Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers: Dynasty Gems In High-A (Week 23)

August 31, 2025

Jarod's fantasy baseball prospect sleepers, risers, stashes currently in High-A ball for Week 23 of 2025. His fantasy baseball dynasty gems to target in dynasty leagues.

Uncovering one of the next big prospects that ascends the ranks of the minor leagues can be exciting, and it can be specifically rewarding when you find one a couple of years before they make it to the majors and go on to become an integral part of your fantasy baseball team.

You know most of the big-time prospects out there, but with so many others, how do you narrow the list down to the ones you want to focus on for your dynasty teams? That's what lists like this are for -- to give you some potential hidden gems out there.

The players below are either just inside MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list or unranked, and are at High-A or right on the cusp of that level. Let's see who could be helping your dynasty squads in the coming seasons.

• Fantasy baseball draft kit
• Fantasy baseball rankings
• Team Sync platform and Draft Assistant
• Fantasy baseball mock draft simulator
• Fantasy baseball draft cheat sheets
• Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
• Fantasy baseball prospects

Felnin Celesten, SS, Seattle Mariners

After being unable to play in 2023 due to a hamstring injury, Celesten kicked off his professional career in the Arizona Complex League in 2024, hitting .352 in 32 games while walking at a 12.5 percent clip, which buoyed his outstanding .431 OBP.

The reason he played in only 32 games last year was due to a hamate injury, so health has been a concern early on. In 2025, however, the young Dominican has played a full complement of games, logging 93 games at Single-A Modesto.

As hoped, the switch-hitter showed well, hitting .285 with five home runs and swiping 20 bases while striking out and walking right around the league average rate.

A 64.9 percent groundball rate from 2024 was reduced to 45.1 percent in 2025, with his flyball rate going from 13.4 percent to 31.8 percent, allowing him to tap into more of his power.

First High-A game, first High-A homer for Felnin Celesten‼️ pic.twitter.com/CVAPPITpvH

— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) August 20, 2025

With all of this momentum, the 19-year-old was just recently awarded a promotion to High-A Everett, where he smacked his first home run in his first game played there, now with a 6:11 BB:K in eight games thus far.

Aroon Escobar, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies

Like other players listed here, Escobar began in the Dominican Summer League (DSL); however, he didn't hit the ground running from a batting average standpoint, hitting .225 in 81 games between 2022 and 2023.

What he did do well, though, was draw walks, registering a 13.8 percent walk rate during his time in the DSL, which was better than his exceptional 12.2 percent strikeout rate.

This dynamic was even more apparent when he seemingly put it all together in the Florida Complex League in 2024, where he struck out just 10 times while recording 21 walks and batting .338 (26-for-77) in 24 games.

Unfortunately, his season was cut short in June after the right-handed slugger dealt with shin splits, and he was unable to make it back on the field for the rest of the year.

The 20-year-old began 2025 at Single-A, where he slashed .285/.377/.452 with 11 home runs and 10 steals in 69 games. He also maintained a better-than-average strikeout rate (16.1 percent) while still walking at an above-average rate (10.1 percent).

The performance earned the Venezuelan a promotion to High-A Jersey Shore in early July, where he's continued to hold his own, hitting safely in 12 of his first 13 games there and slashing .245/.327/.317 in 38 games.

MLB's No. 84 prospect Aroon Escobar wallops his first High-A homer!@Phillies | @PhilsPlayerDev | @BlueClaws pic.twitter.com/BN2Gbh8ZX6

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 10, 2025

He's added one home run and 11 steals at that level as well, while walking and striking out at around league-average rates.

With a proven approach, a solid hit tool, and the potential to grow into more power, there is a foundation for a breakout and quick rise through the higher levels of the organization.

MLB.com's Top Prospects List projects a 2028 ETA for the right-handed slugger, but he has the talent to expedite that timeline, and dynasty managers need to be on alert.

Kendall George, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

While we, as fantasy managers, would prefer multi-category producers, players who can give you a distinct advantage in a category can help round out your teams, especially if they don't hurt you in other categories like batting average and on-base percentage.

That's what George does. Think Chandler Simpson when you think of George. The ability to put the bat on the ball, steal a ton of bases, and score a bunch of runs.

George split time between Complex League ball and Single-A in 2023, hitting .370 with 17 steals and 24 runs scored in 28 games that season. He followed that up with a .279/.384/.328 campaign in 2024, with 36 steals and 75 runs scored in 86 games.

The 20-year-old has spent the entirety of 2025 at High-A Great Lakes, hitting .286 while lowering his strikeout rate by five percentage points year-over-year and walking (78) more than he's striking out (76) in 106 games. Oh yeah, and he's swiped 86 bases thus far.

In case you missed it... HISTORY MADE! 🚀

Kendall George is now the fastest Loon EVER to reach 50 stolen bases!

Back in 2009, Dee Strange-Gordon hit 50 in 89 games. KG did it in just 76 games, 13 games faster. pic.twitter.com/G5WrSpfbZu

— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) July 25, 2025

His ability to draw walks is the most striking difference between him and Chandler Simpson. Simpson struck out less, owning an 8.8 percent strikeout rate while drawing walks at a 9.4 percent rate during his minor league career.

George is striking out at a 15.5 percent rate (still better than average), but owns a career 15.2 percent walk rate. So even when his bat goes cold, he should still be able to get on base, wreak havoc on the basepaths, and put himself in position to score.

Rainiel Rodriguez, C, St. Louis Cardinals

Another DSL standout, Rodriguez, hit .345 with 10 home runs and a 30:25 BB:K in 41 DSL games in 2024 as a 17-year-old.

Now 18 years old, the Dominican started out 2025 with the team's Complex League affiliate, where he produced a .373 average with seven home runs and a 1.343 OPS in 20 games. Worthy of a tougher challenge, the Cardinals sent him to Single-A, where he's been since early June.

While the batting average has dipped to .248, he does not appear to be overmatched, posting a 37:44 BB:K with 12 home runs in 55 games, including a nine-game hit streak that recently ended, during which time he hit .353.

With 112 mph exit velocities already recorded at such a young age, it shows the type of power potential that resides within his bat. Rodriguez is not expected to hit the majors for a few years, but he fits the profile of a stash candidate, especially at a premium position where offense is sometimes hard to find.

Alfredo Duno, C, Cincinnati Reds

Duno hit well as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2023, slashing .303/.451/.493 with six home runs and six steals in 45 games. Unfortunately, his 2024 campaign was cut short in May after he suffered a broken rib.

Hitting just .267 last year at Single-A and missing the second half of the season, Duno may have fallen off dynasty radars, but fast forward to 2025, and he should be squarely back on the radar.

The now-19-year-old has spent the entirety of 2025 at Single-A, hitting .286 with 15 home runs, while registering a robust .426 on-base percentage, thanks very much in part to an elite 18.7 percent walk rate. The good eye is not something new either, as he recorded a 16.8 percent walk rate coming into 2025.

Last year, the right-handed hitting backstop ranked No. 10 on the Reds' Top 30 Prospects list, but has risen all the way to No. 3 this season and could easily be their top-ranked prospect by the end of 2026.

While the Venezuelan is not at High-A yet, his performance this season -- and especially lately -- will get him there sooner rather than later.

Alfredo Duno has homered in 3 straight games!

Duno entered today leading the Florida State League with a .426 OBP and .913 OPS. There has not been a qualifying hitter in the FSL with an OPS over .900 since 2021.#RedsMiLB

pic.twitter.com/S1PEe9sWnj

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) August 22, 2025

Duno recently homered in three straight games and has homered five of his last eight, batting .423 (11-for-26) during that time, along with a 5:4 BB:K. Look for him to earn a promotion to High-A before the season is out, and move him way up your dynasty ranks.

Caden Scarborough, SP, Texas Rangers

A sixth-round draft pick in 2023, Scarborough may have flown under the radar for dynasty managers, and after being limited to 10 1/3 innings in 2024 with a lat injury, the right-hander may have gone even further unnoticed.

However, the 6-foot-5 hurler has made a name for himself in 2025. Through 18 starts at Single-A, he authored a 2.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and struck out 95 batters in 75 innings pitched. The strikeouts came in at a strong 32.3 percent, and were paired with an excellent 6.4 percent walk rate.

The dominance was recently rewarded with a promotion to High-A, where his debut did not disappoint, tossing five shutout innings in which he allowed one hit, one walk, and one hit batter, while striking out nine.

Caden Scarborough dominated last night despite a steady rain that got heavier as the night went on.
A+ Debut: 5 IP/1 H/0 ER/1 BB/9 K/18 Whiffs/71% strikes
FB: 94-96 up to 17 in arm-side
SW: 82-85 3000 rpm/up to 19 in of sweep
SPL: 84-86 pic.twitter.com/AehBBvfuXW

— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) August 22, 2025

He's since followed that up with another four shutout innings in his latest start, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six. So long as he continues on this trend, the 20-year-old could be in the big leagues in the next couple of years and should be under consideration for dynasty rosters.

Other Prospect Risers in Single-A or High-A

• Mike Sirota, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A)
• Dasan Hill, SP, Minnesota Twins (High-A)
• Caleb Bonemer, INF, Chicago White Sox (High-A)
• Christian Zazueta, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A)
• Edward Florentino, 1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Single-A)
• Trey Gregory-Alford, SP, Los Angeles Angels (Single-A)

More Fantasy Baseball Advice