Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Week 19

The trade winds blew long and hard through Major League Baseball last week. As the dust begins to settle around the league, many prospects have been impacted in different ways — although the moves affected prospects from a dynasty perspective more so than from a 2021 redraft angle.

The list lost Reid Detmers — who was promoted somewhat surprisingly after the Angels did a soft-sell at the trade deadline and flipped veteran hurler Andrew Heaney to the New York Yankees. The other big impact to players on the list came with the not-so-surprising trade of Keibert Ruiz, who was flipped to the Washington Nationals in a package that also included Josiah Gray – another regular on the weekly list – for two talented veteran players.

It may take another week or so to see who else is impacted by last week’s moves. I expect a number of prospects to receive a promotion to the majors and to see significant playing time over the next two months.

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 5 Prospects

Graduating From Last Week’s List: Reid Detmers, Lewin Diaz, Jake Meyers, Edward Olivares

1. Josh Lowe, OF: The Rays didn’t really address their modest outfield at the trade deadline but they likely didn’t feel much pressure to do so with the likes of Lowe and Vidal Brujan kicking around at Triple-A. Lowe’s bat has been pretty quiet during the second half of July, but the power/speed mix would likely be a welcome addition to the club during a tight playoff race.

2. Jo Adell, OF: With the Angels acting like (soft) sellers at the trade deadline and the subsequent promotion of top pitching prospect Reid Detmers, it suggests the younger players will be given an opportunity to play over the final two months. Adell has been one of the hottest hitters in the minors recently and entered the weekend on a seven-game hit streak. During that time, he’s hitting .367 with three homers (but also eight strikeouts).

3. Keibert Ruiz, C: I’ve been questioned for weeks on why I’ve had Ruiz near the top of the list when he wasn’t going to play every day in Los Angeles. Well, I had a good feeling a trade was going to happen and it did. This is a huge opportunity for Ruiz in a new organization that had almost zero catching depth. Playing next to Juan Soto every day could really help him tap into his full potential.

4. Jose Miranda, 1B: The Twins did a big sell at the trade deadline and could give their young players an opportunity to play during the final two months of the season. The trade of designated hitter Nelson Cruz could open up an opportunity for Miranda to show what he’s capable of at the MLB level. He has a 182 wRC+ through 23 Triple-A games and has been hitting for both power (nine homers) and average (.356).

5. Hunter Greene, SP: The Reds made a couple of minor moves at the trade deadline but nothing that really moved the needle on their playoff hopes. That’s good news for Greene, who could still be called upon to help in the final two months — either as a starter or a reliever. His command has still been hit-or-miss at Triple-A, but he has 25 strikeouts in his last three starts spanning 16 innings of work.

Prospects 6-15

6. Seth Beer, 1B/LF: I’m a little surprised that Beer wasn’t traded in a deal at the deadline, even though I know Arizona should have been acquiring prospects not giving them away. However, it’s clear that Beer doesn’t really fit with the current landscape and he has yet to receive even a sniff of MLB action. Hopefully the Diamondbacks find a way to give him a shot in the final two months of the year as he’s been consistently good at Triple-A and has a 122 wRC+.

7. Vidal Brujan, IF/OF: Brujan’s bat has perked up again. He has hits in six of his last seven games and is hitting .400 during that stretch. He’s also a perfect 4-for-4 in that time. There’s not a ton of depth on the Rays roster, so Brujan is in a good place to help as soon as an injury crops up.

8. Kevin Smith, SS/3B: I wasn’t surprised at all to see the Blue Jays trade a shortstop given their depth up the middle, but it was somewhat of a shock to see Smith stay and Austin Martin go. However, the move could end up as a good one for the Jays in the long run with Smith move likely to stay on the left side of the infield. He’s up to 18 home runs with a .300 batting average and 14 steals (in 17 tries) through 70 games.

9. Jose Barrero, SS: Barrero’s bat has been on fire since moving up from Double-A to Triple-A. He has a 150 wRC+ with six home runs and five steals in 26 games. He’d certainly be a defense upgrade at shortstop for the Reds — and quite likely would be an offensive improvement, too.

10. Jahmai Jones, 2B: The Orioles were pretty quiet at the trade deadline — they didn’t have much of interest — but the club did free up some middle infield playing time with the trade of Freddy Galvis. Unfortunately, Jones hasn’t been hitting as well recently and has struck out 32 times in 96 July at-bats.

11. Edward Cabrera, SP: This young right-hander has had a very nice season since coming back from injury. He has 19 strikeouts through 13 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, but his control hasn’t been sharp and he has 10 walks.

12. Drew Waters, OF: Waters’ outlook continues to get dimmer and dimmer with each modest veteran acquisition the Braves make for the outfield. The club is clearly in “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” mode, but it doesn’t include this young outfielder or Cristian Pache. Waters has been very good in July with a triple-slash line of .306/.358/.592, but strikeouts remain a significant issue (30 in 98 July ABs).

13. Joey Bart, C: It was a mild surprise to see Bart remain in San Francisco during the trade deadline but the club did a nice job holding onto him while still managing to get better with the acquisition of Kris Bryant. The young catcher is still hitting well at Triple-A, but it’s clear that the club thinks he still has work to do in the minors before he’s trusted with a major role (as seen when Buster Posey was hurt).

14. Josh Jung, 3B: With the playoffs a pipe dream for 2021, the Rangers did a nice job getting younger at the trade deadline. The club isn’t likely interested in needlessly burning service time, but Jung has been knocking on the big league door since coming back from injury. He has a 154 wRC+ at Double-A and has been doing a nice job tapping into his raw power with nine homers in 23 games.

15. Drew Strotman, SP: A lot has been going right for Strotman lately. The young hurler was recently traded from the pitching-rich Rays to the Twins. He then saw his new club part ways with top pitcher Jose Berrios at the trade deadline. That could open up an opportunity for Strotman, who has 62 strikeouts and just three homers allowed in 58 1/2 innings at Triple-A. His control has been hit-or-miss with 33 free passes, though.

Prospects 16-25

16. Josiah Gray, SP: Gray joined Keibert Ruiz in the move from the Dodgers to the Nationals and, like his teammate, appears ticketed for Triple-A for now. Still, he struck out 15 batters in two MLB appearances this year so there is impact potential here if Washington decides to give him a shot.

17. Estevan Florial, OF: Florial has been up and down between Triple-A and the majors three times this season and has acquitted himself well. In eight games, he saw three of six hits go for extra bases and he walked five times. The next time the Yankees need an outfielder, he’ll no doubt be back — although the addition of Joey Gallo makes things a little more crowded.

18. Jackson Kowar, SP: Kowar got pasted in his first taste of big league action later this year, but he’s been throwing well at Triple-A. He’s struck out eight batters in each of his last three games, although he coughed up four runs in his last start.

19. Nolan Jones, 3B: Strikeouts have become an issue for Jones again in July after he showed improvements in June. Still, time with major league coaches could perhaps do him some good as he still has room for improvement when it comes to hitting more balls in the air to help his raw power play more consistently.

20. Cody Thomas, OF: The A’s made a number of moves to improve the club around the trade deadline, but the outfield remains a weakness with both Stephen Piscotty and Seth Brown underperforming. Thomas has shown good power at the Triple-A level, which could be a valuable asset down the stretch.

21. Joe Ryan, SP: Like Strotman above, Ryan has an excellent opportunity with the Twins after being traded from the Rays. However, his availability is impacted by his participation in the Olympics. Once he returns to North America, the Twins will likely want to see what they have with their new prospect at the Triple-A level before he gets a big-league chance.

22. Shane Baz, SP: With the upper-level pitching depth thinned out with the loss of Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman to Minnesota, Baz appears primed to be the next impact arm promoted from Triple-A. However, the club will have to wait for him to return from the Olympics.

23. Nick Lodolo, SP: Lodolo has battled blister issues this season, but the problem appears to be behind him now. His innings have been monitored closely but he has 22 strikeouts in his last three appearances spanning 12 innings. He might be an option out of the bullpen in August and/or September.

24. Yariel Gonzalez, IF: Gonzalez is a late bloomer ,but he’s hit well all season long and has shown a good on-base presence with some power. He has just one error this season while playing both second base and third base. With the Tigers going nowhere, he’s worth a look.

25. Matthew Liberatore, SP: The Cardinals added a couple of veteran arms at the trade deadline with Jon Lester and J.A. Happ but neither hurler has much left in the tank. With a K-BB of 66-16 in 67 1/3 innings at Triple-A, Liberatore could possibly prove to be a more valuable arm — although he might be better off getting his feet wet at the MLB level out of the bullpen.

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