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Chris's fantasy baseball prospects to stash list for Week 4 of 2025. HIs top MLB prospects and rookie sleepers to make fantasy impacts this year when called up.
Welcome, friends, to the 2025 MLB season, and my weekly article about fantasy baseball prospects to stash heading into Week 4. This week's article discusses prospects like Alex Freeland, Hyeseong Kim, Nick Kurtz, and more who are ready to make a splash in redraft leagues this year.
Winning in a fantasy baseball redraft league requires a nice blend of high-floor players and upside shots. While prospects present more risk in a one-year setting, such as a redraft league, if they succeed, they pay big dividends. The reward could be huge if these players receive adequate playing time and perform well.
Throughout the season, there will be plenty of prospects who will get promoted and make an impact on their respective MLB teams and fantasy teams. Getting ahead of the curve on these players can pay huge dividends when it comes to FAAB bids. You can save money and have your league mates question how you are already in on that player so far in advance. Here are this week's fantasy baseball prospects to stash. These players can make a splash in redraft leagues for the remainder of the 2025 season and are expected to debut in the big leagues soon.
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Alex Freeland, INF, Los Angeles Dodgers
While Dalton Rushing might be the top prospect in the Dodgers' organization, it is Freeland who is likely to get the call first and soon. While the Dodgers' middle infield is performing well with Tommy Edman looking like Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts manning shortstop, third base is a bigger question mark. Max Muncy has gotten off to a rough start to 2025, slashing .167/.281/.241 through 64 plate appearances.
Freeland has been working at third base and is swinging it quite well in Triple-A, slashing .319/.395/.449 with a homer and five stolen bases. His versatility around the infield is a massive boost for the Dodgers when he gets the call. While the profile is not flashy, the lineup could use a consistent contact bat like Freeland's.
So far in 2025, Freeland's profile looks slightly different than what he showed in 2024. The exit velocities are way up, as Freeland has a 107 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 65 percent hard-hit rate. The bat speed has jumped, and the contact rate is a bit down, currently sitting at 75 percent.
Still, Freeland is producing, and that is what matters. Showing the ability to play shortstop, third base, and even some second, Freeland seems like a prospect who gets the call and comes up and performs.
Hyeseong Kim, MI/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Kim might have more power than I gave him credit for when he came over this offseason from Korea. He blasted two home runs last Saturday and an additional one on Friday to give him 11 extra-base hits in 15 games. One of the home runs was no ordinary shot either, as Kim blasted a 106.3 shot, which traveled 462 feet.
The slash line is a strong .284/.351/.552 with three home runs and four stolen bases in Triple-A. Kim is swinging the bat extremely well, and it may not be that long before we see him get the call. The problem? Where does he fit? Edman is occupying second base and has been one of the best hitters in baseball so far. Betts is not moving off shortstop. The only clear replacement is in centerfield for Andy Pages. Kim has only played six career games in center field, all this year.
Despite the hype and surface numbers, things under the hood did not jump off the page. Kim is running an in-zone contact rate of 81 percent, with a 73 percent overall contact rate and a 33 percent chase rate.
Against breaking balls, Kim is running a 53.8 percent contact rate, which is a major concern. The exit velocity data is just okay, as Kim’s average exit velocity is 87.5 mph, and his hard-hit rate is around 33 percent.
Hyeseong Kim again!
He CRUSHES this ball 462 feet for his second homer tonight! pic.twitter.com/KhMar93Ff3
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) April 13, 2025
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
Every day feels a bit closer to a Kurtz call-up. Writing about him every week feels like a bit overkill, but Kurtz is legitimately the best hitter in the minors right now. In 71 Triple-A plate appearances, Kurtz has seven home runs with a slash line of .344/.386/.766
The lefty currently has a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108 mph with an average exit velocity of 95.7 mph. On balls hit in the air, Kurtz is averaging 100 mph, and he has a 61 percent hard-hit rate. Kurtz makes plenty of contact, and his approach is sound, checking every box you want to see from a hitter.
Tyler Soderstrom is off to a hot start while playing first base for the Athletics, having eight home runs with a .328/.403/.734 slash. Where will Kurtz fit? Naturally, Brent Rooker can play left field. He played outfield for 10 years from college, even into the majors. He has also gotten three starts in the outfield over the last week.
Kurtz could be called up by the time this article is published, and I would not be surprised. Realistically, with the Athletics on the road in Chicago and Milwaukee to end the week, I am setting my projected call-up date for Kurtz next Tuesday, April 22, when the Athletics return home to Sacramento.
Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
It is no secret that the Pirates are slow-playing Chandler and building him up in a similar way to Paul Skenes last year. Chandler made two starts last week, throwing on Tuesday and Sunday, and went four innings in both. Chandler threw 61 pitches on Tuesday and 53 on Sunday, so it would not be surprising to see that pitch limit jump to the 70-range in his next start, scheduled for Saturday.
After his first start saw him walk three batters and struggle to throw strikes in the rain, Chandler has settled in nicely, having just two walks and a strike rate of 73 percent in the last two starts. The command and control look good, and the arsenal is impressive; he will soon be dominating major league hitters.
From an arsenal standpoint, Chandler was highly impressive, featuring a fastball that averaged 98.6 mph and touched 100 mph with 19 inches of IVB and 10 or more inches of run. He touched 22 inches of IVB twice, and considering the 5-foot-8 release height, Chandler’s fastball is a 70-grade offering.
He pairs it with a changeup that tunnels well off the fastball and has excellent fading action, sitting in the upper 80s. It averages 17 inches of arm-side fade with a late tumbling action. The slider could end up being a 70-grade pitch if he harnesses the command of it, as it sits anywhere from 87-90 with a strong gyro shape.
In 2024, Chandler tossed a dominant 119 2/3 IP with a 3.08 ERA, backed by a 3.10 FIP. Chandler struck out over 30 percent of the batters he faced and walked just 8.6 percent. Chandler's most notable improvement over the last year has been with his command and strike-throwing ability.
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