Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #101-175 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

Part 2 of Marc Hulet's top 2022 MLB prospect rankings for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues. He analyzes the MLB prospects ranked #101-175 for fantasy baseball.

RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season still hangs in the balance due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minor league season will be unaffected (for players not on the 40-man roster).

We’re continuing our 2022 prospect coverage with the comprehensive Top 250 dynasty prospects list. And while this is always a challenging process, recent events have made it all the more difficult. Lost development time has hindered some prospects’ development and now we have a wide range of rule changes around minor league baseball that plays havoc with player evaluations. Some leagues have had automated strike zones while others have experienced new base running rules — both of which impacted some players’ statistics/results in 2021 and will continue to impact others in 2022.

With all that aside, we’re excited to begin another season of mining the minor leagues for the next big performers in fantasy baseball. Today, we’re continuing our breakdown of the Top 250 list with a look at prospects #101-175. You can read part one for prospects #176-250 here. Keep in mind that once you pass the Top 100-125 prospects in baseball, the difference in value between prospect 150 and prospect 300, for example, really isn’t that big and the ranking really comes down to a gut feeling. OK, let’s dig in.

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Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospect Rankings: #101-175

See the full list of the top 250 MLB prospect rankings for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues.

Top Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: #151-175

175. Jose Salas, SS: The Marlins have intriguing middle-infield depth and Salas is one to watch. He hit very well in his first taste of pro ball in 2021, although he saw his success dip a bit when he moved up to A-ball as an 18-year-old. He should be an above-average hitter with solid speed. He has the potential to develop 20+ home run pop as he matures.

173. James Triantos, 3B/SS: Triantos is currently flying under the radar but I have a good feeling about him. Selected in the second round of the 2021 amateur draft out of high school, he shows an advanced bat for a teenager and also showed good pop (six homers, seven doubles in 25 games) in rookie ball. He reportedly has good makeup, which should help his tools play up.

170. Joey Wiemer, OF: Wiemer is a boom-or-bust type player that could end up being coveted in fantasy baseball because of his plus raw power and above-average speed. The risk comes from his swing-and-miss tendencies, which could be exposed once he hits Double-A. On the plus side, he’s shown a willingness (and athleticism) to make adjustments.

169. Luis Medina, SP: Everyone loves pitchers that can bring the heat and few hurlers do it better or more consistently than Medina. Unfortunately, his command and control are both hit-or-miss which could very well push him into a future (multi-inning) bullpen role.

166. Seth Beer, 1B/DH: Beer gets dinged a lot on “real world” prospect lists because he has zero (or possibly negative) defensive value and will very likely end up as a designated hitter. In fantasy, we don’t have to worry about that quite as much so we can focus our appreciation on his ability to mash. A move to the DH in the National League in 2022 would see his value spike further.

164. Kevin Smith, 3B/SS: Smith didn’t perform well in his first taste of big league action in 2021 but he was rushed a little bit due to injuries at the MLB level and was put in a stressful situation with the Jays pushing hard for a playoff spot. He will likely open the year in Triple-A but, as it stands, the Jays don’t have any roadblocks at third base.

163. James Wood, OF: Wood is often compared to Aaron Judge because of the size similarities (The Padres prospect is 6-7, 240 lbs). And while he has mammoth raw power, he’s also a lot less advanced entering pro call as a teenager (whereas Judge was a college product). Wood had an excellent debut but also has a lot of swing-and-miss to his game which isn’t uncommon for larger players with long levers.

160. Freddy Tarnok, SP: Atlanta has a number of intriguing players in its system and Tarnok’s long-awaited breakout began in 2021. The hard-throwing right-hander produced a 109-28 K-BB in just 73.1 innings in 2021. He’ll likely open 2022 back in Double-A although the aggressive Braves could push him to Triple-A. Tarnok can hit the upper-90s with his heater and shows an above-average breaking ball.

159. Eddys Leonard, IF: It took Leonard three years to get to A-ball thanks to the pandemic but he made up for the lost time in 2021 by splitting the year between both A-ball levels. He showed good patience, slugged 22 home runs, and almost hit .300. Leonard probably needs another month or two in A-ball before moving up to Double-A to focus on improving his contact rate but this 21-year-old is really only scratching the surface on his potential.

152. A.J. Vukovich, 3B: A 2020 amateur draft pick out of high school, Vukovich didn’t make his pro debut until 2021 due to the pandemic and flashed the skills that made him an intriguing amateur prospect (Who I had ranked higher than a fourth-round talent). Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks — an organization that I do not ranked highly for their player development — rushed him last year and had him move up from Low-A to High-A when he wasn’t ready.

Top Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: #126-150

150. Jhonkensy Noel, 3B/1B: Noel is another sleeper to keep an eye on — although he’s starting to receive more attention after an eye-opening 2021 season that saw him slug 19 homers in 64 A-ball games. Along with the plus raw power, he shows better-than-average contact skills at times. However, he was rushed a bit and the 20-year-old was pushed up to High-A ball towards the end of last season where he struggled again better pitching.

149. Ezequiel Duran, 2B/SS: Duran isn’t a huge player but he generates above-average power due to his quick bat and strong arms. He slugged 19 home runs last year but saw his production slip after moving from the Yankees to the Rangers organization. The Rangers system seems to perpetuate swing-and-miss issues with its prospects so I’m a little worried about Duran’s future.

148. Zack Gelof, 3B: Gelof had a great debut after being a second-round pick out of college in 2021. He has shown flashes of being able to hit for average, power, and also produce good on-base rates. One big caveat with Gelof, though, is that he’s shown an inconsistent nature and could be prone to lengthy slumps once he’s playing 100+ games a year.

145. Elly De La Cruz, 3B: De La Cruz is enjoying some real helium as he enters the 2022 season. He could end up as a fantasy stud if he hits well enough because he has plus speed and plus raw power. The risk with De La Cruz comes from his aggressive nature at the plate (14 walks in 61 games) which could be exposed against better pitching.

142. Lonnie White Jr., OF: I had White Jr. ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the 2021 draft — which was far higher than any other publication had him ranked. A multi-sport prep athlete, he possesses explosive bat speed, raw power, and blazing speed. His hit tool is the biggest question mark but the overall package is exciting.

141. Coby Mayo, 3B: Mayo opened the 2021 season in rookie ball but he dominated the competition over a 26-game span and earned a promotion up to A-ball. He showed a little more swing-and-miss to his game at that point but still produced above-average power and produced a 159 wRC+.

140. Blake Jordan, 1B: Known for his prodigious raw power as an amateur, Jordan entered pro ball in 2021 and showed a little more skill with the bat than expected. He’ll probably end up at first base but he’ll spend time at third base for now and could be playable there on a part-time basis as a big leaguer. Jordan has the potential to hit 30+ homers.

139. Cole Henry, SP: I’m more bullish on Henry than some and see a pitcher with mid-to-upper 90s heat with the potential for three above-average offerings. There are some health concerns with this hurler despite his big, strong frame but he produced a 39% strikeout rate in nine appearances (eight starts) in High-A ball.

133. Owen Caissie, OF: Canadian-born prospects tend to take longer to develop due to the weather-shortened baseball season but Caissie may be an anomaly. Considered a fringe first-round talent in 2020, he was snatched up in the second round by the Padres and traded a short time later to the Cubs and he flourished in 2021 while dominating rookie ball and holding his own in Low-A. He has plus raw power and a good eye.

126. Taj Bradley, SP: Just 17 when he was drafted in 2018 — and primarily an outfielder as an amateur — Bradley has been a long-term project for the Rays. He first caught my eye in 2019 due to his athleticism on the mound and he fully broke out in 2021 after the lost 2020 season. Last year, Bradley pitched at two A-ball levels and posted a 1.83 ERA with a 123-31 K-BB ratio in 103.1 innings. The four-pitch hurler has two above-average offerings with a 94-97 mph fastball and slider.

Top Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: #101-125

125. Miguel Vargas, 3B: Vargas looked poised for a breakout after the 2019 campaign but he was delayed until the 2021 season when his above-average power finally showed up consistently in games. He slugged 23 homers while splitting the year between A-ball and Double-A. He is an above-average hitter with excellent contact rates and is hitting more than .300 as a pro.

120. Jordan Westburg, SS/3B: An intriguing athlete with the potential to hit at least 15-20 homers and steal an equal number of bases, Westburg played at three levels in 2021 and ended in Double-A. There is some swing-and-miss to his game but the offensive skills combined with defensive versatility could make him an attractive fantasy player in time.

119. Jared Jones, SP: I had Jones ranked as one of the top prep arms in the 2020 amateur draft and the Pirates got excellent value when the organization snagged him in the early second round. He has power stuff and struck out A-ball batters at a 34% rate in 2021. His command and control are works in progress but he’s ultra-athletic so I’m not worried.

117. Matthew Allan, SP: Allan’s development has been delayed by Tommy John surgery — he has just 10.1 innings of pro experience — but I had him ranked as the sixth overall talent in the 2019 draft and the top prep arm. Allan came out of high school with three pitches that had the potential to grade out as above-average. He won’t get back on the mound competitively until mid-2022 but he has the advanced skills to quickly make up for lost time.

115. Carlos Colmenarez, SS: Colmenarez was one of the top talents that came out of the 2020-21 international free agent class but his pro debut was uneven in the Dominican Summer League. The teenager gets a mulligan because he was also recovering from hamate surgery, which can take months to fully recover from and likely sapped some of his pop.

113. Kyren Paris, SS: Paris was selected 55th overall in the 2019 amateur draft but I had him ranked as the 17th-best talent due to his athleticism, bat speed, and room for growth. He lost development time in 2020 because of the pandemic and played fewer than 50 games in 2021 due to injury but he’s shown flashes of potential. I’m expecting a breakout year in 2022.    

111. Bobby Miller, SP: I ranked Miller very aggressively as the 17th-best talent in the 2020 amateur draft but he wasn’t seen by most as a sure-fire first-round talent. The Dodgers grabbed him 29th overall and he’s shown flashes of three above-average offerings and above-average control. Miller is ranked lower on this list than you might expect for two reasons: Health/Durability and Reliever Risk due to his delivery. He’s never thrown more than 80 innings between college and pro ball.

110. Everson Pereira, OF: While Jasson Dominguez was the Yankees outfield prospect that got all the attention in 2021, Pereira quietly had an intriguing season and appears to be on the verge of a breakout. While he’s shown some flashy batting averages in the low minors, Pereira has been aided by significant BABIPs and his true carrying tool is his raw power. He slugged 20 homers in just 49 games. If he can keep the swing-and-miss in line then he has a massive ceiling.

108. Kevin Alcantara, OF: The Yankees opened 2021 with some enviable outfield depth in the minors and Alcantara was eventually used to help land Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs. He has a huge ceiling. Alcantara stands 6-6 and has lots of room to add muscle to his frame but he already generates above-average power due to his size and bat speed.

103. Hedbert Perez, OF: Perez has the tools and makeup to zoom up this ranking but there is a caveat. He showed very well in rookie ball in 2021 with a .333 batting average in 32 games but he completely fell apart in A-ball due to an (extremely) over-aggressive approach that saw him overmatched. He posted a 1-25 BB-K ratio in 16 games. As he moves up, pitchers will make fewer mistakes and it will be important for him to wait for hitter’s pitches. Still just 18, time is on his size but the Brewers need to slow his development down a bit.

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