8 Prospect Fantasy Baseball Breakouts, Stashes

March 23, 2026

High-upside fantasy baseball breakouts, prospect stashes, draft sleepers for 2026. Target these fantasy baseball rookies, call-ups, as potential league winners.

Targeting high-end prospects in the final rounds of your draft is the key to building a successful fantasy baseball roster. Last season, several prospects such as Nolan McLean, Cam Schlittler, and Nick Kurtz became high-end assets as soon as they earned the call to the majors.

In this piece, we will spotlight eight prospects that are prime late-round targets as they have a clear path to a breakout campaign in 2026.

Who are eight high-impact fantasy baseball prospects managers should keep on their radar heading into draft season? Let's dive in!

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Jett Williams, INF, Milwaukee Brewers

Current Level: Triple-A

2025 MiLB stats: 130 G, .261/.363/.465, 17 HR, 34 SB

The Milwaukee Brewers reassigned infield prospect Jett Williams to minor-league camp on Monday, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. We recently posted that Williams has been putting up video-game numbers in Cactus League play this spring with a .364 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, .636 slugging percentage, and a 1.136 OPS, but apparently it wasn't enough to convince the team's brass that he should start on the big-league roster for Opening Day.

It was pretty much a done deal that the 22-year-old would begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Nashville when he missed over two weeks this spring with a left-quadriceps injury. Still, Williams turned heads at the plate during the Cactus League and could make his big-league debut sooner rather than later this year if he continues to swing the bat this well in the minors.

The former 14th overall pick in 2022 has intriguing power/speed potential at a premium position after hitting .261/.363/.465 with 17 homers, 52 RBI, and 34 stolen bases in 130 minor-league games in 2025. Williams is Milwaukee's No. 3-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Connelly Early, SP, Boston Red Sox

Current Level: Triple-A

2025 MLB stats: 19 1/3 IP, 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 29 SO, 4 BB

Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Connelly Early made his final case for an Opening Day roster spot, tossing five shutout innings against the Yankees in his fifth Grapefruit League appearance, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out seven. He was also charged with a wild pitch and hit a batter in the outing.

Despite the latter results of the performance, Boston's third-ranked prospect has impressed this spring, allowing three earned runs in 17 innings of work (1.59 ERA) while recording a 0.94 WHIP and a 16:5 K:BB. And on Monday it was announced that Connelly Early has made the team's Opening Day roster. However, despite a strong showing in spring training, he will be competing with Johan Oviedo for the fifth starting rotation spot early in the 2026 season.

Connelly Early's 2Ks in the 3rd.

6Ks thru 3 pic.twitter.com/RWN8eB9jYo

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 10, 2025

The left-hander made his MLB debut in 2025 and saw similar success, posting a 2.33 ERA (2.35 xFIP) and a 1.09 WHIP with a 29:4 K:BB over 19 1/3 innings pitched. The competition for Boston's fifth starter role has been stiff, with offseason acquisition RHP Johan Oviedo showing well this spring, too, and it remains to be seen who will win the job. Oviedo may have the slightest of edges in the race, and may get the nod simply due to his MLB experience, but whether it is on Opening Day or sometime later, Early will be pitching with the big league club this season and is a worthy stash candidate in the meantime.

For managers who haven't drafted yet, the 6-foot-3 southpaw can be had at the end of most fantasy drafts with an ADP around 300, but could certainly outproduce that if he gets a chance early on in 2026.

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Current Level: Triple-A

2025 MLB stats: 10 G, .107/.297/.179, 2 2B, 0 HR

San Francisco Giants first base prospect Bryce Eldridge won't make the 2026 Opening Day roster, but the team expects him to contribute in the majors later this season, according to Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News. Eldridge got a small taste of big-league action last year, slashing .107/.297/.179 with an 18.9% walk rate and 35.1% strikeout rate. He has posted similarly high walk and strikeout rates this spring while slashing .225/.380/.450 with one home run, six RBI, and 118 wRC+.

The Giants evidently have no interest in rushing Eldridge into a full-time role before he's ready, so he'll start the year at Triple-A and continue to develop there until the Giants are ready to call him up again. Upon returning to the majors, he'd presumably split time between first base and designated hitter. He is worth stashing in deeper 12+ team leagues while he remains at Triple-A.

Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs

Current Level: MLB

2025 MLB stats: 20 G, .298/.394/.474, 2 2B, 2 HR

Chicago Cubs catching prospect Moises Ballesteros was expected to have a role on the team's Opening Day roster, but could have even a larger role in the early part of the campaign following Seiya Suzuki's knee injury. While his timeline has yet to be revealed, Ballesteros could quickly claim the everyday DH spot and face even less competition for at-bats. The young backstop looked quite comfortable in his MLB debut last summer, posting a 298/.394/.474 slash line with two doubles and two home runs.

Earlier in the campaign, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the system posted a stellar .316/.385/.473 line with 13 long balls over a 114-game stint. Managers should also closely monitor Ballesteros' usage behind the dish, as he could see his fantasy value soar if he were to gain catcher eligibility in standard leagues. For now, he projects to remain a primary DH for the early part of the season and has high-end streaming value in 12+ team formats.

Carson Williams, SS, Tampa Bay Rays

Current Level: MLB

2025 MLB stats: 32 G, .172/.219/.354, 5 HR, 2 SB

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop and top prospect Carson Williams "seems likely" to be the team's Opening Day starting shortstop, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Williams was optioned to Minor League camp on Tuesday, but the news that presumed Rays starting shortstop Taylor Walls (oblique) will open the year on the Injured List due to an oblique issue has apparently necessitated a change in plans. Williams made his MLB debut in 2025 and struggled mightily, slashing .172/.219/.354 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 106 plate appearances.

The 22-year-old struck out in 41.5% of his big-league plate appearances and wasn't much better at Triple-A, where he logged a 34.1% strikeout rate. However, Williams also racked up 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases across his 451 Minor League plate appearances in 2025. If he can limit his swing-and-miss to a more manageable level, Williams carries clear power/speed upside for fantasy managers. However, his profile comes with considerable downside risk in the batting average category.

Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners

Current Level: Triple-A

2025 MiLB stats: 130 G, .285/.383/.458, 16 HR, 14 SB

Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect Colt Emerson remains in camp with the team with just over a week until the regular season begins. It's a near certainty that Emerson will debut with the club in 2026, but it's trending toward being sooner rather than later. Ambuguity around the health of J.P Crawford's ailing shoulder could be factoring into why Emerson remains in camp.

Although the Mariners have stated that the concern level is "very low" with Crawford, he last played in a Cactus League game on March 11 and is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres despite imaging coming back clean after visiting Dr. Keith Meister in Texas. Emerson is 9-for-36 (.250) in spring training, although four of those hits have come in his last three contests, with one of them being his lone home run of the spring. Crawford's shoulder is a situation to monitor because it could mean a spot on the Opening Day roster for Emerson, and if that is the case, the 20-year-old could quickly become fantasy-relevant, as he owns one of the best hit tools in the minors, and he also has plenty of speed and should grow into more power.

Last season, the former first-rounder put together a .285-16-78-82-14 line in 130 games across three levels of the minor leagues. If he does not make the Opening Day roster, he's a top stash candidate in deeper leagues for whenever he does end up debuting.

Brice Matthews, INF/OF, Houston Astros

Current Level: Triple-A

2025 MLB stats: 13 G, .167/.222/.452, 4 HR, 1 SB

Houston Astros outfield prospect Brice Matthews will start in left field in the team's Grapefruit League matchup on Friday night against the Miami Marlins, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Matthews got off to a hot start at the plate this spring but comes into Friday hitting .226 (7-for-31) with a home run, nine RBI, six runs scored, six stolen bases, six walks, and 11 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances over 13 games played.

The 24-year-old has primarily been an infielder in his time in the minors, but he has been working in the outfield this spring for the Astros and has been impressive. The former first-rounder (28th overall) in 2023 hit .260/.371/.458 with an .830 OPS, 17 homers, 64 RBI, 70 runs, and 41 steals in 112 games at Triple-A Sugar Land before going 7-for-42 (.167) with four homers and nine RBI in his first 13 big-league games. Although Matthews has been playing the outfield, he still could be the eventual replacement at second base down the road for Jose Altuve.

Per MLB Pipeline, he's the team's No. 4 prospect. Because of his quick-twitch athleticism and impressive bat speed, Matthews has the potential to hit 30 home runs.

Carter Jensen, C, Kansas City Royals

Current Level: Triple-A

2025 MiLB stats: 20 G, .300/.391/.550, 6 2B, 3 HR

Kansas City Royals catching prospect Carter Jensen appears poised to break camp as the team's designated hitter for 2026, while also likely to spell veteran Salvador Perez behind the plate on occasion. The Royals' top-ranked prospect surged through the upper levels of the minor leagues last year, culminating with an impressive 20-game debut in the majors in which he slashed .300/.391/.550 with three home runs and a 9:12 BB:K. The left-handed slugger has looked solid again this spring, going 8-for-30 (.267) with three home runs in 10 games.

110.8 mph | 438 ft -- just LISTEN to this Carter Jensen moonshot!

MLB's No. 18 prospect leads all @Royals with 3 Cactus League homers this spring. pic.twitter.com/cb4wbh2OlV

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 14, 2026

While the 22-year-old may see some regression from the 2025 numbers over the course of a 162-game season, the contact ability and power are real, as is his ability to draw walks, owning a career 15.2 percent walk rate in the minors. The former third-round draft pick is the 15th catcher going off the board in fantasy drafts (ADP 199), but could easily find himself finishing within the top 12 at the position by season's end, and he currently owns the fourth-best odds for AL Rookie of the Year at +700 (FanDuel), not far behind the leader, Kazuma Okamoto, who is at +460.

2026 Prospect Fantasy Baseball Redraft Rankings

Who are the top fantasy baseball prospects to know? Check out our latest 2026 prospect fantasy baseball rankings which are updated regularly:

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