Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 17

July 23, 2025

Eric Cross' top 25 fantasy baseball prospects to stash in redraft for Week 17 (2025). His updated MLB rookie rankings for prospect call-ups to make 2025 impacts.

The All-Star break is over and we're back to setting lineup for the stretch run of the fantasy baseball season. Did you enjoy your four day break? Well, it's time to strap back in.

It's been a bit quiet on the prospect promotion front over the last couple of weeks. However, there are plenty of intriguing prospects in Triple-A who could be called up any day now.

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.

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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: Adrian Del Castillo (ARI)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Jett Williams (NYM), Kevin Alcantara (CHC), Sterlin Thompson (COL), Alex Freeland (LAD), Blaze Jordan (BOS), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Jakob Marsee (MIA), Jorge Barrosa (ARI), Matthew Lugo (LAA), Chase DeLauter (CLE), Joe Mack (MIA), Emmanuel Rodriguez (MIN), Jhostynxon Garcia (BOS)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Thomas Harrington (PIT), Noah Schultz (CHW), Carson Whisenhunt (SFG), Cade Cavalli (WAS), Rhett Lowder (CIN), Quinn Mathews (STL), Troy Melton

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Spencer Jones, New York Yankees

For the most part, I haven't been writing up the same prospect two weeks in a row in these stash rankings, but with what Spencer Jones is currently doing in Triple-A, discussing him again this week feels warranted.

With another three home runs over the weekend, Jones is now up to 10 in 16 Triple-A games with five doubles, six steals, and a ridiculous .426/.481/.941 slash line. Over his last 29 games, including Double-A, Jones has cranked 16 home runs with a .427/.493/.897 slash line. He's also struck out at a manageable 25.7% rate over that span with a 12.5% walk rate.

Spencer Jones is UNSTOPPABLE! A two-homer game gives him 10 in 16 games at Triple-A! pic.twitter.com/igHRrG3EZA

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 20, 2025

You've probably heard me mention countless times that Jones' strikeout and contact rates are major red flags. That hasn't changed either, but Jones trimming the strikeout rate over the last five weeks is certainly encouraging. And when it comes to contact, I'm not asking for above-average contact rates, or even average contact rates here.

Even if Jones is in the 75-77% range for zone contact and above 65% overall, he could still become a high-impact player for fantasy purposes. Will he be able to get to those ranges? That remains to be seen. However, he remains an intriguing prospect to consider stashing now or targeting when he receives the call. Just remember, the peaks and valleys will likely be extremely prominent here.

Brandon Sproat, New York Mets

Hey, look, Brandon Sproat is pitching well again. After an eight-start stretch from May 14 to June 22 where he had a 6.88 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 11.9% walk rate, and just a 13.1% strikeout rate, Sproat has been a whole new pitcher over the last month.

In his last four starts, Sproat has posted a 0.00 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 7.4% walk rate, and a 33.3% strikeout rate across 23 innings. That's right, Sproat hasn't allowed an earned run over his last 23 innings, and opposing batters are slashing just .111/.210/.125 off him during this span.

Brandon Sproat has not allowed an earned run in his last 4 starts (23 IP), with 27 Ks and 6 walks(3 in his last 17 IP).
It looks to be fueled by a couple of changes. Sproat has moved closer to 1B on the rubber and has changed his mix. FB velo is also up. Fun trends to watch. pic.twitter.com/NxKKKutUu7

— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) July 21, 2025

As fellow RotoBaller writer Chris Clegg noted today on X, there's a tangible change behind Sproat's improvement, which stems from shifting closer to the first base side of the pitching rubber. Sproat has also thrown more curveballs and changeups over his last four outings in favor of fewer sinkers, sweepers, and sliders.

With these changes being made, Sproat is back inside my Top-25 prospects to stash rankings this week, and we could see him debut down the stretch for the Mets.

Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds

Sal Stewart joins the Top-25 this week after getting the bump to Triple-A a few days ago. On Sunday, Stewart hit his first Triple-A home run in his third game at the level, and is now up to 11 home runs in 83 games this season with 19 doubles, 14 steals, and a .303/.374/.472 slash line.

Stewart is far from the flashiest prospect around, but this is one of the better pure hitters in the minor leagues with a relatively high offensive floor. Stewart blends above-average raw power with a contact rate above 80% while striking out only 15.5% of the time this season. I'm usually terrible with comps, but a Bryan Reynolds comp feels right with Stewart.

If Noelvi Marte struggles, or there's an injury, Stewart could see Cincinnati by the end of the season and provide sneaky fantasy value.

J.J. Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals

Stewart wasn't the only notable prospect to get the bump to Triple-A last week as J.J. Wetherholt was bumped up as well. Wetherholt has already picked up eight hits, five extra-base hits, and four walks in his first six games. Overall, Wetherholt is slashing .309/.431/.494 this season with 17 doubles, eight home runs, and 14 steals in 16 attempts.

Wetherholt might not stand out in any one area offensively, but he does a lot of things well, which makes him one of the best fantasy prospects in the game. He's made contact at an impressive 82% clip this season with a 7% SwStr rate, 16.1% walk rate, and a 14.7% strikeout rate. Wetherholt is also an above-average power bat with average to above-average speed as well.

If the Cardinals need a middle infielder over the final two months of the season, Wetherholt could get the call.

Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles & Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians

I'm starting to wonder if we see either Samuel Basallo or Chase DeLauter debut this season. Basallo has been mashing in Triple-A all season, but he didn't play over the weekend due to an oblique injury, and it's unclear how severe the injury is or how long he'll be out of action.

Even if it's minor, the Orioles didn't bring him up when every catcher in the system got injured over the last month, so it makes you question if they even want to use him as a catcher long-term, especially this season. Assuming the oblique issue doesn't turn into a long-term absence, the path for Basallo would be cleared up if Baltimore trades Ryan Mountcastle and/or Ryan O'Hearn at the trade deadline.

As for DeLauter, he hasn't played in a week and a half due to lingering hand/wrist pain, and now he's seen a hand specialist. I'm not sure about you, but whenever I see the word "specialist", I feel like it usually doesn't bode well for the player returning to action anytime soon.

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