Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 21

August 22, 2025

Eric Cross' top 25 fantasy baseball prospects to stash in redraft for Week 21 (2025). His updated MLB rookie rankings for prospect call-ups to make 2025 impacts.

We've blown past the August 15th threshold, so now any prospect that debuts will still keep their rookie eligibility intact for the 2026 season. We've already seen the impact of this with several notable promotions over the last week, including Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo in Baltimore, two highly-touted prospects who had ranked very high in these prospects to stash rankings over the last several weeks.

I'm not expecting the prospect promotions to slow down either, and even though we've seen a bunch of notable names debut over the last few weeks, there are still plenty of exciting names waiting to get the call.

These prospect rankings are for 2025 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2025 redraft leagues. You can also see our top fantasy baseball dynasty prospects rankings for longer-term outlooks and our 2025 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for all other league formats.

Top 25 Prospects to Stash in Redraft Leagues

My prospect write-ups are below the rankings. These rankings are for 2025 redraft value only, not dynasty. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2025.

Promoted Last Week: Dylan Beavers (BAL), Samuel Basallo (BAL), Drew Gilbert (SFG), Nolan McLean (NYM), Owen Caissie (CHC)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Jett Williams (NYM), Kevin Alcantara (CHC), Sterlin Thompson (COL), Blaze Jordan (STL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Jorge Barrosa (ARI), Matthew Lugo (LAA), Joe Mack (MIA), Emmanuel Rodriguez (MIN), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Harry Ford (SEA), Travis Bazzana (CLE)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Thomas Harrington (PIT), Rhett Lowder (CIN), Quinn Mathews (STL)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants

With the San Francisco Giants losing seven of their last 10 games and falling 5.5 games back in the National League Wild Card picture, it wouldn't surprise me to see them give their top prospect a cup of coffee to end the season. If Eldridge does get the call, the potential power impact makes him highly intriguing for fantasy purposes.

106.6 mph | 425 ft 🎇

MLB's No. 1 first-base prospect Bryce Eldridge (@SFGiants) mashes his 11th homer of the year -- 4th for the Triple-A @RiverCats. pic.twitter.com/ctP21cVgkF

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 23, 2025

In his last 24 games in Triple-A, Eldridge has swatted nine home runs with a .253/.324/.582 slash line. The quality of contact metrics has been truly elite with a 94.2 mph AVG EV, 58.8% hard-hit rate, and a 17.6% barrel rate. However, Eldridge has also recorded a 65.7% contact rate and 34.5% strikeout rate in 113 Triple-A plate appearances, albeit with a respectable 81.1% zone contact rate.

Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds

With the Reds acquiring Ke'Bryan Hayes at the deadline, many wondered if that squashed any chance of seeing Sal Stewart in the Majors this season. It certainly made the path to Major League playing time much harder for Stewart, but I still believe he's the next man up for Cincinnati if there were an injury to a corner outfielder (pushing Miguel Andujar from DH to outfield), to Hayes, or if the streaky Andujar were to go into a funk at the plate.

Stewart is one of the most advanced hitting prospects in the minor leagues right now, with one of the highest floors as well. In 107 games this season, Stewart is slashing .311/.382/.513, and that slash line has risen to .324/.397/.627 with 13 doubles and six home runs in 27 games so far in Triple-A.

While Stewart's contact rate has dipped to 74.8% in Triple-A, he's been an above-average contact/approach hitter throughout his minor league career. His quality of contact metrics has been impressive in Triple-A as well, with a 92.5 mph AVG EV, 48.8% hard-hit rate, and an 18.6% barrel rate.

Spencer Jones, New York Yankees

The roller coaster ride named Spencer Jones continues. After being in the top spot for a few weeks in these rankings, Jones fell several spots this week as he's gone into a funk at the plate. Jones has channeled his inner Babe Ruth when he first arrived in Triple-A, but has slashed just .145/.247/.210 over his last 16 games with two extra-base hits, one home run, and a 34.3% strikeout rate.

Does this mean Jones won't get called up this year? Not necessarily. There's still a chance of that, especially if the Yankees look to spice things up and hope that Jones can provide a spark to their offense. The upside here is absolutely massive, which is why I still believe we need to keep a close eye on Jones right now.

We've seen that massive upside at various points this season where it looked like he was a future early-round fantasy asset in the making. But as we've also seen, the downside is also enormous due to his contact skills and strikeout woes. Both were trending in the right direction in July during his hot stretch, which is why I pushed him to #1 in these stash rankings.

J.J. Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals

Another week has passed, and J.J. Wetherholt still hasn't slowed down in Triple-A. In 26 games at the level, Wetherholt is slashing .310/.403/.670 with seven doubles, nine home runs, three steals, and nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (19). His quality of contact metrics under the hood has been equally impressive, with a 91.2 mph AVG EV, 50% hard-hit rate, and a 15.9% barrel rate.

JJ Wetherholt destroys his 16th homer of the year, 9th in 25 games for the Triple-A @memphisredbirds 💥

The @Cardinals' top-ranked prospect has a 1.058 OPS since being promoted. pic.twitter.com/jKG4azBm4k

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 17, 2025

Over his last 11 games, Wetherholt has made five starts at third base, four at shortstop, and two at second base. Masyn Winn isn't in danger of being kicked out of the starting lineup given his defensive prowess, but the keystone and the hot corner are currently being occupied by Thomas Saggese and Nolan Gorman, respectively, both of whom are far from locked in at their respective positions.

Gorman is hitting just .220 over his last 28 games, while Saggese is slashing just .232/.284/.2920 over his last 23 games with four extra-base hits and a 24/4 K/BB ratio. My guess is that Saggese would get the boot first if Wetherholt gets called up.

Robby Snelling, Miami Marlins

After a down 2024 season, Robby Snelling has stormed back with a phenomenal showing so far in 2025. In 20 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, Snelling has recorded a 2.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 6.7% walk rate, and a 29.8% strikeout rate. In six Triple-A starts, he's been even better with a 1.34 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, a 5.4% walk rate, and a 33.3% strikeout rate across 33.2 innings.

At this point, you could make a case for Miami having the two best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, and Snelling is now loudly knocking on the door to Miami.

Snelling works with five pitches in four different velocity bands, averaging around 95 mph with his 4-seamer. His low to mid-80s curveball is his best and most-used secondary, generating plenty of whiffs. On top of all of that, Snelling has above-average to plus command and control. It would shock me if he doesn't get called up this season.

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