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 prospects still in the minors who offer the potential for fantasy contributions in 2023.
1. Jordan Walker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2023 stats that matter: 36 AB, .167/.318/.250, 1 HR, 2 SB, 6 BB, 10 SO for Triple-A Memphis; 73 AB, .274/.321/.397, 2 HR, 2 SB, 3 BB, 20 SO for St. Louis.
Walker has not exactly torn the cover off the baseball in his time with Memphis since his demotion. The sample size is far too small to be concerned over, and lets keep in mind that he was holding his own before St. Louis decided to make the decision to send the 20-year-old down to the International League. No, there are no guarantees of when Walker will be back up, but there's no prospect I'd rather have on my roster right now because of his potential to hit for average and power with some speed thrown in for good measure. It's not particularly close.
2. Elly De La Cruz, INF, Cincinnati Reds
2023 stats that matter: : 70 AB, .257/.278/.500, 3 HR, 2 SB, 2 BB, 24 SO for Triple-A Louisville.
After his terrible start to open the 2023 campaign – a start that was delayed a few weeks because of a hamstring injury – De La Cruz has
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 prospects still in the minors who offer the potential for fantasy contributions in 2023.
1. Jordan Walker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2023 stats that matter: 36 AB, .167/.318/.250, 1 HR, 2 SB, 6 BB, 10 SO for Triple-A Memphis; 73 AB, .274/.321/.397, 2 HR, 2 SB, 3 BB, 20 SO for St. Louis.
Walker has not exactly torn the cover off the baseball in his time with Memphis since his demotion. The sample size is far too small to be concerned over, and lets keep in mind that he was holding his own before St. Louis decided to make the decision to send the 20-year-old down to the International League. No, there are no guarantees of when Walker will be back up, but there's no prospect I'd rather have on my roster right now because of his potential to hit for average and power with some speed thrown in for good measure. It's not particularly close.
2. Elly De La Cruz, INF, Cincinnati Reds
2023 stats that matter: : 70 AB, .257/.278/.500, 3 HR, 2 SB, 2 BB, 24 SO for Triple-A Louisville.
After his terrible start to open the 2023 campaign – a start that was delayed a few weeks because of a hamstring injury – De La Cruz has hit .333/.347/.625 over his last 10 games, and he's homered in back-to-back contests. The concern here is that before Tuesday, he hadn't drawn a walk since April 29, and he has struck out 13 times over his last 48 at-bats. The swing-and-miss is real, but De La Cruz is still a shortstop (for now) who has a chance to contribute in every category even with the contact issues. It's not hard to imagine him helping fantasy rosters over the summer months at all.
3. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays
2023 stats that matter: 94 AB, .277/.372/.532, 5 HR, 0 SB, 15 BB, 21 SO for Triple-A Durham.
Manzardo hasn't homered since the last update, and is going through a bit of a mini-slump while going 1-for-11 over his last four contests. Still, Manzardo has been playing well for the most part with a .290/.395/.452 slash over his last 10 games with three homers and six walks. Manzardo is one of the best pure hitting prospects in baseball, and even with the Rays playing so well and with Tampa Bay containing so much depth, it seems very likely that he's going to get a chance to help the Rays – and fantasy teams – this summer.
4. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, INF, Cincinnati Reds
2023 stats that matter: 57 AB, .404/.433/.807, 7 HR, 0 SB, 1 BB, 13 SO for Triple-A Louisville.
Encarnacion-Strand only homered in one game since the last update, but it was a three-homer game Thursday against Triple-A Omaha. He's picked up multiple hits in three of his last four games, and he's shown that he's much more than a "grip-and-rip" power hitter with the ability to make hard contact all over the park. Like De La Cruz, there are some significant contact issues with Encarnacion-Strand, and unlike the shortstop there's very little chance that the first baseman is going to ever contribute in the stolen base category. All that being said, there's way too much offensive upside to not consider adding him to a roster right now.
5. Taj Bradley, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
2023 stats that matter: : 4 G, 15.1 IP, 11.37 ERA, 3 HR allowed, 8 BB, 11 SO for Triple-A Durham; 15.1 IP, 3.52 ERA, 2 HR allowed, 2 BB, 23 SO for Tampa Bay.
It was another disappointing outing from Bradley for the Bulls on Saturday, but a big improvement from his eight-run disaster in his previous outing. He allowed four runs over 4.2 innings of work against Triple-A Norfolk with three walks and just the one strikeout. It's disappointing to see considering how impressive Bradley was in the majors, but the right-hander still still has a great chance for fantasy relevance because of his swing-and-miss stuff and the ability to command it. Don't panic just yet.
6. Gavin Stone, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
2023 stats that matter: 5 G, 19.2 IP, 5.49 ERA, 3 HR allowed, 10 BB, 19 SO for Triple-A Oklahoma City; 1 G, 4 IP, 9.00 ERA, 0 HR allowed, 2 BB, 1 SO for Los Angeles (NL).
Stone's MLB debut didn't go very well, but it's worth pointing out that the Philadelphia lineup – especially now that Bryce Harper is back in the group – is a very tough landing spot. The only reason the right-hander ranks this "low" on the list is that there's just no guarantee that he'll be back up with Los Angels anytime soon. But with three potential plus pitches, including an elite change, he has a good chance of forcing the Dodgers' hand. Whenever he gets the call, he'll be worth adding again to respective fantasy rosters.
7. Colton Cowser, OF, Baltimore Orioles
2023 stats that matter: 112 AB, .304/.448/.509, 5 HR, 4 SB, 27 BB, 31 SO for Triple-A Norfolk.
The power surge that Cowser showed last week has slowed down, but his ability to get on base and hit for average has done no such thing. Even after going just 1-for-10 in the series against Triple-A Durham over the weekend, Cowser has hit .333/.511/.515 while adding a couple of steals over his last 10 games. Yes, the Baltimore outfield feels full at the moment, but Cowser is one of the top outfield prospects in baseball and looks ready to roll. Personally, I'd rather grab him too early than not be able to grab him when the Orioles give him a chance to earn regular playing time this summer. The reward outweighs the risk.
8. Endy Rodriguez, C/INF/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
2023 stats that matter:: 72 AB, .264/.353/.417, 3 HR, 2 SB, 10 BB, 12 SO for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Like Cowser, Rodriguez didn't show a ton of power over the last week, but he did add a couple of steals, and the hits are starting to drop again for the 22-year-old. Being completely honest, if Rodriguez weren't playing behind the plate, he probably doesn't belong on this list. But he does, and so he is. That's more compliment to some other prospects than insult to Rodriguez as well, as he's a switch-hitting backstop who has a 60-grade hit tool (on the 20-80 scouting scale) with above-average power and enough speed to provide a handful of stolen bases.
9. Oscar Colas, OF, Chicago White Sox
2023 stats that matter: 23 AB, .435/.519/.652, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3 BB, 6 SO for Triple-A Charlotte; 76 AB, .211/.265/.276, 1 HR, 2 SB, 5 BB, 20 SO for Chicago (AL).
Colas did not live up to expectations during his (relatively) short time with the White Sox, and while I do have my concerns, there's still a good chance for the young outfielder to contribute to fantasy rosters this year. The biggest concern was that his chase rate was among the worst in baseball while he was with Chicago, but he's already shown much more selectivity – albeit it in an even smaller sample – with the Knights, and reminded folks why so many were high on his chances for fantasy success coming into the 2023 campaign. Colas is going to have to earn his right back into the lineup, but with a swing that suggests he can provide a strong average with some solid power, he deserves consideration when Chicago deems him worthy of that promotion.
10. Andrew Abbott, LHP, Cincinnati Reds
2023 stats that matter: 6 G, 30.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 3 HR allowed, 9 BB, 60 SO for Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville.
Yep, it's another member of the Reds, and I considered adding a fourth in Matt McLain. After allowing just two runs in 15.2 innings of work for Chattanooga, Abbott hasn't been quite as dominant with a 3.00 ERA over 15 frames, but his 24:6 K:BB tells you that he hasn't had any trouble missing bats at the higher level. The 53rd pick of the 2021 draft shows four pitches, and three of those pitches – his fastball, curve and slider – are plus offerings that Abbott commands at a solid rate. Don't expect the same kind of swing-and-miss totals in the majors as he has in the minors thus far, but this isn't just smoke and mirrors. Abbott has a real chance to help fantasy rosters in a couple of categories whenever Cincinnati decides to see how he can handle MLB hitters.
Also considered: Matt McLain, INF, Cincinnati Reds; Edouard Julien, INF, Minnesota Twins; Bobby Miller, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers; Tyler Soderstrom, C/1B, Oakland Athletics; Curtis Mead, INF, Tampa Bay Rays; Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers
