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Kevin Luo's top hitter fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 3 (2025). His MLB prospects to pickup and stash on your bench and N/A spots in redraft leagues.
This week was supposed to be a big week for prospect call-ups, as Thursday, 4/10, was the deadline for prospects to be called up for their respective teams to be eligible for a PPI pick if they won Rookie of the Year.
Despite a few top prospects banging on the door of the majors, the deadline came and went without much excitement, as Zac Veen was the only prospect mentioned in my article last week who got the call to the majors.
This leaves the cupboard of quality hitting prospects to stash very full. Let's take a look at a few top ones for this week.
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Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
Ok, Brent Rooker or Tyler Soderstrom- one of you needs to get an outfielder's mitt broken in. Last week, I thought we might have to wait a bit for Nick Kurtz to get the call due to Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker at first base and DH. This week, I don't think it should matter anymore.
To his credit, Soderstrom has earned his playing time in the A's lineup. He has been one of the best hitters in the majors so far this season. However, the A's must find a way to get Kurtz into their big league lineup.
Kurtz was a dominant bat at Wake Forest and in his first taste of pro ball last season (230 WRC+ across Low-A and Double-A). He has somehow turned it up a few notches in his first couple of weeks at Triple-A this season.
Kurtz has six home runs and a 231 WRC+ in just 10 games in Triple-A.
Nick Kurtz combination of power and contact ability could make him one of the most feared batters in MLB very soon
The reason his BB% is below average is because he keeps hitting home runs, lol https://t.co/FDhRhINBfW pic.twitter.com/WYiI1IDn3l
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 10, 2025
While the lineup configuration is still up in the air, it is becoming clearer and clearer by the day that Nick Kurtz's bat is too good to be in the minor leagues. He can be valued as a top-10 first baseman the second he gets the call to the majors, especially as the A's new stadium has been a bit of a band box to start the season.
Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
While Anthony is still one of the top prospects to stash for fantasy, the banging on the door of the majors has softened to a regular knock. While his 130 WRC+ so far this season in Triple-A is still very solid, that has come with a .167 BA and 32.5 percent strikeout rate.
This small sample has been a bit of a blemish on Anthony's otherwise outstanding minor league career. However, it shows that he can still provide good value as a hitter in periods when his batting average drags behind.
He also showed he can more than handle Triple-A pitching last season, with a 162 WRC+ in 35 games and a 1:1 K:BB rate.
Like I said in my article last week, Boston's outfield is a bit crowded. Wilyer Abreu has been one of the best hitters in baseball, Jarren Duran is coming off a monster 6.7 fWAR season, and the Red Sox clearly value Ceddanne Rafaela's glove in centerfield despite his inadequacies at the plate.
Red Sox management does not appear to be in a rush to get Anthony to the majors, as Craig Breslow said they would not prioritize getting the PPI pick over Anthony's development, but he will surely be getting his opportunity sometime soon.
When he gets this opportunity, he'll be a solid five-category contributor and starting-caliber outfielder in all leagues.
Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
If you Google search "prospect fatigue", does a picture of Jordan Lawlar show up?
After an impressive 2023 season in the minors, during which he had 20 HRs, 36 steals, and a 126 WRC+ in 105 games between Double-A and Triple-A at only 20 years old, Lawlar was called to the majors as the Diamondbacks were looking for reinforcements for their playoff run.
At this time, Lawlar was viewed by many as a top-10 prospect and potential franchise cornerstone in Arizona. However, Lawlar struggled in a big way in his first stint in the majors (-5 WRC+) and didn't make much impact on the team in the playoffs as they went to the World Series.
Despite the lack of impact in 2023, there was optimism that Lawlar would finally get a chance to play regularly in 2024. However, he missed most of the first half of the season after undergoing thumb surgery and never got a call back to the majors.
Going into 2025, after Geraldo Perdomo's contract extension and strong seasons from Eugenio Suarez and Ketel Marte, it again looked like there wouldn't be a spot for Lawlar to play.
However, with Ketel Marte (hamstring) expected to miss extended time, it might be now or never for Lawlar to get an opportunity for extended playing time in the majors.
Tim Tawa originally got the call-up to replace Marte and has been splitting time at second base with Garrett Hampson. However, this seemed like a plan for Marte's only short-term injury absence.
Now that Marte is expected to miss more than a couple of weeks, the Diamondbacks should be more willing to see if Lawlar can do a better job replacing his production as both Tawa and Hampson have a sub-.600 OPS.
While he hasn't been great so far in Triple-A (89 WRC+), Lawlar has five category upside whenever he gets the call to the majors.
Jordan Lawlar with his first HR of the season.
If he can stay healthy, there's a fantasy-friendly profile here.pic.twitter.com/96xFL83WDM
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) April 11, 2025
Chandler Simpson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Following a very good 2024 season in which Simpson had a 141 WRC+ across High-A and Double-A, he's off to a bit of a slow start with the bat in Triple-A, as he only has a 67 WRC+.
This is likely what is keeping him in the minors, as the Rays have seemingly turned to every other outfield option already this season, with Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) and Josh Lowe (oblique) both on the IL.
But like Lawlar, it seems like it could be any time now that the Rays give Simpson a shot. And when he gets his shot, fantasy managers looking for steals will be salivating at the thought of putting him in their lineup.
Like I said in my article last week, Simpson is not someone every fantasy team needs. Zero power from a starting outfielder is not ideal. However, someone in your league will want a player who could lead the league in steals with a serviceable batting average.
Simpson stole 104 bases last season in 110 games. That is absurd. He's also been able to constantly have high batting averages because he's always had very low K-rates. He puts the ball in play a lot and does things like this when he does so:
He's a freak. He's the fastest kid alive.
Y'all, Chandler Simpson just beat out a ground ball TO THE FIRST BASEMAN pic.twitter.com/JuPKqYlPDU
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) April 5, 2025
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Kansas City Royals
I'm going out on a bit of a limb here by including Caglianone but I have a hunch that his ETA may not be that far away. He's the only prospect discussed in this article that is in Double-A and not Triple-A but a short stint in Triple-A or skipping it outright isn't out of the question.
Going into this offseason, I thought Cags needed a decent amount of seasoning in the minor leagues this season after a relatively pedestrian debut season in pro ball. After being drafted sixth overall in last summer's draft, he had a 96 WRC+ in 29 games at High-A. His stats were dwarfed by other college draftees like Cam Smith and Kurtz.
Then spring training happened and Cags raked. Yes, I know it was only 23 PAs, but a 330 WRC+ and three mammoth HRs cannot be ignored. He's followed up his hot spring with a very good start to his Double-A career. He has two HRs and a 156 WRC+ across his first 27 PAs.
We know why you're here. Here's @jac_caglianone's mammoth homer from last night's win over the Roughriders. pic.twitter.com/v39u1PRFQa
— Northwest Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) April 9, 2025
Cags may be closer to the majors than it seems. The biggest reason is that the Royals' offense stinks. The Royals were a playoff team last season and presumably have playoff aspirations again this year.
However, the offense is currently Bobby Witt Jr. and a bunch of hopium (Maikel Garcia has also been good, no shade). They are tied for the sixth fewest runs scored and tied for the fewest HRs, and no one other than Witt and Garcia has over a .700 OPS. Whether he's fully ready or not, Cags should provide a much-needed jolt to this offense.
Between Cags and Kurtz, Kurtz is likely the better stash due to proximity and expected production, but Cags has plenty of upside and is a great option if you're looking to stash a first baseman and missed out on Kurtz.
Five Other Prospects to Consider Stashing
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