Fantasy Baseball 2023 Rankings: Highlighting Top Prospects to Target
Fantasy baseball prospects are wild cards.
Yes, even the best ones.
In redraft leagues, you're usually better off letting your fellow fantasy managers get carried away while fawning over MLB's latest batch of first-year ballers. If you're playing keeper or dynasty leagues, though, you have no choice but to embrace these wild cards and hope at least one of them will yield a jackpot prize.
After laying out our top 25 dynasty ranks for this season, we'll spotlight two of the top prospects to target.
Top 25 Dynasty Rankings
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1. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Seattle Mariners
2. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves
3. Juan Soto, OF, San Diego Padres
4. Shohei Ohtani, DH/SP, Los Angeles Angels
5. Fernando Tatís Jr., SS, San Diego Padres
6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
7. Yordan Álvarez, OF, Houston Astros
8. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros
9. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox
10. José Ramírez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
11. Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
12. Bo Bichtte, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
13. Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves
14. Trea Turner, SS, Philadelphia Phillies
15. Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
16. Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
17. Shane McClanahan, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
18. Bobby Witt Jr., SS/3B, Kansas City Royals
19. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
20. Bryce Harper, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
21. Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees
22. Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
23. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Sandy Alcántara, SP, Miami Marlins
25. Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres
Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Corbin Carroll started the 2022 season in Double-A and finished it in the majors. He mashed at every point of his progression.
Over 91 games between Double-A and Triple-A, the 22-year-old tallied 53 extra-base hits (23 of them home runs) and 31 stolen bases. He batted above .300 and reached base at better than a .400 clip.
The 32 games he spent in the big leagues were only slightly less impressive. He still had another 15 extra-base hits with four homers and two steals. He compiled a .260/.330/.500 slash line while scoring 13 runs and driving in 14.
Carroll will open this season with a nine-figure contract extension in hand and enormous expectations from the fantasy world. If everything breaks right, he could lead the majors in steals while being at least a helpful contributor in the four other categories.
Jordan Walker, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
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Jordan Walker was coming out of high school when the Cardinals added him in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Now 20 years old (21 in May), he appears to be on the cusp of fantasy stardom—provided, of course, he can lock down an everyday gig.
The Cardinals want him serving as a starting outfielder if he cracks the big league roster, per The Athletic's Katie Woo. That's far from guaranteed with Tyler O'Neill, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson in the mix.
Still, Walker's ceiling stretches higher than the rest. Last season, he had 19 homers and 22 steals in 119 Double-A games, and those numbers probably sell his potential short.
His bat is electric, and he has power to all fields. He has impressive patience (especially for his age), but when he has an opportunity to let one fly, he launches it. He might lose a few steals as he progresses up baseball levels, but his power should compensate for any drop-off in thefts.
Fantasy managers shouldn't expect this, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Walker eventually deliver a fantasy masterpiece with 40-plus homers and double-digit steals.
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