Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Updated Rankings for 2023 Redraft (Week 17)

July 19, 2023

Eric's updated top 25 fantasy baseball prospects rankings for Week 17 (2023). MLB prospects, rookies, call-ups to make fantasy baseball impacts in redraft leagues.

What a week it's been for prospect promotions! Over the last week we've seen Baltimore recall Grayson Rodriguez, New York recall Oswald Peraza, and the Major League debuts of Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom, Endy Rodriguez, Quinn Priester, and last week's #1 and #2 prospects in these rankings, Colton Cowser and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

Well, there goes a third of the list from last week!

With all these MLB prospects now up in the Majors, you're probably wondering who's next? Is there anyone left to stash that can provide an impact for my fantasy baseball teams in 2023? That answer is still yes.

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MLB Prospects and Call-Ups for 2023

At this point in the season, many of the names below are waiting for one of two scenarios to unfold.

1. An injury on the Major League roster opening up a spot for them.
2. Being traded to a team where they could start in a trade deadline move.

This time of year is definitely when you need to stay on top of trade rumors and react accordingly when rumors get stronger or trades begin to flow. The trade deadline is only two weeks away, so buckle up.

In this article, we will focus on MLB prospects, rookies, and call-ups who could make impacts for the 2023 fantasy baseball season. 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.

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 fantasy baseball dynasty prospects for long-term outlooks.

Recently Called Up: Grayson Rodriguez, Oswald Peraza, Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom, Endy Rodriguez, Quinn Priester, Colton Cowser, Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers

With all the big prospect stash targets on this list being called up over the last few weeks, Colt Keith moves into the #1 overall spot this week. Keith is now 11 games into his Triple-A tenure and he's hitting .317 with a .396 OBP, two home runs, and more walks than strikeouts. The Tigers have been starting Nick Maton and Zack McKinstry at the hot corner lately, so brining Keith up would provide a nice punch there.

Keith won't provide you more than a rogue steal or two, but there's plenty of upside in the AVG, OBP, and power departments as a plus hitter with plus power.

Ronny Mauricio, New York Mets

Right behind Keith is Ronny Mauricio who is still patiently awaiting his call to Queens. However, Mauricio has cooled of dramatically after his torrid start to the season. At the end of May, Mauricio was slashing .344/.385/.563 with seven home runs and nine steals in 231 plate appearances. Since then, the slash line has dropped to a much less inspiring .219/.268/.420 in 127 plate appearances. Albeit, with seven home runs and five steals.

With Mauricio, I'm in wait and see mode. The Mets have been a massive disappointment this season with their 6.9 billion payroll, but it remains to be seen if they'll actually be sellers or not. If they are, I'm imagining that would clear a spot for Mauricio to be brought up in August. Whenever he's up, I'd expect solid power and speed from Mauricio, but likely with a lower AVG and OBP.

Coby Mayo, Baltimore Orioles

Honestly, I'm not even sure if Coby Mayo will be up this season. However, as I mentioned above, we're reaching the part of the season where you're stashing out of luxury, and Mayo certainly fits that mold. Mayo was recently promoted to Triple-A Norfolk after dominating the Double-A Eastern League to the tune of a .307/.424/.603 slash line, 30 doubles, and 17 home runs in 78 games.

While there's no wide open spot for Mayo right now, Baltimore is still starting one of Ramon Urias or Adam Frazier basically every game, so it's not inconceivable to think Baltimore could bring up Mayo at some point this season to play the hot corner. If that happens, his massive power would bring immediate intrigue in all fantasy leagues. There aren't many potential callups left this season with more upside and impact potential than Mayo.

Connor Norby, Baltimore Orioles

The other group we need to keep an eye on are the prospects that are a trade or injury away from a spot opening up for them. That's the area we're entering now, starting with Connor Norby. If you had asked me a month ago, I would've said Norby would be up before Mayo. Now I'm not so sure. With Mayo up in Triple-A and mashing all season, I think these two are in a dead heat for the next Baltimore prospect promotion. I'm also wondering if Norby gets included in a trade package at the deadline to help Baltimore land an impact arm for their rotation.

Whatever the path is for Norby making his Major League debut, there's decent fantasy potential from the second base position once he's up. After a slower start to the season, Norby is slashing .311/.374/.595 over his last 19 games with four doubles, five home runs, and a steal. Given his .260+/20/10 upside from the second base position that has seen plenty of injuries and underperformers this season, Norby brings some intrigue.

Justin Foscue, Texas Rangers

This season in Triple-A, Justin Foscue has started 37 games at second base, 24 at third base, and even has several games at first base sprinkled in as well. But no matter how versatile he becomes, Texas' infield is currently set with Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Josh Jung, and Corey Seager, plus Ezequiel Duran sneaking in here and there. However, just as I mentioned with Norby, it wouldn't shock me to see Foscue included in a trade deadline deal for the contending Texas Rangers.

Offensively, Foscue has quietly put together an impressive season for Triple-A Round Rock. In 69 games, he's racked up 17 doubles, 11 home runs, and seven steals with a .275/.399/.496 slash line and more walks (46) than strikeouts (37) this season. Foscue projects as an above-average hitter with above-average power than can add a handful of steals as well.

Curtis Mead, Tampa Bay Rays

After an early-season wrist injury limited Curtis Mead and forced him to miss nearly two months of action, he's roared back with a vengeance since returning to Triple-A Durham on June 30th. In those 10 games, Mead is slashing .452/.510/.714 with eight extra-base hits, six walks, and only three strikeouts.

Mead's power/speed upside is more in the 20-homer and 5-10 steal range, but he remains one of the best pure hitters in the minor leagues that could provide decent fantasy value if given the chance this season. However, there's still not an open spot for him or Kyle Manzardo to slide into currently.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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