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With the season winding down and all of the notable promotions probably in the rear view mirror, I figured it'd be beneficial to take a look ahead to 2024 and rank the top prospects who will debut early in the season and potentially provide the most redraft value next season.
Last week, I discussed the 10 prospects that I believe can make an impact early in 2024 for fantasy. Today, I'll be discussing another dozen that need to be on everyone's watch list heading into next season.
If you're still holding out hope for more prospects to get the call, my top five to stash in order would be Colt Keith, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Coby Mayo. Although, I doubt any more big promotions are going to happen.
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Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers
If I were to rewrite the top 10 I did last week, Wyatt Langford would be in it. Less than three months after being drafted, Langford is now up to Triple-A, wreaking havoc along the way. In 39 games, Langford has racked up 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and nine steals with a stellar .359/.471/.697 slash line. He's also walked more than he's struck out. Truly a dominant performance thus far.
Given his blend of double-plus raw power, plus speed, plus hit tool, and outstanding approach, Langford has moved into my #1 spot in my Top 500 prospect rankings and should be up very early for Texas next season. You're going to want him on your teams when that happens.
Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
Let me start by saying that Dylan Crews' recent struggles in Double-A shouldn't change your long-term outlook on him in the slightest. The hype on Crews is 100% justified and we could see him in the Majors as early as next May or so if he gets off to a hot start to open the 2024 season.
Crews has one of the best hit/power blends in the minor leagues with .280+/30+ upside long-term and can also add double-digit steals as well. Washington has been known to promote aggressively before when needed and warranted, so I wouldn't be surprised if Crews is the latest example of this.
James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
If you're a Nationals fan, the first half of next season is going to be exciting as you'll likely have both Crews and James Wood debut over the first couple of months of the season. The 6'6 Wood has developed a bit of a strikeout issue this season, currently sitting with a 31.5% strikeout rate, but he's still be able to crank 28 doubles and 26 home runs with 18 steals and a .262/.353/.520 slash line.
The power and speed blend could have Wood flirting with 30/20 seasons at peak if he's able to make enough contact and keep the strikeout rate in check. Fr 2024, I could see him being a Cruz/Chisholm/Morel type that can carry your team for a week followed by a substantial slump.
Luisangel Acuña, New York Mets
While Luisangel Acuña's name doesn't carry quite as much hype as the names above, he still possesses an all-around offensive profile that could allow him to develop into an impactful player for fantasy purposes. Acuña is a plus or better runner that has shown the desire to run often during his minor league career to the point where projecting him for more than 30 steals annually is reasonable. There's also an average to above-average hit tool and sneaky power in the profile as well that often doesn't get talked about enough.
Luisangel Acuña feels a bit undervalued.
- Plus runner w/ back to back 40 SB seasons
- Sneaky raw power w/ projection for more.Could wind up as a .270/15/20+ type.
He's a top 50 prospect for me.#FantasyBaseball pic.twitter.com/NSGwCXg34p
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) January 3, 2023
In 121 Double-A games this season, Acuña has racked up 28 doubles, nine home runs, and 57 steals with a .294/.359/.410 slash line. And while he has slumped a bit since the trade to the Mets, I'm expecting Acuña to open 2024 in Triple-A and debut before the all-star break next season.
Drew Gilbert, New York Mets
Another newly-acquired Mets prospect that could debut early next season is Drew Gilbert. The former first round pick has quietly put together a productive offensive season with a .289/.381/.487 slash line to go along with 26 doubles, 18 home runs, and 12 steals. Gilbert doesn't stand out in any one area, but there's above-average or better raw power, solid contact skills, and advanced approach, and the ability to add double-digit steals annually as well.
Long-term, Gilbert could wind up as a Brian Reynolds type with a bit more speed, and I believe he'll be up even sooner than Acuña will.
Brooks Lee, SS/3B, Minnesota Twins
Players like Brooks Lee always seem to fly under the radar in the fantasy baseball world. Like Gilbert above, Lee doesn't have the flashy profile that garners a ton of buzz, but we need players like Lee on our fantasy teams if we want to be successful. Lee is one of the more advanced hitters in the minor leagues and is capable of hitting above .270 annually to pair with an OBP above .350 as well. His power often gets underrated as well, and I'm guilty of it myself.
Lee could make a similar impact to Gilbert above, only with slightly lower upside in the stolen base department. And after reaching Triple-A back in August, Lee is knocking on the door to Minnesota with an early-2024 debut likely.
Paul Skenes, P, Pittsburgh Pirates
We've seen several players from the 2023 draft class already reach Double-A or higher, and Paul Skenes is one of them. While Skenes only has 6.2 innings under his belt since the draft, it's hard to forget that he was an absolute wrecking ball in his 19 starts for LSU this past spring. In those 19 starts spanning 122.2 innings, Skenes posted a pristine 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 4.3% walk rate, and a 45.2% strikeout rate.
So overall, he's pitched 129.1 innings this season and probably won't need much more minor league time before he's ready to pitch in Pittsburgh. If we see Skenes up in May or June next season, which is likely, he has the potential to be a massive impact arm given his elite arsenal, bat-missing ability, and his solid command and control.
Drew Thorpe, Chase Hampton, Richard Fitts, and Will Warren, P, New York Yankees
It's safe to say that the New York Yankees are having a rough season at the Major League level, duking it out with rival Boston to see who finishes 4th and 5th in the American League East. Their rotation has been very inconsistent as well behind Gerrit Cole, both in terms of durability and performance. But luckily, the quartet of Drew Thorpe, Chase Hampton, Richard Fitts, and Will Warren are all nearly Major League ready and all could conceivably debut during the first half of the 2024 season.
None of this quartet has the upside to match Skenes, but all have the upside and stuff to be fantasy-viable starters. If I had to pick one to target from this group, it would be Thorpe. While he's not the hardest thrower around, generally in the 91-92 mph range, Thorpe has a good slider and one of the best changeups I've ever seen live. In 23 starts this season, Thorpe has posted a 2.52 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 7.1% walk rate, and a 34% strikeout rate.
Ricky Tiedemann, P, Toronto Blue Jays
Honestly, I almost didn't include Ricky Tiedemann here as I'm not entire sure when he'll debut. Could it be early on in 2024? Sure it could. But Toronto has been handling him with kid gloves this season and I wonder if that continues in 2024. However, there's no doubting the stuff and upside that Tiedemann possesses. He regularly sits in the mid to upper-90s with a slider and changeup that both miss bats at a high level. In 40 innings this season, Tiedemann has struck out 44.2% of the batters he's faced, but command and control have become an issue of late.
Tiedemann should be on your radar in 2024 but let's see how this offseason and next spring play out before we start stashing him in fantasy leagues.
If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.
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