Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash (Week 18): Redraft Rankings

Eric Cross's top 25 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for Week 18 (2024). MLB prospects, rookies, call-ups who can be fantasy baseball sleepers in redraft.

The All-Star break is now in the rearview mirror and we're beginning the stretch run of the 2024 fantasy baseball season. If you're still in the hunt for the championship or money spot in your league(s), you need to keep your foot on the pedal and finish the next two months strong.

Stashing prospects isn't going to be the main reason you win a championship, but if you've managed to grab a few names that panned out already this season, those prospects have contributed to where you are now. There are still plenty of intriguing names to consider over the last 60 games of the season as well, so if you have the capacity, maybe grab one of the names below.

Remember, stashing fantasy baseball prospects should be done strategically and varies from league to league. Don't leave your teams without much depth just because you want all the high-upside prospects on your roster.

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Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash

Notes on plenty of prospects can be found below the rankings table. And remember, these rankings are for 2024 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a rest-of-season fantasy baseball impact in 2024.

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): 

Matt Shaw (CHC), Carson Williams (TBR), Luisangel Acuna (NYM),  Justin Foscue (TEX), Javier Sanoja (MIA), Trey Sweeney (LAD), Nick Yorke (BOS), Colson Montgomery (CHW), Graham Pauley (SDP), Yunior Severino (MIN), Troy Johnston (MIA), Juan Brito (CLE), Tirso Ornelas (SDP), Dillon Dingler (DET), Drew Romo (COL), Marco Luciano (SFG)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers):

Jack Leiter (TEX), Jackson Jobe (DET), Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), Blade Tidwell (NYM), A.J. Blubaugh (HOU), Carson Whisenhunt (SFG), Sem Robberse (STL), Ricky Tiedemann (TOR), Emiliano Teodo (TEX), Ty Madden (DET)

Mid-Week Updates:

7/25: Connor Norby has been recalled by the Orioles with Jorge Mateo hitting the IL.

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Coby Mayo (3B - BAL)

Another week has gone by without a Coby Mayo promotion. Granted, a big chunk of that week was taken up by the All-Star break, but Baltimore continues to deny us the joy of seeing Mayo in the major league lineup. While Mayo has cooled off slightly of late, he's still slashing .309/.404/.567 in 26 games since returning to Triple-A with seven doubles, six home runs, and a 15/20 BB/K ratio.

Meanwhile, the duo of Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo are hitting a combined .233 with zero home runs over the last 30 days. This promotion is going to happen sooner or later and no prospect in the minors has more upside and potential impact for 2024 than Mayo. However, the player below is only a hair behind him in my overall rankings.

Junior Caminero (3B - TBR)

After missing over a month with a left quad strain, Junior Caminero returned to action on July 9 and returned to Triple-A after the All-Star break. In six Complex Level games and two Triple-A games since his return, Caminero has blasted four home runs and walked five times to only five strikeouts.

Junior Caminero (@RaysBaseball) continues to roll 🔥

MLB's No. 3 prospect goes deep for the Triple-A @DurhamBulls -- it's his fourth homer in his past eight games since returning from injury. pic.twitter.com/ZFtth6X8nQ

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 21, 2024

This situation is really starting to heat up with the Rays falling out of contention and trade rumors swirling around current starting third baseman Isaac Paredes. If Paredes is dealt, that would open up the hot corner for Caminero in Tampa Bay for the final two months of the season.

Jordan Lawlar (SS - ARI)

If you've been holding out hope for Jordan Lawlar making an impact for the Diamondbacks this season, any hope was dashed with yet another injury. Lawlar returned from one hamstring injury and played just four games before reaggravating it which will keep him out until early September at the earliest. The chances of him playing in the majors this season aren't a total zero, but it looks extremely slim given all the injuries he's dealt with. And as Arizona falls further behind the third Wild Card spot in the coming weeks, it's plausible that they just shut him down.

Pedro Leon (OF - HOU)

Pedro Leon has been one of the hottest hitters in the minors lately, hitting .356 over the last month with six home runs and four steals in 96 plate appearances. He's now on the cusp of joining the 20/20 club for the second consecutive season and is trying his hardest to force Houston's hand after 349 games in Triple-A dating back to 2021.

Even though he's hitting .303 this season, Leon's aggressive approach and swing-and-miss tendencies will likely keep the AVG on the lower end. But if you can deal with that, Leon could provide a solid power/speed blend if given the chance to play regularly in Houston.

Max Meyer (SP - MIA)

It sounds like Max Meyer will be recalled later this week as Miami has gained another year of control by keeping him in Triple-A for the last few months. As Meyer started on Saturday, his return will probably happen in the series against Milwaukee with Saturday currently listed as TBD for Miami's starting pitcher.

Max Meyer strikes out six in his latest scoreless start 🤫

MLB's No. 80 prospect (@Marlins) has given up just one run over his past 16 innings for the Triple-A @JaxShrimp: pic.twitter.com/W7bHsntItm

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 14, 2024

In Meyer's last four outings for Triple-A Jacksonville, he has posted a 0.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 7.5% walk rate, and a 28.8% strikeout rate. He fared well in his brief stint with Miami earlier this season, with all three offerings having a BAA under .200 and both the slider and changeup having a whiff rate of 40% or higher. Go grab him if he's still available in your leagues.

Zebby Matthews (SP - MIN)

In the words of Bob Dylan and Guns N' Roses, Zebby Matthews is knock, knock, knockin' on Minnesota's door right now. Matthews recently made his Triple-A debut, allowing a pair of earned runs over five innings with six strikeouts and his usual zero walks.

The ascension of The Zebutron has been phenomenal this season as he's blossomed into one of the 10 best pitching prospects in the game. In 83 innings across three levels, Matthews has posted a 1.95 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 31.1% strikeout rate, and a miniscule 1.9% walk rate. The combination of elite command/control and three above-average offerings gives Matthews a rare blend of high floor and high ceiling, similar to what we saw with Christian Scott last season. He could be the next man up if Minnesota needs a starter.

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