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We are officially in the stretch run of the fantasy baseball season, and several top prospects have gotten off to a hot start in the minor leagues and begun to earn promotions. Some of these prospects can carry this success into the big leagues and become viable fantasy baseball contributors.
However, the question is do these minor league 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 going forward. Adding the right prospect can fill the missing piece on your roster and set you up for a fantasy championship. This week, we will look at two budding stars in the Boston system and one of the top prospects in the game in Minnesota. 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.
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Walker Jenkins, OF, Minnesota Twins
Minnesota No. 1, Overall 3
The top prospect in the Minnesota system recently earned the call to High-A and has yet to slow down. Jenkins opened the season by getting his second look at Single-A ball. Through 33 games, he posted a strong .273/.404/.413 slash line with 33 total hits, six doubles, three home runs, 33 RBI, four swiped bags, and a 28:17 BB:K ratio during a 33-game stint.
During this stretch, he held an excellent 11.3% K rate with a .291 BABIP, which suggests he may have gotten slightly unlucky, given his box score.
Congrats to Walker Jenkins for being named Twins @MiLB Hitter of the Week🏆
The No. 3 prospect by @MLBPipeline has gotten on base in 16 of his last 17 games played and has a 1.054 OPS in that timeframe📈#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/ZGBvQywDWZ
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) September 3, 2024
Then, on July 29, the former fifth overall pick in last year’s draft got the call-up to High-A Cedar Rapids. Through his first 28 games, the outfielder has posted a stellar .291/.363/.500 slash line with 10 doubles, three home runs, and five stolen bases.
In addition, he has begun to heat up even more as he sits with an incredible .369/.423/.646 line across his past 16 games. During this time frame, he has tallied at least one hit in all but one game.
Under the hood, his metrics have remained quite impressive since moving up, suggesting the top prospect looks like a budding superstar. Through the small sample size, Jenkins currently carries a .330 Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) and a .394 Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA). These metrics indicate his ability to get on base and hit for power.
He also generated 144 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), which slightly improved the 139 total he generated at Single-A. This metric measures a player's total offensive value and is adjusted for the park and league context.
While Jenkins looks like a dynasty stud, he is unfortunately not in the picture for redraft leagues. He may not be a redraft asset until late into the 2025 season. However, his potential is something to be excited about.
Nonetheless, all fantasy baseball players should continue to monitor Jenkins throughout the 2025 season as he is shaping up to be a star.
Verdict: Elite Dynasty Asset
Kyle Teel, C, Boston Red Sox
Boston No. 3, Overall 26
I wrote about the young backstop in an earlier edition of this column, but Teel recently got promoted to Triple-A and has an outside chance of reaching the majors this summer.
Teel joined Triple-A Worcester on August 12 but has struggled through his first 14 games. During this small taste, the former first-round pick has posted a mere .145/.238/.213 slash line with just two extra-base hits.
First AAA home run for Kyle Teel! pic.twitter.com/jYDtJuHwnQ
— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) September 2, 2024
However, Teel has tallied at least one hit in three of his past four games and could be slowly starting to turn the corner at the top level of the minors. This recent improvement is a positive sign for his future success, especially considering his strong performance earlier this summer at Double-A Portland.
At Double-A, the Virginia product held a strong .298/.390/.462 slash line with 20 doubles, 11 long balls, 60 RBI, and nine swiped bags.
His metrics suggested his box stats were not a fluke, as he carried a .371 BABIP with a 144 wRC+. In addition, he posted a 38.8% fly-ball rate compared to his 37.5% ground-ball rate. Even though Teel’s name was not called on when the rosters expanded on September 1, he could still be in the cards if the Red Sox hang around the Wild Card race.
He should remain on your waiver wire in redraft leagues but is a must-roster in all keeper/dynasty formats.
Verdict: Continue To Monitor, On Track For 2025 Debut
Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
Boston No. 2, Overall 13
To close things out, we will look at another budding star in the Boston system, outfielder Roman Anthony. The No. 2-ranked prospect in the Boston system moved up to Triple-A at the same time as Kyle Teel but has looked much more comfortable than his teammate through the small stint.
In 17 games, the 20-year-old has posted an incredible .319/.392/.536 line with three long balls, four doubles, 10 RBI, and a 9:12 BB:K ratio.
Roman Anthony in Worcester tonight:
4-5, 3B, 2B, BB, 2 R
Reached base 5 times. His second 4-hit game in 13 games since his promotion. Such a stud.
pic.twitter.com/oJOGfUd41R— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) August 28, 2024
Earlier this summer, across 84 games at Double-A, Anthony held a solid .269/.367/.489 line with 15 round-trippers, 20 doubles, and 45 RBI.
He held a .336 BABIP at Double-A, which is right in line with the .353 BABIP he currently has at Triple-A. In addition, his wRC+ of 142 and 149, respectively, suggest he has continued to produce at a high rate, and his incredible box score at Triple-A is far from a fluke.
However, fantasy managers should monitor his ground-ball rate down the stretch, as it has jumped slightly from 46.4% to 52.8%, while his fly-ball rate has dropped from 34.8% to 28.6% since moving up to the top level of the minor leagues.
Like Teel, Anthony needed more Triple-A experience under his belt in time for the roster expansion on September 1. However, if the Red Sox continue to climb their way into the Wild Card race, they could turn to the hottest bat in their system to power them over the edge. Anthony could find himself near the top of all prospect boards by the end of the summer.
Verdict: Continue To Monitor, On Track For 2025 Debut
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