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 8)

It was another exciting week of prospect promotions with two big names being promoted to the Majors. First, Miami called up their studly right-handed pitching prospect Eury Perez who made his debut on Friday, and then Cincinnati gave Matt McLain's mother one heck of a Mother's Day gift by promoting him Sunday night. Needless to say, both of those guys shouldn't still be on your league's waiver wire, and if they are, you need to change that immediately. Both have the upside to make a significant fantasy impact both this season and beyond. Even with that exciting duo off the list, we still have a loaded Top 25 prospects to stash list again this week with a few more names on the cusp of debuting.

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: Matt McLain (CIN), Eury Perez (MIA), Luis Ortiz (PIT)

Honorable Mentions: Cade Marlowe (SEA), Justin Foscue (TEX), , Pedro Leon (HOU), Samad Taylor (KC), Sal Frelick (MIL), Joey Ortiz (BAL), Addison Barger (TOR)

Rank Name Position Team ETA Last Wk
1 Jordan Westburg 2B/3B/SS BAL May 11
2 Jordan Walker OF STL June 1
3 Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B/3B CIN June 5
4 Kyle Manzardo 1B TBR June 2
5 Taj Bradley SP TBR May 6
6 Edouard Julien 2B MIN June 4
7 Elly De La Cruz SS CIN July 18
8 Colton Cowser OF BAL June 7
9 Matthew Liberatore SP STL June 10
10 Ronny Mauricio SS NYM July 12
11 Gavin Stone SP LAD June 8
12 Curtis Mead 2B/3B TBR July 9
13 David Hamilton SS BOS June 13
14 Oscar Colas OF CHW June NR
15 Gavin Williams SP CLE June 14
16 Royce Lewis SS MIN July 15
17 Bo Naylor C CLE June 19
18 Ben Brown SP CHC June NR
19 Endy Rodriguez C PIT July 23
20 Justyn-Henry Malloy OF DET June 16
21 Connor Norby 2B BAL July 17
22 Justin Dirden OF HOU June NR
23 Andrew Abbott SP CIN June 20
24 Bobby Miller SP LAD July 21
25 Mark Vientos 3B NYM July 25

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Elly De La Cruz (SS - CIN)

The narrative for Elly De La Cruz for a while now has been that he possesses massive fantasy upside given his elite power and speed, but that the approach needed refinement. We saw that all on full display last season when De La Cruz went bonkers for 28 home runs and 47 steals in 121 games. However, he also struck out in 30.8% of his plate appearances. This season was off to a similar tune, but De La Cruz's approach has done a complete 180 from April to March.

Month PA BB% K%
April 43 4.7% 41.9%
May 60 16.7% 16.7%

Yeah, that's much better. And fortunately, De La Cruz hasn't sacrificed his power to improve his approach either, as is often the case. On the season, Elly is already up to six home runs and four steals in 103 plate appearances with a .278/.369/.589. Once De La Cruz is up, the potential fantasy impact is immense, and there will surely be a massive rugby-style scrum to pick him up or acquire him via weekly FAAB. If he's sitting on your league's waiver wire, do your best to change that in a hurry.

Jordan Westburg (2B/3B/SS - BAL)

We're a month and a half into the Triple-A season and Jordan Westburg just wont stop hitting. With home runs on Saturday and Sunday, Westburg is now up to 11 in 32 games with four steals and a .321/.395/.626 slash line. Throughout his minor league career, Westburg has always shown a decent power/speed blend, going 15/17 in 112 games back in 2021 and 27/12 in 138 games last season along with 39 doubles. He's also always walked at a high clip and has a walk rate above 10% once again this season.

Given his ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop, coupled with the struggles of Gunnar Henderson and recent struggles of Jorge Mateo, it feels like Westburg should get the call up to Baltimore sooner rather than later. And once he's up, his 20+/10+ upside would immediately put him on the 12-team mixed-league radar as a priority add.

Justin Dirden (OF - HOU)

Another bat on fire in Triple-A has been Houston Astros outfield prospect, Justin Dirden. Over the last 10 days, the 25-year-old Dirden has racked up seven extra-base hits, four home runs, and a .394/.459/.909 slash line. He does strike out a bit too much , but the power/speed blend would give Dirden mixed-league fantasy appeal if he were given a shot at regular playing time in Houston's outfield.

Oscar Colas (OF - CHW)

While Colas struggled during his stint with the White Sox to open the season, he's been hitting very well since being sent back down. Over the last 10 days, Colas is slashing .424/.459/.727 with a home run, steal, and seven doubles. Colas is still an overly-aggressive hitter and could stand to develop a bit more patience, but the contact skills and power are there to be a .270/25 bat at the Major League level, and he'll likely get another shot with the White Sox sooner rather than later if he continues hitting well in Triple-A.

Taj Bradley (SP - TBR)

It's yet to be confirmed anywhere to my knowledge, but given the latest injury to Drew Rasmussen, there's a chance Taj Bradley could be recalled this week to help a severely depleted Tampa Bay rotation that is down to Shane McClanahan, Zach Eflin, and Josh Fleming right now. Bradley certainly hasn't looked good at all since being sent back to Triple-A a few weeks ago, but he impressed during his three starts with Tampa Bay last month. In those three starts, Bradley posted a 3.52 ERA, 2.27 xERA, 0.91 WHIP, 3.3% walk rate, and 38.3% strikeout rate. Given the upside and likely recall, Bradley is an ideal player to pick up and stash right now.

Ben Brown (SP - CHC)

In each of the last five weeks, we've had a rookie pitcher go for over $200 in FAAB in my TGFBI league. First it was Taj Bradley followed by Mason Miller, Tanner Bibee, Bryce Miller, and Eury Perez last week. While it will be tough to extend that streak to six this week, two arms that could be up very soon are Gavin Williams and Ben Brown. I've talked about Williams fairly recently so I'll mention Brown here this week.

In six starts this season between Double-A and Triple-A, Brown has a pristine 0.59 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 39.5% strikeout rate. Standing at 6'6, Brown features a plus fastball with plenty of riding action and will mix in a curve and slider, both of which are above-average to plus offerings. The strikeout upside alone is considerable and Brown has shown solid command and control of his arsenal as well. He has the potential to make a solid fantasy impact once up.

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

Alex Bregman

Expected to Return on Friday
Julio Rodríguez

Julio Rodriguez Won't Suit Up for Midsummer Classic
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Expected to Work Out Long-Term Extension
Bernhard Raimann

a Candidate for an Extension This Summer
C.J. Stroud

Could Sign Multi-Year Deal Before 2026 Season
Kyle Juszczyk

Says Christian McCaffrey Looks Healthy, Explosive
Kyren Williams

Showing Improved Explosiveness
Christian Barmore

"Dominant" this Spring
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Homers Twice, Drives in Three
Brice Matthews

Joining Astros
MLB

White Sox-Guardians Postponed on Thursday
Brandon Aiyuk

Likely to Begin Season on PUP List, but Not Ruled Out for Week 1
Jameson Williams

Not in the Team's Long-Term Plans?
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Micah Parsons

Plans to be Present for Start of Training Camp
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Ikem Ekwonu

Next Up for Extension in Carolina?
Jalen Thompson

Heading into Last Year With Cardinals?
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Najee Harris

Suffers Eye Injury in Fireworks Mishap
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF