely to be moved is Ryan O'Hearn. If he gets moved, will that motivate the Orioles to call up Basallo to play some at DH and first base?

Basallo is one of the top prospects in baseball, and he's been crushing Triple-A pitching all season. Coming into tonight, he had a 152 WRC+ with 19 HRs. Tonight, he hit his 20th HR and went 4-4.

What do we even say? That's #20 for the Big Dog!

He's 4-for-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI https://t.co/ARhSiK068e pic.twitter.com/gCeBgQg2tN

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) July 26, 2025

If Basallo gets the call, he should be viewed as a starting-caliber catcher in almost all fantasy leagues, even if he's not playing catcher.

Spencer Jones, OF - New York Yankees

Ok- Spencer Jones is on a heater right now that I've never seen at the minor league level. On the season, he has a 206 WRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A with 29 HRs and 16 SBs. Since getting the bump to Triple-A, he has 13 HRs in only 19 games with a 247 WRC+.

Spencer Jones has THREE homers in 5 innings today. He's got 13 in 19 Triple-A games 😳 pic.twitter.com/ThGIsV0HsG

— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2025

The Yankees outfield and DH spots are both currently full, but could the Yankees trade Ben Rice to open up an opportunity for Jones? There have been rumors that the young slugging C/1B could be the centerpiece in a deal to bolster the pitching staff. If Rice were traded, Cody Bellinger would play more first base, which would open up playing time for Jones in the Yankee outfield.

Spencer Jones has one of the most polarizing prospect profiles in all of baseball. He has a massive strikeout problem, but when he makes contact, he seems to hit a homer almost every time. He has dramatically improved his K-rate since moving up to Triple-A, as it's only 25.5 percent.

If Jones gets the call, he has a ton of HR upside. Whether he provides enough average will depend on whether he can keep that K-rate in check.

Jordan Lawlar, SS/3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks made the first big trade of the deadline period by trading away Josh Naylor. They are also expected to move Eugenio Suarez at some point in the next week, as many contenders would love to add his monster power to their lineup, and he's an impending free agent.

With Suarez out of the picture, Lawlar will finally have a real opportunity to get solid playing time at the major league level. It would be a big win for the Diamondbacks in an otherwise disappointing year if Lawlar can show that he is part of their future.

It's been a disappointing start to Lawlar's big league career as he's posted a negative WRC+ in each of his first two short stints. However, he's producing at Triple-A and is still incredibly young. He has a 135 WRC+ on the season with 10 HRs and 18 SBs.

We'll likely need to wait a bit longer for Lawlar, even after Suarez is traded, as he's currently recovering from a hamstring injury. However, when he comes back, he still has five-category upside and should be able to be a contributor at either corner or middle infield slots.

Carson Williams, SS, Tampa Bay Rays

An opportunity could be opening up soon for Carson Williams, but it's not because of a trade. Ha-Seong Kim has struggled with injuries all season, and he went back on the IL with a back injury on Friday. Brandon Lowe is also currently on the IL with a foot injury.

It was a bit confusing why the Rays didn't call up Carson Williams, as they're currently in a tight wild-card race and he offers them significantly more upside at shortstop than Taylor Walls, who is likely their shortstop of the future. I think if Kim or Lowe's injuries are a little more concerning, the Rays may have their hand forced.

Williams has not had the best season at the plate. He only has a 99 WRC+ and a 34.0 percent K-rate. However, he has 17 HRs and 18 SBs and is heating up a bit of late.

Carson Williams leaves the yard! 🫡

MLB's No. 29 prospect (@RaysBaseball) swats his 17th long ball of the year -- his 11th since the beginning of June -- for the Triple-A @DurhamBulls: pic.twitter.com/TXcY8epmDV

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 19, 2025

If Williams gets an opportunity to play in Tampa, he should provide some power and speed upside with a little bit of a questionable batting average.

J.J. Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals

With so many top 2024 draftees already up in the big leagues, J.J. Wetherholt has fallen under the radar a little bit, but he's been excellent so far in his first full pro season.

He has a 162 WRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A with more walks than strikeouts. Coming out of West Virginia, he was known for his hit tool, which he has displayed in the minors. However, he's also showing some exciting fantasy tools, especially since he got the call to Triple-A.

He has four of his 11 HRs on the season in only eight Triple-A games.

JJ Wetherholt is mashing Triple-A pitching 🔥

MLB's No. 17 prospect (@Cardinals) drills two long balls in three innings, raising his @MemphisRedbirds OPS to 1.521: pic.twitter.com/3LVPWGbwqR

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 24, 2025

While the Cardinals are still in the race, there has been speculation that they could deal one of their veterans to open up an opportunity to add Wetherholt to their major league lineup, most notably Nolan Arenado or Brendan Donovan.

I think it's less likely they'll part with Donovan, but Arenado has been in trade rumors for what seems like the last year. If the Cardinals can find a taker for him and he waives his no-trade clause, Wetherholt would likely take his place.

Wetherholt's advanced hit tool should make his transition to the majors easier than that of some other top prospects, but don't discount his solid power and speed upside.

Five Other Prospects to Consider Stashing

• C.J. Kayfus
• Moises Ballesteros
• Owen Caissie
• Bryce Eldridge
• Justin Crawford

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