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As the 2023 season looms and fantasy baseball players prepare for redraft leagues, many MLB prospect names that have been big in dynasty drafts can be appealing. But how should you rank MLB prospects for redraft leagues? For many of these players, we are going solely by minor league numbers. Should you take a chance on a guy with an ETA later than April? Let's take a look.
RotoBaller's prospects analyst Benjamin Chase has released his initial 2023 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for redraft leagues (non-keeper), along with analysis on the prospects. Each season, many MLB prospects and rookies are called up -- some make immediate fantasy baseball impacts. These types of impact prospects can be league winners, and also provide jolts to their MLB teams in the quests to be champions.
In case you missed it, we've already been hard at work with our fantasy baseball dynasty prospect rankings -- be sure to check that out, and all our other fantasy baseball prospects articles and breakdowns. Now with out any further ado, our top 25 prospects for 2023.
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Top Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball
These prospect rankings are for 2023 redraft leagues (non-keeper).
| Ranking | Player | Pos | Team | Age | ETA |
| 1 | Corbin Carroll | OF | ARI | 22 | April |
| 2 | Gunnar Henderson | 3B | BAL | 21 | April |
| 3 | Josh Jung | 3B | TEX | 24 | April |
| 4 | Triston Casas | 1B | BOS | 23 | April |
| 5 | Miguel Vargas | 3B/OF | LAD | 23 | April |
| 6 | Francisco Alvarez | C | NYM | 21 | April/May |
| 7 | Ezequiel Tovar | SS | COL | 21 | April |
| 8 | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | BAL | 23 | April/May |
| 9 | Spencer Steer | 3B | CIN | 25 | April |
| 10 | Joey Wentz | SP | DET | 25 | April |
| 11 | Jordan Walker | OF | STL | 20 | May/June |
| 12 | Hunter Brown | SP | HOU | 24 | April/May |
| 13 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | TB | 22 | April/May |
| 14 | Garrett Mitchell | OF | MIL | 24 | April |
| 15 | Matthew Liberatore | SP | STL | 23 | April |
| 16 | Logan O'Hoppe | C | LAA | 22 | April |
| 18 | Oswald Peraza | SS | NYY | 22 | April/May |
| 19 | Ryne Nelson | SP | ARI | 24 | April |
| 20 | Curtis Mead | 2B/3B | TB | 22 | April/May |
| 21 | Anthony Volpe | 2B/SS | NYY | 21 | May/June |
| 22 | Eury Perez | SP | MIA | 19 | May/June |
| 23 | Hayden Wesneski | SP | CHC | 25 | April |
| 24 | Drew Waters | OF | KC | 24 | April |
| 25 | DL Hall | SP/RP | BAL | 24 | April |
Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings #1-5
Many top MLB prospects may be missing on this list, but understand in a redraft league that some players aren't going to impact until September – if they do at all. Those types of players are deducted from these redraft rankings due to that.
Corbin Carroll should open the season atop the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup, and he will grow into power in his home park while immediately offering steals and R/RBI. Gunnar Henderson will open on the left side of the Baltimore infield and will offer strong batting average while he works to develop power at the big league level.
Behind those top two is a clear tier that features three corner infielders. Josh Jung will hold down the hot corner for the Texas Rangers, working to tap into his power again after missing much of 2022 with surgery.
Triston Casas will open up in the Boston Red Sox lineup, and he has a load of power, with some level of concern whether he'll make enough contact to access that power. Miguel Vargas has an impressive overall offensive profile, and he's going to have a starting position to open the 2023 season in a strong Dodgers lineup.
Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings #6-12
If Francisco Alvarez was assured a starting job with the New York Mets to open the season, he'd be worthy of bumping up a couple spots as he has the potential to hit 30+ home runs this year once he is up. Ezequiel Tovar will have the benefit of playing in Colorado and should also provide double-digit power and steals for fantasy owners.
While Grayson Rodriguez will certainly be up early for the Baltimore Orioles, his innings could be managed, and with his previous injury history, that's why he is here. Spencer Steer has been handed a starting job in Cincinnati, and his power should play very well in that park. Once healthy in 2022, Joey Wentz put up a strong finish to the 2022 season for Detroit, posting a 3.03 ERA over seven starts.
A player like Jordan Walker could put up the best offensive statistics in the league once he is called up, but there is a significant block ahead of him in St. Louis, so unless he is hitting so well in spring training that he forces his way onto the Opening Day roster, the Cardinals will let him hit his way onto the roster in Triple-A. Kyle Manzardo will be battling in spring for a role with the Rays, but his bat is good enough that even if he doesn't win the Opening Day spot, he will be up soon.
Hunter Brown is in the same boat as Walker as his raw stuff may be as good as any pitcher out there, but the Astros may ease him into the rotation by managing his innings, which could limit his impact.
Rest Of The Bunch
Drew Waters of the Royals and Garrett Mitchell of the Brewers are both going to get the first crack at outfield jobs for their clubs. Both guys have strong power/speed profiles, but they both have plenty of competition that could push them if they struggle.
While Matthew Liberatore may not be "sexy", he's a consistent starter that should fit well at the back of a rotation. He's going to be the first man up for a rotation that has multiple major injury risks and age concerns. After being acquired by the Angels last year, Logan O'Hoppe had his road to a starting job cleared, and he's got a strong offensive profile for a catcher.
While he may struggle at times throughout the year, Cade Cavalli should give fantasy owners volume in the Washington Nationals rotation this season. Oswald Peraza could offer offensive value once his defense earns him a starting role in the Yankees infield. Anthony Volpe will join Peraza in the Yankees infield at some point, likely after getting some reps at second or third base.
UPDATE: On March 16th it was announced that Cavalli will have Tommy John surgery and is out for the 2023 season.
Ryne Nelson for the Diamondbacks and Hayden Wesneski of the Cubs will both get a long look at a rotation spot this spring for their respective teams after showing success in a short stint in 2022. Eury Perez is arguably the top pitching prospect in the minor leagues, even though he's still a teenager. He spent the entire 2022 season in Double-A, giving him the chance to work to the major leagues before mid-season with Triple-A success to open the year.
Curtis Mead of the Rays and DL Hall of the Orioles could both open the season with their teams, depending on how they're used. Mead will potentially be used between second and third base while Hall could open the season as a long man for the Orioles that eventually moves into the rotation or slides into a strong relief role, akin to how the Minnesota Twins utilized Jhoan Duran last year.
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