Fantasy Baseball Prospects Report: Kade Anderson too good not to stash; Brewers have another teenage phenom

The Five on the Verge may be in need of some pruning. For a few weeks there, it seemed like there was a surplus of prospects about to break through, so much that I could hardly narrow down who to feature here. But for now at least, the urgency has dissipated. This is especially true for three names that you've gotten used to seeing here.

The first is Karson Milbrandt. The Marlins right-hander emerged as one of this season's top breakout hurlers with a dominant showing at Double-A, and he moved up to Triple-A at about the time a rash of injuries hit the Marlins rotation. But the Marlins navigated that rough patch well enough, getting surprising contributions from Tyler Phillips and Ryan Gusto, and are now on the verge of getting Eury Perez back. Meanwhile, Milbrandt's old control troubles have resurfaced with his move to Triple-A, where he's yielded 11 walks in 15 innings. Whatever momentum he had toward a promotion has been thwarted for now.

The second is River Ryan, who has major league experience already and, at 27, is due for more. But he hasn't made that case as loudly of late, most recently allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings in a start against Triple-A Sacramento. The Dodgers have gotten along just fine with Eric Lauer, it turns out, so there's no need for them to force the issue.

And then there's Yohandy Morales, who seemed like a no-brainer for the Nationals to call up when they sent Brady House down on May 19. Back then, Morales was batting .358 with 10 home runs and a 1.056 OPS. Since then, he's batting .263 with six homers and a .786 OPS, slowing down most of all in June. For as hard as he impacts the ball, there are some flaws in his profile that would cause the Nationals to think twice if he isn't setting Triple-A on fire. It doesn't help that they seem committed to giving Curtis Mead at-bats at third base.

So for now, Milbrandt, Ryan, and Morales are all out of my Five on the Verge. Who, then, is in?

FIVE ON THE VERGE

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

Joshua Baez, OF, Cardinals

2025 minors: .287 BA (418 AB), 20 HR, 54 SB, .884 OPS, 59 BB, 103 K
2026 minors: .274 BA (270 AB), 25 HR, 12 SB, .969 OPS, 21 BB, 91 K

Joshua Baez has a total of three hits in five games since his historic four-homer day, but two of them were home runs. He's also struck out just four times during that stretch, bringing his strikeout rate down to 23 percent over his past 27 games, during which he's batted .342 (38 for 111). I bring it up because his overall strikeout rate of 30 percent is probably the only reason why we haven't seen him in the majors yet. It's a dramatic departure from the 21 percent rate that put him on the prospect map last year, and it raises concerns about his viability against major league pitching. But he seems to be making strides in that regard lately.

And of course, there's no second-guessing his power. The impact he could have on the Cardinals lineup is enormous, and since they're currently occupying a wild card spot, they have plenty of incentive to upgrade from, say, Nathan Church. They clearly aren't afraid to lean on youth in pursuit of a playoff spot, seeing as they recently added both Blaze Jordan and Jimmy Crooks to their lineup.

Kade Anderson, SP, Mariners

2026 minors: 7-0, 1.02 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 61 2/3 IP, 8 BB, 90 K

The Mariners already have six pitchers for five spots, a logjam that has necessitated a novel piggyback approach from which no one is immune. It's one of the main reasons why Kade Anderson went missing from my Five on the Verge for a few weeks, but you know what? I don't care anymore. I don't care because he's so outrageously dominant that his arrival, however fleeting the possibility, would register as an 8.2 on the Fantasy Baseball Richter scale, likely sending shock waves through your league's standings. But don't take my word for it.

"Every single night he goes out to pitch, it's a Kade Anderson pitching clinic," Double-A manager Rich Thompson said after the left-hander's latest start Friday. "He's got command of all his stuff. Four plus pitches in any count. That's what makes him so difficult to hit. You never really know what you're going to get."

You see his 1.02 ERA, right? Anderson has come about it by allowing no earned runs in his past five starts. The last earned run he gave up was during his one and only miss of the season, when he surrendered five earned runs on May 15. He's given up a combined two earned runs in his other 11 starts.

And sure, no path exists for him now, but unless you were born in a year beginning in 202, you know that no pitching staff escapes injury for long. It's certainly not far-fetched to think Anderson would be the first choice to fill that hypothetical opening. While it's true he has yet to advance to Triple-A, I'll remind you that Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller all made the leap directly from Double-A. Seems like the Mariners prefer not to expose their top pitching prospects to the Pacific Coast League.

Luis Lara, OF, Brewers

2025 minors: .257 BA (513 AB), 2 HR, 44 SB, .712 OPS, 86 BB, 99 K
2026 minors: .327 BA (251 AB), 7 HR, 20 SB, .897 OPS, 46 BB, 41 K

It's true that Luis Lara has slowed down in June, batting .255 (13 for 51) with just one extra-base, but it's fair to say the turnaround is underway. That's because he just collected five hits in a single game Tuesday, including that one extra-base hit (a double). Lara's slash line (.327/.435/.462) is still exceptional for a 21-year-old at the minors' highest level, and his plus plate discipline and superlative center field defense would make him a boon even for a team as stout as the Brewers. They've already begun to phase out Sal Frelick in right field. Garrett Mitchell is still clinging for dear life in center, but it's only a matter of time.

Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies

2025 minors: .268 BA (365 AB), 14 HR, .820 OPS, 52 BB, 112 K
2026 minors: .270 BA (248 AB), 14 HR, .932 OPS, 47 BB, 70 K

Charlie Condon is back in my Five on the Verge, where he was a staple to begin the season. The difference between now and then is that TJ Rumfield has now established himself as an integral part of the lineup, and Troy Johnston has proven to have staying power as well. But does Tyler Freeman deserve to play as much as he does? Frankly, an injury to any of about five players would open up a path for Condon, who's also capable of manning the outfield corners. We're here to talk about his offense, though, which has been stellar of late. Over his past 13 games, he's batting .354 (17 for 48) with six homers and three triples. He has the plate discipline and exit velocity readings to back it up, as you'd expect for a former No. 3 overall pick.

Zac Veen, OF, Rockies

2025 minors: .289 BA (377 AB), 11 HR, 15 SB, .823 OPS, 39 BB, 86 K
2026 minors: .332 BA (250 AB), 11 HR, 14 SB, .999 OPS, 38 BB, 59 K

How committed the Rockies are to Zac Veen at this point is hard to say. The former ninth overall pick hasn't placed high on prospect rank lists for a few years now and was hapless in his 12 games in the majors last year. And then came the revelations about his substance abuse this spring. He's the one who brought them to light, though, by talking about them in the past tense. He also put on a bunch of good weight, which he's sustained in-season. The result is that, at 24, he's looking like the prospect he should have been all along, hitting the ball harder and with greater frequency than ever before. Case in point was his massive 455-foot homer Friday, shown here:

 "I'm really encouraged by Zac's progress," president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta recently told MLB.com. "He's really swung the bat well, aggressive on the bases, hitting for power. He's done some damage against left-handed pitching, which has been great to see. Getting everyday at-bats and having that confidence has been terrific."

Over his past 23 games, Veen is batting .433 (42 for 97) with seven homers and three steals, which is the sort of surge that could propel a guy to the majors, whether there's a spot for him or not. It helps, as DePodesta pointed out, that Veen has made himself playable against left-handed pitchers, batting .298 (31 for 104) with six homers and an .875 OPS. 

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

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

Tommy White, 3B, Athletics

2025 minors: .275 BA (360 AB), 12 HR, .773 OPS, 29 BB, 54 K
2026 minors: .295 BA (244 AB), 8 HR, .817 OPS, 16 BB, 38 K

Drafted in 2024, Tommy White has already made it all the way to Triple-A thanks to some impressive bat-to-ball skills. The power has been a bit underwhelming, particularly for a guy nicknamed "Tommy Tanks," but now that he's reached a level where we can access his Statcast data, we can confirm that it's certainly not for a lack of quality contact. His 90.3 mph average exit velocity is 75th percentile, and his 112.0 mph max exit velocity is 87th percentile. His pull-air rate, on the other hand, is in the 24th percentile, which makes it the likeliest source of his troubles. More specifically, he puts the ball on the ground way too much, as in 52 percent of the time between his two stops this year, and that's been the norm for his professional career. Is it a problem? Sure, but a correctable one. His aggressive approach is less correctable, but if he's contributing average and power, what does he need to walk for?

Luke Adams, 1B, Brewers

2025 minors: .231 BA (234 AB), 11 HR, 10 SB, .853 OPS, 52 BB, 64 K
2026 minors: .262 BA (107 AB), 12 HR, 5 SB, 1.048 OPS, 17 BB, 26 K

I haven't been Luke Adams' most vocal proponent because it's rare to see a player who doesn't hit for average in the minors eventually amount to something in the majors, and the 22-year-old was a career .236 hitter coming into this year. He's doing better now -- not orders of magnitude better, but better -- and that's noteworthy because his power is indeed stout. At 6-feet-4 and 233 pounds, he fills out the batter's box nicely and has a penchant for pulling the ball. It led to a three-homer game Sunday and has led to 10 total home runs in his past 20 games.

Notably, his batting average concerns aren't tied to strikeouts. He has maintained a rate at or below 20 percent throughout his minor league career. The Brewers also don't currently have a need for another first baseman, having one too many already, but what could help is that Adams has been splitting his time at third base.

Demetrio Crisantes, 2B, Diamondbacks

2025 minors: .252 BA (123 AB), 4 HR, .773 OPS, 21 BB, 19 K
2026 minors: .305 BA (82 AB), 4 HR, 1.009 OPS, 16 BB, 23 K

Contact-minded hitters who are limited to playing the right side of the infield typically don't get a lot of prospect love, particularly while still in the lower minors, so it's a testament to Crisantes that he was appearing on major top 100 lists at the start of last season. A torn labrum in his left shoulder took him off of them while ending his season in May, and a hamstring injury held him out at the start of this year as well. He's gotten his stroke working now, though, batting .313 (15 for 48) with two homers, a triple and five doubles in his past 10 games. That's all come at Double-A after he struggled to adapt to just High-A last year. I'd say the 21-year-old is back to being one of the top second base prospects.

Alexander Frias, OF, Brewers

2025 minors: .316 BA (95 AB), 1 HR, 7 SB, .811 OPS, 14 BB, 21 K
2026 minors: .431 BA (123 AB), 4 HR, 15 SB, 1.169 OPS, 17 BB, 21 K

The Brewers have struck gold with international signees like Jackson Chourio, Jesus Made, Luis Pena and Luis Lara, who all emerged as top prospects before even reaching their 20th birthday, and the same may be happening with Alexander Frias. The 18-year-old has been the toast of the Arizona Complex League, and he isn't just taking advantage of the favorable hitting environment there, having already registered an exit velocity of 117 mph. That's a mark only four major leaguers have reached this year, and again, Frias is all of 18 years old. His strike-zone judgment and bat-to-ball skills have been impressive as well. The Brewers have seen enough to give him a trial run in full-season ball (Low-A, specifically), which is not an outcome anyone would have foreseen coming in.

Caden Bodine, C, Rays

2025 minors: .326 BA (43 AB), 0 HR, 1 2B, .757 OPS, 5 BB, 8 K
2026 minors: .364 BA (247 AB), 9 HR, .989 OPS, 25 BB, 15 K

A week ago, I introduced you to Owen Ayers, a 25-year-old catcher who was dominating at Double-A. Now, I give you Caden Bodine, a 22-year-old catcher who's excelling at High-A. I held off on both because under-leveled prospects have made for ample Fantasy fakeouts over the years (which is my way of saying that both of these players are old), but stunted offensive development is to be expected at catcher, considering the defensive demands of the position. Bodine has the added advantage of being drafted only last year. It's not his fault the Rays haven't moved him more aggressively. In fact, it's really not his fault because he's been gangbusters so far. Dude almost never strikes out, sporting a 5.2 percent K rate between two levels, which makes it none too surprising that he's batting .364. Perhaps his important attribute, though, is his defense, which is good enough to ensure he'll get a look in the majors even if his offense diminishes as he moves up the ladder.