X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Updated Rankings for 2023 Redraft (Week 11)

Eric's updated top 25 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for Week 11 (2023). MLB prospects, rookies, call-ups to make fantasy baseball impacts in redraft leagues.

The past week was another exciting one in the world of prospect promotions. Not only was Jordan Walker recalled from Triple-A, but we also had a trio of pitching prospects in my top-100 overall make their debuts with Bryan Woo, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Andrew Abbott all getting the call. Even with them off of this week's list, we still have plenty of exciting names to consider stashing, especially on the hitting side.

Stashing fantasy baseball prospects should be done strategically, not haphazardly. You need to be cognizant of which prospects will be up sooner and can make the biggest short-term impact on your teams – even if that means stashing a prospect that might be ranked lower than another in long-term dynasty prospect rankings.

In this article, we will focus on MLB prospects, rookies, and call-ups who could make impacts for the 2023 fantasy baseball season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Top 25 Prospects to Stash for Fantasy Baseball

Notes on plenty of prospects can be found below the rankings table. And remember, these rankings are for 2023 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects to potentially make a rest-of-season fantasy baseball impact in 2023. As prospects are called up, they are removed from the rankings. You can also see our top 250 fantasy baseball dynasty prospects for long-term outlooks.

Called Up Last Week: Jordan Walker (STL), Bryan Woo (SEA), AJ Smith-Shawver (ATL), Andrew Abbott (CIN)

Honorable Mentions: Justin Dirden (HOU), Justin Foscue (TEX), Pedro Leon (HOU), Samad Taylor (KC), Sal Frelick (MIL), Addison Barger (TOR), Kyle Harrison (SFG), Moises Gomez (STL), Davis Schneider (COL)

Rank Name Position Team ETA Last Wk
1 Elly De La Cruz SS CIN July 3
2 Colton Cowser OF BAL June 4
3 Jordan Westburg 2B/3B/SS BAL June 1
4 Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B/3B CIN June 6
5 Ronny Mauricio SS NYM June 2
6 Gavin Williams SP CLE July 8
7 Kyle Manzardo 1B TBR July 7
8 Bo Naylor C CLE June 10
9 Justyn-Henry Malloy OF DET June 12
10 Endy Rodriguez C PIT July 9
11 Grayson Rodriguez SP BAL July 11
12 Oscar Colas OF CHE June 17
13 Connor Norby 2B BAL July 20
14 Dominic Fletcher OF ARI July 13
15 Ben Brown SP CHC June 14
16 David Hamilton SS BOS June 15
17 Curtis Mead 2B/3B TBR July 19
18 Brandon Pfaadt SP ARI July 21
19 Heston Kjerstad OF BAL July NR
20 Tyler Soderstrom C/1B OAK July 23
21 Joey Ortiz SS BAL June 24
22 Colt Keith 3B DET July 25
23 Dominic Canzone OF ARI June NR
24 Luis Matos OF SFG July NR
25 Cade Marlowe OF SEA July 22

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Elly De La Cruz (SS - CIN)

Well, Cincinnati called up two prospects over the last week and neither one was named Elly De La Cruz. But given the fact that De la Cruz is still dominating in Triple-A and Cincinnati has been starting Kevin Newman regularly, you have to imagine the call is going to come sooner rather than later. De La Cruz is up to 12 home runs and 11 steals in 38 games and trimmed his strikeout rate from 41.9% in April to 23.8% combined in May and June. There's not one single prospect in the minors right now that can match Elly's fantasy upside.

UPDATE 6/6: The Reds officially called up Elly De La Cruz on Tuesday!

The Baltimore Trio (Westburg, Coswer, Norby)

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the best teams in baseball right now and are on the verge of adding a trio of exciting young bats to their lineup over the next month or two. Usually we talk about how a top prospect is blocked at the Major League level and needs an injury or position change to break into the lineup (Like Mauricio). But that's not the case here in Baltimore as the paths for Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, and Connor Norby are all fairly open.

All three are hitting very well right now too. In two games since returning from injury, Cowser has reached base in six of his seven plate appearances with a double and a home run and is slashing a robust .347/.484/.590 on the season with eight home runs and five steals in 39 games. As for Wesrburg, he's been on fire basically the entire season as he's eclipsed a .300 average, .380 OBP, and .550 SLG in both months this season. His ability to play multiple spots on the diamond only helps his chances of cracking Baltimore's lineup in the upcoming weeks.

Even Norby is heating up of late after a slow start to the season. After a lackluster .265/.311/.347 line with one home run and one steal in April, Norby slashed .314/.372/.492 in May and is 5/14 so far in three June games. I'd definitely stash Cowser and Westburg over him, but Norby is one to at least keep on your radar moving forward as a potential 2nd half callup.

Heston Kjerstad (OF - BAL)

Oh look, another Baltimore bat jumping onto the list. Yes, I could've included Kjerstad in the section above with the other three, but as he's a new addition to the list this week, I wanted to give him his own section. Kjerstad's professional debut had to wait until later in 2022 due to a medical issue, but all he's done since debuting is hit at a high level. In 46 Double-A games this season, Kjerstad has slashed .310/.384/.576 with 10 doubles and 11 home runs while only striking out 15% of the time. That performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A where he should debut on Tuesday.

The power is easily plus here and I saw him flex that power during the Arizona Fall League and also during the AFL home run derby which he came in second in. He's still behind Cowser on the depth chart, but we're likely going to see Kjerstad up with Baltimore at some point this summer.

Bo Naylor (C - CLE)

While they're still second in the weak American League Central, the Cleveland Guardians are five games under .500 and don't appear to be contenders after winning the division in 2022. With that in mind, they really have no reason not to bring Bo Naylor up in the near future to see what he can do in the starter's role.

Naylor is their catcher of the future and has been performing well this season in Triple-A with a .258/.402/.505 slash line, 12 doubles, and 11 home runs in 53 games. I'm going to be putting up missing posters on telephone polls to try and find where all of his steals went, but Naylor can still make an impact with his bat and has greater impact potential in OBP formats.

Gavin Williams (SP - CLE)

Last but not least we have stud pitching prospect Gavin Williams. Unfortunately, I'm not sure we see him this month unless there's another injury in Cleveland's rotation. Even Cal Quantrill and Peyton Battenfield on the IL, Cleveland still has a full rotation with Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie recently returning from the IL, and all five arms are pitching well right now. However, there are some rumblings that Shane Bieber could be dealt at the trade deadline, but that's still nearly two months away.

It does appear that Williams is finally the next man up though and he would be a priority add once he gets the call. Williams has a 2.43 ERA in seven Triple-A starts and a 1.93 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 35.9% strikeout rate overall.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Goga Bitadze

Questionable, Could Miss Second Straight Game
CFB

Michigan Targeting Kyle Whittingham as Next Head Coach
CFB

Texas Leading Rusher Quintrevion Wisner Set to Transfer
Tyler Herro

to Miss Sixth Straight Game Friday
Bam Adebayo

Dealing With Back Soreness Ahead of Hawks Game
VJ Edgecombe

Remains Questionable With Illness vs. Bulls
Herbert Jones

Ruled Out Again Friday vs. Suns
Jerami Grant

Remains Out Friday Against Clippers
Joel Embiid

Status in Question Ahead of Bulls Matchup
Cedric Coward

Questionable Friday Against Bucks
Jakob Poeltl

Still Out as Raptors Face Wizards
Grayson Allen

Ruled Out Friday Against Pelicans
Ja Morant

Could Miss Another Game With Ankle Sprain
Jalen Suggs

Not Expected to Face Charlotte
Jordan Walsh

Likely Returning on Friday
Ryan Kalkbrenner

Remains Out on Friday
Rui Hachimura

Back in Action on Christmas
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Cleared to Play on Christmas Night
George Kittle

Remains Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Malik Willis

Carrying Questionable Tag for Week 17 Tilt
Jordan Love

Questionable for Saturday's Contest
Lamar Jackson

Listed as Doubtful for Week 17
Amon-Ra St. Brown

to Suit Up on Christmas Day
Rome Odunze

"Increasing Unlikely to Play" in Week 17
Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Carries Questionable Tag on Thursday
David Montgomery

Expected to Play on Christmas Day
Seth Curry

to Remain Sidelined on Christmas Day
Jae'Sean Tate

Questionable Thursday
Dwight Powell

Likely to Return on Christmas
Jaylin Williams

Misses Fifth Straight Game
Ousmane Dieng

Unavailable on Christmas Day
David Montgomery

Questionable to Play With Illness
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Questionable, Expected to Play on Thursday
Rashee Rice

Chiefs Place Rashee Rice on Injured Reserve
T.J. Hockenson

Ruled Out for Week 17
Pete Fairbanks

Marlins Agree on One-Year Deal
Josh Johnson

to Start at QB on Thursday Against Dallas
Brooks Koepka

Leaving LIV Golf
Davante Adams

Could Sit Out Final Two Regular-Season Games
Brock Bowers

Placed on Injured Reserve Due to Lingering Knee Injury
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Expected to Play on Christmas Day Against the Vikings
Connor McDavid

Finishes Battle of Alberta With Five Assists
Karel Vejmelka

Battling Upper-Body Injury
Alexandre Texier

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Against Bruins
Alexander Nikishin

Dealing With Apparent Ankle Injury
Denver Barkey

Exits Early Tuesday
Travis Sanheim

Pulled by Concussion Spotter Tuesday
Ryan O'Hearn

Pirates Agree on Two-Year Deal
DK Metcalf

has Two-Game Suspension Upheld
Philip Rivers

to Remain the Starter in Week 17
George Kittle

Dealing With Mid-to-Low Ankle Sprain
Viktor Arvidsson

a Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Ryan Leonard

Available Tuesday
Tom Wilson

in Danger of Missing First Game of the Season
Phillip Danault

Makes Second Canadiens Debut Tuesday
Collin Graf

Available Against Golden Knights
Jack Eichel

Misses Fourth Straight Game
Vince Dunn

Won't Play Tuesday
Deshaun Watson

Will Not be Activated Off PUP List, 2025 Season is Over
J.J. McCarthy

Ruled Out for Week 17
CFB

Jeff Brohm, Eli Drinkwitz "Names of Interest" for Michigan Head Coach
Timothy Liljegren

to Miss Second Straight Game Tuesday
Will Smith

Out Week-to-Week
Jaccob Slavin

Placed on Injured Reserve, Out Week-to-Week
Seth Jarvis

Considered Week-to-Week
Darren Raddysh

Totals Three Points in Monday's Win
Mason Marchment

Scores Twice Monday
Vince Dunn

Injured in Monday's Win
Ilya Sorokin

to Miss Tuesday's Game
CFB

Byrum Brown Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Bobby Petrino Joining Bill Belichick as North Carolina's Offensive Coordinator
Willson Contreras

Shipped to the Red Sox

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP