The 2026 fantasy baseball season is less than three weeks old, and we are already starting to see some significant movement with some of Major League Baseball’s top prospects. The biggest name in the prospect game made his debut last week when Konnor Griffin was called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This week, Noah Schultz debuted on Tuesday, while Sam Antonacci and several other prospects should also debut soon.
Top prospects like Chase DeLauter, JJ Wetherholt and Kevin McGonigle now have full-time roles on offense. Bubba Chandler and Trey Yesavage are up with their respective MLB teams in addition to the names listed above. Many more will graduate from prospect status by the summer. However, there are still a plethora of big names that were sent back to the minor leagues to get more seasoning before making their MLB debuts.
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Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report
This weekly piece will look at some of the best prospects from a fantasy baseball perspective and track their production. Below is a report of the top 15 Major League Baseball prospects (hitters and pitchers) who have yet to make it to the Majors. As players on this list move up, more names will fill in as we track the top prospects for dynasty and keeper fantasy baseball leagues.
This list will focus on the top pitchers and hitters in the MLB Top 100 prospects, noting others outside that list when appropriate.
Jesus Made (SS – MIL)
Jesus Made is barely 18 years old, but he is the top hitting prospect in the minors and has started the year in AA. In 45 plate appearances, he is already hitting .359/.444/.564 with a home run and four stolen bases.
Made is clearly a special talent with the bat and glove, and is the best bet to be the next teenager to debut in the Majors after we saw Konnor Griffin do that this year. The Brewers are likely to split his season between AA and AAA, with the slight possibility that he gets an MLB call-up in September.
Leo De Vries (SS – ATH)
Leo De Vries is another elite prospect in AA ball, and his debut has been almost as strong as Jesus Made’s debut. He is hitting just .333/.429/.528 in 42 plate appearances after a massive last seven days.
De Vries’ on-base ability is his strongest asset, and he is showing that so far, but he’ll need to make more consistent contact before he gets called up by the Athletics.
Colt Emerson (SS – SEA)
Colt Emerson got a long-term extension before Konnor Griffin (eight years, $95 million for Emerson), but remains in AAA for now. But a move like this takes all the stress about call-up time and arbitration years off the table.
Emerson is likely to make his debut for Seattle very soon. He is hitting .265/.321/.408 through 54 plate appearances, but has struck out about 30% of the time so far and had a down week recently.
Max Clark (OF – DET)
Max Clark is smoking in AAA after a slow start in his first few games. He is currently hitting .352/.439/.537 despite not hitting a home run. He has 10 walks, 19 hits and six steals in 66 plate appearances.
With the Detroit Tigers’ offense struggling, the 21-year-old Clark might be getting a look sooner rather than later if he keeps earning more walks than strikeouts.
Eli Willits (SS – WSH)
Eli Willits is also 18 years old, but has started in A ball for this 2026 season. He is unlikely to make his Major League debut for several seasons.
In his first 41 professional plate appearances of 2026, Willits is hitting .139/.244/.194, and he looks totally overmatched right now. That’s not a good sign, but Willits — the number one overall pick in 2025 — will be in the minors for a while to figure it out.
Walker Jenkins (OF – MIN)
Walker Jenkins has a mediocre .242 batting average through 42 plate appearances this season, but he does have a .405 on-base percentage (OBP) as he is still seeing the zone well and drawing walks.
If Minnesota falls off in the standings by the summer (which is certainly not happening right now), like they did last year, Jenkins might get an early look in the outfield.
Josue De Paula (OF – LAD)
Josue De Paula already has over 1,200 minor league at-bats on his resume. Some Major League at-bats might come soon since he is hitting .343/.425/.514 so far in 40 plate appearances in 2026.
De Paula is 20 years old in AA, so he isn’t out of place. His problem is that he is just stuck behind the best offensive roster in MLB, and it might be a while before a spot opens up.
Travis Bazzana (2B – CLE)
After battling through multiple injuries in 2025, the former first overall draft pick is ready for a healthy season. It started slowly for Travis Bazzana, but it has started to pick up more recently.
Bazzana is currently hitting .246/.358/.386, but with 68 plate appearances already, the Guardians are going to give him every shot to come and be their second baseman. Gabriel Arias‘ injury might speed up that timeline, and the fact that Travis Bazzana had a very good last seven days.
Ethan Holliday (SS – COL)
Like Eli Willits, Ethan Holliday was a top pick in 2025 (fourth overall), but his bat has struggled in his 100+ total minor league at-bats so far.
In 2026, Holliday is only slashing .226/.351/.323, with one home run and one steal in 37 total plate appearances this year. He will get almost a full season in A ball since he is 19 years old before the Rockies decide whether or not to bump him up.
Bryce Eldridge (1B – SFG)
It’s now just a matter of time before Bryce Eldridge makes the roster in San Francisco. With their struggles all over the field, it’s clear he likely should have been there from the beginning. But with Rafael Devers around, the Giants decided to roll with Casey Schmitt to start the season, and that has caused problems on offense and defense.
Since he is up to a .360/.492/.520 slash line in 2026, Eldridge should start to see some time as San Francisco’s first baseman. He only has one home run, but the power will come.
Thomas White (SP – MIA)
Thomas White was given some innings in AA and AAA last season, but the Marlins decided to start him back at the Single-A level this year to rehab an injury, and it wasn’t a great start in his first outing.
White has a 3.00 ERA, as he was able to bounce back from his first start when he had an ERA over seven in just 2.1 innings. As one of the top pitchers in the minor leagues, he should be able to work his way out of it after he recovers from a minor injury.
Payton Tolle (SP – BOS)
The first three starts for top pitching prospect Payton Tolle have been a mixed bag in AAA. He gave up eight total runs and five earned runs in 15 innings, including 12 hits and four walks, but didn’t allow a run in his third start.
However, the silver lining is that Tolle does have 19 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Kade Anderson (SP – SEA)
The third overall pick in the 2025 MLB Amateur Draft had a masterful first professional appearance. He threw 59 pitches in four innings and struck out six without allowing a run. He followed that up with another five scoreless innings to start his career, and he also has a 0.89 WHIP.
The Mariners started Anderson in AA, so they thought he was skilled enough to bypass the lower levels. But he will likely not make his debut until sometime in 2027.
Seth Hernandez (SP – PIT)
At 19 years old and straight out of high school, the Pirates are being cautious with their prized 2025 draft pick (sixth overall). Seth Hernandez started at Bradenton (Single-A level) and threw just seven innings in his first two professional starts.
But Hernandez held his own by giving up just one run and striking out an incredible 15 batters of the 21 outs he has recorded. We shouldn’t expect to see Hernandez in the Majors for at least two seasons.
Ryan Sloan (SP – SEA)
The Seattle Mariners have two of the top five pitching prospects to go along with their already robust pitching staff at the MLB level.
Ryan Sloan is teammates with Kade Anderson at AA, but he has had mixed results in his first two outings, allowing four earned runs in eight total innings, including 12 baserunners.
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