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It’s been a long road to get here, but the Minor League Baseball season has finally arrived after more than a year of waiting. Over the past 13 months, prospects from around baseball have been developing their skills at alternate training sites, in extended spring settings, and in their own backyards.
This weekly feature evolved over the past year to adapt to the new normal. It included players at the MLB level who had yet to lose rookie eligibility (130 AB/50 IP) because there wasn’t a regular flow of information about prospects at the alternate sites and from other areas. Now that we have minor league games back, the list will only be comprised of players at the minor league level (with rookie eligibility remaining) that have a chance to make an impact in the current fantasy season. They are ranked by their projected impact at the MLB level and, of course, to fantasy baseball during 2021. This is not a dynasty ranking and does not consider the players’ impacts beyond this season.
Toronto Blue Jays hurler Nate Pearson was promoted back to the majors on Sunday when this list was being finalized and we chose to leave him in so you could see where he fits in terms of potential moving forward through the 2021 season. OK, let’s go visit Minor League Baseball for the first time in 13 months!
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Top Impact Prospects for Redraft Leagues
These prospect rankings are for 2021 redraft leagues.
| Ranking | Player | Pos | Team | Age | ETA |
| 1 | Jarred Kelenic | OF | SEA | 21 | MAY |
| 2 | Wander Franco | SS | TB | 20 | MAY |
| 3 | Jo Adell | OF | LAA | 21 | MAY |
| 4 | MacKenzie Gore | SP | SD | 22 | MAY |
| 5 | Nate Pearson | SP | TOR | 24 | MAY |
| 6 | Tanner Houck | SP | BOS | 24 | MAY |
| 7 | Spencer Howard | SP | PHI | 24 | MAY |
| 8 | Brandon Marsh | OF | LAA | 23 | MAY |
| 9 | Logan Gilbert | SP | SEA | 23 | MAY |
| 10 | Vidal Brujan | IF/OF | TB | 23 | MAY |
| 11 | Jarren Duran | OF | BOS | 24 | JUNE |
| 12 | Jeter Downs | SS/2B | BOS | 22 | JUNE |
| 13 | Jesus Sanchez | OF | MIA | 23 | MAY |
| 14 | Bobby Bradley | 1B | CLE | 24 | JUNE |
| 15 | Brent Rooker | OF | MIN | 26 | JUNE |
| 16 | Josiah Gray | SP | LAD | 23 | JUNE |
| 17 | Josh Lowe | OF | TB | 23 | JUNE |
| 18 | Jhoan Duran | SP | MIN | 23 | JUNE |
| 19 | Drew Waters | OF | ATL | 22 | JUNE |
| 20 | Anderson Tejeda | IF | TEX | 23 | JUNE |
| 21 | Nolan Jones | 3B | CLE | 22 | JUNE |
| 22 | Deivi Garcia | SP | NYY | 21 | JUNE |
| 23 | Matthew Liberatore | SP | STL | 21 | JULY |
| 24 | Matt Manning | SP | DET | 23 | JULY |
| 25 | Alek Manoah | SP | TOR | 23 | JULY |
| 26 | Jackson Kowar | SP | KC | 24 | JULY |
| 27 | Heliot Ramos | OF | SF | 21 | JULY |
| 28 | Seth Beer | 1B | ARZ | 24 | JULY |
| 29 | Geraldo Perdomo | SS | ARZ | 21 | AUGUST |
| 30 | Braxton Garrett | SP | MIA | 23 | JULY |
| 31 | Michael Busch | 2B | LAD | 23 | AUGUST |
| 32 | Jonathan Stiever | SP | CHW | 23 | JULY |
| 33 | Tucker Davidson | SP | ATL | 25 | JULY |
| 34 | Albert Abreu | SP | NYY | 25 | JULY |
| 35 | Gabriel Moreno | C | TOR | 21 | AUGUST |
| 36 | Brailyn Marquez | SP | CHC | 22 | JULY |
| 37 | Jose Garcia | SS | CIN | 23 | AUGUST |
| 38 | JJ Bleday | OF | MIA | 23 | AUGUST |
| 39 | Nick Lodolo | SP | CIN | 23 | JULY |
| 40 | Adley Rutschman | C | BAL | 23 | AUGUST |
| 41 | Hunter Greene | SP | CIN | 21 | AUGUST |
| 42 | Max Meyer | SP | MIA | 22 | AUGUST |
| 43 | Shane Baz | SP | TB | 21 | AUGUST |
| 44 | Luis Campusano | C | SD | 22 | JULY |
| 45 | Nick Pratto | 1B | KC | 22 | AUGUST |
| 46 | Travis Swaggerty | OF | PIT | 23 | AUGUST |
| 47 | CJ Abrams | SS | SD | 20 | AUGUST |
| 48 | Riley Greene | OF | DET | 20 | AUGUST |
| 49 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | KC | 20 | AUGUST |
| 50 | Austin Martin | IF/OF | TOR | 22 | AUGUST |
Top 10 Prospects for 2021
1. Jarred Kelenic, OF: Kelenic’s first three Triple-A games resulted in six hits, a stolen base, and two walks. He's also twice taken opposing pitchers over the outfield fences. Kelenic is likely not long for the minor leagues.
2. Wander Franco, SS/3B: Skipping over Double-A has so far proven to be a non-issue for Franco. Through his first four games, he has eight hits — including a double, a triple, and two homers — as well as a stolen base.
3. Jo Adell, OF: Not much has changed for Adell. He’s still striking out (six in 14 at-bats), but three of his four hits have gone for extra bases — including a home run.
4. MacKenzie Gore, SP: Gore’s command was off in his first Triple-A start and he allowed three runs in four innings, but he kept the ball in the yard.
5. Nate Pearson, SP: Toronto clearly liked what they saw during Pearson’s first Triple-A start. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out eight batters and allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings. That earned him a trip back to the majors for the pitching-starved Blue Jays.
6. Tanner Houck, SP: Houck has been on a bit of a yo-yo this year between the majors and the minors, so it’s not surprising that he threw up a bit of a dud in his first Triple-A start in 2021 with eight hits and three runs allowed in three innings.
7. Spencer Howard, SP: Howard threw just two (shutout) innings during his first Triple-A start, so the Phillies organization is wisely being very conservative and cautious with his innings totals early on this season.
8. Brandon Marsh, OF: Marsh is still in extended spring training while rehabbing a shoulder injury. He’s expected to join his Triple-A team in mid-May.
9. Logan Gilbert, SP: Gilbert opened the year in Triple-A with five innings of one-run baseball. He also had a K-BB of 5-0 which is a pretty typical result for him.
10. Vidal Brujan, 2B: You can’t start off a year much better than Brujan has with nine hits, five walks, and a stolen base in five games. He also surprisingly has FOUR home runs already, which ties his mark from 2019.....when he played in 99 games.
Prospects 11-20
11. Jarren Duran, OF: Duran started off slowly with no hits through his first three games of the season. Over the past two though, he’s gone 6-for-9 (.667) with his first home run of the year.
12. Jeter Downs, 2B/SS: Downs is hitting just .150 with a BB-K of 1-9 through five games, but he has a double and two stolen bases.
13. Jesus Sanchez, OF: Sanchez appears eager to regain some of the hype that’s disappeared after a couple of seasons with modest results. Through five Triple-A games, he’s 12-for-22 (.545) with three home runs.
14. Bobby Bradley, 1B: Bradley was outstanding in the spring, but got sent to the minors anyway and it looks like he’s pressing early on. Through five games, he has nine strikeouts and just one hit (a homer) in 19 at-bats. At least he has four walks.
15. Brent Rooker, OF: Rooker has already had a busy year with an injured list stint and a disappointing performance in the majors. In four Triple-A games, he has seven strikeouts, but he’s also walked five times and hit a home run.
16. Josiah Gray, SP: The Dodgers’ pitching depth is suddenly looking thin, which could bode well for Gray. The right-hander struck out 10 batters in five innings during his first start at Triple-A.
17. Josh Lowe, OF: Lowe has an ugly 1-7 BB-K in four games, but three of his four hits have gone for extra bases — including two home runs.
18. Jhoan Duran, SP: Duran will be moved along slowly early on in May as he returns from trapezius tightness.
19. Drew Waters, OF: Waters has intriguing tools, but his early 2021 results suggest the light bulb has yet to click on with his approach at the plate. He has a 0-6 BB-K through his first three games.
20. Anderson Tejeda, SS: Tejeda already has a taste of MLB action this year, but his early returns at Triple-A are not encouraging. He has eight strikeouts through his first three games. However, his raw tools are also evident with a homer and four stolen bases.
Prospects 21-30
21. Nolan Jones, 3B: Cleveland’s anemic offense is seeping into the minor leagues. Jones is an ugly 2-for-20 with 11 strikeouts through his first five games.
22. Deivi Garcia, SP: Garcia had an ugly start to his Triple-A season with seven walks and three hits allowed in 3 1/3 innings.
23. Matthew Liberatore, SP: With just 78 1/2 innings of experience in Low-A ball, the Cardinals nonetheless jumped Liberatore all the way to Triple-A. His first start was solid with two runs allowed in six innings of work.
24. Matt Manning, SP: After allowing just seven home runs in 133 2/3 innings in 2019, Manning coughed up three during his first start of 2021.
25. Alek Manoah, SP: The Jays’ first-round selection from the 2019 draft, Manoah hasn’t pitched above short-season ball. Despite that, a strong showing in the spring convinced Toronto to start him at the Triple-A level. He struck out 12 batters in six innings during his first start of the year.
26. Jackson Kowar, SP: Kowar threw 5 1/3 innings of shutout baseball with nine strikeouts during his first start of the season.
27. Heliot Ramos, OF: The Giants gave Ramos a conservative assignment to Double-A despite a strong showing in the spring. He’s off to a nice start with eight hits, including two homers, through his first five games.
28. Seth Beer, 1B: Beer lacks a clear path to playing time at the MLB level, but he’s off to a strong start at Triple-A with four of his six hits going for extra bases through three games.
29. Geraldo Perdomo, SS: Perdomo went just 1-for-10 during his first taste of MLB action earlier this year and he’s off to another rough start at Double-A. He’s just 2-for-17 (.118) with seven strikeouts.
30. Braxton Garrett, SP: Garrett had an inconsistent first start to the season at Triple-A with two runs allowed on four hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.
Prospects 31-40
31. Michael Busch, 2B: The 2019 first-round pick’s first full season in pro ball is beginning at Double-A and he has six hits — including two homers — through his first five games.
32. Jonathan Stiever, SP: Stiever was pounded in his lone MLB appearance in 2021, but his first Triple-A start went much better with three shutout innings.
33. Tucker Davidson, SP: Davidson went an eye-catching seven innings in his first start and allowed just one run on a solo homer. He struck out six batters.
34. Albert Abreu, P: Abreu has made two appearances at the MLB level in 2021, but he has yet to throw a pitch in Triple-A.
35. Gabriel Moreno, C: The Blue Jays have good depth at the catcher position, but Moreno deserves attention for his solid offensive potential. He’s making the jump from Low-A to Double-A look easy with six hits, including three doubles, and two walks through his first three games.
36. Brailyn Marquez, SP: Marquez is out with COVID-19, but he’s reportedly close to being activated.
37. Jose Garcia, SS: Garcia is opening the season in Double-A and he’s flashing some power early on. Through five games, four of his six hits have gone for extra bases (including two homers).
38. JJ Bleday, OF: Bleday is off to a solid start to the year with four singles and five walks through his first five games.
39. Nick Lodolo, SP: Lodolo brought some swing-and-miss stuff to his first start of the year and posted a K-BB of 10-0 in five innings of work.
40. Adley Rutschman, C: The first-overall selection from the 2019 draft is starting his first full pro season at Double-A. He has four hits, including a homer, through his first five games. Unfortunately, he has also struck out nine times.
Prospects 41-50
41. Hunter Greene, SP: Greene made a statement during his first start back from Tommy John surgery by hitting 100 mph or higher multiple times. He struck out eight batters and did not issue a walk while allowing just one run in five innings of work.
42. Max Meyer, SP: The 2020 first-round pick’s official first game of his pro career went extremely well with five innings of one-hit shutout baseball. He struck out five batters.
43. Shane Baz, P: Baz threw four hitless innings in his first start of 2021 at the Double-A level.
44. Luis Campusano, C: Campusano was up at the MLB level early in the season, but he’s back at Triple-A now to get regular at-bats. He has three hits through his first 13 at-bats.
45. Nick Pratto, 1B: Pratto had an eye-opening spring training performance despite hitting just .191 in his last taste of official action back in 2019. He’s off to a slow start to his Double-A season with just two hits in his first five games.
46. Travis Swaggerty, OF: Swaggerty skipped over Double-A to start the year in Triple-A and he’s looked good so far. Through four games, he has four hits, a homer, two walks, and two stolen bases.
47. CJ Abrams, SS: The Padres are an aggressive club in terms of development and they’ve jumped Abrams from Rookie ball all the way up to Double-A. Of his five hits, three have been doubles and he’s also stolen two bases in five games. On the downside, he has nine strikeouts.
48. Riley Greene, OF: The 20-year-old phenom has had a respectable start to his Double-A career. In five games, he’s 5-for-21 (.238) with a home run, four walks, and six RBI.
49. Bobby Witt Jr., SS: Despite never playing above Rookie ball, the Royals aggressively jumped Witt Jr. all the way to Double-A. He’s off to a slow start with just four singles in 20 at-bats and seven strikeouts.
50. Austin Martin, IF/OF: The fifth-overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft, Martin is off to a 4-for-17 start at the Double-A level. Three of those hits have gone for extra bases and he has a 3-4 BB-K ratio.
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