X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers (Week 16) - Rookies to Stash and Top Performers

Shay Whitcomb - Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Draft Sleepers, MLB Rookies

Andy's fantasy baseball prospect sleepers and risers to know for Week 16 (2024). He analyzes MLB prospects in the minor leagues and their recent performances.

The minor league baseball season is well underway, and several top prospects have gotten off to a hot start in the minor leagues and have carried that momentum into the majors.

However, the question is do these performances truly matter for this season? How easy will it be for these prospects to reach the big leagues, and are they worth stashing on your redraft roster?

Knowing which prospects to watch can put you ahead of your league mates and in the driver’s seat during the second half of the season. Adding the right prospect can fill the missing piece on your roster and power you to a fantasy baseball championship. This fantasy baseball prospects biweekly series will examine a few key players in the minor leagues and assess whether they have a path to fantasy stardom in 2024. 

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Jackson Jobe, SP, Detroit Tigers

Detroit No. 11, Overall 11

One of the best pitching prospects in the sport recently recovered from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for just over a month.

Jobe, selected with the third overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Heritage High School, has shown immense potential and has been nothing short of spectacular throughout his time in the minor leagues. 

After getting his first taste of minor league ball at a Single-A stint in 2022 and posting a career-high 4.52 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, the right-hander has been stellar ever since and is now on the radar of not only dynasty fantasy managers.

In his first taste of High-A ball in 2022, he had a 1.15 ERA but a poor 4.78 xFIP across a limited 15-inning sample size.

In his second stint at High-A in 2023, Jobe's performance was particularly noteworthy. He posted a near-perfect 1.91 xFIP, a significant improvement from his previous stint. His increased ground-ball rate during this time is a positive sign for pitchers, demonstrating his adaptability and rapid improvement at that level.

He concluded the 2023 season by getting a brief six-inning taste of Double-A, where he logged just one start in which he did not allow a run and struck out six.

This summer, Jobe returned to Double-A Erie, where he tossed 16 2/3 frames to the tune of a 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 10:24 BB:K ratio. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury to his left hamstring, which kept him on the sidelines for just over a month. He completed a short rehab stint with High-A and returned to Double-A on July 5, where he tossed five innings of one-run ball with a season-high eight strikeouts.

It is safe to say that this injury did not halt his development at all.

Through his first extended look at Double-A this season, he has yet to allow a long ball and is currently sitting with a career-best 36.4% K rate. In addition, he spots a 2.02 FIP, which is an incredible mark given how little experience he has had in the upper levels of the minor leagues.

The No. 11-ranked prospect in all of baseball is developing into an ace this season and could make a similar jump that Drew Thorpe and Spencer Schwellenbach made last month from Double-A directly to the major leagues. He is a must-roster player in keeper and dynasty leagues.

Verdict: Stash in deeper redraft leagues, wait in standard leagues, must roster in all keeper leagues
 

Shay Whitcomb, SS, Houston Astros

Houston No. 29, Overall N/A

Shay Whitcomb, currently at the No. 29 spot in the Houston system on MLB.com, has been making significant strides this summer. His rapid improvement is truly impressive and he is on pace to surpass his previous career-high totals.

At Triple-A Sugar Land this season, Whitcomb has posted an excellent .309/.393/.560 line with 19 long balls, 71 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 80 games. In a similar 87 games at Triple-A last summer, the former fifth-round pick looked like a completely different player with a modest .224/.281/.434 line with 23 home runs, 66 RBI, and 12 swiped bags.

A look under the hood shows how drastic his improvements in one calendar year have been. This season, he lowered his K rate from 31.1% to a solid 20.8%. In addition, he raised his walk rate from 6.1% to 11.2%.

When looking at his contact skills, his BABIP jumped from a poor .266 in 2023 to a stellar .349 in 2024. He also raised his wOBA from .306 to .409 and wRC+ from 62 to 132.

While he may not currently have a spot on the Astros' depth chart, he may force his way up if he continues this excellent play.

Verdict: Stash in deeper leagues
 

Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals

Washington No. 3, Overall 44

Let's talk about another Nationals prospect in this series, third baseman Brady House. With the promotion of James Wood to the big leagues and reigning national champion Dylan Crews to Triple-A, House's potential may have gone under the radar over the past few months.

The third baseman was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and progressed through the lower levels of the minors reasonably quickly last summer.

After spending all of 2022 at Single-A, the 21-year-old started 2023 with a brief stint at Single-A and eventually ended the campaign at Double-A for his final 36 games.

Overall, that season, he posted an excellent .312/.365/.497 line with 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and nine stolen bases. In his first look at Double-A, he was even better with a .324/.358/.475 line.

This summer, he opened the campaign with Double-A Harrisburg and saw his stat line drop to .234/.310/.423 in a much longer 75-game stint.

However, a stat line can often be misleading. This season, he lowered his K rate from 28.4% to 24.5% and raised his walk rate from 4.7% to 7.8%.

When looking at his batting skills, he has a higher wRC this season with 40 compared to 23 last summer but a much lower .273 BABIP compared to the stellar .442 he posted last season.

On Sunday, July 7, House was promoted to Triple-A as former Triple-A third baseman Trey Lipscomb got the bump up to the big leagues. It may be hard to picture a 2024 debut for House, but it would not be impossible if Lipscomb were to struggle in the big leagues and the Nationals hang around the Wild Card race.

Verdict: Continue to monitor



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Prospects and Rookies




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jacob deGrom

Being Skipped in Rotation Due to Shoulder Fatigue
Adley Rutschman

Scratched on Tuesday With Abdominal Discomfort
CBJ

Brendan Smith Joins Blue Jackets on Tryout Deal
STL

Milan Lucic Joins Blues for Tryout
DET

Red Wings Pick Up Travis Hamonic
Austin Riley

Doesn't Appear Ready to Return Any Time Soon
Aaron Judge

Unikely to Throw Normally Again This Year
Jalen McMillan

Could be Out Through Week 9 Bye
Indiana Pacers

Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle Agrees to a Multiyear Contract Extension on Tuesday
Washington Wizards

John Wall Retires After 11 NBA Seasons
Daniel Jones

Named as Colts Starting Quarterback
Jalen McMillan

Will Not Be Ready for Season Opener
Collin Sexton

Hornets Have High Hopes for Collin Sexton
Rui Hachimura

Likely to Start Season Without Contract Extension
Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Hopes to Bounce Back in 2025-26
Stephen Curry

Ready to Go for New Season
Orlando Magic

Lester Quinones Agrees to Deal With Magic
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Cleared to Play on Tuesday Night
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pulled With Hamstring Tightness
MLB

Game 2 of Brewers-Cubs on Monday Postponed
Bryce Miller

to be Activated on Tuesday
Kyle Tucker

to Get Multiple Days Off
Shane Bieber

to Make Season Debut on Friday
Joe Mixon

Could Start Season on NFI List
Zack Wheeler

has Surgery to Remove Blood Clot
De'Von Achane

Unlikely to Practice This Week
Justin Jefferson

Returning to Practice
Chris Godwin

Bucs Chris Godwin Likely to Start Season on PUP List
Joe Flacco

Browns Name Joe Flacco as Their Week 1 Starter
Jalen McDaniels

Inks Deal With New Orleans
N'Faly Dante

Signs Deal With Hawks
Matthew Stafford

Practicing on Monday
Dru Smith

Agrees to Deal With Heat
Austin Dillon

Scores an Upset Victory at Richmond
William Byron

Clinches the Regular Season Championship Title at Richmond
Denny Hamlin

Pit-Road Struggles Impede Denny Hamlin's Chances of a Top Finish at Richmond
Joey Logano

Earns A Fourth-Place Finish at Richmond
Kyle Larson

Rallies to A Top-10 Finish at Richmond
Malik Nabers

Dealing With Back Injury
Khamzat Chimaev

Is The New UFC Middleweight Champion
Dricus Du Plessis

Gets Dominated At UFC 319
Aaron Pico

Suffers Knockout Loss In His UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Scores Stunning First-Round Knockout
Leodalis De Vries

Earns Promotion to Double-A
Nathaniel Lowe

Finalizing Deal with Boston
Geoff Neal

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Ketel Marte

Arizona Could Trade Ketel Marte in the Offseason
Carlos Prates

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Page

Dominates At UFC 319
Jared Cannonier

Gets Outclassed
Tim Elliott

Gets Submission Win
Kai Asakura

Still Winless In The UFC
Austin Cindric

has Arguably his Best Run of the Season at Richmond
Ryan Blaney

Contends for First Richmond Win but Comes Up Short
Alex Bowman

Finishes Second but Loses Ground in Playoffs
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Sets Personal Laps-Led Record at Richmond
Chris Buescher

Falls Out of Playoffs After Miserable Richmond Run
Coby White

Bulls Not Interested in Trading Coby White
Dereck Lively II

Expected to be Ready for Camp
Brian Robinson Jr.

Commanders "Shopping" Brian Robinson Jr.
John Metchie III

Texans Trade John Metchie III to Eagles
Victor Scott II

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Listening to Trade Offers for Trey Hendrickson
Marcelo Mayer

to Have Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Samuel Basallo

Called Up From Triple-A Norfolk
J.K. Dobbins

Expected to Win Starting RB Job?
Quentin Johnston

Suffers Concussion in Preseason Loss
Jaxson Dart

Plays Well on Saturday Night
Marcus Semien

Avoids Serious Injury
Kyle Stowers

Heads to Injured List With Left-Side Strain
Zack Wheeler

Placed on Injured List With Blood Clot in Shoulder
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Optimistic Terry McLaurin Deal Can Get Done Soon
De'Von Achane

De’Von Achane Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Avoids Serious Injury
Josh Hader

Unlikely to Return During Regular Season
Denny Hamlin

the Heavy Favorite to Win at Richmond
Christopher Bell

Has Been Great at Richmond
Kyle Stowers

Out Saturday With Left-Side Tightness
Tyrese Haliburton

No Longer Using a Scooter, Crutches
Ryan Blaney

Can Ryan Blaney Finally Break Through at Richmond?
Joey Logano

Will Start Last at Richmond After Practice Trouble
Chase Elliott

Lack of Top-Line Speed Hurts his DFS Potential
Kyle Larson

Recent String of Crashes Make Him a Big Risk at Richmond
William Byron

Probably Slightly Too Inconsistent at Richmond to Start for DFS
Ryan Preece

on Pole at Richmond as Playoff Deadline Looms Closer
Brad Keselowski

Probably the Best RFK Racing DFS Option at Richmond
Chase Briscoe

Still Figuring Out Richmond
Chris Buescher

a Solid Choice for DFS Play, but Teammates Look Faster
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Activate Terry McLaurin From PUP List
Rashee Rice

NFL Could Reach Settlement Before Hearing
Joe Mixon

Not a Lock to be Ready For Week 1
Haywood Highsmith

Dealt to Brooklyn on Friday
Amir Coffey

Signs One-Year Deal With Bucks
Khamzat Chimaev

A Favorite At UFC 319
Dricus Du Plessis

Set For His Third Title Defense
Aaron Pico

Set For UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Geoff Neal

Looks For His Second Win In A Row
Michael Page

Set For His Second Middleweight Bout
Jared Cannonier

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kai Asakura

Looks For His First UFC Win
Tim Elliott

Set To Open Up UFC 309 Main Card
CBJ

Mikael Pyyhtia Re-Signs With Blue Jackets for One Year
UTA

Caleb Desnoyers Expected to Miss 12 Weeks After Wrist Procedure
Tyson Foerster

on Track to Be Healthy for Season Opener
NHL

Olivier Rodrigue Signs KHL Deal
NHL

Emil Bemstrom to Join Swiss Team
Payton Pritchard

Reportedly Moving Into Starting Lineup
Kevin Durant

Rockets Not Interested in Keeping Kevin Durant with Max Extension
NBA

Isaiah Mobley Joins Turkish Team
NBA

Cole Swider Links Up with EuroLeague Powerhouse

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP