Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Prospects - Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings (May Update)

May 22, 2026

Andy's top 20 fantasy baseball prospect rankings for MLB prospects in the minor leagues. His May 2026 dynasty prospect rankings for fantasy baseball.

With both the MLB and the MiLB seasons in full swing, it's time to take a look at some of the top prospects in the sport. While these 20 prospects are at various levels in minor leagues, they currently sit as the top 20 prospects all fantasy managers should know, whether they are playing in a redraft league or a multi-year dynasty format.

Given that we are only looking at the top 20, much of this ranking will be a "splitting of hairs" to separate these potential soon-to-be superstars. As a result, we will place somewhat greater emphasis on performance this season, given that the case can be made for many of these names to sit within the top 10.

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Top-20 Non-Debuted Prospects: May Update

Honorable Mentions

Hitters:

• George Lombard Jr. (NYY)
• Braden Montgomery (CWS)
• JoJo Parker (TOR)
• Lazaro Montes (SEA)

Pitchers:

• Jamie Arnold (ATH)
• Liam Doyle (STL)
• Ryan Sloan (SEA)

Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospect Outlooks

Leo De Vries, SS, Athletics

The case for the No.1 prospect is tight between Milwaukee's Jesus Made and the Athletics' Leo De Vries. While both budding superstars are worthy of holding the top spot on our rankings, we will give the slight edge to Made in this update, given that Made has begun to show slightly higher power upside this season and a stronger eye at the dish.

However, even though De Vries is in the No. 2 spot, he is well worthy of moving to No. 1 as he has not looked overmatched since moving up to the Double-A.

De Vries was once the top prospect in the Padres system, but was the headliner piece in the deal that sent top closer Mason Miller to San Diego for the stretch run of the 2025 campaign. While Miller has been nothing short of incredible with the Padres, they had to pay a very hefty price for this 19-year-old sensation.

De Vries spent most of 2025 with High-A, where he appeared in 97 games and held a .249/.354/.426 slash line with 21 doubles, seven triples, 10 home runs, and nine stolen bases. However, the Athletics opted to give De Vries a brief taste of Double-A once he joined their organization to close out the campaign.

The switch-hitter was not only comfortable against tougher pitching, but was even more dominant at the dish, posting a .281/.359/.551 line with five home runs and two stolen bases over a short 21-game stint. This season, De Vries has remained at Double-A Midland and held a .287/.368/.420 line. He has carried a 21.4% K%, which is right in line with the 20.0% K% he posted last summer.

The lone knock is that he has seen his BB% drop by three points (12.3% - 9.2%). However, given his young age and minimal growing pains, De Vries has an unmatched ceiling and could be knocking on the Triple-A door much sooner than anticipated.

ICYMI: Home run no. 2 on the day for Leo De Vries was a no doubter into the lazy river 💣💦 pic.twitter.com/eqDZUaV0eE

— Midland RockHounds (@RockHounds) April 13, 2026

Kade Anderson, SP, Seattle Mariners

With many top pitching prospects making their debuts over the last calendar year, including Payton Tolle and Trey Yesavage, the title for No. 1 pitching prospect comes down to Kade Anderson or Seth Hernandez, both of whom sit within the top five of our ranking. Anderson and Hernandez were both selected in last year's MLB Draft and have put together incredible teams in their professional careers.

Anderson, a former College World Series MVP, joined the Mariners with the third overall pick and made his professional debut with Double-A Arkansas. Through his first 34 frames in the pros, the lefty has struck out 51 hitters while posting a 1.85 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. Over his first 30 frames, the lefty held a near-perfect 0.60 ERA before serving up five runs in his most recent game.

Per his FanGraphs Scouting Report, Anderson boasts a 70 grade (both current and future score) fastball, which is the key to his pitch mix. In terms of secondaries, the 21-year-old has a slider changeup and curveball, all of which have 60 future scores. While a 2026 debut may need to wait until the second half, he could make an immediate impact for one of the deepest pitching staffs in the sport.

Seth Hernandez, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Sitting as the clear No. 2 pitching prospect is Seth Hernandez of the Pirates. While he was selected just a few picks after Anderson in the 2025 MLB Draft, he is a far more raw prospect. He was selected as a 19-year-old out of Corona HS, but in his first look at the professionals, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has looked like a budding ace.

He was sent to Low-A to make his debut in the Pittsburgh organization and made quick work of this assignment, making only six starts before earning the call to High-A. During this brief 28-inning stint, Hernandez posted a 0.96 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. He struck out 50 hitters while allowing just seven total free passes.

In his first taste of High-A action with Greensboro, Hernandez logged five shutout frames with no hits and a 7:4 K:BB. While his command was a bit of an issue at the start, he was once again unhittable and totaled more than a punchout per inning.

Even as a "high school" arm, Hernandez can hit triple digits with his four-seamer and boasts an elite secondary option. According to FanGraphs, his fastball and changeup both have 70 future scores and are currently listed as 55-grade pitches. His No. 2 option is a slider, which can still be a plus pitch, as it holds a 55 Futures grade.

Not many pitchers come out of high school with this much raw upside. If he continues this trajectory, Hernandez could find himself in the same tier as De Vries and Made much sooner than anticipated.

Seth Hernandez picks up his first High-A strikeout to start the second inning 🔥#Pirates pic.twitter.com/lrjalQBzjV

— Milb Central (@milb_central) May 15, 2026

Mike Sirota, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

After looking at two pitchers, let's spotlight a hitter who has enjoyed a dominant start to the young season. Sirota was often the "forgotten" outfielder in a deep Dodgers system that is heralded for its outfield prospects, including Josue de Paula, Zyhir Hope, and Eduardo Quintero, all of whom are ranked in the top 20.

However, Sirota may be the most impressive one throughout the early going of the 2026 campaign. Sirota was drafted by the Reds but eventually joined the Dodgers in the trade that moved Gavin Lux to Cincinnati. The Dodgers struck gold in this deal as they now have yet another potential star in the outfield.

Sirota made his pro debut in the 2025 campaign, splitting time between Low-A and High-A. Across these two levels (59 games), Sirota held a .333/.452/.616 line with 16 doubles, 13 home runs, and five stolen bases. The Dodgers opted for him to have another stint with High-A to open the 2026 season, but it did not take long for him to earn the call to Double-A.

Through 35 games with Great Lakes this season, Sirota posted an incredible .325/.478/.602 line with seven home runs, eight stolen bases, and a 36:32 K:BB. He made his Double-A debut earlier this week and went 1-for-4. He remains in play for a 2027 debut and could very well challenge Hope, de Paula, and Quintero for the top bidding in this deep system.

Rainiel Rodriguez, C, St. Louis Cardinals

The lone catcher on our list is Rainiel Rodriguez of the Cardinals. While he may not have as much upside as the reigning No. 1 catching prospect, Samuel Basallo, Rodriguez has been one of the most impressive hitters in the early organization of the 2026 season, like Sirota.

MLB.com's No. 25-ranked prospect ended the 2025 season at High-A. In 2025, Rodriguez spent most of his time at Low-A and only appeared in four games with High-A Peoria. However, Rodriguez showed immense upside during a brief 28-game stint at High-A this season, and that was all he needed to prove to the Cardinals he was ready to join the upper ranks.

During this short stint, Rodriguez posted a .311/.430/.519 line with eight doubles, four home runs, and a 24:18 K:BB. Over his first six games with Double-A Springfield, Rodriguez has already hit his first long ball while logging five total hits. Seeing him make this quick progress at just 19 years old is very impressive.

A move to Triple-A later in the season is not out of the cards.

Franklin Arias, SS, Boston Red Sox

The final "early-riser" hitter we will look at is Franklin Arias of the Boston Red Sox. I did a deeper dive into Arias in a recent Double-A risers piece I wrote (you can check it out here), but the top prospect in Boston has looked beyond impressive in his first full stint with Portland.

Last summer, the 20-year-old began the season with Low-A but would spend the majority of his season at High-A (87 games) before earning a brief cup of coffee with Double-A for 10 games to close out the season. Through 116 total games in the system, Arias posted a cumulative .278 AVG with a modest .723 OPS, eight home runs, and 12 stolen bases.

While this was not a poor showing by any means, this production did not put him on the radar of many fantasy managers. However, he flipped the switch in 2026 and is now firmly in the top 20 non-debuted prospects. Through 33 games in his first "full" stint with Double-A, Arias has posted a dominant .328/.414/.588 line with a 1.002 OPS.

He has begun to tap into his power, hitting eight long balls, already matching his entire total last season. He has also swiped four bags while showing a strong eye at the dish, striking out only 19 times and drawing 15 walks. His current pace puts him on track to spend most of the second half up in Worcester.

Franklin Arias drives in Nelly Taylor (who walked and stole second) for his FOURTH hit of the day.

The Boston Red Sox prospect is hitting .366 with 22 RBI in Double-A this season. pic.twitter.com/uxjPqrtO79

— Hunter Noll (@Hunter_Noll) May 10, 2026

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers

Let's round this out with a hitter who was sitting near the top five on most boards ahead of the 2025 campaign. Walcott endured some growing pains at Double-A last summer, but for the most part, he handled his own as a then-19-year-old against some of the best pitching in the minor leagues. Across 124 games, Walcott posted a .255/.355/.386 line with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases.

In the previous campaign, Walcott would post a .796 OPS with 11 home runs and 27 swiped bags over 121 games in the lower levels of the Ranger system.

However, the top prospect would undergo an internal brace procedure in the latter part of the winter, which is expected to keep him on the shelf for nearly the entire season. While reports suggest Walcott could return to action later in August, his timeline is not overly clear at the moment.

Dynasty managers should keep a close eye on his production when he returns to the diamond. Walcott has legit top-5 upside among all prospects, and if he can quickly find his footing once active, expect him to be much higher on these lists come the start of the 2027 season.

Given the serious injury he endured and lengthy timetable, he was pushed down but remains firmly in the top 20 despite potentially not even taking the field this season.

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