Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for Week 12

Week 12 of the 2021 baseball season is here and the Top 50 redraft prospects list aims to provide you with a weekly update on the hottest players in the minors that could have significant impacts on your redraft leagues.

We continue to see many of the same top prospects performing well and pushing for big-league opportunities. The Rays in particular continue to see strong results in their system with three players among the Top 10 on this list and one more prospect ranked 11th overall.

This week’s list saw the graduation of pitchers Jackson Kowar (Royals) and Tony Santillan (Reds), as well as first baseman Lewin Diaz (Marlins). Kowar had a forgettable first start when he was unable to get out of the first inning and his second outing was not much better. Diaz has seen limited opportunities, but he hit a pinch-hit homer on Saturday.

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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 for 2021

1. Wander Franco, SS: Franco has settled in nicely at Triple with a 154 wRC+ as a 20-year-old playing against much older competition. The young hitters seven homers are just four shy of his career-high mark set back in 2018 in 61 Rookie ball games.

2. Vidal Brujan, IF/OF: It has been a relatively quiet June for Brujan, who is hitting just .226 this month and hasn’t homered in 16 games. Still, he has five steals and a BB-K of 6-5 over his last nine games, so he’s doing good things even while mired in a slump.

3. Jo Adell, OF: Early on in June, it looked like Adell was finally figuring things out with his contact issues. He went five games with just three strikeouts… but now the whiffs are back. Adell has gone down swinging seven times over his last three games.

4. Jesus Sanchez, OF: With just two hits in his last six games, Sanchez is in a slump. In 10 games in June, he has just two extra-base hits which is not the offensive output a team is looking for from a corner outfielder.

5. Keibert Ruiz, C: Ruiz has been hot lately and has been showing more power than he has in previous seasons. The 22-year-old catcher now has six homers in 17 games and looks MLB ready.

6. Josh Lowe, OF: Lowe continues to flash his 20-20 potential with nine home runs and a perfect 6-for-6 record on the basepaths through 28 games at Triple-A.

7. Jarred Kelenic, OF: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again should be Kelenic’s motto moving forward. The young outfielder had a frustrating first taste of big-league life, but it’s not uncommon for players to need a couple of attempts to establish themselves as big-league stars.

8. Jarren Duran, OF: Back from the Olympic qualifier, Duran is just 2-for-18. However, he has been making better contact over the past few games.

9. Seth Beer, OF/1B: Beer has been very consistent in 2021 and has a 125 wRC+ through 31 games. Although he has only four homers so far, 18 of his 33 hits have gone for extra bases.

10. Joey Bart, C: Bart went hitless on Friday to end a mini four-game hit streak that saw him go 9-for-20 with a double and two home runs. He’s hitting .338 on the season.

Prospects 11-20

11. Shane Baz, SP: Baz has seen his value increase as much as any other pitching prospect in baseball this year. Along with his ability to throw 100 mph, the right-hander is now showing significantly improved control and has seen his walk rate drop from 11% in 2019 to 2% in 2021. Shane McClanahan saw a similar change right before his breakout.

12. Hunter Greene, SP: Greene struck out nine batters and allowed just two hits over six innings of work on Friday while out-pitching fellow top prospect Max Meyer. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A.

13. Edward Olivares, OF: Olivares’ strong play at the Triple-A level earned him a brief opportunity at the MLB level but he didn’t get a fair shot at regular playing time. He’s the type of player that doesn’t perform well with inconsistent playing time, so he needs a MLB team to give him an extended opportunity.

14. Cal Raleigh, C: Raleigh hasn’t gone hitless in a game since May 14. He’s quietly turning into a very intriguing offensive catcher option for the Mariners and fantasy managers alike.

15. Brent Rooker, OF: Rooker is finally starting to get hot after dealing with injuries and inconsistencies early on. He has four home runs and seven walks through 10 games in June. Overall on the year at Triple-A, he has nine homers and a 18% walk rate.

16. Nate Pearson, SP: Pearson continues to fight his control in 2021, but he threw five shutout innings on June 10. It’s not uncommon for tall pitchers to struggle with their mechanics.

17. Gabriel Moreno, C: There haven’t been many hitters as hot or as consistent as Moreno in 2021. The 21-year-catcher, who skipped over High-A, is hitting .398 with increased power output through 23 games.

18. Nick Pratto, 1B: Pratto has been swinging and missing more lately with 11 strikeouts in nine June games, but he’s backed that up with nine walks.

19. Adley Rutschman, C: Rutschman has had a solid June with three home runs and a BB-K of 6-7 in 10 games.

20. Triston Casas, 1B: Back from the Olympic qualifier, Casas has hits in three of his four games and has been getting on base a lot.

Prospects 21-30

21. Edward Cabrera, SP: Cabrera (biceps inflammation) struck out eight batters in three innings of work during his second rehab start of the year at Low-A. He should soon be ready for a promotion to Double-A or Triple-A and has the potential to impact 2021 redraft leagues in the second half of the season.

22. Roansy Contreras, SP: Contreras had a respectable performance last week, but struggled with his command while allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings. Through six starts, his ERA sits at 2.18 with a K-BB ratio of 47-8 in 33 innings.

23. Jhoan Duran, SP: Duran continues to struggle with his command and control since coming off the disabled list in late May. In two June starts, he’s allowed nine hits and seven walks over 8 1/3 innings.

24. Daniel Lynch, SP: Lynch hasn’t been very good at Triple-A since getting lit up during his first taste of big-league action earlier this year. He allowed seven runs in his last outing at Triple-A.

25. Brandon Marsh, OF: Marsh is out with shoulder inflammation.

26. MacKenzie Gore, SP: Gore hasn’t pitched since May 24 while dealing with a blister issue.

27. Joe Ryan, SP: Making his first appearance since May 27, Ryan allowed one run with four strikeouts in four innings of work on June 11. Overall, his strikeout rate sits at 36%.

28. Jake Burger, 3B: Burger had a solid May after missing three seasons due to injuries and the pandemic, but he’s had a modest June. He’s hitting just .243 with 13 strikeouts this month. He hasn’t homered since May 22.

29. Deivi Garcia, SP: Garcia was lit up on June 10 when he allowed five runs on five hits — including two homers — and three walks over just two innings of work.

30. Drew Waters, OF: Waters is still showing significant swing-and-miss to his game with 12 strikeouts in June, but he’s also hitting .344 this month. With Atlanta struggling with depth issues, he could get a look soon.

Prospects 31-40

31. Max Meyer, SP: Meyer was out-dueled by Hunter Greene last week, but he’s still been very good this year with a K-BB of 33-13 through 34 innings of work.

32. Jeter Downs, SS: Downs continues to slowly pull himself out of an ugly early-season slump, but his strikeout rate is still sitting at 35%. On the plus side, he has a 10% walk rate and eight steals in nine tries.

33. Nolan Gorman, 3B: Gorman is starting to find his power stroke in 2021. After a two-homer game on Friday and a three-homer game on Saturday, he’s up to 10 on the year and is hitting .328 with much-improved plate rates at Double-A.

34. Josiah Gray, SP: Gray is still working his way back from a shoulder injury.

35. Jose Barrero, SS: Formerly known as Jose Garcia, Barrero has been hitting well lately with a 10-for-21 stretch at Double-A. With the exception of a four-strikeout game, he’s also been making much more contact.

36. CJ Abrams, SS: Abrams has three multi-hit games over his last six appearances and has also swiped three bases. He appears to be over the ankle injury that he suffered in late May.

37. Nick Lodolo, SP: Lodolo hadn’t pitched since late May at Double-A, but he was back on the mound on Saturday. He threw 3 1/2 shutout innings and struck out seven batters.

38. Kyle Bradish, SP: Bradish has pitched well at Triple-A since moving up from Double-A, but he had a rough outing on Saturday when he allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings.

39. Grayson Rodriguez, SP: Since moving up to Double-A, the 21-year-old Rodriguez has 14 strikeouts with just six hits allowed in 10 innings of work.

40. Jake Eder, SP: Selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, Eder officially opened his pro career in 2021 and has held hitters to a .115 average through 29 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 50 batters and issued just 12 walks.

Prospects 41-50

41. Aaron Ashby, SP: If the Brewers find themselves needing help in the starting rotation, Ashby should be ready. The lefty has a K-BB of 42-19 through 29 2/3 innings in Triple-A. He’s also been inducing a ton of ground-ball outs.

42. Alec Burleson, OF: Burleson has seen his results take a hit in June as his approach at the plate has fallen apart with a BB-K of 3-13 this month. The 22-year-old still has a 122 wRC+ through 20 games.

43. Matthew Liberatore, SP: Liberatore is back at Triple-A after participating in the Olympic qualifier.

44. Yariel Gonzalez, 3B/2B: If you’re looking for a deep sleeper in 2021, Gonzalez could be your man. The Cardinals have some excellent scouts (They also signed late bloomer Adolis Garcia), but can’t always find room for all their prizes. The Tigers signed Gonzalez in the offseason as a free agent and he’s been excellent in Triple-A with seven home runs in 23 games. He has 141 wRC+ and has been stinging the ball with a 28% line-drive rate. He had three straight seasons of 120 wRC+ or better results prior to the pandemic.

45. Michael Busch, 2B: Busch returned on June 8 after missing a handful of games, but he’s gone just 2-for-14 with no extra-base hits during that stretch.

46. DL Hall, SP: This 22-year-old southpaw has a 46-12 K-BB ratio through 27 innings. He’s struck out at least seven batters in five of his six appearances despite never throwing more than six innings in any one start.

47. Tanner Houck, SP: Houck remains on the injured list and hasn’t pitched since May 4.

48. Brailyn Marquez, SP: Marquez remains on the injured list and has yet to pitch this season.

49. Shea Langeliers, C: Langeliers’ offense slowed down last week, but he still has five home runs and has seen seven of his 10 hits go for extra bases in June.

50. Nolan Jones, 3B: Jones was showing signs of breaking out of his early-season slump but then hit another speed bump late last week.

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