Top 50 Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Redraft: Week 8 Rankings

September 9, 2020

Marc Hulet updates his top 50 fantasy baseball prospects rankings list for redraft leagues for Week 8 of the 2020 MLB season, analyzing MLB rookies and call-ups.

It’s hard to believe that we’re only about three weeks away from the MLB playoffs. But it’s going to be a crazy time with lots of double-headers as teams look to solidify their playoff spots.

A number of rookies will play key roles in helping their teams survive the hectic schedules over these next three weeks. And a number of key young players appear to be heating up at the right time, including Joey Bart and Jo Adell.

Although they’re mostly out of the playoff hunt, the Baltimore Orioles also have a number of players that could help fantasy managers through the final few weeks of the season, including Ryan Mountcastle, Dean Kremer, and Keegan Akin. Let's see who else will be helping you in the coming weeks.

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The Top 50 Redraft Prospects for 2020

Notes on Prospects 1-10

3. Jake Cronenworth, IF, Padres: With 130 at-bats just around the corner, this will be Cronenworth’s last week on the list. The young infielder has had a strong, sustained performance throughout this season as witnessed by his 154 wRC+. His results have been down over the past week but it shouldn’t be a major concern.

5. Sixto Sanchez, SP, Marlins: Through his first three MLB starts, Sanchez has been outstanding. He has yet to allow more than three runs in a game and has pitched seven strong innings over his last two appearances. He’s been hurt a little bit by the long ball but he’s throwing strikes, missing bats and the majority of balls in play have been hit on the ground.

7. Triston McKenzie, SP, Indians: Another week, another dominating start for McKenzie. Through his first three MLB starts, the tall right-hander has a K-BB of 19-4 through 16 innings and has allowed just eight hits. An injury-prone player with a history of back issues, the Indians will no doubt be cautious with this talented young pitcher.

10. Ryan Mountcastle, LF, Orioles: Mountcastle continues to look very unlike himself. After building up a reputation of having a poor approach at the plate (which undermined his natural talent and raw power potential), he’s shown a much-improved plan through his first 50 MLB at-bats. In his last six games, he has just three strikeouts and two walks. The power output has been down but that should come back as he continues to get comfortable in The Show.

Notes on Prospects 11-30

11. Joey Bart, C, Giants: The transition from the minors to the Majors has been a bit slow for Bart, who has shown flashes of brilliance but also has a BB-K of 2-17 through his first 15 MLB games. He appears to be heating up and has eight hits and just two strikeouts over his past five games.

13. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates: Hayes appears to have used his time at the alternate training site to get ready for his first shot at the Majors. He’s got seven hits through his first five games and his plus athleticism has been on full display. How much raw power he’ll tap into on a consistent basis remains a big question mark.

15. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers: When Skubal received his promotion to the Majors, I stated that he might have more of an immediate impact than rookie teammate Casey Mize and so far that’s been true. The young lefty has gotten better with each game and looked strong on Saturday against a good Minnesota Twins club. Over his past two starts, Skubal has allowed just five hits in 11 innings.

17. Jo Adell, OF, Angels: It took a little while for Adell to get comfortable but it looks like he’s finally got his feet under him and is heating up. He’s struck out just four times in the last six games and has five hits in his last three contests — including two extra-base hits. Now might be the time to move him from the bench to the starting lineup.

20. Brent Rooker, OF, Twins: Rooker is a player I promoted heavily before the start of the year as someone that could have an immediate impact if given an opportunity by a club with strong outfield depth. It took a while but he’s finally got his shot and has three hits through his four games (one game was cut short by a hit-by-pitch). There will no doubt be a good amount of swing-and-miss to his game but Rooker has the potential to produce big power numbers.

21. Trevor Rogers, SP, Marlins: The Marlins have debuted some good pitching this year — especially with Sixto Sanchez — but Rogers has some serious staying power, too. His control has been getting progressively better and he did very well against a good team in the Rays over the weekend with a K-BB of 10-1 in six innings (albeit with three solo homers).

25. Randy Arozarena, OF, Rays: I’ve always been a big fan of Arozarena and thought he was a steal of a deal for the Rays when the organization acquired him from the Cardinals in 2019. He has a bit of that “Jake Cronenworth” underrated player feel to him and has been struck in organizations with a lot of outfield depth. Finally getting a chance to shine, Arozarena is showing a good a strong approach at the plate, as well as some speed and pop.

28. Bobby Dalbec, 3B/1B, Red Sox: I hesitated to add Dalbec to last week’s list because I wasn’t sure how much playing time he’d see but he’s on the list now after seeing the lineup every day. He’s a bit of a poor man’s Joey Gallo with his “three true outcomes” approach but you can’t argue with the power display. Three of his five hits have gone over the fence. But it’s come with a BB-K of 2-14 through his first seven games.

Notes on Prospects 31-50

35. Edward Olivares, OF, Royals: The Royals feel like a great fit for Olivares, who opened the year with the Padres organization before a trade-deadline swap saw him switch leagues. He’s the type of toolsy player that the Royals typically gravitate towards and they can afford to let him play without worrying (much) about winning games. Olivares needs to tone down his aggressive approach at the plate but he has an intriguing mix of power and speed.

41. Keegan Akin, SP, Orioles: Akin isn’t flashy but he’s a sneaky-good hurler for the pitching-starved Orioles. His ceiling may never surpass that of a No. 4 starter but he can provide innings and has shown the ability to miss bats — including recently striking out eight Yankees batters. Akin’s biggest weakness is inconsistent control.

46. Devi Garcia, SP, Yankees: I’ve been a strong believer in Garcia’s future for a couple of years now and he looked good during his short trial with the Yankees (K-BB of 12-2 in 10.2 innings). But he’s also on a bit of a yo-yo between the alternate training site and the Majors. If he gets a regular slot in the lineup through the final two weeks of the season, then he jumps 20 slots on this list — especially if he faces the Jays — a team that he should dominate with his excellent curveball.

49. Dean Kremer, SP, Orioles: It’s been a rough few years for Orioles fans but the team is starting to graduate some MLB-worthy arms as seen by Akin above and now Kremer, who has the higher ceiling of the two. Kremer is a player I’ve ranked fairly aggressively and he originally comes from the Dodgers’ strong development system. He had an outstanding MLB debut with seven strikeouts and just one hit allowed in six innings.

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