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

Hot Fantasy Prospects To Watch For Week 8

fantasy baseball prospects MLB prospects rookies call-ups

A look at top prospects who have impressed during Week 8 of the 2022 fantasy baseball season in the minor leagues and may be strong waiver wire stashes or pickups.

The minor league season rages on. Now that fantasy baseball teams have been drafted and the season is underway, it's imperative to monitor the top fantasy baseball prospects who have turned heads thus far.

At this point in the season, excellent prospect performances shouldn't be taken too seriously. Sure, there's no denying that short sample sizes can correspond to long-term success, but we'll need to see a bit more out of the players listed below before we go into a deep dive.

Regardless, keep an eye on these names over the long haul as they may prove to be excellent waiver wire adds soon.

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

 

C.J. Abrams - SS, San Diego Padres

Level: Triple-A
2022 stats: 16 G, .257/.321/.459, 4 HR, 20 R, 18 RBI, 5 SB, .288 BABIP, 93 wRC+, 6.2 BB%, 22.2 K%

Abrams opened the season in the majors but was optioned to Triple-A on May 10. The talented shortstop ranks first among San Diego prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft, Abrams is a gifted athlete who can both put the ball in play and field the shortstop position like a pro. However, running is Abrams' best trait. He has 80-grade speed, making him a threat on the basepaths and at the shortstop position. A true testament to his running ability, Abrams even found himself playing center field in Triple-A this past week.

Speaking of this past week's production, Abrams has gone 10-for-22 with one homer, one triple, eight RBI, and two stolen bases over his last five games. He has found his groove in the minors once again, making it hard for the Padres to keep him away from their MLB club. However, there isn't a glaring need for Abrams from a depth standpoint. Ha-Seong Kim has seen the bulk of the action at shortstop and is playing fine, not to mention Fernando Tatis Jr. represents the future of the team at the position. It will be interesting to see if the Padres pencil Abrams into center field or perhaps second base upon Tatis' return. One thing is for certain, though: Abrams' electric offense and phenomenal baserunning will make him a key fantasy weapon the instant he returns to the majors.

 

Connor Jones - SP, Seattle Mariners

Level: Double-A
2022 stats: 8 GS, 43.1 IP, 2-2, 3.32 ERA, 4.33 xFIP, 71.0 GB%, 8.52 K/9, 4.98 BB/9, .243 BABIP

Don't look now, but Jones is making a case to be promoted to Triple-A. He has now been featured in this article for two consecutive weeks after stringing together three great outings. Here's what we said about the 27-year-old right-hander last Tuesday:

A second-round draft selection of the Cardinals back in 2016, Jones was released this past April after a tough year at Triple-A. He signed with the Mariners organization in no time and has since demonstrated strong outings on the mound at Double-A. [...] Moving forward, Jones's biggest obstacle will be his age. 27 years old and playing on his second team, Jones is still treading on thin ice. If he has a bad outing, Seattle will be far less forgiving with him than one of its other younger, flashier options.

It's safe to say that the aforementioned "bad outings" haven't plagued Jones as of late. This past week, during a doubleheader clash, he threw a seven-inning complete game. He walked just three batters while striking out eight. Oh, and the icing on the cake? Jones didn't allow a single hit. Perhaps he'll make his third consecutive appearance on this list when the calendar turns to June. Only time will tell.

 

Vinnie Pasquantino - 1B, Kansas City Royals

Level: Triple-A
2022 stats: 46 G, .303/.396/.667, 14 HR, 36 R, 51 RBI, .288 BABIP, 174 wRC+, .445 wOBA, 12.7 BB%, 15.2 K%

Pasquantino ranks fourth on MLB Pipeline's list of top Royals prospects. The big-bodied left-hander is considered a diamond in the rough after Kansas City committed a mere 11th-round pick to him in the 2019 draft. Since then, all he has done is mash the baseball, logging 52 homers and 127 extra-base hits through 219 pro games. Definitely a hit-first player, Pasquantino runs well below-average, meaning he'll be stuck at first base for his entire career. To his credit though, the 24-year-old has significantly improved at the position over recent years. He has grown more athletic and improved his fielding, all while being viewed as an invaluable leader in the clubhouse.

The Old Dominion product finds himself on this list after an impressive week at Triple-A, perhaps forcing the Kansas City brass to consider promoting him to the majors. Over his last five games, Pasquantino is 11-for-22 with four homers, seven extra-base hits, and 11 RBI. The first baseman has made impressive strides through just two-plus pro seasons, and it seems like he might get the bump to Kansas City soon. As soon as he does, he'll garner some fantasy intrigue thanks to his low strikeout rate and phenomenal offensive production, specifically against right-handed pitching.

 

Grayson Rodriguez - SP, Baltimore Orioles

Level: Triple-A
2022 stats: 7 G, 6 GS, 32.0 IP, 4-1, 2.53 ERA, 1.88 FIP, .315 BABIP, 12.66 K/9, 2.25 BB/9

The Orioles' No. 2 prospect (and their No. 1 minor leaguer now that Adley Rutschman is in the majors), Rodriguez has consistently turned heads ever since being drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He is viewed as a top-tier prospect with a pair of highly-graded pitches in his arsenal: a nicely-commanded fastball that touches triple-digits while boasting spin and life, as well as a mid-80s changeup that deceives batter and complements his heater quite well. Rodriguez also throws a slider and curveball, both of which can be quite effective late in counts.

This past week, Rodriguez earned his fifth Triple-A win of the season. Taking on Gwinnett, he allowed just two hits, zero walks, and zero runs while striking out 10 batters over seven innings of work. It was the second time over his last three outings that he was responsible for zero runs and at least 10 strikeouts. With high strikeout rates and an ability to keep his ERA down, Rodriguez should continue to impress once he reaches the majors. It's only a matter of time until he gets that call, and when he does, fantasy managers will scramble to benefit from his dominance. It might be wise to add him now — you know... before it's too late.

 

Elijah Dunham - OF, New York Yankees

Level: Double-A
2022 stats: 33 G, .266/.345/.531, 7 HR, 17 R, 22 RBI, 11 SB, .376 wOBA, 135 wRC+

The Yankees seem to have gotten lucky with Dunham, a left-handed outfielder who is a well-rounded prospect and solid athlete. Originally drafted by the Pirates in the 40th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Dunham declined to sign with Pittsburgh. He raised his stock over the next year, but the unfortunate timing of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shortened draft and meant that Dunham went undrafted. He signed with New York for $20,000 and quickly ascended to High-A midway through his first pro season. He is a disciplined hitter who provides hard contact and above-average power, yet he won't sacrifice strikeouts for pop. Defensively, Dunham will likely stick in left field given his respectable defense but merely average arm strength. Finally, there's a lot to like about his baserunning upside, especially considering he has already swiped 39 bags through 126 games in the minors.

Dunham took his offensive production to a whole new level this past week. Over his last five games, the 25-year-old has gone 10-for-20 with three homers, five RBI, one walk, one strikeout, and three stolen bases. He still has some time before he reaches the majors, and even when he does, fantasy managers might hesitate to add him to their rosters. He doesn't add a lot of value in the power department, and he could be stuck in a bench role with New York for a few years before becoming a true impact player.

 



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

Lance McCullers Jr.

To Make Season Debut On Sunday Against White Sox
Griffin Conine

Expected To Miss Rest Of The Season
Bryce Miller

Battles Through Back Injury On Tuesday
Green Bay Packers

Devonte Wyatt's Fifth-Year Option Exercised By Packers
New York Jets

Quarterback Jordan Travis Retires From Football
Taylor Ward

Sitting On Wednesday
Pittsburgh Steelers

Montravius Adams Released By Steelers
Sam Burns

Could Be Due For A Great Week At TPC Craig Ranch
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Jordan Davis
Minnesota Vikings

Myles Price Lands With Vikings As UDFA
Cleveland Browns

NFL Hands Out Fines To Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich For Leak Of Shedeur Sanders' Phone Number
Tyler Glasnow

Shut Down For 10-14 Days
Cleveland Browns

Shedeur Sanders Has A Lot Of Work To Do
Pittsburgh Steelers

Calvin Austin III Has Inside Track On Slot Role
Pittsburgh Steelers

Kaleb Johnson To Be Co-Starter For Steelers?
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Won't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Tyler Linderbaum
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Exercise Kyle Hamilton's Fifth-Year Option
Minnesota Vikings

Vikings Agree With Andrew Van Ginkel On One-Year Extension
Atlanta Falcons

Nick Nash Has An Opportunity With Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Exercise Fifth-Year Option On Drake London
Ketel Marte

Likely To Return This Weekend
A.J. Puk

Won't Need Surgery, Won't Throw For 2-3 Weeks
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Could Be Forced To Injured List With Oblique Injury
Jeimer Candelario

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Spine Strain
Patrick Rodgers

A Solid Value Play At TPC Craig Ranch
Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Carson Young

Looking To Recapture Form At CJ Cup
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Matt McCarty

An Intriguing Value Play At CJ Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Will Zalatoris

Searching For Putting Form At CJ Cup
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Jack Eichel

Notches Two Assists In Game 5 Victory
Sam Stevens

A Risky Play With Upside At CJ Cup
PGA

Sungjae Im Riding Momentum Into CJ Cup
Sebastian Aho

Sends Hurricanes To Round 2
Ben Griffin

Looking To Stay Hot After First Career Win
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Linus Ullmark

Records Shutout In Elimination Game
Brady Tkachuk

Extends Point Streak To Four Games
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Pavel Dorofeyev

Doesn't Finish Game 5
Filip Gustavsson

Exits Early Due To Illness
Aaron Ekblad

Slapped With Two-Game Suspension
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Plays Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Ben Rice

Smacks Two Homers To End Slump
Jorge Polanco

Hits Two More Homers, Drives In Five
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Set To Start Wednesday
Shota Imanaga

Exits With Leg Cramps
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60th At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18th At the Valero Texas Open
George Kirby

"Feeling Great," Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF