A reminder on how this works: This is a list for the 2024 season only. It is not a list of the top overall prospects, but the players who have the best chance of making a difference in 2024.
Also, it’s only a list of prospects who are currently in the minors/have prospect eligibility. Players who are currently on MLB rosters or have exhausted their rookie status are not considered eligible.
Those caveats out of the way, here’s a look at the top prospects who have a chance to make a fantasy contribution in 2024.
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1. Junior Caminero, INF, Tampa Bay Rays
2024 stats: 42 G, .252/.333/.515, 12 HR, 1 SB, 19 BB, 40 SO at Triple-A Durham.
Caminero returned to the Triple-A lineup Saturday after missing a little under two months with his quad injury, and he went 1-for-8 against Jacksonville. That one hit was a homer, and he’s gone deep four times in eight games if you include his six-game rehab assignment at the Rookie level. We’re going to. Caminero hasn’t shown the plus hit tool that makes him one of the top prospects in baseball, but he’s been able to show off that plus-plus power and drawn his fair share of walks, as well. It’d be a major upset if Caminero doesn’t play for the Rays in 2024, and just as likely that he’ll help fantasy rosters in the process.
2. Coby Mayo, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 72 G, .305/.385/.628, 22 HR, 3 SB, 34 BB, 78 SO at High-A Aberdeen and Triple-A Norfolk.
Mayo’s numbers have dropped over the last couple of weeks, but that’s more of a “you can’t do this forever, this game is too hard” than a “what’s wrong with Coby Mayo?” thing. Even more encouraging was Orioles general manager Mike Elias stating that he believes that Mayo will help the Orioles before the end of the 2024 season. The question now becomes when and what kind of role he’ll serve, but Mayo has the type of offensive upside that is worth stashing right now in redraft leagues.
3. Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics
2024 stats: 46 G, .438/.475/.686, 7 HR, 2 SB, 12 BB, 13 SO at short-season ACL, Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas; 1 G, 1.000/.1.000/1.000, 0 HR, 0 SB 0 BB, 0 SO at Oakland.
This is cheating. Kind of. Wilson is technically on the MLB roster, and that’s actually why he stays on this list. For those who missed it, Wilson was called up to make his MLB debut and picked up a hit in his first at-bat, but while scoring on a Lawrence Butler triple, he strained his hamstring. MRI results haven’t been made available prior to publication, but assuming this won’t cost him the whole season, the fact you can stash the infielder on your injured list might be better -- depending on your current roster construction, of course. Wilson can flat-out hit, and considering how “late” we are into the season, I’d be willing to take the risk.
4. Tyler Locklear, 1B, Seattle Mariners
2024 stats: 72 G, .280/.389/.498, 12 HR, 5 SB, 40 BB, 82 SO at Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma; 11 G, .200/.250/.433, 2 HR, 1 SB, 1 BB, 12 SO at Seattle.
Locklear placing this high on the list has to do with his talent, but also because he’s the most likely player of these 10 to receive a promotion. The Mariners are reportedly placing Ty France on outright waivers Monday, and while there has been some talk that Jason Vosler will take France’s place on the roster -- before you ask, no -- Locklear seems pretty likely to be up with Seattle in a short amount of time. There’s plenty of power in his bat, and while strikeouts will come with that pop, the ball jumps off his bat; enough so to believe that he won’t be a tremendous detriment in the average category. There’s some obvious risk with Locklear, but the reward is just as readily apparent.
5. Jackson Holliday, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 67 G, .280/.448/.500, 10 HR, 8 SB, 74 BB, 69 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 10 G, .059/.111/.059, 0 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 18 SO at Baltimore.
Holiday picked up a pair of homers Friday, and four doubles over the week with those aforementioned dingers boosting his slugging mark move up over 50 points. Holliday is the best prospect in the minors -- that’s even more obvious now with Paul Skenes and James Wood no longer eligible -- and despite his shaky play with Baltimore in his limited sample, he’s absolutely a must-roster if Baltimore calls him up again this summer. There’s just no guarantee that’s going to happen.
6. Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs
2024 stats: 77 G, .299/.364/.500, 13 HR, 1 SB, 28 BB, 50 SO at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.
Ballesteros is starting to drive the baseball with regularity in Triple-A, and he now has four homers in his 21 games with Iowa to go along with an .856 OPS. Two of those homers came over the weekend in a series against Memphis, and over his last 10 games, the 21-year-old backstop is slashing .288/.326/.575. Those are good numbers regardless of the position, but there’s no denying there’s some added benefit from Ballesteros playing behind the plate. The Cubs have been rumored to be interested in making deals for backstops like Danny Jensen. They should just give Ballesteros a shot.
7. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
2024 stats: 51 G, .283/.397/.582, 13 HR, 0 SB, 31 BB, 37 SO at Triple-A Columbus; 30 G, .207/.241/.329, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3 BB, 23 SO at Cleveland.
Manzardo was due for some regression from his scorching play after being demoted back to Triple-A, and it has come. In his last 60 at-bats he’s hitting just .213/.300/.328, and only three of his hits have gone for extra bases -- none of them homers. It’s hard to be too harsh considering those struggles have still presented the line you see above, and while Manzardo wasn’t great or anything close to that descriptor in Cleveland, he wasn’t overmatched, either. If/when Cleveland gets him back in the fold, those who need help at the corner infield should give him strong consideration.
8. Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
2024 stats: 74 G, .268/.341/.439, 9 HR, 20 SB, 27 BB, 69 SO at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.
Since being promoted to Triple-A Rochester, Crews has held his own, but hasn’t lit up the leaderboards either with a slash of .257/.336/.426 with four homers and five stolen bases over 23 games. Two of those four roundtrippers have come in his last 10 games, however, and he’s shown a strong approach at the plate with nine free passes over that timeframe as well. Those walks not only help him get on base (editor’s note: no kidding), but an advanced approach at the plate does tend to lead to a quicker promotion. There’s work to be done, but there aren’t many hitters who have the upside of Crews at any level.
9. Tyler Black, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers2024 stats: 66 G, .280/.383/.464, 10 HR, 13 SB, 36 BB, 52 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 12 G, .235/.316/.294, 0 HR, 3 SB, 4 BB, 18 SO at Milwaukee.
Black has not been able to drive the baseball on a consistent basis as of late, and he hasn’t hit a homer in his last 10 games. Just as concerning -- perhaps even more so -- is that he has only stolen one base over those 10 contests as well. The fantasy upside for Black is obvious, and if you’re looking for a sign of encouragement it’s that the Brewers have deployed him at first base, third base and center field over the last month. Still, he’s going to have to get going with the bat again if he’s going to help Milwaukee or fantasy players.
10. Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
2024 stats: 23 G, .356/.404/.609, 6 HR, 3 SB, 7 BB, 19 SO at Low-A Tampa, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Dominguez was diagnosed with a “moderate” oblique strain that is going to keep him until at least the end of August. The good news is that injury doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t be a fantasy contributor at the end of the year. It’d be nice if you could place Dominguez on your injured list, but without that ability, it’s tough to roster him at this stage. That being said, he’d be at the top of this list if not for the injury, so again, keep him on your radar.
Also considered: Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs; Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta; Jace Jung, INF, Detroit Tigers