Prospect Watch: Early Fantasy Baseball Impacts From Top-100 Talents (Part 2)

I just got done with part one of a quick, two-part story on how top-100 MLB prospects are faring early on.

Here is that first story, which covers nine prospects. Below is the second part of the story, where we will go over nine more prospects, discussing their dynasty outlooks, along with redraft outlooks

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Chase DeLauter - Cleveland Guardians

DeLauter is rostered in 90% of fantasy baseball leagues right now. He left Tuesday's game with a foot injury, so that's something to monitor, especially for an injury-prone player.

He got in the big leagues in 2025, making the Cleveland postseason roster despite never playing in a regular season game before that. DeLauter has been stellar to start the 2026 regular season, so hopefully he can stay healthy.

DeLauter has four homers among his six total hits on the year. He also has five RBIs and runs scored, one walk and seven strikeouts.

He is a highly-regarded prospect, and would have ranked a lot higher this season if not for injury concerns. DeLauter has flashed his high potential already, so now we just have to hope that he can stay healthy.

As long as his injury doesn't force him to hit the injured list, DeLauter is worth rostering in most redraft fantasy leagues already. He has a good long-term outlook as well, even if it's clouded with injury concerns.

Justin Crawford - Philadelphia Phillies

Crawford sits at 31% rostered at this point.

He has played in five games so far, collecting six hits. He has a double among the hits, plus three runs scored, a walk and three strikeouts.

Crawford has a good average and OBP to start the year, and should see his own percentage rise if he keeps posting high marks in those stats. He'll need more overall production to get into standard leagues though.

His long-term outlook is even better, and he's just 22, so hopefully he has a long career ahead of him.

Moises Ballesteros - Chicago Cubs

Ballesteros sits at 14% rostered right now.

He has just three singles over five games so far. Ballesteros has two RBIs, a run scored, two walks and six punchouts as well.

He fared much better in 20 big league games in 2025, so hopefully he's able to turn things around soon. Ballesteros could be sent back to the minor leagues if he keeps struggling, so that's something to keep in mind too.

So for now, Ballesteros doesn't have a ton of redraft fantasy league upside, being a better dynasty asset, who hopefully you don't need to play and produce a bunch right now.

Connelly Early - Boston Red Sox

Early is rostered in 67% of fantasy leagues at the moment.

He got to the big leagues and delivered good results across four starts in 2025. Early has made one start so far this year, and he pitched well in that game. He worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out six.

I'm surprised he isn't being added in more leagues today, but with a loaded rotation in Boston, there's a chance that Early is demoted later in the year when others are healthier. For now, I wouldn't mind utilizing Early in any fantasy leagues.

His dynasty outlook is high, and I think the 23-year-old could emerge as a high-end fantasy pitcher for years to come.

Carson Williams - Tampa Bay Rays

Williams is rostered in just 10% of fantasy leagues today.

He made the big leagues in 2025 and hit just .172 over 32 games. In five games so far in 2026, Williams isn't faring any better, with just three hits over 19 at-bats. He has a double among the hits, plus three RBIs, four runs scored, a walk and six strikeouts.

He has some pop in his bat, and isn't expected to be a huge hitter - he's a good defender, but that doesn't translate to most fantasy leagues. Anyways, until Williams starts flashing some of his pop, he's just a deep-league fantasy asset.

His long-term outlook is a bit better, but again, unless he really starts flashing his pop, I am not a huge fan of Williams as a fantasy hitter.

Rhett Lowder - Cincinnati Reds

Lowder is owned in 12% of fantasy leagues right now.

He made six starts and looked good in 2025. In his first start in 2026, he fared pretty well. Lowder gave up two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out five.

The former first-round pick is highly regarded, and after what he did in 2025, I'm surprised he isn't owned in more fantasy leagues today. That could change in time, so redraft owners in all leagues need to be keeping close tabs on Lowder.

His long-term outlook is really good as well, but something to note is that he's 24 years old already, so it's not quite as good as most of the other guys we've discussed in either one of these articles.

Parker Messick - Cleveland Guardians

Messick is rostered in 34% of fantasy leagues today.

He too made his MLB debut in 2025, and he's made one start this season. Messick was stellar in his first start, working six scoreless frames. He allowed five hits and no walks, while striking out five batters.

He's a bit older prospect as well, being 25 years old already. Messick's long-term outlook is a bit lower as a result, but is still pretty high. Watch for Messick to emerge as a redraft fantasy asset in 2026, especially after his first start, and what he did in 2025.

Hunter Barco - Pittsburgh Pirates

Barco is barely owned in any fantasy leagues right now. 

The 25-year-old is in the team's bullpen for now, and has been roughed up in his first two appearances of 2026. Barco has allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks over three innings, while striking out three along the way.

Barco doesn't have much redraft fantasy value while working out of the bullpen, and as a 25-year-old, his long-term outlook is knocked down a bit as well. I'm not against owning Barco in dynasty leagues, but at the moment, things don't look super promising for him.

We'll see if Barco ever gets a break and can emerge as a fantasy asset.

Brandon Sproat - Milwaukee Brewers

Sproat is rostered in 16% of fantasy leagues today. He was over 40% when he made his first start of the year.

Sproat was roughed up against the White Sox in that outing, allowing seven runs on six hits (three homers) and four walks. Sproat struck out three batters.

He made his MLB debut in 2025 with the Mets before being traded to the Brewers in the Freddy Peralta deal. Milwaukee usually gets the best out of pitchers, so I wouldn't read too much into his first start.

He'll be a streaming option for his next few starts, but not a very confident one after his first outing. Keep tabs on Sproat in case he excels moving forward though. He's 25, so his long-term outlook is down a bit, but is still pretty high, especially if he reaches his potential in Milwaukee.