Top 50 Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Redraft: Week 5 Rankings

August 20, 2020

Marc Hulet updates his top 50 fantasy baseball prospects rankings list for redraft leagues for Week 5 of the 2020 MLB season, analyzing MLB rookies and call-ups.

The Top 50 redraft prospects list is back for another week and we continue to see a lot of movement on the list as teams rely heavily on young players in 2020.

Rays' two-way player Brendan McKay has been removed from the list after news broke Tuesday afternoon that stated the prospect will be undergoing shoulder surgery and is out for the year. Pitchers Randy Dobnak, and Dustin May graduated from the list after surpassing the 50-inning mark in their MLB careers.

The biggest movers on the list this week are Alec Bohm, Dylan Carlson, and Tarik Skubal — three prospects that have all been recalled within the past week and appear in line for regular playing time. Bohm has the best chance to pay deep dividends to his owners right away. Skubal is a sneaky sleeper that is better than most people realize and could also help fantasy owners desperate for rotation help.

The Top 50 Redraft Prospects for 2020

Notes on Prospects 1-10

1. Luis Robert, OF, White Sox: We’ve been talking about Robert’s streaky ways since the winter, and fans have now witnessed it. The good news is that the young hitter is showing signs that his first prolonged slump could be ending. He’s still swinging and missing too much but he’s had some of his best exit velocities over the past handful of games — including two straight days averaging well over 100 mph. Now is another good time to try and pry him away from another owner that’s convinced pitchers have figured Robert out.

3. Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies: Bohm finally received the call from the Phillies, a club that is no doubt hoping his bat can help turn around the disappointing season. The best news for fantasy owners is that the organization is trusting him to play third base despite concerns that he’ll soon have to move to first base due to modest defensive skills at the hot corner. The young hitter has had a solid start to his MLB career with two of his four hits going for doubles. If he’s available in your league and you need corner infield help, now is the time to strike.

4. Carter Kieboom, IF, Nationals: The Nationals have only recently begun to give Kieboom some regular playing time and his fantasy owners hope the trend continues. Early in the year, he was swinging well and being patient — one of his greatest strengths. As the playing time became more scarce, though, he became more aggressive, walking less and striking out more. Over the weekend, though, he cut down on the strikeouts and, on Sunday, took his first walk in six games. Kieboom has shown that he’s prone to pressing so if he’s starting to get comfortable then his bat could really take off.

6. Jo Adell, OF, Angels: With a wRC+ of 28 through his first eight MLB games, it’s has been a tough road for Adell and his fantasy owners. He’s had some extra rest over the past week likely to help him catch his breath and he looked good on Sunday with two hits and — more importantly — no strikeouts. The Angels lack better options and Adell looked good enough over the weekend to earn another week of patience from me.

7. Dylan Carlson, OF, Cardinals: The long-awaited arrival of Carlson is finally here. He’s a little overhyped but the power is for real, and he should also be of benefit in on-base leagues given his willingness to take a walk. His 20 stolen base season in 2019 was the first time that he stole more than eight bases in a season so don’t expect more than a handful of attempts. Still, if you need outfield help, Carlson’s power could help you in the second half of the shortened season.

8. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers: Perhaps you were expecting to see Casey Mize before Skubal but the southpaw is has a better skillset for fantasy baseball. While the former has had a lot of success in college and pro ball, he puts more balls in play than his southpaw teammate, who tends to produce more strikeouts. While Mize struck out about 25% of batters in 2019, Skubal whiffed 30% of High-A ball batters (80.1 innings) before being promoted to Double-A (42.innings) where he struck out hitters at a rate of 48%.

10. Gavin Lux, IF, Dodgers: Lux remains stuck in “alternate site” purgatory despite being arguably the most (healthy) advanced impact bat not on a big-league roster. With both Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez falling in the “good-not-great” category and Corey Seager battling an ongoing back issue, I would be shocked if Lux isn’t soon recalled. Having the young infielder up would help the club rest Seager more to prepare for the post-season.

Notes on Prospects 11-30

11. Cristian Javier, SP, Astros: Javier has methodically risen through the rankings to be one of the most reliable rookie arms in the Majors. With just average velocity, he constantly walks a tightrope against big league hitters — as witnessed by his four home runs allowed in 21.2 innings — but he’s also extremely tough to hit (.153 batting average against) when he has average-or-better command. He’s owned in 56% of Yahoo leagues so your window to grab him is closing.

14. Casey Mize, SP, Tigers: With expanded playoffs this season and better-than-expected team results, it was the perfect storm for Mize’s call-up. It’s easy to see that the Tigers’ Achilles heel this season has been starting pitching with only Spencer Turnbull looking good so it’s not hard to envision Mize coming up and helping solidify this area. He’s already owned in 30% of Yahoo leagues and climbing.

17. Luis Garcia, 2B, Nationals: Washington has never hesitated to be aggressive with young players and Garcia received a recent promotion to the Majors at the age of 20. He’s always been a difficult player to analyze because he’s constantly been three or four years younger than the average age of the league he’s played in. Garcia’s wRC+ of 79 in Double-A last year suggested that the middle infielder had more work to do… but here he is. With good maturity and a strong understanding of the game, the time among other top prospects and big leaguers at the alternate training camp was likely a big help in expediting Garcia’s big-league readiness.

20. Kris Bubic, SP, Royals: Bubic hasn’t been perfect — his command has been hit-or-miss — but he’s causing more swing-and-miss than his fellow rookie hurler Brady Singer, which makes the former more valuable in most fantasy formats. Bubic has also done an excellent job generating ground balls, although he ran into home run issues against the Reds. His curveball has been a solid offering for him, according to Pitch Values, but he’s throwing it just 14% of the time. If he begins to trust it more, he could see additional success.

21. Tony Gonsolin, SP, Dodgers: Like Gavin Lux, Gonsolin is a talented prospect deserving of a big-league slot who just can’t find consistent playing time. I’ve been singing his praises since last season and he had an overpowering performance against the Padres last week while getting a spot start. He has good velocity and can throw four pitches for strikes. Through 8.2 innings this season, Gonsolin has allowed just four hits with a K-BB of 9-2.

22. Keibert Ruiz, C, Dodgers: I said earlier this year that Ruiz may end being one of those rare players that needs the bright lights of the Major Leagues to consistently get the most out of his above-average skill set. Ruiz recently received the call and should get a chance to play with Will Smith on the disabled list. I have some concerns about his maturity level but he has the raw talent to be an above-average contributor behind the plate — especially if he continues to hit more balls in the air. If you need help behind the dish, it’s a good idea to consider this young hitter.

25. Willi Castro, IF, Tigers: Castro isn’t flashy but he can do a little bit of everything and could provide some help at both second and third base where the club has largely been below-average. He could be a .270-.280 hitter with double-digit homer and stolen base totals (full season) — in other words, a solid-but-unspectacular player.

29. Isaac Paredes, 3B, Tigers: Paredes is an interesting prospect. Just 21, he’s always hit for a good average while managing the strike zone in a way that belies his age. He also has some pop but he’s never been a big home run hitter. He’s never hit more than 15 home runs but has 20+ raw power if he can learn to tap into it. Conditioning has always been a concern for this young hitter so I remain wary about his future potential.

Notes on Prospects 31-50

34. Josh Staumont, RP, Royals: With 19 strikeouts in just 9.2 innings, Staumont deserves a spot on your staff if he’s available in your league (just 6% ownership in Yahoo leagues). But a resurgent Trevor Rosenthal has been busy closing down games for Kansas City this year meaning the hard-throwing righty has been relegated to bridging the gap. If he polishes the control a bit (five walks, three hit batters), he could be in line for some saves before the season is over.

42. Monte Harrison, OF, Marlins: A COVID-19 outbreak led the Marlins to roll out a red carpet for Harrison’s MLB debut but he has yet to take advantage of the opportunity. The free-swinger has a 50% strikeout rate through his first 10 games. The power-speed combo remains tantalizing but he’s going to need to start making some adjustments.

45. Thomas Hatch, P, Blue Jays: Hatch continues to throw well for the Jays in a long-man role in the bullpen. With inconsistent results from the starters, it’s only a matter of time before this right-hander gets an opportunity to start, especially if his control and command take a step forward. He’s currently striking out 30% of big-league batters.

48. Ryan Castellani, SP, Rockies: It’s always difficult to trust Rockies pitchers but Castellani has had a nice start to his pro career. In two starts, he’s allowed just two hits in 8.2 innings. His fastball is just average but he’s been commanding his other three offerings. If he can continue to effectively mix them in, Castellani could be a sneaky add, especially when pitching away from Coors Field.

49. Matt Manning, SP, Tigers: Prior to the 2020 season, the Tigers featured three starting pitchers among the Top 15 top dynasty prospects in baseball. With the news that Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal have been called up to the Majors, Manning may not be far behind. Long-term, I could see this young hurler being the most talented of the impressive bunch. He's owned in just 4% of Yahoo leagues right now.

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