Welcome to part two of a three-part installment of prospects that could potentially be September call-ups and help you win a fantasy baseball championship.

As usual, some names might be household and well-known to you, while others not so much. Regardless of what the player’s name is, it’s all about what he can do for you down the stretch of your season. Enjoy.

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Top MLB Prospects & Their Fantasy Baseball Outlooks

Carlos Asuaje, 2B, San Diego Padres

I mentioned Carlos Asuaje a couple of months ago. The 24-year-old has managed to fly under-the-radar for most of his minor league career, despite producing at every level. He became somewhat newsworthy in the offseason, as he was one of the prospects the Red Sox traded to San Diego in exchange for Craig Kimbrel.

Asuaje plays second base primarily, but he has the ability to play third base and outfield, making it more likely that the Padres will be able to slot him in somewhere come September. Asuaje is hitting .322/.380/.462 with seven HR and nine SB at Triple-A El Paso coming into Wednesday. He hit 15 HR in Single-A in 2014, so he definitely has some pop in his bat. Asuaje could develop into a solid everyday hitter that can hit near the top of the San Diego lineup for years, maybe as soon as this September. While he doesn’t have the fanfare of other prospects, that hasn’t stopped him from consistently hitting and working his way up the minor league ladder. The majors should be no different for this over-achiever.

 

Lewis Brinson, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Lewis Brinson struggled mightily in Double-A Frisco for the Texas Rangers, but a trade to the Milwaukee Brewers has seemed to resurrect the 2012 first-round pick. Brinson exploded last year to post a .332/.403/.601 slash-line across three minor league levels, and he subsequently shot up every prospect ranking in the industry. A .237/.280/.431 Double-A slash-line this season quickly calmed the expectations for the “toolsy” outfielder.

The Brewers immediately promoted Brinson to Triple-A, and in 13 games since the trade, he’s hitting .380 with two HR and four SB. He was shelved recently for a few games with a strained hamstring, but he returned Tuesday to slug a home run. The Brewers don’t have any reliable options in the outfield outside of Ryan Braun, and you can bet they’ll give their future outfielder a look come September. He has the tools to produce some home runs and stolen bases down the stretch, and could be an intriguing prospect in your fantasy stretch run.

 

Ben Lively, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

The 2013 fourth-round pick is really coming into his own at Triple-A. Ben Lively first went 7-0 with a 1.87 ERA in 53 innings at Double-A, and he’s gone 9-5 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has just 73 strikeouts in 106.2 Triple-A innings, but he’s shown the ability to miss bats over his minor league career. He struck out 49 in 53 Double-A innings and even struck out 171 batters in 151 innings back in 2014. His last five starts have been particularly impressive, as Lively has produced a 1.95 ERA and a 23/6 K/BB ratio in 33.1 innings.

The Phillies are out of the NL East and NL Wild Card races, and the future will likely start showing very soon in the City of Brotherly Love. Lively won’t likely develop into a front-of-the rotation starter, but he has a chance and the ability to be a very serviceable major leaguer. Depending on matchups, he could provide value for fantasy owners this September. He throws strikes, and he owns a career .229 opponents average over 495.1 innings; showing all the signs of being a consistent major league starter.

 

Manuel Margot, OF, San Diego Padres

It’s time for the Padres to stop holding Manuel Margot back, and that is likely what they will do this September. Margot was the big acquisition for San Diego in the Craig Kimbrel trade, and the rebuilding club will likely showcase one of their future building blocks soon in this lost season.

The 21-year-old is hitting .302/.350/.430 in Triple-A with a 33/53 BB/K ratio, six HR (37 extra-base-hits) and 27 SB. Margot will be the leadoff hitter and center fielder for San Diego in September and for what they hope will be a long time. Not only will he be counted on to be a consistent offensive force, but his ridiculous 18 outfield assists will help keep him in the lineup every day to accrue some valuable counting stats.

 

Dominic Smith, 1B, New York Mets

This one is a bit of a stretch, as the 21-year-old first baseman is still in double-A Binghamton. But the former first-round pick has been tearing the cover off the ball. Heading into Wednesday night, Dominic Smith is hitting .304/.367/.468 with 14 HR and 85 RBI. The slash-line improves to .358/.432/.566 over the last two months. He’s more than doubled his former career-high of six HR, his RBI are a career-high, he’s on pace for a career-high in walks, and he’s reduced his strikeouts considerably lately.

The large-sized Smith was always expected to develop into a power-hitter, and he’s just starting to show signs of that now. The Mets are still in the NL Wild Card race, and throwing Smith into the middle of that race might not be justified, but their first base situation is far from stable. As mentioned, this is a long-shot, but if he goes on a long hot-stretch (he’s 10-for his last 19), then the 6’0”, 250 lb. mammoth might work his way into the New York lineup in September.

 

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