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Jarod analyzes three top fantasy baseball prospects - Deyvison De Los Santos, Tyler Locklear, Matt Shaw - who could make big impacts this season. These MLB prospects are potential waiver wire pick-ups or stashes.
We're closing in on the final weeks of the fantasy baseball season so we need to make sure we're looking under every stone, seeing if there is someone there who can help us take home that championship.
Most of the stones on the waiver wire have been picked up and put back down. We know who is under there by now. There are still some we need to look under though, and that's what we'll do today.
Prospects, especially those that have yet to make a big league debut, are veritable unknowns for fantasy but can offer plenty of upside (and plenty of downside too!) which is why we need to leave no stone unturned.
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Deyvison De Los Santos - 1B/3B, Miami Marlins
Current Level: Triple-A Jacksonville
Availability: 7% rostered
2024 AA stats: 38 G, .372/.426/.696, 14 HR, 37 RBI, 28 R, 1 SB
2024 AAA stats: 71 G, .289/.341/.582, 21 HR, 66 RBI, 50 R, 0 SB
After hitting 20-plus home runs in each of the prior two seasons, Deyvison de los Santos was expected to have big power numbers this season, but now he's added in a reduced strikeout rate and raised his batting average.
Between Double-A and Triple-A, including games played in both the Diamondbacks and Marlins farm systems, the 21-year-old has slashed .318/.370/.621 with a minor league-leading 35 home runs and 103 RBI.
🚨DE LOS SANTOS HAS DONE IT AGAIN🚨 pic.twitter.com/wiLBTuqGOU
— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) August 21, 2024
From the lower levels of the minors up through his time at Double-A in 2024, the corner infield prospect had a 25.7% K%, but it has actually ticked down since getting his first taste of Triple-A pitching, posting a 24.9% rate over 71 games.
Despite being on a tear since the beginning of the season, de los Santos has oddly been left off MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list, not even cracking the most recent August refresh.
Nevertheless, after hitting well against Triple-A pitching for Arizona and doing the same for the Marlins, he's shown he can handle the best pitching the minors has to offer.
The question is when he'll get a shot at major league pitching. The Marlins are going nowhere and have recently brought up recently acquired prospect Connor Norby, so perhaps the Dominican isn't far behind.
He's eligible at both 1B and 3B on Yahoo, so managers have flexibility in how he's deployed, and for those with an available bench spot (or NA spot) interested in stashing him, he's available in over 90% of Yahoo leagues.
Tyler Locklear - 1B, Seattle Mariners
Current Level: Triple-A Tacoma
Availability: 1% rostered
2024 MLB stats: 16 G, .156/.224/.311, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB
2024 AAA stats: 50 G, .263/.376/.468, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 36 R, 1 SB
Tyler Locklear began the season at Double-A and after hitting .291, mashing eight home runs, and recording a superb .401 OBP over 41 games, he was promoted to Triple-A.
Tyler Locklear makes it 4-1 with this three-run blast! pic.twitter.com/uEdmf4SqmF
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) August 18, 2024
The 23-year-old performed well enough at Triple-A and along with some injuries at the major league level, Locklear got a shot in the Show.
Unfortunately, he slashed .156/.224/.311 in 16 games, including a second brief call-up in July. Overall, the former second-round pick has had a solid minor league season.
He's hit .276 with 16 home runs and is boasting a .387 OBP on the back of a strong 12.3% walk rate, although the right-handed hitter has gone 7-for-39 (.179) over the last 12 games.
That being the case, he's not exactly banging on the door for another promotion to the big league club, but all it takes is one injury for the Mariners to summon his name again.
The VCU product still has tremendous power, and whether it is this season or next, he should get a chance to show it off at T-Mobile Park.
Matt Shaw - INF, Chicago Cubs
Level: Triple-A Iowa
Availability: 2% rostered
2024 AA stats: 86 G, .279/.373/.468, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 60 R, 25 SB
2024 AAA stats: 15 G, .255/.387/.451, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, 2 SB
Taken as the 13th overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Matt Shaw has quickly ascended the ranks of the Cubs' organization. Possessing a solid power-speed combo, he could be one of the next top prospects to make their big league debut.
The University of Maryland product began the year at Double-A, but after logging a .279-14-50-60-25 line with a .373 OBP, the 22-year-old earned a promotion to Triple-A.
Now sitting just one level below the majors, the former first-rounder is holding his own, slashing .255/.387/.451 with a pair of stolen bases and an 8:10 BB:K over 15 games.
Matt Shaw has three homers in his last seven games and is up to 17/27 in 101 games this season.#YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/RkkyP2q5Iz
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) August 22, 2024
The Cubs are set up the middle with a pair of Gold Glove infielders in Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson, but with every passing game, it is becoming apparent that perhaps trade deadline acquisition Isaac Paredes is not going to help the Cubs this season.
Paredes is 10-for-71 (.141) over 20 games since joining the Cubs and seemed due for a pullback anyway as he'd been significantly outperforming his xBA earlier this season.
Backup infielder Patrick Wisdom has fared worse than Paredes, so it seems the Cubs owe it to themselves to see what they have in Shaw and give him a taste of major league pitching before potentially thrusting him into a full-time role next season.
Shaw is available in nearly all Yahoo leagues, although he's currently only eligible at SS. Keep an eye out for a promotion and he could be a sneaky source of homers and steals late in the fantasy season.
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