Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #176-250 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

Part 1 of Marc Hulet's top 2022 MLB prospect rankings for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues. He analyzes the MLB prospects ranked #176-250 for fantasy baseball.

RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season 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 beginning 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 beginning our breakdown of the Top 250 list with a look at prospects 176-250. 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: #176-250

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

Top Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: #226-250

250. Will Bednar, SP: Bednar enters pro ball on a huge upswing after an unreal performance at the 2021 College World Series. The performance pushed him into the first round of the draft and he showed signs that he could be a quick mover through the Giants’ minor league system.

245. Glenn Otto, SP: Traded from the Yankees to the Rangers last season, Otto should get a solid shot at establishing himself at the MLB level in 2022. He’s basically MLB-ready and, while the Rangers made a lot of offensive improvements during the truncated offseason, the lack of pitching depth really hasn’t been addressed.

240. Ricky Vanasco, SP: Vanasco is an easy guy to forget about because he hasn’t pitched since 2019 due to injuries, rehab, and the pandemic. He had excellent results prior to the long layoff and he’s shown flashes of his excellent stuff during rehab. Vanasco is an intriguing sleeper entering the 2022 minor league season.

239. Hans Crouse, SP: Another pitcher with Rangers ties, Crouse was traded to the Phillies last year. His command remains a work-in-progress as witnessed by seven walks and two home runs allowed during seven innings at the big league level last season. He’s further down on the rankings because his fastball velocity has been down a bit and he’s already dealt with one significant elbow injury.

238. Jeremiah Jackson, SS/3B: I’m a fan of Jackson - and have been since he was selected by the Angels out of high school in 2018. But despite that statement, the young slugger needs to tone down his aggressive “grip and rip” approach. He struggled in the Arizona Fall League in the fall of 2021 and Double-A will be a real test for him in 2022.

237. Euribiel Angeles, IF: The Padres system has lost a lot of top talent due to promotions and trades but the organization has a plethora of intriguing sleepers, including Angeles. He showed an advanced bat in 2021 as a 19-year-old and could be a relatively quick-mover through the system. He hit .330 in 105 games but is also an aggressive swinger.

235. Brenton Doyle, OF: A fourth-round pick out of college in 2019, Doyle was hurt by the layoff in 2020. He came back in 2021 and showed his plus raw power but he was too aggressive with a BB-K of 30-134 in just 97 games. Doyle got better as the year wore on and the thought of his power in Colorado is tantalizing — as is his ability to swipe 15-20 bases.

232. Dax Fulton, SP: I considered Fulton to be a first-round talent in the 2020 amateur draft out of high school but Tommy John surgery pushed him to the Marlins in the second round. He made it back to the mound in 2021 and understandable rust but flashed mid-rotation potential.

226. Jose Tena, SS/3B: Tena is a player that does a little bit of everything and has intriguing sleeper potential heading into 2022. He’ll face a big challenge as he moves up to Double-A because he’s too aggressive at the plate but he showed signs of improvement in that area during the Arizona Fall League. Tena has also gotten stronger and showed more pop in 2021 — hopefully a sign of more to come in the year ahead.

225. Brandon Williamson, SP: The Mariners organization has an enviable amount of pitching talent on a collision course with the major leagues. Williamson has mid-rotation (or better) potential if he can continue to polish his command and secondary offerings.

Top Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: #201-225

224. Erick Pena, OF: Pena was ranked much higher in 2021 but he stumbled out of the gate and completely fell apart so badly that you have to think he was trying to play while hurt. He doesn’t turn 19 until February so time is on his side but he needs to show something in 2022 to remain relevant.

221. Gage Workman, SS: Selected in the fourth round of the 2020 amateur draft out of college, I had Workman ranked as a second-round talent so the Tigers got great value. He has contact issues that need to be addressed but he has an intriguing raw power/speed mix.

215. Alex Ramirez, OF: This young hitter’s numbers were nothing to write home about in 2021 but he was also 18 years old and curiously tasked with playing full-season ball. I’m not sure pushing players like this is beneficial in the long run but Ramirez did show improved contact skill as the year progressed.

213. Jordan Diaz, 3B/1B: Diaz is another intriguing sleeper entering the 2022 season. His 2021 numbers don’t jump out at you but he was facing more advanced/older pitching and more than held his own. He also has impressive raw power and doesn’t sell out to make hard contact. He’ll have more value if he can play third base even on a semi-regular basis.

212. Brice Turang, SS: This former first-round pick has seen his value slip. He has promise due to his on-base numbers and speed but he lacks pop and has a .261 career batting average. Turang is a safe bet to play in the majors but there is no guarantee he’ll hold down a starting gig for long — or offer enough offensive value to be a fantasy stud.

211. Elehuris Montero, 3B/1B: Kudos to Montero for having a nice bounce-back season in 2021 after looking completely lost in 2019 and missing all of 2020 due to the pandemic. He showed more patience and also slugged 28 home runs in 120 games. His power could really play well in Colorado if he can find enough at-bats on a team that seems to favor veterans.

207. Ian Lewis, 2B: Lewis has a long way to go to reach his full potential but the 18-year-old’s first taste of pro ball was very encouraging. He hit more than .300 while showing good contact skills. Along with above-average speed, Lewis also has shown glimpses of above-average power. If he can maintain a focused approach at the plate, he could be something special. Keep an eye on this one.

205: Jesse Franklin, OF: Franklin is an intriguing power-hitting prospect but the Braves will want to ignore the inclination to rush him as they did with Drew Waters and Cristian Pache. On the plus side, Franklin is a college product so he was more advanced entering pro ball, and isn’t quite the raw product the other two were, but he needs to polish his contact skills if he wants to play every day at the big league level.

203. Sam Bachman, SP: The ninth-overall selection in the 2021 amateur draft, Bachman is probably lower than you’ll find him on other lists but I’m not a big believer in this hard-thrower. I see a big fastball and promising slider but he lacks ideal size (durability concerns), has a rough delivery (injury risk), and lacks a deep repertoire. I think he’ll end up as a high-leverage reliever.

202. Gabriel Gonzalez, OF: If you’re hunting for the next Julio Rodriguez (Who I promoted as the next big thing a year before his big breakout), you’ve come to the right place. The Mariners know how to develop young hitters and Gonzalez has intriguing raw skills mixed with a solid approach at the plate. Tuck this name away and be ready to strike in dynasty leagues if he looks good in 2022 while moving from the Dominican Summer League to rookie ball.

Top Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Prospects: #176-200

197. Pedro Leon, SS/OF: Signed out of Cuba, Leon has big-time power and raw speed but he also has significant swing-and-miss to his game — which in part could be due to a long layoff between playing competitive games and from being pushed aggressively to Double-A to begin his pro career. His ability to play both shortstop and the outfield will only help his fantasy value. His bat was scorching hot in June and July but ice cold the rest of the year.

196. Clarke Schmidt, SP: Schmidt has slid down the rankings due to injuries and durability concerns. He’s also at risk of being passed on the depth charts by a never-ending parade of hard-throwing prospects coming up behind him. He once looked like a potential mid-rotation arm for the Yankees but he could settle in as more of a No. 4/5 starter or middle reliever.

193. Maximo Acosta, SS: Acosta had a solid debut in rookie ball — especially when you consider the promising young hitter was playing hurt. His season ended early so he could undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. He’s an advanced hitter with plus speed and developing power.

192. Joshua Mears, OF: Mears’ development has been hurt by lost development time due to injuries and the pandemic but his raw power is tantalizing. He doesn’t need to sell out to hit massive home runs so if he can show improved contact skill in 2022 he could really take off for the Padres.

191. Tanner Burns, SP: I’ve always been a believer in Burns despite the fact that he’s a smallish right-hander. He made 18 starts in 2021 and posted a K-BB of 91-29 in 75 2/3 innings. There are pitchers with higher ceilings in the Guardians system but Burns has No. 3/4 starter upside and more certainty than many.

188. Joshua Baez, OF: I wasn’t a huge fan of Baez as a first-round selection in the 2021 draft because I prefer a more advanced bat in my top prep hitters but he slid to the Cardinals with the 54th pick, which is more reasonable. Baez has big-time power but he hit just .158 and posted a 65 wRC+ in his debut. To be fair, he was hurt by some bad luck and had a .208 BABIP.

186. Simeon Woods Richardson, SP: I have Woods Richardson ranked lower than some because I’m not 100% sold on his fastball. His sustained velocity range seems to be over-started so I see more of a future No. 4 starter than a true stud, His deep repertoire and above-average control give him a chance to prove me wrong, though.

185. Vaughn Grissom, SS: A 2019 11th-round pick, Grissom is made huge strides in a short period of time — even with the lost development opportunities due to the pandemic. Grissom does a lot of things well and hit .319 in 2021 with a 135 wRC+ in low-A before moving up to high-A. He controls the strike zone very well and has developing pop.

184. Jackson Merrill, SS: I had Merrill pegged as a late first-round talent in 2021 out of high school and he went 27th overall to the Padres. He didn’t hit a home run in his pro debut but he has above-average raw power and projects to be an average-or-better hitter. He’s also landed in an organization that knows how to develop prospects.

178. Isaiah Greene, OF: I had Greene listed as a sleeper entering 2021 and he remains a prospect of interest as we head towards the 2022 season. He was traded by the Mets to the Guardians prior to last season. He is an advanced hitter with the chance to develop average-or-better power and he has the speed to steal more bases if he’s so inclined.

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