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 8
1. Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2023 stats that matter: 405 AB, .284/.355/.467, 17 HR, 17 SB, 39 BB, 75 SO for Triple-A Memphis.
I'm leaving Winn in the top spot, even with a prospect we know will be making his MLB debut come Wednesday, and even with Winn suffering an injury. The Cardinals are calling it a "minor" glute strain for the shortstop after he picked up the knock after hitting a base awkwardly in a game for Memphis. At this point he's considered day-to-day, and while it likely means the Cardinals are going to wait until the middle of August to call their top prospect up at the earliest, that was likely the plan anyway. Winn can do a little bit of everything while playing shortstop, and he's absolutely worth a fantasy roster addition as soon as the Cardinals make him part of their 26-man – or possibly expanded – roster.
2. Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle Mariners
2023 stats that matter: 20 G, 98 IP, 4.32 ERA, 9 HR allowed, 38 BB, 107 SO at Double-A Arkansas.
The Mariners haven't made the roster move
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 8
1. Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2023 stats that matter: 405 AB, .284/.355/.467, 17 HR, 17 SB, 39 BB, 75 SO for Triple-A Memphis.
I'm leaving Winn in the top spot, even with a prospect we know will be making his MLB debut come Wednesday, and even with Winn suffering an injury. The Cardinals are calling it a "minor" glute strain for the shortstop after he picked up the knock after hitting a base awkwardly in a game for Memphis. At this point he's considered day-to-day, and while it likely means the Cardinals are going to wait until the middle of August to call their top prospect up at the earliest, that was likely the plan anyway. Winn can do a little bit of everything while playing shortstop, and he's absolutely worth a fantasy roster addition as soon as the Cardinals make him part of their 26-man – or possibly expanded – roster.
2. Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle Mariners
2023 stats that matter: 20 G, 98 IP, 4.32 ERA, 9 HR allowed, 38 BB, 107 SO at Double-A Arkansas.
The Mariners haven't made the roster move just yet as of publication, but multiple outlets have reported that Hancock will make his MLB debut against the Padres on Wednesday. The sixth-overall pick out of Georgia in 2020, Hancock has had an up-and-down time in the minors and has continued to show a lack of consistency in 2023, but over his last 10 starts with Arkansas he's registered a 2.97 ERA and 57/12 K/BB over 57.2 innings of work. With four above-average pitches and the ability to locate all of them for strikes, Hancock has the stuff to succeed, but the San Diego lineup is a bit of a tall task for an MLB debut. With Bryan Woo hitting the injured list, however, Hancock is worth an addition since he has the stuff to succeed/opportunity to go with it.
3. Ceddanne Rafaela, INF/OF, Boston Red Sox
2023 stats that matter: 373 AB, .306/.348/.525, 17 HR, 33 SB, 21 BB, 86 SO for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.
For the second straight week, I was tempted to move Rafaela to the top spot. Since being promoted to Triple-A, the 22-year-old has slashed .328/.379/.688 with 11 homers, and in his last 10 games he's posted an unrealistic line of .359/.422/.795 with five homers. The approach still leaves a lot to be desired as he continues to be borderline allergic to walks (although he did have a four-walk game on Aug. 2 against Syracuse), but there's no denying the talent is here to be a successful MLB player from the jump. Boston may choose to wait until 2024 to deploy that talent, but fantasy managers looking for outfield help right now may not want to play the waiting game. Better too early than too late.
4. Ronny Mauricio, INF, New York Mets
2023 stats that matter: 409 AB, .289/.338/.479, 16 HR, 19 SB, 25 BB, 82 SO at Triple-A Syracuse.
Mauricio continues to struggle, but still deserves a high spot on this list despite his lack of quality results since June. He's still someone who fantasy GMs will be able to play in the middle infield with the ability to hit for power and steal bases, and the Mets still seem more likely than not to give him a chance to do just that over the final six weeks or so with New York nowhere close to playoff contention from its disappointing 2023 campaign. It's also worth pointing out that Mauricio is reportedly going to play third base, and with Brett Baty heading back to Norfolk to play elsewhere, that also seems to open things up for Mauricio. Whenever the Mets do give him a call, fantasy managers would be wise to do the same.
5. Colt Keith, INF, Detroit Tigers
2023 stats that matter: 356 AB, .309/.378/.539, 17 HR, 3 SB, 39 BB, 93 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 four of his games since the start of August, and he's picked up multiple knocks in two of his previous three with a pair of doubles in both of those contests. 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: 312 AB, .321/.426/.593, 19 HR, 2 SB, 51 BB, 76 SO at Triple-A Oklahoma City; .200/.294/.267, 0 HR, 1 SB, 6 BB, 16 SO at Los Angeles (NL).
In the month of August, Busch is slashing .345/.367/.552 in 30 plate appearances. To give you an idea of how good he's been with the bat since the start of July, those numbers have seen his numbers DROP since our previous update. Long-ish story made shorter, Busch can flat-out hit, and if he played for a team that wasn't the Dodgers, he'd rank significantly higher on this list. Maybe not, actually, since he'd probably no longer qualify. If the Dodgers give Busch another chance to play at the highest level, fantasy managers should not dawdle and add him to their respective redraft rosters ASAP.
7. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles
2023 stats that matter: 358 AB, .321/.395/.575, 18 HR, 4 SB, 30 BB, 69 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 .333/.347/.575 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: 10 G, 45.1 IP, 2.38 ERA, 3 HR allowed, 23 BB, 58 SO for High-A Rome; Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett; 4 G, 16.2 IP, 4.32 ERA, 5 HR allowed, 6 BB, 15 SO for Atlanta.
Smith-Shawver was called up to make a start against Milwaukee last Sunday, and it was a decent – if unspectacular – effort. The right-hander allowed three runs over five innings while walking four and striking out three. Not great, but far from abhorrent with some moments that suggest the future is very bright for the 20-year-old. The question now is when Smith-Shawver will get a chance to pitch again, but it could come against the Mets on Saturday with Atlanta playing a twin-bill versus New York. It may be more streaming than "must-get," but no pitcher in the upper levels has more upside than Smith-Shawver outside of maybe Kyle Harrison.
9. Ben Brown, RHP, Chicago Cubs
2023 stats that matter: 19 G, 85 IP, 3.81 ERA, 10 HR allowed, 46 BB, 120 SO for Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.
Because of scheduling Brown didn't make any appearances for Iowa since our last update, but made a pair of starts the week before that saw him allow three runs over his 10 innings with six strikeouts and six walks. While that's not exactly awe-inspiring, it's nice to see Brown showing some consistent run prevention after his maddening inconsistency in the earlier portion of late June/July. The Cubs are right back in this, and Brown could give Chicago a major boost in their rotation and help fantasy GMs at the same time. Win-win.
10. Jackson Holliday, SS, Baltimore Orioles
2023 stats that matter: 313 AB, .342/.464/.543, 10 HR, 20 SB, 69 BB, 75 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 53 at-bats since his promotion to Bowie, Holliday has hit .396/.448/.642 with three homers and five 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; Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
