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: 59 G, .274/.337/.521, 16 HR, 1 SB, 21 BB, 52 SO at Triple-A Durham.
Why are you still here? Caminero has been hot with the bat as of late, and he finished the week with a 3-for-4 effort that saw him hit his 16th homer against Norfolk on Sunday. For a guy that many thought would make the Tampa Bay roster out of spring training, it’s a little surprising to see Caminero still facing Triple-A pitching in August; even acknowledging that he missed significant time with his quad injury. It still seems very reasonable that he’ll finish the year in the majors, and close to as reasonable that he’ll be a solid fantasy contributor.
2. Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
2024 stats: 35 G, .284/.342/.463, 6 HR, 5 SB, 11 BB, 34 SO at Low-A Tampa, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Dominguez has not played particularly well as of late, as an 0-for-4 game Sunday against Lehigh Valley now sees him in a 2-for-20 funk over his last five games. He also hasn’t homered in the month of August and has seen his slugging percentage in Triple-A drop to .386. It’s hard to be too concerned about a small sample like this, but there’s a little more pressure for him to play well because he’s going to have to rake in order to get the call. Brian Cashman recently told reporters that there’s no room for Dominguez right now. A lot can change before the end of the year, and Dominguez has the talent to make that change.
3. Jordan Beck, OF, Colorado Rockies
2024 stats: 42 G, .316/.395/.540, 8 HR, 6 SB, 23 BB, 45 SO at Triple-A Albuquerque; 23 G, 190/.198/.316, 2 HR, 2 SB, 1 BB, 30 SO at Colorado.
Dominguez is scuffling. Beck is not. The outfielder has picked up multiple hits in seven of his last nine games, and that includes a three-hit effort with a double against Sacramento on Sunday. He’s now hitting .319/.402/.558 in Triple-A, and there’s really nothing left to prove at the minor-league level; a (somewhat) crazy thing to say for a player drafted in 2022. Beck should finish the year in Colorado, and there’s lots of reasons to believe he can help fantasy managers once he receives another chance.
4. Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs
2024 stats: 94 G, .292/.361/.493, 16 HR, 1 SB, 36 BB, 65 SO at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.
Ballesteros has been on this list so long that it sometimes becomes easy for me to forget that this is a player that doesn’t turn 21 until November. He certainly hasn’t played like a player who isn’t old enough to purchase a wine cooler, as he’s now hitting a very strong .283/.346/.490 with the Triple-A Cubs. Chicago continues to struggle to get production out of the catching position, and Ballesteros could help that. The question now, unfortunately, is whether Chicago cares enough about 2024 to have Ballesteros start his service clock.
5. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
2024 stats: 68 G, .269/.399/.550, 16 HR, 0 SB, 41 BB, 50 SO at Triple-A Columbus; 30 G, .207/.241/.329, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3 BB, 23 SO at Cleveland.
Manzardo has seen most of his numbers drop -- although as you can see above they’re still very good, at least in Triple-A -- but he was able to homer against St. Paul on Saturday. The one number that hasn’t dropped is his on-base percentage, as he continues to draw free passes at a strong rate with walks in four of his last six contests. Manzardo has significant offensive upside even if it wasn’t readily apparent when he was with Cleveland, and fantasy managers should give him a second chance if the Guardians do the same.
6. Tyler Black, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers
2024 stats: 70 G, .276/.389/.448, 11 HR, 16 SB, 39 BB, 55 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 12 G, .235/.316/.294, 0 HR, 3 SB, 4 BB, 18 SO at Milwaukee.
Black continues to see the power numbers drop, which is bad, and he’s seen his average drop 11 points over the last two weeks, which isn’t great either. He has still continued to show a solid approach at the plate with seven walks in his last 10 games, but he hasn’t stolen a base in the month of August. Black is gonna need an injury to be an everyday player in 2024, but his upside makes him worth a roster consideration if that were to take place.
7. Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
2024 stats: 91 G, .270/.343/.455, 11 HR, 22 SB, 32 BB, 81 SO at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.
Crews is starting to get the hang of this Triple-A thing, and after homering in two-of-three games for the Red Wings, he’s now hitting 265/.344/.465 with Rochester along with six homers and seven stolen bases over his 40 games. The second-overall pick has every tool you need to be a successful fantasy player -- successful is an understatement -- and we’ve seen the Nationals be aggressive with promotions before. It would not be a major upset if Crews finished the year with Washington, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be ready to add him when that happens.
8. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2024 stats: 20 G, 871 IP, 7 HRA, 27 BB, 100 SO at Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.
We have seen Jared Jones and Paul Skenes make a big impact for Pittsburgh and fantasy managers as prospects. Chandler could be next. The former quarterback prospect made his Triple-A debut Friday against Nashville, and all he did was throw seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out six. He’s gone seven innings in back-to-back starts, and the right-hander has solid command of three above-average pitches while occasionally showing a quality fourth in his change. The 21-year-old doesn’t have the upside of those names listed above and the Pirates may wait until 2025 to promote him, but he’s now just a step away from the highest level, and he’ll be worth a fantasy add if/when Pittsburgh makes him a part of their current rotation.
9. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers2024 stats: .22 G, 84.1 IP, 7 HRA, 53 BB, 110 SO at Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville.
This one’s a little harder to sell, but I’ll do my best. Misiorowski has some of the best swing-and-miss stuff in baseball as you can see from those numbers, and he recently got promoted to Triple-A. So why is it a hard sale? Misiorowski hasn’t gone over five innings since July 12, and he’s worked just 4 2/3 innings since being moved up to Nashville. I think this actually could present a unique opportunity, however. It’s not hard for me to see Misiorowski (but it is hard for me to spell it), being a bullpen arm for the Brewers, and while he won’t get saves nor wins, it’s very possible he piles up the strikeouts with three strong offerings led by a plus-plus fastball and slider. It’s deep enough in the year that we’re running out of options, and deep enough that you can target category guys. Misiorowski could be a category guy.
10. 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 Triple8-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. There’s still no timetable, 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.
Also considered: Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs; Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta; Jace Jung, INF, Detroit Tigers