Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for Week 23

September is just a couple of days away and Major League Baseball clubs are running out of time to secure a playoff spot.

Big league teams in the playoff race are more likely to rely on a top prospect or two to help push them through to the postseason. Clubs languishing at the bottom of the standings have little incentive to call up top prospects and begin their service time clocks.

The extended minor league season is also working against top prospects in September. The minor league season usually concludes near the end of August. However, the pandemic pushed the start of the minor league season from April to May, which in turn see games played throughout the month of September. Most clubs will likely want to keep their prospects playing every day in the minors before transitioning to the fall instruction league practices and/or the Arizona Fall League.

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Top Impact Prospects for Redraft Leagues

This prospects list is a ranking for 2021 redraft leagues only and is not a dynasty ranking. It also does not include any prospects on MLB rosters.

Top 10 Prospects

Graduated from last week: Edward Cabrera

1. Josh Lowe, OF: The month of August is ending on a bit of a low note for Lowe, who had a bit of a power outburst in the middle of the month but hasn’t had an extra-base hit in a week. He’s also been swinging and missing a lot recently, which could suggest he’s wearing down after a long season. Perhaps a big-league promotion could give him a much-needed jump.

2. Jose Miranda, 1B/3B: Miranda entered the weekend on a seven-game hit streak but his bat hasn’t shown the same thump. He has just two extra-base hits over his past 10 games. With the Twins clearly out of the playoff race, the window for Miranda to get a taste of big-league action in 2021 is slowly closing.

3. Vidal Brujan, IF/OF: In August, Brujan has gotten back to doing what he does really well: Getting on base (.378 OBP), limiting the swing-and-miss (10 Ks in 73 ABs), and stealing bases (13 in 14 tries). Toss in his versatility and he’s a player that should find his way back to the majors in September and could quite possibly end up on the playoff roster.

4. Hunter Greene, SP: Greene had one rough outing in August but his numbers are still good for the month with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings of work. He’s also held Triple-A hitters to a .152 average during that time. The hard-throwing right-hander could be a real weapon in September (and into the playoffs) for the surging Reds.

5. Luis Gil, SP: Gil continues to wait at Triple-A for another opportunity at big-league action after making three scoreless starts for the Yankees earlier this month. He made a start at Triple-A last week and allowed just two runs with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of work. Gil is an excellent insurance policy for New York.

6. Seth Beer, OF/1B: Beer has been solid all year long at Triple-A and he’s had a strong month of August with a triple-slash line of .324/.412/.554 through 74 at-bats. With Christian Walker a possible non-tender candidate this off-season, it would make a lot of sense for Arizona to take a look at Beer in September.

7. Keibert Ruiz, C: It took a little while for Ruiz to get comfortable with his new organization, but with nine hits, including four homers, and a BB-K ratio of 1-0 in his last five games, he’s officially on fire again. With a 150 wRC+ at Triple-A, including 21 home runs in 71 games, he’s ready for the majors.

8. Joe Ryan, SP: The Minnesota Twins were once known more for their pitching than their hitting but that certainly wasn’t the case in 2021. The organization has had one of the least effective staffs in baseball, but the club added some key pitching talent at the trade deadline, including Ryan. In two starts since returning from the Olympics, he’s holding Triple-A hitters to a .161 batting average with 17 strikeouts through nine innings of work.

9. Shane Baz, SP: With the Yankees finally showing up to play for the final six weeks of the regular season, the Rays will have to fight to secure the AL East title. Baz could be a valuable arm as the season winds down. The organization has been careful with his pitch count since he’s returned from the Olympics, but over his last two starts, he’s holding Triple-A hitters to a .167 batting average and has nine strikeouts in seven innings of work.

10. Nate Pearson, RP: The Jays’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread thanks to disappointing performances from trade deadline acquisitions (I’m looking at you, Brad Hand) and poor bullpen management (I’m looking at you, Charlie Montoyo). Pearson was supposed to be a breakout big-leaguer in 2021 but has instead spent most of the year on the injured list. He’s back pitching again at Triple-A but out of the bullpen. He could find his way into some high-leverage situations at the MLB level in September.

Names to Know for 2022 Redraft Leagues

The majority of the prospects below won’t sniff the major leagues this year because their clubs are out of the playoff races and unlikely to see value in burning big-league service times. They'll likely be top prospects to target in 2022 redraft leagues.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS:  Witt Jr. has gotten better all season long and, with a 154 wRC+ in 34 Triple-A games, there is little doubt that he’ll be ready to be the Royals’ starting shortstop in 2022.

Adley Rutschman, C: Rutschman has been prone to some streakiness in 2021 while playing at both Double-A and Triple-A but he’s shown that he should be an above-average hitter at the MLB level.

Julio Rodriguez, OF: Rodriguez is only at Double-A, but there is very little reason to expect him to spend much time in the minors in 2022. He may spend a month or so in Triple-A, but this is a player that has never produced less than a 145 wRC+ at any stop in the minors.

Riley Greene, OF: Greene doesn’t get quite as much attention as his teammate (Torkelson), but my money says he has a better career because he’s a little more well-rounded player. He was recently promoted to Triple-A after producing a 144 wRC+ at Double-A.

Spencer Torkelson, 1B: The first-overall selection in the 2020 draft, Torkelson has played at three levels in 2021 after recently being promoted to Triple-A. He’s been overmatched early on, but he has impact power.

Grayson Rodriguez, SP: The Orioles have been an embarrassment in 2021, but Adley Rutschman and Rodriguez should help point the club in the right direction starting next year. The young right-hander has 135 strikeouts in 85 innings this year.

Nolan Gorman, 3B/2B: Gorman has had perhaps the weakest season of the players ranked here, but he showed some real growth early in the season before slipping back into some (bad) old habits. However, he still has game-changing power and the move to second base (with the added versatility to play third) makes him even more valuable.

Nick Pratto, 1B:  The resurgence of Pratto after a terrible 2019 season is almost unbelievable — especially when you consider he lost a full year’s worth of actual games in between due to the pandemic. He more than doubled his wRC+ from 73 to 158. His strikeout rate remains too high, but he offsets it well with a strong on-base presence and plus power.

Cade Cavalli, SP: The 22nd overall selection from the 2020 draft, and seventh college arm taken, Cavalli has already exceeded expectations. He reached Triple-A in his first pro season in 2021 and has 154 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings.

MJ Melendez, C: Like Pratto above, Melendez rebounded from a putrid 2019 season to rediscover the form that made him an intriguing amateur and interesting prospect in the low minors. He has massive power (33 homers in 94 games so far) and has significantly improved his contact rate.

Sleeper for 2022: Anthony Volpe, SS: I had Volpe ranked aggressively prior to the 2019 amateur draft and considered him the 15th-best talent available. He lasted until the Yankees popped him 30th overall and he’s been an absolute steal. I loved his swing and makeup, and the quick development of his power tool has been a nice surprise. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him arrive in the majors in the second half of 2022.

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