This article is part of our Imminent Arrivals series.
A reminder that this list is only players who still maintain rookie eligibility, and also only players who are still in the minors qualify.
With those caveats out of the way, here's a look at the Top 10 Hottest MLB prospects still in the minors who offer the potential for fantasy contributions in 2023.
All stats are as of August 15
1. Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2023 stats that matter: 433 AB, .284/.355/.464, 17 HR, 17 SB, 42 BB, 80 SO for Triple-A Memphis.
Winn ended up missing only a few games with his glute strain, and he returned to a 2-for-4 contest for the Redbirds on Friday where he scored a couple of runs. The shortstop has been absolutely sensational with the bat – and with the glove – over the summer months. The power has developed more quickly – and more prominently – than anyone could have anticipated. The Cardinals are out of this, and the team should give their top hitting prospect a look before the season ends. There's loads of potential fantasy relevance in Winn's right-handed bat whenever that takes place.
2. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
2023 stats that matter: .263/.366/.474, 15 HR, 33 SB, 47 BB, 89 SO at Double-A Amarillo.
For the second consecutive week, a player goes from unranked to the second spot, and in this case, it's not a known call-up like we had with Emerson Hancock. Instead it's Lawlar who is receiving a promotion, but in
A reminder that this list is only players who still maintain rookie eligibility, and also only players who are still in the minors qualify.
With those caveats out of the way, here's a look at the Top 10 Hottest MLB prospects still in the minors who offer the potential for fantasy contributions in 2023.
All stats are as of August 15
1. Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2023 stats that matter: 433 AB, .284/.355/.464, 17 HR, 17 SB, 42 BB, 80 SO for Triple-A Memphis.
Winn ended up missing only a few games with his glute strain, and he returned to a 2-for-4 contest for the Redbirds on Friday where he scored a couple of runs. The shortstop has been absolutely sensational with the bat – and with the glove – over the summer months. The power has developed more quickly – and more prominently – than anyone could have anticipated. The Cardinals are out of this, and the team should give their top hitting prospect a look before the season ends. There's loads of potential fantasy relevance in Winn's right-handed bat whenever that takes place.
2. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
2023 stats that matter: .263/.366/.474, 15 HR, 33 SB, 47 BB, 89 SO at Double-A Amarillo.
For the second consecutive week, a player goes from unranked to the second spot, and in this case, it's not a known call-up like we had with Emerson Hancock. Instead it's Lawlar who is receiving a promotion, but in this case it's to Triple-A Reno. The second pick of the 2020 draft, Lawlar is a five-tool player whose numbers above aren't indicative of how good he's been over the last few months. We've seen Arizona be aggressive with late-season promotions in the past, and while Lawlar is going to have to perform well in Triple-A in order to finish with Arizona, he's absolutely someone fantasy managers need to consider rostering right now.
3. Ceddanne Rafaela, INF/OF, Boston Red Sox
2023 stats that matter: 393 AB, .305/.347/.524, 18 HR, 34 SB, 22 BB, 89 SO for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.
The hits keep dropping for Rafaela, and after reaching three times against Buffalo on Saturday, he's now slashing .324/.373/.662 in his 148 at-bats with Worcester. That'll certainly work. If there's a concern it's that it's come with a K/BB of 34/8, which is very good for a pitcher and not exactly what you're looking for from an offensive player. It's likely Rafaela will not be up with the Red Sox until September, but because of his ability to hit for average, sneaky power and ability to steal bases, he's a must-add if Boston gives him a chance before that. He'll rank very, very highly on this list to open next season.
4. Ronny Mauricio, INF, New York Mets
2023 stats that matter: 439 AB, .289/.340/.492, 19 HR, 19 SB, 25 BB, 82 SO at Triple-A Syracuse.
Mauricio has been much better with the bat as of late, and over his last 10 games the infielder is slashing .279/.340/.535 with three homers – two of those round trippers coming Friday against Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The switch-hitting 22-year-old has also stolen three bases, and he's been splitting his time at third base, second base and shortstop over the last week-plus. The Mets want to make sure Mauricio has Rookie of the Year eligibility before they bring him up, and it's understandable why with his talent and the new rules that allow for draft-pick compensation. That still allows Mauricio the chance to play this year, however, and it'd be an upset if he didn't get that shot in 2023.
5. Colt Keith, INF, Detroit Tigers
2023 stats that matter: 373 AB, .308/.376/.547, 19 HR, 3 SB, 40 BB, 97 SO at Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo.
That's more like it. After scuffling to end the month of July, Keith has picked up a hit in all but one of his games since the start of August, and he even homered twice over the weekend against Colorado Springs. The 21-year-old has been outstanding for the overwhelming majority of the campaign, and he looks like he's ready to play at the highest level. The question is whether the Tigers feel the same, as he's the most likely of the first five names here to not make his debut until 2024. He's still worthy of consideration for a roster spot right now because of his potential to hit for a high average and provide some pop with his left-handed stick for good measure.
6. Michael Busch, INF/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
2023 stats that matter: 333 AB, .318/.428/.610, 23 HR, 2 SB, 57 BB, 78 SO at Triple-A Oklahoma City; .200/.294/.267, 0 HR, 1 SB, 6 BB, 16 SO at Los Angeles (NL).
There's nothing left for Busch to prove at Triple-A. All he did last week was hit four more homers, and in the month of August, the 25-year-old has an OPS of 1.084 with five homers. Amazingly, that's down from both his June (1.134) and July (1.131) numbers, which again, tells you just how sensational Busch has been with the bat at the minor-league level. Unfortunately for him/prospective fantasy managers, he plays for a team that just doesn't have any room in the lineup for him. If that changes, fantasy manages should sprint to their respective electronic devices to add him.
7. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles
2023 stats that matter: 383 AB, .319/.389/.567, 19 HR, 4 SB, 31 BB, 76 SO for Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk.
It's the same situation here as it is for Busch. If Kjerstad played for pretty much any other team, he'd be near the top of this list. Unfortunately, the outfield logjam in Baltimore makes it difficult to project an imminent arrival for the second pick of the 2023 draft. It certainly isn't a case of him not playing well as he now is slashing .327/.394/.558 in the International League, and that's down due to a couple of hitless games in the early portion of August. If the Orioles decide to see if this can translate at the highest level, then fantasy managers should do the same, but there's just no guarantee it's happening anytime soon.
8. AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP, Atlanta Braves
2023 stats that matter: 12 G, 56.1 IP, 2.88 ERA, 4 HR allowed, 26 BB, 71 SO for High-A Rome; Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett; 4 G, 21.2 IP, 4.57 ERA, 7 HR allowed, 10 BB, 18 SO for Atlanta.
Smith-Shawver made a couple of starts last week that would best be describe as "fine." He allowed three runs over six innings with seven strikeouts against Charlotte, and he backed that up with five innings of three-run baseball with six strikeouts Tuesday versus Durham. Certainly not the type of outings that cause a great amount of concern. Certainly not the type of outings that fire up the waiver-wire bids. Smith-Shawver is one of the few pitching prospects in Triple-A right now who need to be monitored for 2023, however, and the fact he's already on the 40-man roster and will get to pitch behind the Atlanta offense adds to the intrigue.
9. Everson Pereira, OF, New York Yankees
2023 stats that matter: 287 AB, .300/.364/.540, 16 HR, 8 SB, 27 BB, 91 SO at Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Many of you have asked where Peirera has been. Maybe this will get you to leave me alone. Just kidding, bother me whenever possible. I crave the attention. Signed for $1.5 million in the 2017 IFA class, Pereira has made significant strides over the past couple of seasons, and is now on the verge of making his MLB debut. Or so it would seem, anyway. The 22-year-old has well above-average power in his right-handed bat, but he's also made strides with his hit-tool, and there's above-average speed that suggests he can help in the steals category for good measure. The biggest concern here is that there is a good amount of swing-and-miss in his profile, but the offensive upside because of his pop makes him well worth fantasy consideration whenever New York gives Pereira a shot. It should be relatively soon.
10. Jackson Holliday, SS, Baltimore Orioles
2023 stats that matter: 339 AB, .342/.461/.537, 10 HR, 21 SB, 73 BB, 82 SO at High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie.
Being brutally honest with you, I don't think Holliday is getting the call in 2023. This was a player who was just drafted out of high school last year, and the Orioles have so many quality options in the infield that they're going to have to be beyond convinced he's the best option for the stretch run. And yet... you just can't rule it out, and because of that, he has to make this list with only around 50 games left in the regular season. In his 79 at-bats since his promotion to Bowie, Holliday has hit .380/.443/.582 with three homers and nine walks over 13 games. How can you not be impressed by that? Again, it's beyond likely that Holliday won't make his debut until 2024, but if you have the roster room – particularly in an AL-only league – it's not insane to consider holding onto him just in case. He's special.
Also considered: Kyle Harrison, LHP, San Francisco Giants; Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians; Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers; Gavin Stone, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers; Junior Caminero, INF, Tampa Bay Rays; Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
