Fantasy Baseball Prospects Report: Jonah Tong, Robby Snelling pushing for a promotion; Thomas White dominating

Our long national nightmare is over. Bubba Chandler is indeed coming up to the majors.

To work in relief.

It's not what it sounds like. He won't be pitching an inning at a time but rather in a piggyback situation with Braxton Ashcraft, opening the door for him to make his own start or two before season's end. Still, even in such a role, Chandler won't be of much use for Fantasy Baseball despite appearing in my Five on the Verge more often than any other player this season and despite maintaining a roster rate of 65-80 percent in CBS Sports leagues.

And actually, his role is a secondary matter. The reason it took so long for him to come up is because his performance went off the rails at Triple-A. At the end of May, 11 starts in, he had a 2.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 12.8 K/9. His promotion is nigh. I knew it. My mother-in-law knew it. The snot-nosed kid next door knew it. Surely, then, Chandler knew it, so when May passed without it happening, it really seemed to distress him.

Bubba Chandler SP PIT Pittsburgh • #57 • Age: 22 2025 Minors W-L 5-6 ERA 4.05 WHIP 1.48 INN 100 BB 53 K 121

His next 13 starts saw him put together a 5.96 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, and 9.1 K/9. He struggled to throw strikes and generally seemed to lose all sense of direction on the mound. The Pirates obviously couldn't call him up with that going on.

It was a vicious cycle. The Pirates may well have contributed to Chandler's downfall by not calling him up when he thought they should. He's voiced his frustration about it more than once since then and may have responded by pressing, thinking he needed to do more to earn his promotion. If he had just held on, that promotion likely would have come at some point in June, but by then, he was struggling too much to justify it.

So why now? Well, what do the Pirates have to lose? It's late enough in the season that Chandler won't forfeit his rookie status, which keeps draft pick incentives on the table for next year. He's clearly spinning his wheels at Triple-A, unable to free himself from the rut he's gotten into. He's thrown his trajectory into such doubt that the Pirates' top brass probably appreciates the chance to evaluate him up close for next year.

Who knows? Maybe in a different environment, under the tutelage of a major league coaching staff, Chandler will be able to right the ship quickly. He still has ace talent, after all. It's hard to have much faith in him at the moment, though, and that's a real shame. This whole season should have played out differently for him.

FIVE ON THE VERGE

(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)

Jordan Lawlar, SS, Diamondbacks

2024 minors: .318 BA (85 AB), 2 HR, 6 SB, .899 OPS, 14 BB, 23 K
2025 minors: .316 BA (237 AB), 11 HR, 19 SB, .990 OPS, 32 BB, 63 K
2025 majors: 0 for 19, 3 BB, 9 K

Now that Lawlar has made it back from a strained hamstring, batting .286 (6 for 21) with a homer and a steal in five games at Triple-A, it's likely only a matter of days until he assumes the third base job in Arizona. His ascension is long overdue. His previous stints in the majors were noncommittal. But now with Eugenio Suarez out of the picture, there's a job earmarked for Lawlar specifically, and with his plus on-base skills, his elite speed, and his playable pull-side power, he should have a Fantasy impact for years to come. If you need middle infield (or eventually corner infield) help in a Rotisserie league, especially, he's the prospect you want to stash.

JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals

2024 minors: .295 BA (105 AB), 2 HR, 2 SB, .805 OPS, 16 BB, 15 K
2025 minors: .299 BA (328 AB), 16 HR, 17 SB, .935 OPS, 59 BB, 60 K

With Brendan Donovan (strained groin) going on the IL this past week, I'm surprised Wetherholt hasn't already gotten the call. He's even more versed at second base than third base, and Thomas Saggese would be even easier to topple than Nolan Gorman. Wetherholt is better than both; rest assured, and now that he could come up without forfeiting rookie eligibility for next year (thus preserving the chance for the Cardinals to score a bonus draft pick based on his rookie-year performance), there's little incentive for him to remain at Triple-A. He's already performing well enough there to have the inside track on a starting job next year, and some early exposure to the majors could make that transition much easier.

Having said that, Katie Woo of The Athletic reported Monday that the Cardinals haven't entertained calling up Wetherholt amid their recent rash of injuries. She didn't go into much detail, and just because they haven't yet doesn't mean they won't. Unless they think there's no chance they'll have a spot for him at the start of next year, they have every reason to.

Jonah Tong, SP, Mets

2024 minors: 6-4, 3.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 113 IP, 47 BB, 160 K
2025 minors: 9-5, 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 107 2/3 IP, 46 BB, 171 K

If you had asked me just a couple weeks ago if Tong could make it up to the majors this year, I would have said, while not impossible, the chances were not good. Now here I am calling him the third-best minor leaguer to stash. So what changed? Well, he's in Triple-A now, having debuted there Saturday and done what he's done all year, striking out nine on 18 swinging strikes in 5/23 innings. Even more than that, though, is that the Mets now find themselves in a dogfight for the final wild card spot. They could use all the help they can get, and it's reasonable to think Tong could provide a substantial amount of help.

He's only been the best pitcher in the minors this year, after all. The overall numbers make that case well enough, but over his past 12 starts, he has a 0.99 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 14.0 K/9 and a .138 batting average against. What makes him so special is that he has a straight-over-the-top delivery that's become increasingly rare in today's game because of its effect on fastball shape, but his fastball has incredible carry at the top of the zone in spite of that. It's a look that just doesn't compute for hitters. He's also made big strides with his secondary arsenal this year.

And guess what? He still hasn't reached last year's innings allotment, much less surpassed it to the degree that the Mets would probably sanction to continue his year-to-year buildup. Workload restrictions wouldn't be what prevented him from getting the call, in other words.

Robby Snelling, SP, Marlins

2024 minors: 4-10, 5.15 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 115 1/3 IP, 45 BB, 115 K
2025 minors: 5-7, 2.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 106 IP, 29 BB, 128 K

Workload restrictions also wouldn't be what prevented Snelling from getting the call, seeing as he's still 9 1/3 innings below last year's allotment. He also has an easier "in"  than Tong does. Cal Quantrill and Janson Junk are doing nothing more than taking up space in the Marlins' rotation, and now that Snelling is no longer at risk of forfeiting his rookie status for next year, the Marlins could only benefit from giving him an early audition for next year. He already seems to have mastered Triple-A, putting together a 1.34 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 11.5 K/9 in all of six starts there. He's gone six innings or more in each of the past four, striking out 11 batters twice.

This version of Snelling is reminiscent of the one we saw in 2023, who was quickly emerging as the game's best left-handed pitching prospect. A disappointing 2024 got him traded to the Marlins, and they seem to have gotten him back on track with improved control and an additional 1.5 mph on his fastball.

Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies

2024 minors: .313 BA (457 AB), 9 HR, 42 SB, .804 OPS, 32 BB, 93 K
2025 minors: .330 BA (400 AB), 4 HR, 41 SB, .844 OPS, 54 BB, 87 K

Spencer Jones? Andrew Painter? They don't have a clear path at the moment and haven't looked so hot lately anyway, so I'm going a little off script with this Crawford pick. The Phillies have struggled to fill left field all season, still running the specter of Max Kepler out there more days than not. Meanwhile, they have a guy at Triple-A batting .330 overall and .352 in August. That guy just happens to be the son of four-time All-Star Carl Crawford and one of the Triple-A leaders in stolen bases, making him the sort of player who could disrupt a defense enough to swing a playoff series. Sure, Crawford may not be a finished product, still driving the ball into the ground too often to make the most of his solid exit velocity readings, but as he is, he could have a transformative effect on the Phillies lineup if they're willing to try him out now.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)

Zac Veen, OF, Rockies

2024 minors: .258 BA (233 AB), 11 HR, 21 SB, .805 OPS, 30 BB, 67 K
2025 minors: .310 BA (294 AB), 8 HR, 14 SB, .870 OPS, 30 BB, 63 K
2025 majors: 4 for 34, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 SB, 2 BB, 14 K

Remember him? The Rockies gave Veen some run earlier this season, and it went so poorly that I don't think there's any cause to stash him ahead of his return. I also don't see a place for him in the Rockies lineup right now, but even so, someone needs to point out that he's doing everything he can to make it back to the bigs. In his past 36 games, all at Triple-A, he's batting .357 (55 for 154) with four homers, 10 steals and a .961 OPS. The home run output could be higher, but that's mostly a launch angle issue that he still has time to sort out at age 23. His exit velocity readings are solid, with his 90.8 mph average placing him in the 83rd percentile for Triple-A, and his plate discipline readings don't raise any red flags. Plus, he has the will to run, which helps reduce the downside risk for Fantasy.

Thomas White, SP, Marlins

2024 minors: 6-4, 2.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 96 IP, 38 BB, 120 K
2025 minors: 3-3, 2.42 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 70 2/3 IP, 33 BB, 111 K

I've been meaning to write about White, who was 26th in my midseason top 50 and has gone on to deliver his three best outings of the season since then. The biggest was a 14-strikeout effort on July 26, but he also has back-to-back nine-strikeout efforts. In fact, over his past four starts, he has a 1.31 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 17.0 K/9, generating swinging strikes at a 19 percent rate while allowing just a .173 batting average. Standing 6-feet-5 but delivering from that patented low three-quarters arm slot that plays so well for lefties, White's fastball, slider and changeup all rate as plus pitches, with the slider in particular getting incredible side-to-side movement. He's among the candidates for the game's top pitching prospect.

Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Guardians

2024 minors: .231 BA (377 AB), 11 HR, .732 OPS, 66 BB, 95 K
2025 minors: .259 BA (401 AB), 21 HR, .847 OPS, 44 BB, 90 K

If you're looking for the next Samuel Basallo, this guy is a strong contender. No, you'll never get to use him at catcher because the Guardians moved him off the position early on, but his bat profiles similarly. His power is already earning rave reviews, producing home runs that are like missiles leaving the yard before the announcer even has time to acknowledge them. Here's just one example:

He's really hit his stride with his recent move up to Double-A, batting .433 (13 for 30) with four homers and 1.533 OPS there, so to whatever degree Velazquez was flying under the radar before, you can expect to pay top dollar for him now.

Jarlin Susana, SP, Nationals

2024 minors: 4-10, 4.34 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 103 2/3 IP, 48 BB, 157 K
2025 minors: 0-3, 3.26 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 49 2/3 IP, 28 BB, 82 K

Travis Sykora was the Nationals pitching prospect getting all the attention earlier this season, but Jarlin Susana was neck-and-neck with him coming into the year. Now, Sykora has succumbed to Tommy John surgery while Susana is newly back from an elbow strain of his own. In six starts since returning from that injury, he has a 2.28 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and an astonishing 16.7 K/9. The last three of those starts have come at Double-A, where he had nine strikeouts in five innings two turns ago and 13 in five in his last outing Tuesday. He's throwing strikes at a higher rate than ever and still reaching triple digits with his fastball. Suffice it to say that the Juan Soto trade is the gift that keeps on giving for the Nationals. 

Daniel Eagen, SP, Diamondbacks

2025 minors: 7-5, 2.49 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 97 2/3 IP, 41 BB, 132 K

Dan Egan from Veep was a contemptible fellow, but this one is looking pretty good! Eagen's strikeout total is the most for any pitcher still in A-ball, and his past two starts would strongly suggest that he should move up soon, too. In a combined 13 innings, he's allowed no earned runs on just two hits with 21 strikeouts.

Whenever a 22-year-old is dominating A-ball, you have to be wary of a fakeout since he's more advanced than most of his competition. But Eagen has a distinctive fastball with good carry from a high arm slot (not the norm) and two breaking balls that rate as plus. He's also built to take on a workload, putting him on a clear starter trajectory.