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Welcome back RotoBallers. We're heading into Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season, and the minor league season rages on. It's imperative to monitor the top fantasy baseball prospects who have turned heads thus far. The players listed here are not only coming off dominant weeks but have also impressed over the entire season. Don't be surprised when these exact names are painting corners, mashing homers, and swiping bags at the big-league level soon.
Fantasy managers should certainly keep an eye on these players over the long haul as they may prove to be excellent waiver wire adds in no time.
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Logan Allen - SP, Cleveland Guardians
Level: Double-A
2022 stats: 12 GS, 66.0 IP, 4-3, 3.55 ERA, 2.90 xFIP, 12.67 K/9, 2.86 BB/9
Drafted in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Allen is a talented southpaw who has quickly progressed through Cleveland's farm system. Now, he's dominating in Double-A with his sights set on an MLB debut in 2023. Allen ranks eighth among MLB Pipeline's Guardians prospects thanks to his well-rounded pitching profile and great command. He has a low-90s heater and a low-80s slider, but his best pitch is a deceiving changeup with enough sink to fool hitters and get them off guard.
Allen has impressed in the minors this season, especially as of late. During his start on June 16, he threw six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out an absurd 11 batters. Even though he doesn't have much velocity, Allen has consistently handled opponents with ease thanks to his strong three-pitch mix and overall poise on the mound. If he can raise his velocity just a few ticks, Allen should have everything he needs in order to make an impact at the MLB level.
Vaughn Grissom - SS, Atlanta Braves
Level: High-A
2022 stats: 56 G, .296/.384/.461, 8 HR, 47 R, 45 RBI, 14 SB, .319 BABIP, .385 wOBA, 132 wRC+, 9.5 BB%, 12.9 K%
Grissom has looked great since being drafted in the 11th round of the 2019 draft. Since then, he has moved his way into sixth on MLB Pipeline's ranking of Braves prospects. He is a well-balanced hitter at the plate, showing great patience, composure, and a knack for seeing the ball well. (His walk rate is consistently just a few ticks below his strikeout rate.) He also has good bat speed, and although he doesn't hit homers every day, he has enough power to slug an occasional dinger here and there.
Grissom raked in the minors this past week, going 16-for-31 (.516) with two homers and seven RBI. He also drew three walks and two strikeouts while stealing three bases. He likely won't make his MLB debut until at least 2024, but when he does, he'll have significant fantasy appeal thanks to his ability to put the ball in play and use his speed to acquire extra bases.
Robert Gasser - SP, San Diego Padres
Level: High-A
2022 stats: 9 GS, 3-1, 44.1 IP, 2.23 ERA, 3.34 xFIP, .265 BABIP, 70.0 LOB%, 54.6 GB%, 11.98 K/9, 3.45 BB/9
The Padres selected Gasser with the 71st pick in the draft last summer. Even though he's been in the San Diego system for last than a year, he has already ascended to High-A while ranking eighth among the club's prospects. The southpaw dominated the junior college circuit before transferring to Houston in 2020. He had a quiet first season with the Cougars before breaking out in 2021 and drastically improving his draft stock. The southpaw has a low-to-mid-90s fastball, powerful low-80s slider, and a complementary changeup that has developed quite nicely since Gasser made his pro debut.
Gasser has absolutely found his groove on the mound as of late. On Sunday, he lasted seven innings, allowing just one walk, zero hits, and zero runs. He struck out eight batters in the process and, of course, earned the win. Currently just 23 years old, Gasser is likely two-plus years away from his MLB debut. However, when the time does come for him to pitch in the bigs, he'll have legitimate fantasy appeal thanks to his impressive metrics.
Niko Kavadas - 1B, Boston Red Sox
Level: Single-A
2022 stats: 56 G, .279/.456/.570, 11 HR, 31 R, 42 RBI, .468 wOBA, .382 BABIP, 182 wRC+, 22.4 BB%, 28.2 K%
The Red Sox snagged Kavadas in the 11th round of last year's draft following his time at Notre Dame. He has plenty of intrigues offensively, boasting solid bat speed while generating impressive exit velocity. He knows the strike zone well and has drawn an insane amount of walks, but he also has the tendency to rack up strikeouts due to the swing-and-miss aspect of his game. On the positive side, this swing-and-miss stuff stems from his power swing, which has proven to blast plenty of home runs, too. Meanwhile, Kavadas lacks upside defensively. He lacks speed and range, leaving him destined to be a first baseman or designated hitter for the rest of his career.
Kavadas put on a show this past week, going 9-for-17 with three doubles, four homers, 11 RBI, nine walks, and seven strikeouts over the course of his six games. Any potential upside (and future fantasy relevance) that he may hold lies solely in his ability to get on base and hit home runs.
Kyle Virbitsky - SP, Oakland Athletics
Level: Single-A
2022 stats: 21 G, .328/.446/.520, 6 HR, 15 R, 20 RBI, 4 SB, .434 wOBA, .376 BABIP, 162 wRC+, 12.8 BB/9, 17.4 K/9
The Athletics used a late pick on Virbitsky, selecting him in the 17th round of last year's draft. The Penn State right-hander is a towering specimen, checking in at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds. His low-90s fastball isn't overpowering, but he really starts to catch hitters off guard when he mixes in his sharp curveball. Virbitsky, who has drawn praise for his hard work on and off the field, projects best as a reliever once he reaches the majors.
Although relief pitching is in Virbitsky's future, he was dominant as a starter this past week. On June 17, he threw seven shutout innings, allowing five hits and one walk in the process. He also struck out nine batters and earned the win. This was a big outing for the right-hander as he bounced back from allowing 25 earned runs over the course of his last five starts.
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