The minor league season is now underway and now is the time to stash close-proximity fantasy baseball prospects to help you when the dog days of summer hit and the Major League injuries start to rise. There are many names that could be on this list and undoubtedly they will make their way to one of these prospects to stash articles that I will post throughout the season. I am looking at Double-A and Triple-A prospects that have upside to flex into your lineups or make solid targets for your deeper leagues to ignite your teams like the Tylor Megill, Bryan De La Cruz, and Jose Miranda’s of years past. Now let’s get into my 3 sleeper fantasy baseball prospects to stash now!
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3 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash
Maikel Garcia, SS KCR
If you are looking for one of those waiver wire stashes, look no further than Miakel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals. Now, if the name sounds familiar, it’s because Garcia made his major league debut in 2022 at only 22 years old, slashing .318/.348/.364 in 9 games played. Last season was not out of the ordinary for Maikel Garcia who slashed .285/.359/.427 with 46 extra base hits with 11 HRs in AA and AAA, all while swiping 39 bases in 118 combined games. The 19.45% strikeout rate was actually one of the highest rates in his minor league career while his 10.1% walk rate was right in line with his career average.
Maikel Garcia is a complete hitter as he has shown in the minor leagues and has, for the most part, remained under the radar of prospect rankings for the last few seasons. The Royals have Garcia assigned to AAA Omaha where he has picked up where he left off in 2022, slashing .353/.489/.529 with 7 runs, 3 doubles, 1 home run, 12 RBI, and 2 stolen bases in 9 games played. Maikel Garcia can be a super-utility type of player that can play all over the diamond while providing good contact and OBP numbers with elite speed (back-to-back seasons with 35+ stolen bases) at a reasonable cost to acquire.
Robert Gasser, LHP MIL
One of my favorite pitchers to watch in the Brewers organization is the California lefty, Robert Gasser. Being selected in the competitive balance round of the 2021 draft by the San Diego Padres, Gasser was shipped off the following season to the Milwaukee Brewers for closer Josh Hader. Gasser features a fastball that tops out at 93 MPH but is effective thanks to the high spin rates on his curveball and slider. That 86 mph slider is his main out pitch with sweeping horizontal movement. Gasser rounds out his repertoire with an 84 MPH changeup that has shown solid progress since arriving in the Brewers organization.
Last season was strong for Gasser as he ascended three levels starting in A+ with the Padres and finishing in AAA Nashville with the Brewers. Combined, Gasser struck out 172 in 137 innings and held batters to a .245 average while putting up a 3.94 ERA in 27 starts. Gasser’s 11.18 K/9 makes it easy to see why dynasty managers are stashing the 23-year-old for the 2023 season and with the recent injury to Aaron Ashby and only Wade Miley holding down the fifth starting slot, it won’t take much for Gasser to get his shot and running away it.
Edouard Julien, 2B MIN
This might be one of the biggest names of my sleeper prospects to stash but the numbers are too good not to grab right now. Edouard Julien has been popping on everyone’s top 100 rankings boards this past season and rightfully so. He played the entire season at AA Wichita where he slashed .300/.441/.490 with 39 extra-base hits, including 17 home runs, 67 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 113 games. Julien was first in the Texas League in on-base percentage (OBP), first in walk percentage (19.3% BB%), first in WRC with 104, and third in on-base plus slugging (.931 OPS).
At only 23 years old, Julien has good plate discipline as he lowered his strikeout rate in 2022 to a career-low 24.6% against advanced pitching in AA. With the 2023 season underway, Edouard Julien has hit the ground running, slashing .276/.417/.517 with 2 home runs, 9 runs scored, and 1 stolen base in 8 games at AAA St. Paul. It’s only a matter of time before Julien makes his Major League debut and entrenches himself in a talented Twins lineup.
Bonus Stash
Dax Fulton, LHP MIA
The Miami Marlins have a knack for developing pitching and there is no exception with Dax Fulton. Taken in the second round of the 2020 draft, the high school lefty was recovering from Tommy John surgery and primed to make his pro debut in A- Jupiter for the 2021 season. In 19 starts in A- and A+ Fulton struck out 84 batters in 78.1 innings pitched, holding batters to a .241 average in his first full season.
With three borderline plus pitches, Fulton has the repertoire to mow down hitters and he showed that off in 2022 in A+ and AA striking out 150 batters in 118.1 innings pitched, good for an 11.98 K/9. Fulton appears to be on the fast track with the Marlins as he is starting the season back at AA Pensacola. In his first start for the Blue Wahoos Fulton struck out 6 in 4.1 innings pitched holding batters to a .125 average with a 2.08 ERA. Dax Fulton is a quick riser for me in the prospect rankings and would not surprise me if he makes his debut in the majors by season end making him a great stash for the playoff push.