Top 10 fantasy baseball prospects: June 17
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. 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.
You're going to notice a bit of a theme in this week's list, and it's not a good one. Dominguez was placed on the 7-day injured list Sunday with what the Yankees are calling a left side injury. The Yankees are awaiting results from testing to determine the severity of the injury. We're going to play the optimism card and assume this is a short-term thing and that Dominguez will be ready to roll soon, but obviously, next week's list could look a lot — a lot — different.
2. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
2024 stats: 45 G, .355/.465/.596, 9 HR, 10 SB, 35 BB, 37 SO at Triple-A Rochester.
Injury No. 2. Wood is still on the injured list because of his hamstring injury, as he hasn't been able to play since May 23. He still belongs near the top of this list as long as the Nationals continue to say this is a minor injury, and he reportedly was able to participate in practice sessions over the last week. Simply put, there's no prospect at the upper levels who can fill out all five categories the way Wood can. You may not see him until the middle of June at the earliest, but to say he has the potential to be worth the wait is quite the understatement.
3. Junior Caminero, INF, Tampa Bay Rays
2024 stats: 34 G, .261/.333/.478, 8 HR, 1 SB, 14 BB, 35 SO at Triple-A Durham.
Injury No. 3. Caminero was placed on the seven-day IL with a quad strain and hasn't been able to play since May 28. He also wasn't exactly tearing the cover off the baseball as of late with an OPS of .430 over his last 40 at-bats. Still, Caminero has some of the best offensive upside in the sport regardless of level, and assuming good health in the coming weeks, he definitely has the potential to be an impact bat at some point this summer.
4. Jackson Holliday, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 50 G, .270/.433/.466, 7 HR, 5 SB, 54 BB, 54 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 10 G, .059/.111/.059, 0 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 18 SO at Baltimore.
And finally, injury No. 4, and it would have been five as I had Jordan Lawlar on this list until he suffered a hamstring injury. Holliday was placed on the injured list Friday with right elbow inflammation, and it's unclear how severe the injury is at this time. Simply put, this has been a horrific year for injuries and prospects, and the healthy guys haven't torn the cover off the baseball. Are all four of these players — five if you count Lawlar — elite prospects who can be significant fantasy contributors? Yes and then some. Is there major risk with all of them at least for 2024. Yep. It's a weird time, folks.
5. Tyler Black, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers
2024 stats: 52 G, .277/.377/.488, 9 HR, 11 SB, 28 BB, 36 SO at Triple-A Nashville; 7 G, .227/.261/.318, 0 HR, 2 SB, 1 BB, 8 SO at Milwaukee.
Well, finally, a healthy baseball player. Black had a so-so week that saw hm strike out in each game in each of his five games — seven punchouts total — and he hasn't homered until June 5. The overall experience has been a positive one, however, and his ability to hit for average, power and steal bases at first base makes him a unique option as well. The only reason Black is in the middle of the pack is a lack of guaranteed playing time.
6. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta
2024 stats: 10 G, 55 1/3 IP, 3.09 ERA, 3 HRA, 18 BB, 59 SO at Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett; 2 G, 7 IP, 16.71 ERA, 8 BB, 3 SO at Atlanta.
Waldrep is back in Triple-A after his two starts with Atlanta not going particularly well, but if there's one thing you should have learned from these lists, I'm not a big fan of making judgements on small sample size. He's still a hurler with three pitches that can miss bats, and while the command/control need (obvious) work, he's been around the strike zone enough in his minor-league starts to suggest he can do it at the highest level. When Atlanta gives Waldrep another chance, fantasy managers should do the same — assuming he's not facing one of the elite lineups in baseball, of course.
7. Coby Mayo, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 42 G, .291/.359/.605, 13 HR, 3 SB, 17 BB, 53 SO at Triple-A Norfolk
A player returning from injury! Kind of! Mayo is on a rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen, and he's hit .462/.563/1.385 — not a typo — while homering three times in those games; two of them Sunday. The infielder missed close to a month with his fractured rib, and he'll return to Triple-A on Tuesday. Mayo is going to have to really rake to break his way into Baltimore's lineup, but he can do it. He can definitely do it.
8. Brooks Lee, INF, Minnesota Twins
2024 stats: 19 G, .342/.398/.434, 1 HR, 1 SB, 7 BB, 12 SO at Low-A Fort Myers and Triple-A St. Paul.
Lee is yet another prospect who missed significant time with injury, but he's back in Triple-A and he's slashed a solid .289/.341/.395 in his nine games with the Saints. The 23-year-old has one of the best hit-tools in baseball, and while he's hit just the one homer thus far, he's capable of helping in that category as well. The Twins aren't going to rush their best prospect after the long layoff, but it'd be surprising if he didn't make his MLB debut in 2024 at this point.
9. Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs
2024 stats: 61 G, .284/.410/.468, 8 HR, 5 SB, 44 BB, 75 SO at Triple-A Iowa.
Welcome to the list, Owen. We've been expecting you. Caissie came to Chicago in the Yu Darvish trade, and he's quickly become one of the top outfield prospects in the sport. There's plus power in his left-handed bat, and while he does have some swing-and-miss issues, he makes enough hard contact to suggest he can be a helper in the average category as well. The Cubs could use a spark to get back in the division race. Caissie could help in that regard, while also helping fantasy teams.
10. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 51 G, .310/.393/.619, 15 HR, 1 SB, 28 BB, 63 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 7 G, .142/.294/.143 0 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 6 SO at Baltimore.
Kjerstad didn't get much of a chance to play in his time with Baltimore, and didn't really impress in that limited action. He's clobbered Triple-A pitching and has plus-power in his left-handed bat, but he has to rank a little lower on this type of list just because it's so hard to see a path to consistent playing time in the majors. He still belongs on this list because of the potential upside if a path does open, or if Baltimore were to include him in a trade. The latter seems a little more likely.
Also considered: Orelvis Martinez, INF, Toronto Blue Jays; Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks; Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs; Jacob Wilson, INF, Oakland Athletics; Colson Montgomery, INF, Chicago White Sox
