A reminder of how this works: This is a list for the 2024 season only. This is not a list of top overall prospects, but rather the players who have the greatest chance of making a difference in 2024.
Additionally, it is just a list of prospects who are currently underage/have prospect eligibility. Players who are currently on MLB rosters or who have exhausted their rookie status are not considered eligible.
With those caveats out of the way, here are the top prospects who will have the chance to make a fantastic 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 lately and finished the week with a 3-for-4 effort that saw him hit his 16th home run against Norfolk on Sunday. For a guy who many thought would make Tampa Bay’s roster after spring training, it’s a little surprising to see Caminero still facing Triple-A pitching in August; even while acknowledging that he missed significant time due to the quadriceps injury. It still seems very reasonable for him to finish the year in the majors, and almost as reasonable for him to 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 in Low-A Tampa, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Dominguez hasn’t been playing very well lately, as an 0-for-4 game on Sunday against Lehigh Valley now leaves him at 2-for-20 in his last five games. He also didn’t score in the month of August and saw his slugging percentage at Triple-A drop to .386. It’s hard to get too worried with a small sample size like this, but there is a little more pressure on him to play well because he will have to rake to get the call. Brian Cashman recently told reporters that there is 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 in Colorado.
Dominguez is fighting. Beck is not. The outfielder has hit multiple times in seven of his last nine games, and that includes a three-hitter with a double against Sacramento on Sunday. He’s now hitting .319/.402/.558 at Triple-A, and there’s really nothing left to prove at the minor league level; a (somewhat) crazy thing to say about a player drafted in 2022. Beck is expected to finish the year in Colorado, and there’s plenty of reason to believe he can help fantasy managers once he gets another chance.
4. Moisés 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 for so long that it’s sometimes easy to forget that he’s a player who only turns 21 in November. He certainly hasn’t played like a player who isn’t old enough to buy 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 can help with that. The question now, unfortunately, is whether Chicago cares enough about 2024 for Ballesteros to begin service.
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 in Cleveland.
Manzardo has seen most of his numbers drop — although, as you can see above, they’re still pretty good, at least at Triple-A — but he managed to score against St. Paul on Saturday. The only 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 starts. Manzardo has significant offensive upside, even if it wasn’t immediately 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 in Milwaukee.
Black continues to see his power numbers drop, which is bad, and he has seen his average drop 11 points over the last two weeks, which is also not good. He still continued to show a solid approach at the plate with seven hits in his last 10 games, but he didn’t steal a base in the month of August. Black will need an injury to be an everyday player in 2024, but his upside makes the lineup worth considering if that happens.
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 home runs and seven stolen bases. his 40 games. The second overall pick has all the tools you need to be a successful fantasy player — success is an understatement — and we’ve seen the Nationals be aggressive with promotions before. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Crews ended the year with Washington, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be ready to sign 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 saw Jared Jones and Paul Skenes make a huge impact for Pittsburgh and fantasy managers as prospects. Chandler could be next. The former quarterback made his Triple-A debut on Friday against Nashville, and all he did was throw seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. He’s thrown seven straight innings, and the right-hander has a solid command of three-above-average pitches while occasionally showing quality quarters on his changeup. The 21-year-old doesn’t have the upside of the names listed above and the Pirates could wait until 2025 to promote him, but right now he’s just a step away from the top level and will be worth a fantasy addition if/when Pittsburgh makes him part of your current rotation.
9. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers2024 Stats: 0.22 G, 84.1 IP, 7 HRA, 53 BB, 110 SO at Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville.
This one is a little harder to sell, but I’ll do my best. Misiorowski has some of the best swings and misses in baseball, as you can see from these numbers, and was recently promoted to Triple-A. So why is it a tough sell? Misiorowski hasn’t gone more than five innings since July 12 and has worked just 4 2/3 innings since he was reassigned to Nashville. I think this could really represent a unique opportunity, though. It’s not hard for me to see Misiorowski (but you have to spell that) being a bullpen arm for the Brewers, and while he doesn’t get saves or wins, it’s very possible he racks up the strikeouts with three strong offerings led by a fastball plus-plus and slider. The year is deep enough that we run out of options, and deep enough that you can target the guys in the division. Misiorowski could be a great guy.
10. Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics
2024 Stats: 46 G, .438/.475/.686, 7 HR, 2 SB, 12 BB, 13 SO in short-season ACL, Double-A Midland and Triple8-A Las Vegas; 1 G, 1000/1000/1000, 0 HR, 0 SB 0 BB, 0 SO in Oakland.
This is cheating. Kind of. Wilson is technically on the MLB roster, which is why he remains on this list. For those who missed it, Wilson was called up to make his MLB debut and hit a hit in his first at-bat, but while scoring a triple off Lawrence Butler, he pulled his hamstring. There’s no timeline yet, but assuming it doesn’t cost him the entire season, the fact that you can place the outfield player on your injured list might be better – depending on your current roster construction, of course. Wilson could hit hard, and considering how “behind” we are in the season, I would be willing to take the risk.
Also considered: Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs; Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta; Jace Jung, INF, Detroit Tigers
