Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 2

April 9, 2026

Eric Cross' top 25 fantasy baseball prospects to stash in redraft for Week 2 (2026). His updated MLB rookie rankings for prospect call-ups to make 2026 impacts.

We're just shy of the two-week mark of the 2026 major league season, and we already had the biggest call-up of the year happen with Pittsburgh promoting the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Konnor Griffin, last week. And honestly, this is one of those times where I'm happy to be wrong about my June ETA for him.

Hopefully, you drafted him or had him stashed last week if someone dropped him after he didn't make the Opening Day roster. And for those who didn't, there are still plenty of exciting prospects on the cusp of the majors right now, many of whom are performing well in Triple-A at the moment.

These prospect rankings are for 2026 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2026 redraft leagues. You can also see our top fantasy baseball dynasty prospects rankings for longer-term outlooks and our 2026 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 2026 redraft value only, not dynasty. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2026.

Promoted April 12th: Noah Schultz (CHW)

Promoted Last Week: Konnor Griffin (PIT), George Klassen (LAA)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Kevin Alcantara (CHC), Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), Gabriel Gonzalez (MIN), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Michael Arroyo (SEA)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Gage Jump (ATH), Carlos Lagrange (NYY), Elmer Rodriguez (NYY), Hagen Smith (CHW), Noah Schultz (CHW), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Trey Gibson (BAL), George Klassen (LAA), Brody Hopkins (TBR)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Payton Tolle (SP - BOS)

If early-season trends continue, I'd bank on Payton Tolle shipping up to Boston sooner rather than later. This would make fantasy managers shout "Woah-oh-oh" as they pick up Tolle and put him into their lineups while they subsequently dropkick their worst pitcher back to the waiver wire.

Both Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello have struggled mightily to open the season, and Suarez especially doesn't appear to be fully ramped up after limited usage in the WBC. The next man up, if either were to exit the rotation for whatever reason, is likely to be Tolle, who is coming off an impressive start for Triple-A Worcester over the weekend.

Payton Tolle looked good today in Triple-A.

6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 7 K

Pitch Breakdown...
Cutter: 20
Sinker: 17
4-Seam: 16
Curveball: 11
Changeup: 10#DirtyWaterpic.twitter.com/eBZ0FsMQYo

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) April 5, 2026

Tolle struck out seven in six innings, allowing just four hits, one walk, and one earned run, which was a solo home run off the bat of the next player I'll be discussing below. And while the overall line was impressive, the pitch mix was especially encouraging, as I outlined in the X post above. Tolle's always had the great fastball, but he's been working on becoming a more well-rounded pitcher. This was quite apparent in his outing this past weekend.

Kaelen Culpepper (SS - MIN)

As mentioned above, Kaelen Culpepper was the only hitter to do any damage off Tolle in his last outing, and that's just one example of what Culpepper has been doing at the plate this season. In eight games for Triple-A St. Paul, Culpepper has smacked three home runs with a .294/.368/.559 slash line.

After a 20/25 season with a .289/.375/.469 slash line in 2025, Culpepper saw himself cracking the top-50 of some prospect lists entering this season, my rankings included. His three home runs and a solid 48.1% hard-hit rate have only added to the rising hype. Culpepper blends above-average contact skills with a good approach and enough speed to be an annual 25 steal threat.

The power has been the one question, but he's hitting the ball harder this season, which is encouraging. And with the Twins in a rebuild, I'd expect Culpepper to get some decent run in the major league infield this season. It wouldn't shock me to see him called up within the next month or so.

Sam Antonacci (2B/3B/OF - CHW)

Another hitting prospect in the American League Central who is tearing it up to start the season is Chicago's Sam Antonacci. In his first seven games of the season, Antonacci is slashing a stellar .346/.528/.615 with two home runs, four steals, and eight walks to only three strikeouts. He also impressed during spring training with two home runs, three steals, a .368/.538/.789 slash line, and a 5/0 BB/K ratio in 26 plate appearances.

All Antonacci does is hit, hit, and hit some more. On top of having above-average contact skills and a phenomenal approach, Antonacci is a plus runner and has more raw power than people give him credit for. The long-term upside is a five-category fantasy contributor capable of exceeding 15 home runs and 30 steals in a season.

Antonacci has made two starts at second base and five in left field so far this season in Triple-A, and could realistically see time at both spots for the White Sox sooner rather than later.

James Tibbs III (OF - LAD)

While Culpepper and Antonacci have been hitting well, no prospect has been hotter than former Giants and Red Sox prospect James Tibbs III. In his first nine games for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City, Tibbs has already racked up 15 runs, 13 RBI, 12 extra-base hits, and seven home runs with a .474/.535/1.184 slash line.

THREE-HOMER GAME FOR JAMES TIBBS III 🚀🚀🚀

Make it 7 homers in the first 8 games of the year for the Triple-A @OKC_comets!@Dodgers | @FSUBaseball pic.twitter.com/LNinowAWqA

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 5, 2026

As expected with the gaudy surface stats, Tibbs underlying quality of contact metrics has been stellar with a 95.3 mph AVG EV, 69% hard-hit rate, and a 34.5% barrel rate. With that said, Tibbs has just a 75.5% zone and 69.9% overall contact rate this season and struck out at a 36.8% clip in 57 spring training plate appearances.

So while there's definitely some upside here, especially in the power department, Tibbs still has some swing-and-miss concerns and doesn't have a clear path to playing time, with Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernandez currently starting in the Los Angeles outfield. I'm sure he'll debut this season, but when that will be and in what capacity remains the question.

Spencer Jones (OF - NYY)

While Tibbs is going bonkers with the extra-base hits and home runs down in Triple-A, Spencer Jones is on the opposite end of the spectrum. While the imposing outfield prospect has three doubles and two home runs in his first eight games, he's also struck out in a ridiculous 19 of his 38 plate appearances. That's a 51.4% strikeout rate.

Of course, strikeouts have always been the issue for Jones, so it's not like this is breaking news. But it's certainly not encouraging to see these issues still as prominent as ever as we begin a new season. And with Jasson Dominguez still ahead of him on the outfield depth chart for the Yankees, I'm not expecting Jones up in the majors any time soon, unless there's an injury or two to current major league outfielders.

More Fantasy Baseball Advice