Fantasy Baseball Prospects Report: Kade Anderson revs up again; Walker Jenkins could give Twins a boost

It's August o'clock and high time that an article half-focused on identifying the next prospect call-up came clean about something.

We're probably not seeing any for the next couple weeks.

True, an injury could force a GM's hand, and the upcoming trade deadline could create new pathways for some of the most obvious promotion candidates. But if a team has waited this long to loop in that top prospect who's tearing up Triple-A, what's a couple more weeks?

By waiting that length of time, a team can ensure that the prospect in question, provided he's up for the first time, will retain his rookie standing for next year, and that's important because only true rookies can secure teams extra draft picks if they place high enough in awards voting, namely Rookie of the Year. Who doesn't love draft picks?

The past few years have introduced us to this dead promotion period leading up to the critical point when 45 days remain in the season. That point this year is Aug. 14.

You're free to stash prospects until then -- it is only two weeks, after all -- but I wouldn't expect any high-impact promotions until then. 

FIVE ON THE VERGE

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

Kade Anderson, SP, Mariners

2026 minors: 9-1, 1.27 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 77 2/3 IP, 10 BB, 115 K

After a three-week respite, save for an inning in the All-Star Futures Game, Kade Anderson returned to the mound Friday and, in keeping with the theme of everything coming too easily to him in his first professional season, threw five perfect innings. The only thing that hasn't come easily for him is a promotion. He's been begging for one for months now but happens to be in the one organization that's managed to keep its starting rotation healthy all season. Word is that the Mariners are shopping Emerson Hancock and Luis Castillo, though, ostensibly to create an opening for Anderson, and what makes it so ostensible is their handling of him. Why shut him down for three weeks midseason if not to have those innings available later on, like during postseason play? I doubt they pull the trigger before mid-August, for reasons already discussed, but their deadline maneuvering is likely to telegraph what's coming.

Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies

2025 minors: .268 BA (365 AB), 14 HR, .820 OPS, 52 BB, 112 K
2026 minors: .288 BA (330 AB), 20 HR, .964 OPS, 55 BB,100 K

Charlie Condon has held steady over the past week, with no significant changes to his production or outlook. As with all potential prospect call-ups, we're in a holding pattern for now, just waiting to see what avenues are created at the trade deadline and then counting down the days until Aug. 14. For Condon, a Jake McCarthy or Mickey Moniak trade would present the clearest opportunity, seeing as he's spent nearly half of his time in the outfield this season. Trading both would be even better since it would prevent Condon from taking a back seat to Zac Veen, who's already on the 40-man roster. Condon is the more disciplined hitter and has a batted-ball profile that lends itself better to power, but he's not the base-stealer that Veen is.

Joshua Baez, OF, Cardinals

2025 minors: .287 BA (418 AB), 20 HR, 54 SB, .884 OPS, 59 BB, 103 K
2026 minors: .247 BA (364 AB), 31 HR, 15 SB, .886 OPS, 32 BB, 123 K

Is Joshua Baez getting closer to a promotion or further away? His batting average has crept up a couple points since the last Prospects Report, with another two home runs added, but the contact gains he enjoyed during his massive May and June have fallen by the wayside. He's simply striking out too much, which isn't always a deal-breaker for a player with his kind of power, but seeing as president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom recently talked about major league pitchers potentially exploiting Baez's weaknesses and how he doesn't want the 23-year-old to be "just a one-dimensional guy," I'm skeptical that Baez has demonstrated the kind of growth Bloom is looking for. Even so, it's hard for me to believe the Cardinals would pass up the chance to promote him this year, for all the success he's had, which is why I'm keeping him in my Five on the Verge for now.

Quinn Mathews, SP, Cardinals

2025 minors: 4-7, 3.73 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 99 IP, 74 BB, 115 K
2026 minors: 5-3, 3.13 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 92 IP, 52 BB, 111 K

Quinn Mathews may not be as impactful as Baez, but his arrival is more assured. There's already a case to install him over Matthew Liberatore, and if the Cardinals end up moving Dustin May at the trade deadline, then the need will become even more acute. Mathews was one of the breakout prospects of 2024, putting together a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 12.7 K/9 across four levels, but then his control abandoned him last year. It's been pretty shaky this year, too, accounting for his 5.1 BB/9, but that number has dropped to 3.3 in his past nine starts as he's put together a 1.55 ERA, 0.78 WHIP (very difficult to hit, clearly) and  10.1 K/9. His last start Friday was arguably his best yet, seeing him strike out 10 without allowing an earned run in seven innings. I still think his control could be his undoing in the majors, but with the way his stuff is playing up again, the upside is promising enough to stash him preemptively.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins

2025 minors: .286 BA (308 AB), 10 HR, 17 SB, .850 OPS, 50 BB, 76 K
2026 minors: .297 BA (195 AB), 6 HR, 10 SB, .883 OPS, 30 BB, 32 K

Walker Jenkins has been a consensus top 15 prospect basically from the time the Twins drafted him fifth overall in 2023, and the only reason I have to say top 15 rather than top 10 or even top five is because he's spent so much of the intervening period injured. Even this year, a shoulder sprain cost him about six weeks in the middle of the season, but he's come back looking as polished as ever, slashing .292/.364/.494 in 23 games at Triple-A with 10 walks and 12 strikeouts.

It's that polish, most evident through his plate discipline, that's bolstered his stock since he was still a teenager, and even with all the lost development time, he's well ahead of where a 21-year-old would normally be. The power production is a bit lacking, but his average and max exit velocities both rank in the top 20 percent at Triple-A, suggesting he has the tools for much more. Whether the Twins buy or sell at the deadline, it's likely they'll want Jenkins to be part of things in September.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

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

Max Clark, OF, Tigers

2025 minors: .271 BA (431 AB), 14 HR, 19 SB, .835 OPS, 94 BB, 90 K
2026 minors: .277 BA (358 AB), 10 HR, 21 SB, .795 OPS, 49 BB, 63 K

Sometimes the Five on the Verge spills over to the Five on the Periphery, and while Zac Veen would probably be my sixth choice to stash, I want to give a nod here to Max Clark, who has had an open path to the majors basically from the second week of the season, when Parker Meadows got hurt. Whether Clark deserved to be promoted at that time is debatable, but with the ups and downs he's had at Triple-A this year, the lengthier stay was probably justified.

His July, though, may be reworking the math. He's batting .343 (23 for 67) for the month with four home runs, four stolen bases and more walks (15) than strikeouts (13). He rarely chases pitches out of the zone and basically never misses pitches in it, having compiled an absurd 94.2 percent zone-contact rate. How much thump he'll provide has long been in question, but his exit velocities are at least respectable. He could make an impact akin to A.J. Ewing if and when he gets the call.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers

2025 minors: .255 BA (474 AB), 13 HR, 32 SB, .741 OPS, 70 BB, 108 K
2026 minors: .395 BA (43 AB), 3 HR, 3 SB, 1.191 OPS, 4 BB, 11 K

Sebastian Walcott is about two weeks into his return from a torn UCL, having had an internal brace procedure to stabilize the ligament, and is clearly no worse for wear, taking a wrecking ball to Double-A in a way he didn't last year. It probably means he's soon destined for Triple-A, and his stay there could be a short one. Prospects of this caliber (he was in line to be in everyone's top 10 prior to the injury) are like a runaway train once the talent clicks. Walcott always projected for massive power, and he may have grown into it, finally. What could slow him down is his continued recovery from the surgery. For as well as he's hitting, he has yet to play the field, with all of his starts coming at DH. He won't be joining the big club until he's prepared to handle all facets of the game.

Cam Cannarella, OF, Marlins

2025 minors: .284 BA (88 AB), 0 HR, 1 SB, .712 OPS, 7 BB, 18 K
2026 minors: .349 BA (229 AB), 13 HR, 14 SB, 1.014 OPS, 37 BB, 42 K

The Marlins liked Cam Cannarella enough to take him with the 43rd pick in last year's draft, and that gamble has paid off so enormously that they may be installing him as their center fielder as soon as next year. I want to stress center field because his defense may be what stands out the most, which means there isn't some sneaky reason why his offensive dominance would go unrewarded. His recent move up to Triple-A has so far met with the same success as his previous stops. The plate discipline is stellar. The contact quality is strong. To this point, no obvious weaknesses have revealed themselves (too opposite field-minded, maybe, but whether that's an actual weakness is debatable). He's looking like one of the most underrated prospects in Dynasty play right now, particularly for how close he is to contributing.

Blake Burke, 1B, Brewers

2025 minors: .292 BA (490 AB), 16 HR, 15 SB, .832 OPS, 65 BB, 135 K
2026 minors: .276 BA (326 AB), 27 HR, 25 SB, .966 OPS, 40 BB, 90 K

Drafted 34th overall in 2024, Blake Burke has grown into the power you'd expect from his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame. We don't have official exit velocity readings for Double-A, but there have been reports of multiple home runs in the 115 mph range, including his latest one Tuesday, shown here:

The real surprise is that he's nearly matched his home run total with his stolen bases. Surely, that's just a byproduct of a less competitive league and not something that would translate to the majors, but in a world where Josh Naylor is a perennial 30-steal threat ... maybe? For as impressive as his totals are, Burke is also striking out at less than a 25 percent rate, so I wouldn't be so quick to write him off.

Josiah Ragsdale, OF, Brewers

2025 minors: .300 BA (70 AB), 0 HR, 9 SB, .751 OPS, 16 BB, 15 K
2026 minors: .318 BA (289 AB), 15 HR, 31 SB, 1.005 OPS, 63 BB, 91 K

The Brewers system has given us a bunch of standout performers on the hitting side this year, and Josiah Ragsdale might be the most surprising. A seventh-round pick just last year, the 22-year-old has slashed .318 /.444/.561 between High-A and Double-A with enough home runs and stolen bases to make the whole stat line reminiscent of Josue De Paula -- a little better than his, actually. Now, Ragsdale isn't actually De Paula. The strikeout rate runs five percentage points higher, and while I can't cite the actual data, my understanding is that he doesn't hit the ball nearly as hard. Still, numbers like this are simply too good to ignore, particularly from a player who's already in the upper minors.