Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers - Rookies to Stash and Top Performers for Week 1 (2026)

March 30, 2026

Jeremy's top fantasy baseball prospect risers, breakouts with big upside for Week 1 of 2026. He analyzes top MLB rookies and call-ups to stash who are surging.

Welcome to my first edition of the top prospect performers. Usually, we will look at three prospects performing exceptionally well in the minors who are worth knowing for fantasy purposes. However, with the season just starting, there's not a whole lot of data to go by just yet.

Instead, for this first edition, we'll look at three prospects who had elite 2025 minor league seasons who all had a chance to win an opening day job, but ultimately came up short. We've seen immediate success from rookies this season, such as Chase DeLauter, Kevin McGonigle, JJ Wetherholt, and Carson Benge, and these three could make a similar impact once they get the call.

Adding the right prospect before or when they get promoted can fill the missing piece on your roster and set you up for a fantasy championship. Especially in deeper leagues, they offer unique upside that is almost never available on the waiver wire. Without further ado, here are three prospects that are likely to make an impact at some point in 2026.

Konnor Griffin, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates No. 1, Overall No. 1

The most obvious name to include here is, of course, Konnor Griffin. He was the most hyped up prospect this draft season, more so than a long list of names who did make their team's opening day roster. While there were rumblings of a potential contract extension being worked on that would have ensured his spot on the roster, it unfortunately never came to fruition. 

This was always a possibility, and it definitely doesn’t mean you should drop him in fantasy. The youngster did impress with four home runs in spring training, but still slashed just .171/.261/.488, which can definitely be improved. While he didn’t completely dominate spring training, he should have no problem handling the competition in Triple-A Indianapolis. 

Through his ascent through the minors last season from Low-A to Double-A, he slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs, 94 RBI, 117 runs, and 65 stolen bases. Drafted ninth overall in the 2024 draft, he possesses a rare blend of power, speed, and approach at the plate that has taken him from elite prospect status to being considered a potential generational one.

He is currently ranked as the number one prospect according to MLB.com, with a popular player comp being Bobby Witt Jr. Griffin could very easily be up with the big league club by the end of April, so make sure he’s not sitting on the waiver wire in any of your leagues. 

The 19-year-old wasted no time showing off his tools in the first game of the Triple-A season on Friday, going 1-for-3 with two runs, a walk, and a stolen base. On Saturday, he stayed hot, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks.

He’s the rare type of player who could instantly turn into a fantasy superstar as soon as he’s promoted, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him drafted in the earliest rounds in 2027.

Konnor Griffin puts his 70-grade wheels on display the first chance he gets on base in his Triple-A debut.

MLB's No. 1 prospect, just 19 years old, swipes his first base for the @indyindians after stealing 65 last season. pic.twitter.com/HbjaPdsGVx

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 27, 2026

Verdict: Stash in all leagues

Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants

Giants No. 1, Overall No. 25

Bryce Eldridge was expected to win the opening day designated hitter job for the Giants, but they decided to send him back down to Triple-A. Instead, Rafael Devers has spent the first two games at DH while Casey Schmitt mans first base. It was especially surprising that he didn't make the roster, considering that he already earned a promotion to the big leagues last September, although he hit just .107 in the 10 games that he did play.

It's impossible to judge a player from a 10-game sample, and what he did in 102 minor league games in 2025 is much more important. He slashed .260/.333/.510 with 25 home runs, 84 RBI, and 46 runs. He did strike out 29.3% of the time, but that’s not as limiting for hitters with such extreme raw power. 

Speaking of his power, he logged a max exit velocity of 114.6 mph last season, and continued to hit the ball hard even when he was struggling for those 10 games in the majors. Despite an actual slugging percentage of a mere .179, his xSLG was an excellent .506 to go along with a ridiculous 68.8% hard-hit rate, 25% barrel rate, 17.2% chase rate, and 18.9% walk rate.

Those aren’t realistic numbers over a long period of time, but the point is that he wasn’t overmatched by major league pitching. 

Bryce Eldridge blasts a three-run homer 💥 pic.twitter.com/FtkfBuyO0v

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 24, 2026

In the 21-year-old’s first game of the season at Triple-A on Friday, he went 1-for-2 with a single, a run scored, and three walks. On Saturday, he logged his second hit of the season. He has clearly proven himself at the Triple-A level, and a major factor in his not making the team is most likely defense.

He is listed as a 1B/DH, but only has eligibility at utility for fantasy, and is expected to be the primary DH when he does get called back up.

San Francisco may wait to see defensive improvement in the minors if they want to be able to start Eldridge at first to get Devers some time off his feet occasionally.

Verdict: Stash in 12+ team Roto leagues

Robby Snelling, SP, Miami Marlins

Marlins No. 2, Overall No. 39

Robby Snelling came into spring with a real chance to win an opening day job, but unfortunately, his performance made the Marlins’ decision pretty easy. He gave up seven runs on 12 hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts in 8 ⅓ innings, which obviously isn’t what Miami was looking for.

However, a couple of bad appearances in spring training shouldn’t erase the complete dominance he displayed throughout his time in the minors. In 2025, he posted a 2.51 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 166 strikeouts in 136 innings. That worked out to an elite 30.3% strikeout rate, and he looked even better once reaching tougher competition at Triple-A.

In 11 starts there, he put up a minuscule 1.27 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, showing the only thing left for him to conquer is the majors. That’s assuming that his spring training results weren’t a sign of a persisting issue, and at least based on his first start at Triple-A in 2026, it doesn’t look like there’s anything to be worried about. The 22-year-old allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three over four innings. 

While the box score doesn’t paint the picture of a completely dominating outing, it was a solid start to the year. He was never really in too much danger, as he gave up just one ball in play that was hit harder than 95 miles per hour. 

Robby Snelling turns in a 4-inning, one-run performance in his 2026 Triple-A debut ⭐️

The @Marlins' No. 2 prospect yielded just one hard-hit ball (95+ mph) for the @JaxShrimp: pic.twitter.com/vKbbQjVWXh

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 28, 2026

The other aspect that makes me more confident in stashing Snelling over other pitching prospects is his competition. The Marlins rotation is currently filled with Max Meyer, Chris Paddack, and Janson Junk in the back end, so it’s certainly not like Snelling will be blocked from a talent perspective. Once he gets in a groove in Triple-A, it may not be long before we see him in the majors.

Verdict: Stash in 15+ team leagues with deep benches

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