Who would've thought that a team with a $300 million payroll would be no hit twice in the span of the span of just two weeks? The Dodgers have defied everyone's expectation and continued to play very poorly in spite of their best efforts to break the bank.

If the playoffs started today, they may have a spot in it, but they would be viewed by almost everyone as one of the weakest if not the weakest team even with guys like Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke making up the top of that rotation.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more MLB prospects, rookies and potential call-ups, be sure to check out our MLB prospects for fantasy baseball homepage which has lots of great weekly analysis.

Willson Contreras (C, CHC, Double-A)

Stats: 497 PA, .326/.408/.475, 8 HR, 3 SB, 11.1% BB rate, 12.3% K rate

With many questioning whether or not Kyle Schwarber is the catcher of the future, it is a relief for Cubs fans to know that a player like Willson Contreras is sitting in the minors waiting to get a chance to play. The Cubs originally signed him as a third baseman back in 2008, but the team made the decision to transition the athletic Venezuelan to a catcher.

Contreras doesn’t have near the bat that Schwarber does (does anyone), but he is very sharp defensively behind the dish. Despite the fact that this is not his natural position, Contreras has shown a lot of quickness at catcher and has a strong enough arm to do an effective job shutting down the running game. And though his main calling card is his defense, his bat is not bad. He has enough pop to hit 10 home runs in a season while also showing enough plate discipline to keep the walks up and strikeouts down. He could be a future .260 hitter with low double-digit home runs in the bottom of the Cubs stacked lineup.

There is a chance that Willson Contreras starts for the Cubs next year, but it is more likely that he will start the season in Triple-A while the Cubs continue to work with Schwarber behind the dish. If Schwarber’s defense can’t catch up to his bat, look for the Cubs to call up Contreras before summer begins.

Richie Shaffer (3B, TB, MLB)

Stats: 457 PA, .267/.357/.539, 26 HR, 4 SB, 11.8% BB rate, 26.9% K rate

When rosters expanded, one of the names called up was Richie Shaffer. This is not the first time that he has been on the active roster, but 2015 is his first season where he has seen time in the majors. Shaffer was taken in the first round with the 25th overall pick back in 2012 by the Rays and though he has taken a little bit of time to get to the majors, it is possible that he spends all of 2016 with the big league club.

The big calling card of Richie Shaffer is his power. Shaffer has thrice eclipsed double-digit home runs in his minor league career and this season he has accumulated 28 between the minors and the majors. He has great bat speed which is really what creates most of his power, though the strikeouts do have a tendency to pile up during the season. He has decent plate discipline which leads to high walk rates every season, but the strikeouts limit his batting average potential.

Shaffer could be a potential middle of the order bat for the Tampa Bay Rays, though he will have to find a different position besides third base with Evan Longoria still manning down the hot corner for Tampa. He has the versatility and defensive ability to both play in the outfield and at first base. Fantasy owners in need of some production from the corner infield position could add Shaffer for the stretch run as he is certain to rack up some home runs, though there are better options with names like Gallo also getting called up in September.

Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM, Triple-A)

Stats: 417 PA, .262/.355/.351, 3 HR, 5 SB, 11.0% BB rate, 18.0% K rate

Brandon Nimmo has long been one of the most hyped hitting prospects in the Mets organization, though this season saw him fall behind Michael Conforto in the depth chart. The expectations have always been high on Nimmo since he was taken with the 13th overall pick back in 2011, but he hasn’t yet shown at any level that the pick will pay off. Scouts have praised his power and said that it is one of his best tools, but he has only hit 10 home runs once in his minor league career. He also has only hit .270 twice in his career.

As stated earlier, scouts have seen him as an offense first prospect with above-average power and above-average contact ability. His power should start to come along soon, though it has surprised many that in 28 games for hitter friendly Las Vegas he has only hit one home run. His plate discipline is well beyond his years as he consistently walks at very high rates and always manages to keep the strikeouts down. His speed is enough to make him a potential low level dual threat, but don’t expect him to steal 20 bases in a season.

2016 is likely the year that Brandon Nimmo joins his counterpart Michael Conforto full time in the Mets outfield. Nimmo is a high risk/medium reward player as he will not blow away fantasy owners in any offensive category, but he will could potentially contribute a little bit in all of them. And with the Mets lack of strong bats, it does seem probable that Nimmo would hit somewhere in the middle of the order. If the 2016 fantasy baseball draft happened tomorrow, I would recommend taking a flier on him in late rounds or potentially waiting and picking him up off the waiver wire later.

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