Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Updated Rankings for 2023 Redraft (Week 18)

July 26, 2023

Eric's updated top 25 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for Week 18 (2023). MLB prospects, rookies, call-ups to make fantasy baseball impacts in redraft leagues.

The prospect promotion scene slowed down this past week after the previous week's prospectapalooza, but we still received the callup and debut of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick awho ranked #15 on this list last week. If you need a boost in AVG or SB, Frelick could give you a boost. Just don't expect a ton of power.

Cade Marlowe also got the call to Seattle, but he's only started twice in five games so far. If he were to receive regular playing time, Marlowe could provide some value. But that doesn't appear to be the case right now.

With so many top MLB prospects now up in the Majors, you're probably wondering who's next? Is there anyone left to stash that can provide an impact for my fantasy baseball teams in 2023? That answer is still yes.

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MLB Prospects and Call-Ups for 2023

At this point in the season, many of the names below are waiting for one of two scenarios to unfold.

1. An injury on the Major League roster opening up a spot for them.
2. Being traded to a team where they could start in a trade deadline move.

This time of year is definitely when you need to stay on top of trade rumors and react accordingly when rumors get stronger or trades begin to flow. The trade deadline is only two weeks away, so buckle up.

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

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 fantasy baseball dynasty prospects for long-term outlooks.

Recently Called Up: Sal Frelick (MIL), Cade Marlowe (SEA)

Update: Marco Luciano (SF) has been called up as of Wednesday July 26th.

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

To the surprise of nearly everyone, the St. Louis Cardinals have struggled mightily this season and are currently nine games out of the 3rd wild card spot in the National League. This has led to reports of the Cardinals being sellers at the deadline which makes a ton of sense. This would also likely open up a spot for Masyn Winn to come up in August and start regularly over the last two months of the season.

Since May 23rd, Winn has slashed .324/.385/.525 in 226 plate appearances with 11 doubles, eight home runs, and five steals while only striking out 13.7% of the time. He's been especially impressive since July 8th with a .457/.510/.913 slash line and 12 extra-base hits in 10 games. Winn has played both shortstop and second base this season and should be next in line if the Cardinals trade Paul DeJong or remove Nolan Gorman from everyday playing time at the keystone. The former is more likely as Gorman has shown signs of life at the plate since the all-star break.

Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore Orioles

If you simply looked at the production, profile, and proximity to the Majors, Heston Kjerstad would look like a pretty solid prospect to stash right now. After excelling in Double-A for a couple of months, Kjerstad has been even better in Triple-A with a .344/.421/.584 slash line, 11 doubles, and five home runs in 33 games. However, there's still a pretty solid log jam in Baltimore and even Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg aren't even starting every day right now. Long-term, Kjerstad could develop into a Nick Castellanos type of hitter, but he'll likely need an injury or trade right now.

Aaron Hicks left Monday's game with a hamstring injury that Baltimore is still determining the severity of at the time this article goes to publish. But even if Hicks requires an IL stint, that could just open more playing time for Cowser. It also could mean Kjerstad gets the call. Keep an eye on this situation.

Everson Pereira, New York Yankees

With Aaron Judge on the injured list, this New York Yankees lineup has been struggling mightily of late. Since Aaron Judge went on the IL back on June 3rd, the Yankees are averaging just under four runs per game while ranking 27th in wRC+ and 28th in wOBA. And while nobody can replace Judge, Everson Pereira could help provide a much-needed spark.

In 59 games this season, Pereira has racked up 14 home runs and seven steals to go along with a .306/.373/.566 slash line. He can strike out a tad too much though, and currently sports a 27.9% strikeout rate. However, given his upside as a 25-homer, 10-15 steal threat and his proximity to the Majors, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Yankees give Pereira a shot down the stretch this season.

Michael Busch, Los Angeles Dodgers

At this point, we're REALLY hoping that the Los Angeles Dodgers trade Michael Busch at the deadline. Even after they optioned Miguel Vargas to Triple-A, the Dodgers had the luxury of sliding uber-athlete Mookie Betts from right field to the keystone, keeping Busch in Triple-A.

Meanwhile, Busch continues to rake in Triple-A, slashing .299/.432/.662 with eight home runs and as many walks as strikeouts (16) in 19 games. There's no doubt that Busch is ready for the Majors after hitting well in the upper minors for a whopping 1,446 plate appearances, but again, a trade out of Hollywood really needs to happen.

Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers

In three starts since being optioned back down to Triple-A, Gavin Stone has pitched to the tune of a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2.9% walk rate, and a 26.5% strikeout rate. Walks had started becoming an issue for Stone during May and early-June with a 17.3% walk rate over a five-start stretch from May 9th to June 3rd, so it's nice to see him get that back under control. Stone looked especially good during his last outing, recording a 38% whiff rate and 34% CSW.

With neither Emmet Sheehan or Michael Grove pitching well in the Major League rotation, I'm expecting the Dodgers to bring Stone back up sooner rather than later. Stone isn't a high-priority stash right now, and I would only consider doing so in deeper leagues. However, I still believe that Stone can carve out some fantasy value once he's back up. Don't be surprised if we see Landon Knack soon either who has allowed just two runs combined in his last three starts (15 innings) in Triple-A.

Matt Mervis, Chicago Cubs

Yes, his first Major League stint was underwhelming and earned him a demotion back to Triple-A Iowa, but we probably haven't seen the last of Matt Mervis in Chicago this season. Since he returned to Triple-A on June 16th, Mervis is hitting .300 with a .457 OBP, 19% walk rate, and a 21% strikeout rate.

Sure, he only has a trio of taters in 105 plate appearances, but we know the power is there. Mervis proved that he can be an impactful power bat in the minor leagues and earlier this season with the Cubs as well when he posted a 13.8% barrel rate, 91 mph AVG EV, and a 50% hard-hit rate. And the fact that Mervis is showing an improved approach lately has me encouraged.

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

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