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After the Noelvi Marte, Masyn Winn, Parker Meadows, Everson Pereira, and Kyle Harrison wave two weeks ago, I said "ee're probably going to several more in the coming days as well."
We sure did.
This past week brought the promotions of Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Hunter Goodman, Jordan Wicks, and Michael Busch. Finally!
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With the season now having fewer than 45 days remaining, this means teams can call up prospects and not have them exhaust their rookie eligibility for 2024, assuming they don't exceed 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched. Which at this point of the season would be difficult to do anyway.
At this point in the season, it's time to go for gold. If you have a dead bench spot, I'd consider stashing one of the names below.
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: Dominic Fletcher (ARI), Pedro Leon (HOU), Austin Wells (NYY), Darell Hernaiz (OAK), Jared Jones (PIT), Ben Brown (CHC), Connor Phillips (CIN), Lyon Richardson (CIN), Brooks Lee (MIN), Gavin Stone (LAD), Johnathan Rodriguez (CLE), Yunior Severino (MIN), Dustin Harris (TEX), Quinn Priester.
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Last Wk |
| 1 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF | CHC | 1 |
| 2 | Jordan Lawlar | SS | ARI | 3 |
| 3 | Colt Keith | 3B | DET | 4 |
| 4 | Matt Mervis | 1B | CHC | 5 |
| 5 | Ronny Mauricio | SS | NYM | 6 |
| 6 | Heston Kjerstad | OF | BAL | 8 |
| 7 | Colton Cowser | OF | BAL | 11 |
| 8 | Justyn-Henry Malloy | OF | DET | 15 |
| 9 | Austin Shenton | 3B | TBR | 20 |
| 10 | Jackson Chourio | OF | MIL | 12 |
| 11 | Coby Mayo | 3B | BAL | 9 |
| 12 | Xavier Edwards | MI | MIA | 10 |
| 13 | Robert Gasser | P | MIL | 19 |
| 14 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | CLE | 13 |
| 15 | Marco Luciano | SS | SFG | 14 |
| 16 | Connor Norby | 2B | BAL | 16 |
| 17 | Troy Johnston | 1B | MIA | 17 |
| 18 | Joey Ortiz | SS | BAL | 22 |
| 19 | Evan Carter | OF | TEX | NR |
| 20 | Joey Loperfido | OF | HOU | 18 |
| 21 | Alexander Canario | OF | CHC | NR |
| 22 | Orelvis Martinez | SS | TOR | 24 |
| 23 | Spencer Horwitz | 1B | TOR | 25 |
| 24 | Justin Foscue | 2B/3B | TEX | NR |
| 25 | Nick Gonzales | 2B | PIT | NR |
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
Pete Crow-Armstrong retains the #1 spot in this week's rankings, but the 21-year-old outfielder has struggled a bit over the last 10 days, slashing .194/.237/.306 with three extra-base hits and a 33.3% strikeout rate in 39 plate appearances. Still though, Crow-Armstrong has the highest blend of upside and likelihood of a callup in my eyes.
Alexander Canario, Chicago Cubs
If Crow-Armstrong doesn't get the call, it's probably because Alexander Canario did. Canario missed the first half of the season after fracturing his ankle last October in a Dominican Winter League game which required surgery. Since returning, Canario is slashing .281/.366/.500 in 224 plate appearances with 14 doubles and nine home runs. He's been especially hot at the plate over the last 10 days, hitting .394 in 35 plate appearances with five doubles and four home runs. I'm not sure how much he'll run if promoted as he only has two steals this season, but Canario's bat could still provide solid fantasy impact.
Matt Mervis, Chicago Cubs
With the Chicago Cubs in a tight National League Wild Card battle, they're going to need all the help they can get down the stretch. Luckily, they have prospects like Crow-Armstrong, Canario, and Matt Mervis waiting in Triple-A and hitting well. Since the start of July, Mervis has slashed .283/.406/.530 in 202 plate appearances with 11 home runs and a 16.3% walk rate. As long as he can keep the strikeout rate in check, which was an issue during his first Major League stint, Mervis should be able to provide a nice power boost if recalled.
Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers
After a brief slump in July, Colt Keith is back to his old ways here in August. In 98 plate appearances this month, Keith has racked up 10 doubles and six home runs with a .302/.367/.651 slash line. This is the third time in four months that he's hit over .300 in the month with six or more home runs. The Tigers are starting Zach McKinstry and Matt Vierling pretty regularly at the keystone and hot corner, both of which are rocking a below-average 89 wRC+ this season. Slotting Keith in at second and this next player in at third down the stretch would make a lot of sense.
Justyn-Henry Malloy, Detroit Tigers
As mentioned above, the hot corner in Detroit isn't exactly locked in at the moment. But it could be soon if Detroit decides to promote Justyn-Henry Malloy. Over the last 10 days, Malloy is hitting .371 with an even .500 OBP. Given his modest power/speed blend, Malloy isn't a sexy priority stash, but he certainly could help in the AVG/OBP departments while providing a bit of power as well.
Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
After slasdhing .284/.411/.451 in 97 Double-A games, the Texas Rangers promoted Evan Carter to Triple-A yesterday. Do I think there's a high likelihood that he'll be up this season? No. In fact, I'd probably put the odds around 10-20%. However, Carter is the type of prospect that could make an immediate impact given his power/speed blend and on-base abilities.
Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles
I'm starting to wonder if Colton Cowser just stays in Triple-A for the remainder of the 2023 season. In 11 games since returning to Triple-A, Cowser is slashing .250/.348/.500 with four doubles and a pair of home runs, but he's still striking out 34% of the time. The upside is still very high here, but Cowser is going to need to tame that strikeout rate moving forward.
Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers
There aren't many intriguing pitching prospects left that could make an impact this season, but Robert Gasser is certainly one to keep an eye on. Over his last four starts, Gasser has posted a 2.63 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 5.3% walk rate, and a 34.7% strikeout rate. Included in this stretch are two double-digit strikeout outings against Durham and Charlotte earlier this month.
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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