Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Updated Rankings for 2023 Redraft (Week 20)

August 8, 2023

Eric's updated top 25 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for Week 20 (2023). MLB prospects, rookies, call-ups to make fantasy baseball impacts in redraft leagues.

It was a relatively quiet week in the prospect world outside of Toronto's Davis Schneider getting the call and going downright bonkers over his first few games. Curtis Mead also was promoted but he's been fairly quiet over his first few games. All the remaining big names we're waiting for are still in the minors waiting for their shot to produce at the Major League level. Many of them are red hot at the plate right now too, which makes playing the waiting game with them even more difficult.

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. On top of discussing which prospects to stash or monitor, I'll also mention some prospects that I wouldn't be stashing to to either performance projection or the fact that I just don't believe they will debut this season.

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.

Honorable Mentions: Landon Knack (LAD), Aaron Schunk (COL), Orelvis Martinez (TOR), Ben Brown (CHC)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants

Given recent comments from San Francisco President of Baseball Operations, Farhan Zaidi, it sounds like Kyle Harrison will be up any day now. However, I wouldn't be rushing to stash him right now.

This article every week details what prospects you should be stashing, but I think it's also important to notes the big name prospects that I wouldn't recommend stashing. Harrison falls into that group.

There's no denying the stuff is dynamic and I've seen him pitch live twice back when he was in Double-A. However, Harrison's command and control are both below-average at best and I don't believe he's going to make a positive fantasy impact this season.

In 58.1 Triple-A innings this season, Harrison's walk rate sits at 18.1%. An alarming rate like that usually doesn't magically drop overnight. If that can be improved moving forward, Harrison could turn into a Robbie Ray type. However, I'm not looking to stash or add him in redraft leagues this season.

Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

If there was an open spot in Boston's outfield, I'm fairly confident that Ceddanne Rafaela would be up by now. On top of his defensive abilities in center field, Rafaela has been raking for the last month and a half in Triple-A. In 31 games at the level, Rafaela is slashing .328/.379/.688 with 11 home runs, three steals, and a 22.1% strikeout rate.

Rafaela is an aggressive hitter that chases too frequently, but he has the contact skills to keep his AVG respectable and brings a power/speed blend that can help him make a solid fantasy impact, especially since most of his power is to his pull-side, which is ideal when half your games will be at Fenway Park. Rafaela isn't an immediate stash due to the lack of path to playing time, but just keep an eye on him just in case a spot opens up and be ready to pounce.

Troy Johnston, Miami Marlins

A new addition to the top-25 this week is Miami first base prospect, Troy Johnston, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville. In 95 games this season, Johnston has cranked 30 doubles and 20 home runs along with a .310/.404/.585 slash line and 16 steals. In 12 games at the Triple-A level, Johnston is hitting an even .400 with seven doubles and a pair of dingers.

While Johnston isn't a guy that stands out or possesses that prospect buzz, he could wind up being one of these sneaky fantasy contributors down the stretch if given the chase, kind of lIke Davis Schneider in Toronto.

Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians

At this point, I'm starting to doubt that Kyle Manzardo is up soon or maybe not even at all this season. Manzardo hasn't played a minor league game since July 6th, and there's really not a lot of info on when or if he'll return this season. This was an update around a week ago and there hasn't been much on his progress since then.

Given the uncertainty regarding when he'll return paired with how late in the season it is now, the chances of Manzardo debuting in 2023 are dwindling quickly. If you have been stashing him, it's probably time to move on.

Other Prospects Raking in Triple-A (Stats Last 10 Days)

• Luken Baker (STL): 76 PA, .400/.474/.923, 7 2B, 9 HR, 11.8% BB, 13.2% K
• Masyn Winn (STL): 99 PA, .375/.434/.784, 8 2B, 9 HR, 2 SB, 8.1% BB, 15.2% K
• Michael Busch (LAD): 117 PA, .330/.393/.632, 5 2B, 9 HR, 7.7% BB, 22.2% K
• Spencer Horwitz (TOR): 100 PA, .430/.540/.734, 7 2B, 5 HR, 4 SB, 19% BB, 14% K
• Joey Ortiz (BAL): 98 PA, .382/.429/.596, 9 2B, 3 HR, 2 SB, 8.2% BB, 17.3% K
• Connor Norby (BAL): 101 PA, .300/.366/.544, 5 2B, 5 HR, 2 SB, 9.9% BB, 23.8% K
• Heston Kjerstad (BAL): 88 PA, .346/.398/.543, 8 2B, 2 HR, 5.7% BB, 18.2% K
• Xavier Edwards (MIA): 108 PA, .402/.467/.554, 3 2B, 3 HR, 11 SB, 12% BB, 5.6% K
• Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 79 PA, .309/.405/.662, 7 2B, 5 HR, 5 SB, 12.7% BB, 24.1% K
• Everson Pereira (NYY): 94 PA, .302/.351/.523, 5 2B, 4 HR, 4.3% BB, 29.8% K

For the most part, these prospects are blocked when it comes to playing time at the Major League level. The only ones that at least have some sort of path are Masyn Winn and Everson Pereira.

For now, these names are ones to monitor in case there's an injury at the Major League level that opens up playing time for them. The ones that could make the biggest immediate impact are Busch, Kjerstad, Norby, and Crow-Armstrong.

Prospects That I Don't Believe Will Be Up in 2023

I've been receiving a lot of questions regarding certain top prospects and if they might be up this season and worth a stash. While it's difficult to fully predict this obviously. These are the buzzy prospect names that I believe won't be up until 2024 that I wouldn't use a spot to stash right now.

• Jackson Chourio (MIL)
• Jordan Lawlar (ARI)
• Jackson Holliday (BAL)
• Evan Carter (TEX)
• Junior Caminero (TBR)
• Noelvi Marte (CIN)

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

More Fantasy Baseball Advice