Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 3

April 14, 2025

Eric Cross' top 25 fantasy baseball prospects to stash in redraft for Week 3 (2025). His updated MLB rookie rankings for prospect call-ups to make 2025 impacts.

Another week has gone by, and we're already over two weeks into the Major League season. Both the Majors and minors are in full swing now, and we've already seen several notable prospect promotions with plenty more to come. Nick Kurtz also can't stop hitting home runs in Triple-A, but more on him in a second.

This past week wasn't a banner week for prospect promotions but we had Chase Meidroth made his Major League debut and J.T. Ginn get recalled by the Athletics. Could a more notable Athletics prospect be on the way this week?

These prospect rankings are for 2025 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2025 redraft leagues. You can also see our top fantasy baseball dynasty prospects rankings for longer-term outlooks and our 2025 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for all other league formats.

Top 25 Prospects to Stash in Redraft Leagues

My prospect write-ups are below the rankings. These rankings are for 2025 redraft value only, not dynasty. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2025.

Promoted Last Week: Chase Meidroth (CHW), J.T. Ginn (ATH)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Bryce Eldridge (SFG), Jett Williams (NYM), Kevin Alcantara (CHC), Owen Caissie (CHC), Moises Ballesteros (CHC), Adael Amador (COL), Brady House (WAS), Tyler Black (MIL), Shay Whitcomb (HOU), Jacob Melton (HOU), Thomas Saggese (STL), Spencer Jones (NYY), Adrian Del Castillo (ARI), Carson Williams (TBR), Otto Kemp (PHI), Tyler Locklear (SEA), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA).

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), Noah Schultz (CHW), Cade Horton (CHC), Tink Hence (STL), Carson Whisenhunt (SFG), Ian Seymour (TBR)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Nick Kurtz, Athletics

At this point, it's all about figuring out how to fit all the pieces into the puzzle for the Athletics. Nick Kurtz continues to mash in Triple-A and is now up to six doubles and seven home runs in 14 games with a .367/.409/.817 slash line. These haven't been cheap home runs either, as Kurtz is rocking a 59.6% hard-hit rate and 94.9 mph AVG EV so far.

Watch it fly 👀✈️

Nick Kurtz (@Athletics) hits his MiLB-leading 7th homer for @AviatorsLV! pic.twitter.com/Bsqv59N4VY

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 13, 2025

But at the Major League level, we have Tyler Soderstrom hitting well at first base and Brent Rooker occupying the DH slot. Rooker did play right field on Saturday with Lawrence Butler getting the day off, but he was back in the DH spot on Sunday. Rooker moving back to the outfield is key for Kurtz's arrival in the Majors, so keep a close eye on the Athletics' lineups this week.

With the quick emergence of Kurtz, this likely pushes back the timeline for Colby Thomas. There's a fun power/speed blend with Thomas, but Kurtz should push his way into the Major League lineup first, leaving Thomas in Triple-A waiting for an injury.

Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks

After a 3/18 start to the season, Jordan Lawlar has been rolling over the last week and a half. In his last 10 games, Lawlar is slashing .349/.440/.605 with five doubles, two home runs, and two steals. He's picked up multiple hits in three of his last four games and five times in his last 10 games.

The X-Factor with Lawlar remains his health and durability, but the skills are still there to be an impact fantasy player once he's up. In addition to the solid surface stats, Lawlar is running an 88.8% zone contact rate, 75.6% overall contact rate, 92.3 mph AVG EV, and a 43.9% hard-hit rate through his first 73 plate appearances with Triple-A Reno.

Tim Tawa was originally called up when Ketel Marte landed on the IL, but he's only started once in the last three games. Even with Marte due back in a few weeks, I think they could bring Lawlar up to play second now and then use him at second, third, and shortstop once Marte returns.

Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins

While it hasn't officially happened yet, it sounds like Zebby Matthews will be up with Minnesota sooner rather than later. The Twins now have Pablo Lopez on the IL with a strained hamstring, and Chris Paddack is rocking a 9.49 ERA with nearly as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (nine) through his first three starts. Matthews could take Paddack's spot or the recently promoted David Festa's spot if Festa doesn't pitch well this week.

In Matthew's first two starts for Triple-A St. Paul this season, he's allowed just five hits, two earned runs, and one walk in 10 innings while striking out 13 batters, including nine in his last outing. Matthews's velocity has been up across the board as well this season, jumping between 1.7 and 2.7 mph on each pitch type in his last outing.

Don't shy away from Matthews because he had a 6.69 ERA in nine starts with the Twins last season. His 4.05 xFIP, 3.78 SIERA, and 18.1% K-BB rate show that he pitched much better than the ERA and WHIP would indicate.

Agustín Ramírez, Miami Marlins

Agustin Ramirez is off to a hot start in Triple-A this season. Over the last 10 days, Ramírez has been slashing .345/.400/.655 with three doubles, two home runs, and even three steals for good measure. He's continued to show good power with a 43.2 hard-hit rate, but the contact rates have dipped a bit from his 2024 levels.

With Nick Fortes on the IL with a strained oblique, the Marlins are rolling with the duo of Liam Hicks and Rob Brantly behind the plate, but that duo is just keeping the seat warm for Ramírez. At this point, I'd be surprised if Ramírez isn't up before the end of the month. Once he is up, there's a top-15 catcher upside here, given his power and ability to chip in some steals as well.

Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals

One name I bumped down several spots this week is Quinn Mathews of the St. Louis Cardinals. After a major breakout in 2024 when Mathews posted a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 35.4% K-BB rate, he's been very hittable and completely erratic this season in Triple-A. Through his first three outings, Matthews has a 6.10 ERA, 2.52 WHIP, and 15 walks to only seven strikeouts.

He struggled in four Triple-A outings as well to end the season, walking 14 in 16.2 innings with a 6.48 ERA and 1.92 WHIP. I'm not saying last year was a fluke, but I don't believe he's going to be up with the Cardinals until he turns things around in Triple-A. He's not a high-priority pitching prospect stash at the moment.

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