If you’re new here, welcome. Rotoworld’s Dynasty Stock Watch is a weekly podcast for your eyes that takes a deep five into trending prospects from a long-term perspective. We’re just getting underway with the minor league season, but we’ve already experienced some significant developments already; most notably Athletics burgeoning slugger Nick Kurtz and Pirates flamethrower Bubba Chandler are the most impactful potential fantasy prospects on the verge of breaking into the majors in the coming weeks. Kurtz has homered six times in 10 games already for Triple-A Las Vegas and could reach the majors much faster than anticipated. Meanwhile, Chandler struck out eight over four shutout innings in his second start of the year for Triple-A Indianapolis.
The other notable early-season Triple-A standout on the precipice of making it back to the big leagues is new-look Twins righty Zebby Matthews. It’s not official yet as of Thursday morning, but he’s the odds-on favorite to take the ball on Sunday against the Tigers with ace Pablo López likely to hit the injured list with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. The 24-year-old right-hander’s significant velocity uptick from spring training has carried over into the regular season as he’s averaging nearly 97 mph on his four-seam fastball and still boasts otherworldly control. He’s racked up 13 strikeouts and allowed just two runs over 10 innings through two starts at Triple-A St. Paul. He struggled mightily in nine late-season starts last year for Minnesota, but his dramatic metamorphosis makes him one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the dynasty landscape until further notice.
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Speaking of unexpected transformations, we need to talk about emerging fantasy superstar Kyren Paris for a moment. The 23-year-old infielder is clearly emphasizing putting the ball in the air more frequently following an offseason overhaul, as evidenced by a sky-high 15.9 percent launch angle. His two-homer performance on Wednesday night was extremely impressive since the homers came off ace Ryan Pepiot and elite lefty reliever Mason Montgomery. According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Paris is the fourth player ever with five home runs and four stolen bases in their first 10 games of a season. Insane. There’s statistical and anecdotal evidence to support the idea that some of this is real and sustainable, but dynasty managers need to see it over a sustained period before we’re ready to jump him several hundred spots from a long-term perspective.
Early-Season MiLB Standouts
Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners
Montes has been hotter than the inside of a Totinos pizza roll to kick off the 2025 campaign, slashing .429/.609/1.143 with two homers and two steals through five games for High-A Everett. The 20-year-old corner outfielder’s power upside ranks among the highest of any prospect in the game, but some lingering hit tool questions kept him from upper-echelon status in Rotoworld’s Opening Day dynasty rankings update. That will change if he continues tearing the cover off the ball with stratospheric exit velocities once he reaches Double-A Arkansas. It feels like a true boom-or-bust type of profile for fantasy purposes, but he could be an absolute middle-of-the-order force for years to come, if everything comes together.
Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners
Let’s stick with the Mariners for a moment because Celesten is showing why he was one of the top prospects from the 2023 international signing class, hitting .348 (8-for-23) with one homer, six RBI and one steal through five early-season games for Low-A Modesto. The 19-year-old prodigy was one of the most exciting performers last year in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League prior to suffering a season-ending wrist injury after just 32 games. If he can stay on the field, he’s going to be one of biggest risers from a dynasty standpoint over the next few months.
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Thomas White, SP, Marlins
White blossomed into one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape last year in his professional debut, posting a 2.81 ERA and 120/38 K/BB ratio across 96 innings between Low-A Jupiter and High-A Beloit. The towering 6-foot-5 southpaw didn’t skip a beat in his season debut last Friday with the Sky Carp, recording seven strikeouts over four scoreless frames. His immense strikeout upside will make him a relevant fantasy contributor once he reaches the big leagues, but we’re not anticipating his arrival until sometime next year, at the earliest, since he doesn’t turn 21 until late September. The front-of-the-rotation starter kit is there from a talent standpoint and he could finish the year as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, if he’s not there already.
Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Diamondbacks
My personal affinity for Waldscmidt was highlighted previously in this space during spring training. However, it’s worth noting that he’s off to a sublime start at High-A Hillsboro, batting .600 (9-for-15) with two homers through five games. He’s walked six times and only struck out twice during that span. It’s possible the Northwest League isn’t enough of a challenge for him, so there’s a decent chance he’s promoted to Double-A Amarillo by the end of the month, if not sooner. The 22-year-old outfielder was selected 31st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and possesses a strong combination of fantasy-relevant tools with respectable plate skills, above-average raw power and plus speed. He has a chance to move quickly through Arizona’s system and is going to make a big leap in Rotoworld’s next dynasty rankings update.
Nolan McLean, SP, Mets
McLean looked like one of the top pitching prospects in baseball last Sunday when he registered eight strikeouts over four shutout innings for Double-A Binghamton in his season debut. The 23-year-old is focusing exclusively on pitching moving forward and his sweeper looks like a true above-average offering that will generate whiffs in the majors. He cracked Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus’ Top 100 prospect lists during the offseason and figures to continue rising if he’s missing bats in the upper minors.
Braylon Payne, OF, Brewers
If you’re searching for a hitting prospect on the verge of a sustained breakout, Payne seems to fit the bill. The 18-year-old outfielder was the 17th-overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and has gotten off to a torrid start at Low-A Carolina, hitting .409 (9-for-22) with one homer and five steals through five games. It’s an extremely small sample size, and he’s obviously several hyperspace jumps from the majors, but he’s a double-plus runner with game-changing speed. He’s rapidly becoming one of the most intriguing speed-oriented prospects in the long-term landscape and should obviously be rostered in all dynasty leagues.
Brandon Young, SP, Orioles
It’s a bit surprising that the injury-ravaged Orioles aren’t giving Young a shot in the majors with Zach Eflin (shoulder) becoming the latest starter to hit the injured list. It might be coming soon, but that’s not official. The 26-year-old righty has allowed two runs (zero earned) with an sparkling 11/2 K/BB ratio across 11 1/3 innings (two starts) to open the year at Triple-A Norfolk. The arsenal isn’t overpowering, but he’s generated 25 swinging strikes combined during those outings. He’s at least worthy of a speculative pickup in all dynasty formats where he’s still available.
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Manuel Rodriguez, SP, Brewers
This one is a bit of a deeper cut. Dynasty Dugout’s Chris Clegg deserves a shoutout here for highlighting Rodriguez a couple weeks ago as a potential breakout candidate in Milwaukee’s impressive system. The 19-year-old piled up 11 strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings last Friday in his season debut for High-A Wisconsin, generating an eye-popping 23 swinging strikes, per Statcast data. The uptick in whiffs is noticeable considering he posted a pedestrian 20.6 percent strikeout rate last year in Low-A. He’s a name to monitor in dynasty formats as an early-season helium prospect.
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