I continue to be very impressed by the way Brandon Drury has played to open up this season. He is batting .298/.323/.532 with six home runs and has been a major boost to many fantasy teams so far. Other players too like Corey Seager and Nomar Mazara have really helped owners to stay one step ahead of many of the other conservative fantasy owners in their leagues.

Prospects are often the secret weapon in fantasy leagues as only a select group of fantasy owners are smart enough to snag prospects before they make a big name for themselves. This list ought to be one of the best tools for fantasy owners in figuring out which prospects are going to be the next to have big impacts in their fantasy leagues.

Editors Note: Check out all of RotoBaller's MLB prospects analysis here. You can also head over to the prospect rankings dashboard. Our Rankings Assistant is a handy free tool where you can find team-specific prospect breakdowns, tiered positional rankings, 500+ player outlooks, dynasty ranks and more - all in one easy place.

 

Top MLB Prospects - Fantasy Baseball Power Rankings

To be clear, this list is not the top 30 prospects in baseball. This is a list of the top 30 prospects who are likely going to rise to the major leagues and provide fantasy baseball value this season. The qualifications are simple: a player must not be on an active roster, they must have a clear path to the majors, and while they may have played in seasons prior to 2016, they must still have rookie eligibility. If a player is moved to the active roster of their team, they will be removed from this power rankings list and replaced.

 

1. Tyler Glasnow (SP, PIT, AAA)
Stats: 38.0 IP, 2.13 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 11.61 K/9, 4.26 BB/9, 0.24 HR/9, 1.18 WHIP
ETA: Early June
Things did not go Glasnow’s way in his last Triple-A outing. He lasted only five innings while surrendering three runs on six hits and five walks and only managing to strike out one batter. Before that outing, Glasnow had strung together three consecutive scoreless outings with less than five hits allowed and seven or more strikeouts in each of them. Fantasy owners who read about that start should not be deterred at all as every pitcher will have at least one bump in the road. Once he passes the Super Two deadline, he should be promoted to take the spot of either Jon Niese or Jeff Locke. He is a must-own starting pitcher and should be stashed in most leagues.

2. A.J. Reed (1B, HOU, AAA)
Stats: 123 PA, .229/.333/.457, 6 HR, 0 SB, 21.1% K rate, 13.8% BB rate
ETA: Mid-June
Reed currently sits on the 7-day DL in Triple-A with a hamstring injury, but that should not keep him out for too long. Certainly you know the Astros are hoping it does not because the Super Two deadline is approaching and many believe Reed will be promoted once it arrives. His .229 batting average this season is a far cry from his .332 average last season at Double-A, but his miserable .243 BABIP certainly does not help and should be a lot higher considering how well he swings the bat. The power is most definitely for real though and fantasy owners can expect 15+ if he is promoted in early-mid June. Don’t be too concerned by his early numbers; Reed is still worth stashing in most leagues and will be worth owning in all leagues once he is promoted to the big leagues.

3. Trea Turner (SS, WAS, AAA)
Stats: 150 PA, .316/.380/.466, 3 HR, 14 SB, 18.0% K rate, 10.0% BB rate
ETA: Early June
The Nationals currently find themselves in a heated battle for the NL East with four teams within 3.5 games of first place (yes, the Phillies and Marlins are that close) and are in need of something to really push them ahead of the rest of the pack. Most of the Nationals’ players have been at least solid for the team with shortstop being the biggest hole in the roster at the moment. Danny Espinosa and his .204/.308/.301 slash line are really hurting the depth of Washington’s lineup and could definitely benefit from an upgrade. Enter young shortstop Trea Turner who currently leads Triple-A hitters in stolen bases with 14 and owns a five game hitting streak which has seen eight hits in his past 24 AB (.364 AVG). Turner is exactly what the Nationals need right now, but they are likely to wait until after his Super Two deadline passes (which will be further beyond the date of other starters because he played for a while last September). Make no mistake, Turner will receive plenty of playing time this season and is definitely worth stashing in most leagues. With his combination of contact-hitting ability and near elite speed, he is a must-own player in all leagues.

4. Orlando Arcia (SS, MIL, AAA)
Stats: 135 PA, .310/.341/.421, 3 HR, 5 SB, 12.6% K rate, 5.2% BB rate
ETA: Early June
Jonathan Villar has started to heat up at the plate for Milwaukee, but if you believe that he will keep Orlando Arcia from taking his rightful place at shortstop in June then you are sorely mistaken. Arcia has continued his domination of Triple-A and looks about as ready as ever to take over short for the Brew Crew. What should fantasy owners expect from Arcia? Think Turner but a little bit slower. Arcia does not have much pop, but should still occasionally run into one. He can also be depended on to hit for a high average and steal plenty of bases (even if he has not flashed much speed in the early goings of this 2016 season). Don’t let Villar’s hot play scare you away from stashing Arcia as they will find a way to play both hitters once the Super Two deadline passes. Arcia should be stashed in most leagues and owned in all of them once promoted.

5. Blake Snell (SP, TB, AAA)
Stats: 30.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 11.40 K/9, 4.80 BB/9, 0.90 HR/9, 1.40 WHIP
ETA: Mid-June
After a rough outing against Indianapolis (Triple-A for the Pirates), Snell really settled down in his next outing against Buffalo (Toronto’s Triple-A) as he lasted 5.1 innings, giving up only one run (on a solo home run) off five hits and one walk while striking out seven. He still has some work to do in the minors as he needs to continue to keep the walk totals down and show an ability to go longer than five innings (he has done it only twice this season). Tampa Bay does not appear to be in much of a need for Snell at the moment as their rotation has looked quite dependable so far, but it awaits to be seen how long Matt Andriese can keep the talented lefty in Triple-A. Snell will face some difficult opponents in the AL East, but with his talent and strikeout upside he is worth starting almost every day even if the matchup looks a little bit troublesome.

6. Lucas Giolito (SP, WAS, AA)
Stats: 30.1 IP, 3.86 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 7.42 K/9, 5.93 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9
ETA: Early July
Just taking a quick glance at Giolito’s numbers and fantasy owners may be refreshed to see him appearing to rebound. He has gone a combined 11.2 innings in his past two outings with one outing lasting six innings (keep in mind before that his previous 2016 season-high in innings pitched was 4.0) while only allowing seven hits and striking out eight in that time frame. But his last start was a bit concerning. The talented righty went 5.2 innings and gave up three runs (all unearned) on three hits and four strikeouts, but he walked a season-high five batters. There is no disputing his talent, but there are a lot of questions about how ready he is to face big league hitters. At this current moment with the Nationals looking strong and Giolito struggling with command, there is going to be no rush to get him to the big leagues. Don’t surprised to see Giolito’s debut pushed back to July or later and be prepared that if the current starters remain healthy, Giolito may not see time until September. At this point, I cannot advise stashing him.

7. Jameson Taillon (SP, PIT, AAA)
Stats: 43.1 IP, 2.08 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 8.93 K/9, 1.04 BB/9, 0.42 HR/9, 0.81 WHIP
ETA: Early June
In his last outing, Taillon looked sharp, even if the scoreboard did not reflect a dominant outing. Though the young right-hander gave up three runs on five hits and one walk over the course of six innings, Taillon also managed to rack up 11 strikeouts. Before that game, his season-high was only seven strikeouts. Glasnow is in the minors to continue to refine his command and expand the use of his changeup. Taillon is in the minors simply to prove that he is fully recovered from his multitude of injuries that have cost him the last two seasons. It appears that he will be promoted at the same time as Glasnow and help to make the Pirates’ rotation among the most dominant in baseball. He is not so elite that fantasy owners need him to take over a roster spot before he is promoted, but he should be worth taking a flier on when he is promoted.

8. Willson Contreras (C, CHC, AAA)
Stats: 126 PA, .340/.437/.500, 3 HR, 2 SB, 10.3% K rate, 12.7% BB rate
ETA: Late June
The Cubs’ catchers continue to struggle to hit, but the Cubs continue to dominate the MLB like Golden State dominated the NBA. And as a result of that, it is really anyone’s guess when talented catching prospect Willson Contreras will reach the majors. He has been among the best hitters in Triple-A this season and most teams would give him a chance to continue his dominance in the big leagues. But the Cubs want him to continue to develop defensively before they promote him (they don’t want a repeat of Kyle Schwarber who is no longer really a catcher even though the general consensus is that Contreras will remain behind the dish). Eventually the Cubs will promote Contreras and fantasy owners need to be ready to snag him immediately. He may not provide Schwarber-levels of fantasy production, but he will be an improvement over many fantasy teams’ current catching situations.

9. Dansby Swanson (SS, ATL, AA)
Stats: 149 PA, .302/.409/.484, 2 HR, 9 SB, 12.8% K rate, 14.1% BB rate
ETA: Early July
Is Erick Aybar hitting well yet? No. Is he going to regain his form at all this year? Probably not. Sure the decline has accelerated in 2016, but it wasn’t like there weren’t signs of his declining ability as he entered his age 32 season. From 2014 to 2015, his walk rate dropped about 2.0%, his strikeout rate increased by about 2.0%, his average dropped by eight points, his line drive rate decreased, and his ground ball rate increased. Needless to say, a decline is not the most surprising thing in the world. Meanwhile, Dansby Swanson has continued to play well at Double-A, now slashing .250/.361/.404 with a home run, two stolen bases, a walk rate of 11.5%, and a strikeout rate of 9.8%. Though the batting average may seem a bit low, his BABIP of .267 is also quite a bit low for someone of his speed and should be expected to increase as his season goes on. Swanson is the shortstop of the future for the Atlanta Braves and fantasy owners should understand that the future begins this year in Atlanta. I urge patience with regards to stashing him is because there is no immediate time table for a possible promotion. The 2015 first overall pick should make his debut in July or August (at the very latest) and immediately become a must own player.

10. Jose Peraza (2B, CIN, AAA)
Stats: 137 PA, .295/.341/.393, 1 HR, 6 SB, 14.6% K rate, 6.6% BB rate
ETA: Mid-July
Yes, Peraza took a bit of a drop in the rankings this week in spite of the fact that he did actually reach the bigs. He was promoted briefly while Billy Hamilton is on bereavement leave, but he has not had much of an opportunity to really do anything. With Hamilton and Adam Duvall heating up of late, it could appear that Peraza’s chances of seeing playing time this season should be diminished, but there is a new avenue that could open up for Peraza. He has been playing a lot of shortstop at Triple-A this year and Zack Cozart has been arguably the Reds’ best hitter this season. See where I’m going with this? With Cozart playing well and Peraza waiting in the wings, many have speculated that Cozart could be dealt at the deadline. If that were to take place, Ivan De Jesus will not be the replacement, it will undoubtedly be Peraza. If this is the case, the 22-year-old shortstop would become an absolute must-own player.

11. Jesse Winker (OF, CIN, AAA)
Stats: 135 PA, .295/.400/.384, 2 HR, 0 SB, 10.4% K rate, 15.6% BB rate
ETA: Late July
As discussed in the above paragraph, Adam Duvall has heated up in left field for the Reds and has solidified his spot as their left fielder for this season. Or at least, he has secured a spot as an outfielder this season. Talk of a Jay Bruce trade has been circling around the Reds for the better part of two years and there is a legitimate chance it happens this year at or before the deadline. If that were to happen, fantasy owners should expect to see Duvall shift to right field and Jesse Winker come up from Triple-A to take his place in left. Winker has not flashed much power so far this season, but playing in Great American Smallpark should help him out with that. He can certainly be counted on to hit for a high average and hit near the middle of the Reds’ lineup. He would be a must-own player if he is promoted this season.

12. Julio Urias (SP, LAD, AAA)
Stats: 36.0 IP, 1.25 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 9.75 K/9, 2.00 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, 0.81 WHIP
ETA: Mid-July
As of my writing this, Los Angeles currently are tied in first place with San Francisco for first in the division. Though they may be in first, the Dodgers have not had a great start to the season. Only Kenta Maeda and Clayton Kershaw have an ERA below 4.00 to this point, a disappointing stat for a team that was supposedly loaded with pitching talent. There has been talk of Julio Urias reaching the majors to possibly fill a bullpen role, but fantasy owners have to figure that if Urias is promoted, he will begin as a reliever and finish the year as a starter.

The major concerns with Urias are that he has never thrown more than 100 innings in a season and that he is still only 19-years-old. Outside of that, there is nothing not to like about the young lefty. Urias has thrown three consecutive outings in which he delivered six scoreless innings (one start was six innings where he allowed no baserunners) and has struck out a combined 16 batters in those outings. So you may originally add a relief pitcher, but by August you will own one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. Urias is a must-own pitcher in all leagues once he receives his promotion.

13. Robert Stephenson (SP, CIN, AAA)
Stats: 35.1 IP, 2.80 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 8.15 K/9, 4.84 BB/9, 0.76 HR/9, 1.27 WHIP
ETA: Early July
Stephenson has been a bit shaky in his last few starts, but luckily for him the Reds are still terrible and could still use some improvement in their rotation. In his last outing, Stephenson broke his streak of five consecutive MiLB starts of lasting six innings as he managed to go only 5.1 before being relieved. What has been most concerning about Stephenson’s development is that in his past three outings, he has 12 strikeouts and 12 walks in 17.1 IP. That is a low total of strikeouts for a guy with his talent and that is an alarming number of walks for a guy whose number one concern has always been control as it means he could be reverting to his old self.

It will be interesting to monitor Stephenson over his next couple outings as that could dictate whether or not he is a likely candidate to see any more time in the bigs. If he is promoted, Stephenson could be worth owning in 12+ team leagues and possibly pitch well enough to warrant owning in shallower leagues. He is not quite talented enough to stash for safe-keeping.

14. Josh Hader (SP, MIL, AA)
Stats: 34.2 IP, 1.04 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 11.94 K/9, 3.12 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 1.04 WHIP
ETA: Early July
With Junior Guerra pitching fairly well for Milwaukee, their rotation is starting to look kind of solid. I’m just kidding, it is still really bad. Guerra and Jimmy Nelson may be alright, but everyone else still has an ERA over 6.00. Meanwhile Josh Hader has been struggling lately in Double-A. And by struggling, I mean he has given up a combined three earned runs over his past three starts (17.2 IP) with only 19 strikeouts and four walks allowed in that time. For Hader, that could be defined as a bit of a rough spell based on the season he is currently having. Once the Super Two deadline passes, it would not be surprising at all to see the Brew Crew promote Hader. Don’t expect him to be nearly this good in the majors, but he has enough strikeout upside to warrant owning him in 12+ team leagues and probably 10 team leagues as well.

15. Colin Moran (3B, HOU, AAA)
Stats: 127 PA, .291/.331/.402, 2 HR, 2 SB, 23.6% K rate, 6.3% BB rate
ETA: Early June
Moran has continued to look like a dependable third baseman for Houston, and that is certainly something they could benefit from at this current moment. Marwin Gonzalez is slashing a mere .252/.304/.432 with three home runs and four stolen bases while Luis Valbuena is slashing .198/.302/.297 with only one home run. Both third baseman are striking out more than 25.0% of the time. Houston desperately needs to get going soon and that will likely mean some changes will be made in the near future. Moran seems like one of the most inevitable. Though his strikeout rate is concerning, Moran has never struck out more than 20% at any level before this season and it appears to be more of a fluke than anything. He will not be an elite fantasy producer as he does possesses neither great speed nor power, but he should hit for a very respectable average and could produce runs and some runs batted in based on wherever he bats in the lineup. He is not worth owning in leagues with 10 or fewer teams, but teams in 12+ team leagues could find some potential value for him.

16. Ozzie Albies (SS, ATL, AAA)
Stats: 142 PA, .305/.359/.443, 2 HR, 3 SB, 16.2% K rate, 7.0% BB rate
ETA: Late July/Early August
Second base for the Braves has been the starting pitcher role for the Reds: a revolving door. The Braves have used six players at second base this season, though it appears that Gordon Beckham will start to become the everyday guy for them. At least, until Ozzie Albies is promoted. The 19-year-old prospect has gone up through the minors as a shortstop, but with Swanson poised to be the future at short, expect Albies to be the second baseman of the future for the Braves. He was off to a slow start in Triple-A, but in his past ten games, Albies is slashing .286/.324/.486 with a home run, a stolen base, a 5.3% BB rate, and a 13.2% K rate. With his excellent speed and dependable bat, Albies will warrant owning in most leagues once promoted with the potential to be worth owning in all leagues.

17. Peter O’Brien (C/OF, ARI, AAA)
Stats: 129 PA, .344/.349/.688, 11 HR, 0 SB, 27.1% K rate, 1.6% BB rate
ETA: Late June
Stop the presses! Peter O’Brien officially took a walk! On May 11, O’Brien was walked for only the second time all season. What is really concerning about O’Brien’s almost remarkably terrible walk rate is that you know that pitchers are certainly not attacking him since he is currently batting over .300 and leading Triple-A with 11 home runs. You know that his low walk rate is because he chases everything. Even with him chasing everything, O’Brien still could be worth at least a flier in deeper leagues just because of his immense power. Don’t expect him with his horrible plate discipline to hit anywhere close to .300, but his power is for real. If it looks like a promotion is imminent (which is very likely to happen in the summer), owners in 14+ team leagues should most certainly take a chance on him.

18. Alex Bregman (SS, HOU, AA)
Stats: 96 PA, .317/.411/.646, 7 HR, 2 SB, 9.4% K rate, 10.4% BB rate
ETA: Early August
If you think that Bregman will see time in the majors this season at shortstop or second base, you must be crazy because (barring any injury) there is no way he supplants Jose Altuve or Carlos Correa. But, it would not be totally out of the realm of possibility that he takes over the role of third base for the Astros. The general consensus believes that Colin Moran will be the first to take over at third as he is doing quite well at Triple-A and is a natural third baseman, but Bregman would be the next guy up should Moran struggle. There is also a chance Bregman is promoted to play in centerfield in the place of a struggling Carlos Gomez and Jake Marisnick duo. Where he plays should not be of much concern to fantasy owners so long as he maintains his qualification as a shortstop. Bregman has power, he has speed, and he can hit for a high average. There is not much not to like. The only reason he is so low on this list is because of the questions regarding a possible promotion. If he does reach the majors, he should be owned in all leagues, but his risk of not reaching Houston until September prevents him from being worth stashing.

19. Jorge Lopez (SP, MIL, AAA)
Stats: 29.1 IP, 6.14 ERA, 5.01 FIP, 7.98 K/9, 7.67 BB/9, 0.31 HR/9
ETA: Mid-July
Last week I challenged Lopez to improve or risk taking a tumble down these rankings. Well, his last two outings have been improvements, they haven’t been great, but they’ve been better. In his last outing, Lopez went six innings, surrendering only one run on four hits and two walks while striking out just one. That was actually the first time all season that he had allowed fewer than three walks, but it was also the first time he had struck out fewer than three. Before that, Lopez went five innings, again surrendering only one run on two hits, five walks (still a bit concerning), and five strikeouts. That was the first time all season he had lasted until the fifth inning and it was also the first time he had allowed fewer than eight baserunners. So yeah, it has been a really rough year for Lopez. If he can continue to turn it around, he can remain on the list, but he still has a ways to go before I can see him reaching the big leagues.

20. Mark Appel (SP, PHI, AAA)
Stats: 32.0 IP, 3.38 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 7.88 K/9, 3.94 BB/9, 0.84 HR/9, 1.47 WHIP
ETA: Late July
Appel did not have his sharpest outing last time out against the Columbus Clippers (Indians’ Triple-A), but most of the damage went unearned. He lasted five innings and gave up six runs (only three were earned) on the strength of seven hits, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch with five punchouts. Appel has made some major improvements so far this season and while he still has yet to recapture the magic that made him a first overall pick, he does at least show the makings of a potential middle of the rotation starter. It is likely that he will get promoted at some point this season to help carry the innings load of this young Phillies’ rotation. When he does receive his promotion, he is worth owning in 12+ team leagues, but he can probably be avoided in leagues with 10 teams or less.

21. Joe Musgrove (SP, HOU, AA)
Stats: 31.1 IP, 0.57 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 10.05 K/9, 1.44 BB/9, 0.29 HR/9, 0.93 WHIP
ETA: Early August

22. Jeff Hoffman (SP, COL, AAA)
Stats: 41.2 IP, 2.16 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 7.78 K/9, 3.02 BB/9, 0.86 HR/9, 1.10 WHIP
ETA: Early August

23. Max Kepler (OF, MIN, AAA)
Stats: 85 PA, .260/.341/.397, 0 HR, 1 SB, 9.4% K rate, 11.8% BB rate
ETA: Early July

24. Josh Bell (1B/OF, PIT, AAA)
Stats: 134 PA, .281/.381/.430, 3 HR ,1 SB, 20.9% K rate, 13.4% BB rate
ETA: Early August

25. Gary Sanchez (C, NYY, AAA)
Stats: 119 PA, .297/.345/.550, 5 HR, 2 SB, 16.0% K rate, 5.9% BB rate
ETA: Early August

26. Sean Newcomb (SP, ATL, AA)
Stats: 36.1 IP, 3.96 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 8.67 K/9, 4.95 BB/9, 0.25 HR/9
ETA: Early August

27. Carson Fulmer (SP, CWS, AA)
Stats: 34.2 IP, 5.45 ERA, 5.27 FIP, 7.01 K/9, 5.45 BB/9, 1.04 HR/9, 1.47 WHIP
ETA: Early August

28. J.P. Crawford (SS, PHI, AA)
Stats: 147 PA, .248/.381/.347, 2 HR, 4 SB, 14.3% K rate, 17.7% BB rate
ETA: Early September

29. Michael Reed (OF, MIL, AAA)
Stats: 110 PA, .244/.392/.300, 0 HR, 7 SB, 23.6% K rate, 17.3% BB rate
ETA: Mid-July

30. Joey Gallo (3B/OF, TEX, AAA)
Stats: 85 PA, .254/.400/.642, 7 HR, 0 SB, 24.7% K rate, 20.0% BB rate
ETA: Early August

MLB Rookie Rankings

1. Corey Seager (SS, LAD)

2. Nomar Mazara (OF, TEX)

3. Trevor Story (SS, COL)

4. Aledmys Diaz (SS, STL)

5. Jon Gray (SP, COL)

6. Byung-Ho Park (1B, MIN)

7. Steven Matz (SP, NYM)

8. Kenta Maeda (SP, LAD)

9. Tyler Glasnow (SP, PIT)

10. A.J. Reed (1B, HOU)

11. Blake Snell (SP, TB)

12. Trea Turner (SS, WAS)

13. Orlando Arcia (SS, MIL)

14. Brandon Drury (2B/OF, ARI)

15. Lucas Giolito (SP, WAS)

16. Jameson Taillon (SP, PIT)

17. Willson Contreras (C, CHC)

18. Dansby Swanson (SS, ATL, AA)

19. Jose Peraza (2B, CIN)

20. Jose Berrios (SP, MIN)

 

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