Fantasy Baseball Today - Top Prospects to Stash! James Tibbs ON FIRE! (4/8 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)
Episode Date: April 8, 2026Before we get to the prospects to stash, Noah Schultz, Blaze Jordan and Jimmy Crooks are all off to good starts! Sam Antonacci could get the call with Austin Hays hurt. The Dodgers may have done it ag...ain with James Tibbs III. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/FantasyBaseballToday Download and Follow Fantasy Baseball Today on Spotify: https://sptfy.com/QiKv Follow our FBT team on Twitter: @FBTPod, @CPTowers @CBSScottWhite, @Roto_Frank Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fantasybaseballtoday Sign up for the FBT Newsletter at https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/fantasy-baseball-today/ For more fantasy baseball coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Who are the top prospects to stash?
We'll discuss up next on Fantasy Baseball Today Express.
Welcome into FBT Express on Wednesday, April 8th.
I am, for example, joined by Scott White.
Let's start with the five prospects on the periphery,
and then we will count down the top prospects to stash.
Scott, who are some prospects that are making some noise?
They're off to good starts here, the five on the periphery.
All right.
I'll start with Noah Schultz.
Noah Schultz was a huge pitching prospect heading into last year.
Didn't go so well.
He lost some of his luster.
But he was pitching through a knee issue all year.
And it's only a nine inning sample so far,
but looks to be back on track at AAA.
Does Noah Schultz two hits allowed in those nine innings, 10 strikeouts?
He's gotten his velocity back up, about a mile per hour across the board.
and he is also making use of a new cutter, like everyone else, it seems,
and it's been really effective for him so far.
So Noah Schultz, I think, is quickly putting himself on the path to graduating from the five on the periphery.
Could be five on the verge here, given the current state of the White Sox rotation.
We can also talk about Blaze Jordan here.
Blaze Jordan, it was a 13-year-old.
He was hitting bombs in Major League Stadiums.
YouTube sensation.
He hasn't actually been that big of a power hitter in the minors,
but he's always made contact at a nice rate.
And he is suddenly hitting the ball harder this year,
batting 467, three home runs already,
average eggs of velocity of 94 miles per hour.
Of course, the sample is small.
But that's a AAA, still keeping that strikeout rate low.
I think, you know, the Red Sox traded him to the Cardinals last year.
year.
And I think the Cardinals could make room for him if they wanted to.
They have big questions in their outfield and they're currently starting Alec Berluson
at first base.
Burleson has plenty of experience in the outfield.
So shifting him there to make way for Blaise Jordan doesn't seem like a craziest idea.
I'm still not sure how much upside Jordan actually has, but if he continues to hit the
ball as hard as he's been hitting it so far this year, then it's worth noting.
Jimmy Crooks, another Cardinals player at catcher, four home runs in seven games at AAA.
His average eggs of velocity so far is 97 miles per hour.
About a one-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He emerged as a good catcher prospect last year.
I actually got called up late in the year.
And I don't know if in the long run, I don't know if in the long run Pedro Pahas is going to be enough to block Crooks.
given that Crooks is a good defender in his own right
and can actually provide something offensively.
I know they're talking about Ivan Herrera,
they're willing to start him a couple times a week
through the end of April.
It's interesting that they didn't commit to anything beyond that
because I think Jimmy Crooks might be ready to contribute
for the big club by that point,
as if we need more catching help in fantasy.
Pedro Ramirez, third base prospect for the Cubs.
Now, this is an interesting one because he did not really do much in the minors prior to this year,
and yet he showed up in top 10 list for the Cubs prospects,
and I didn't really understand what the big deal was.
Well, he had a big spring with the big club.
Homer twice stole five bases in spring training,
and now so far in the regular season, Pedro Ramirez,
has three home runs and three steals.
So between spring training and the minors,
he's up to five home runs, eight steals this year.
Average exit velocity, 95 miles per hour.
His own contact rate, entering play Wednesday.
I don't have the most updated numbers,
or entering play Tuesday.
His own contact rate is 98%.
So, Pedro Ramirez,
I hope I've been saying Pedro Ramirez this whole time.
Pedro Ramirez does seem like a prospect on the rise
and credit to everyone who put him in the Cubs top 10,
I think in Dynasty Leagues,
you need to start paying attention to him.
And finally, Joseph Jirwa,
D-Z-I-E-R-W-A,
Jirwa, Joseph Jirwa of the Orioles,
a starting pitcher, 21-year-old,
just made his pro debut at High A,
six-one hit innings with nine strikeouts.
This is a left-hander with a high-90s fastball
that has good movement.
and a great, great change up.
So obviously, he's a professional debut.
They held him out last year.
But I think he's going to move quickly based on what we saw AAA.
Also had a really good start, I believe it was eight strikeouts in one of the spring breakout games,
which was Prospects versus Prospects, and now kicks off his official career, Joseph Jirwell,
with a big start that shows really good stuff.
Again, those were the five prospects on the periphery.
Those are names that you need to know about in Dynasty Leagues.
Let's take a quick break.
We'll talk about the five prospects to stash in redraft leagues right after this.
Welcome back in FBT Express, the top five prospects to stash right now.
We are starting at number five and we are counting our way down.
Connor Griffin no longer on the list.
He was number one last week.
Let's talk about number five.
There are two.
Little spoiler, minor spoilers here.
There are two now in the five on the verge that we're in the.
the five on the periphery last week.
So those who follow along from week to week will be rewarded.
Number five, Charlie Condon, first baseman with the Rockies.
Yes, yes.
A drop from last week he was higher on the list.
He's been out for much of the past week.
He had assist removed from his back,
but it's a short-term absence.
He's expected to return to the lineup shortly,
and he was putting up huge X-Vlocity numbers there,
just like he did in spring training when remember he was competing for the first base job
lost out to t j rumfield who doesn't look like he's going to give it up anytime soon
and you know things are getting crowded there with troy johnston off to a hot start
mickey moniac returning i don't see a clear path for charley condens so that's the main reason he's
dropped a couple spots in the five on the verge but you could definitely see some of these
players going wrong and uh condon's been playing some outfield at triple a two
there are several paths for him.
I think it'll be up sooner than later.
The number four prospect to stash right now is Sam Antonacci of the White Sox.
And it's especially interesting here because Austin Hayes just went on the aisle with a hamstring injury.
So opening up a spot on that roster.
And Sam Antinachi is a second baseman naturally.
But he has been expanding.
his defensive acumen here.
Actually, his first five starts at AAA this year were in left field.
So it seems like he could fill in there.
And like, he needs to be in the majors.
We saw how his baseball IQ is off the charts.
We saw it in the World Baseball Classic had several huge moments,
really energetic player, somebody who I think for fantasy
would be most valuable as a base stealer.
He had 48 stolen bases last year,
but potentially even a better real-life player than fantasy player
because he reached base at a 433 clip in the minors.
So far this year, nine walks to four strikeouts at AAA.
So great lead-off hitter type profile.
And he's gone deep a couple times already this year.
So didn't show much power in the miners up to this point,
but had a big home run in the World Baseball Classic against Team USA,
a couple home runs already at AAA.
might be adding that to what's already a pretty impressive skill set.
And I hope to see Sam Antanachi soon.
The number three prospect to stash is Peyton Toley, starting pitcher with the Red Sox.
Yeah, his first starter AAA this year didn't go so well, but the second one was great.
Six innings, one run, seven strikeouts, one walk.
And there's one less obstacle for him now with.
with uh...
Johano Vieto.
Yohano Vieto, yes.
I was trying to remember his first name.
Johano Vieto,
uh,
who they acquired from the pirates and who was in the bullpen to begin the year,
but as a long reliever,
somebody who could have entered the rotation easily.
But now he's injured.
Seems like he's going to be out for a while.
I imagine that makes totally the first man up at the side of trouble.
And huge upside there, particularly with that fastball.
The number two prospect of stash right now is a new,
addition, James Tibbs of the Dodgers is just off to a ridiculous start in the minors.
He is. So he had a three homer game on April 4th, which brings him up to seven on the young
season at AAA. To go along with the four he hit in spring training in 2026, James Tibbs has
hit 11 home runs. He has the eggs of velocities to back it up, 95 mile per hour average at AAA.
Let's getting on base in a nice clip.
It was first round pick the year before last.
The Giants gave him up in the Raphael Devers trade,
which seemed, okay, well, yeah, first round pick, there's upside there.
But then the Red Sox flipped him to get a couple months of dust in May.
They flipped him to the Dodgers.
And now look what the Dodgers are doing.
Again, they just collect this talent and have no place.
place to play him and that's the big concern for James Tibbs. He is so hot and looking so good that I
think he's the second best prospect to stash. It's a distant second though because where's the
path? The outfield is full. You're just counting on an injury or a trade, which that's not going to
happen anytime soon, I wouldn't think. And life finds a way, we often say. And it's,
I can't think of too many instances where a hitter at AAA is going.
going off like this and has to wait months and months to debut.
It doesn't happen very often.
I think, I hope, eventually the Dodgers find an excuse to call up James Tips.
The Dodgers, they might have done it again.
Yeah.
Can't keep getting away with it.
He can't keep getting away with it.
He won't.
Yeah, yet the Dodgers keep getting away with it.
The number one prospect to stash is Bryce Eldridge of the Giants.
When do you think we see Bryce up in San Francisco?
Whenever the Giants decide he's ready,
they could slot him into the lineup immediately.
It seemed like they left a spot open for him this spring
and just still a little rough around the edges.
It wouldn't surprise me if it's before the end of April.
He's clearly the number one prospect of stash.
All right.
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