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Welcome back, RotoBallers! The final full month of regular season baseball is underway. We're heading into Week 23 of the fantasy baseball season, and the minor league season rages on. It would be foolish to proceed without highlighting the top performances from Week 22.
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.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best MLB Series, NFL Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
Chase Silseth - SP, Los Angeles Angels
Level: Double-A
2022 stats: 13 GS, 72.0 IP, 5-0, 2.38 ERA, .253 BABIP, 11.88 K/9, 2.88 BB/9, 48.7 GB%
Silseth was one of 20 pitchers taken in the Angels' wild 2021 draft. The right-hander pitched just 5.1 innings in the minors last season but still earned a spot on the big-league roster this year. He has made seven starts in the majors and 13 at Double-A to this point. The 22-year-old has a well-rounded four-pitch mix featuring a mid-90s fastball, as well as a curveball, slider, and changeup. None of his pitches are truly elite, but they work off each other well and allow him to keep hitters guessing.
Silseth tossed a gem this past week, allowing just one walk, zero hits, and zero runs during his outing on Saturday. He struck out a whopping 10 batters in the process, earning his second consecutive win and contributing to the first no-hitter in Rocket City Trash Pandas history.
Blaine Crim - 1B, Texas Rangers
Level: Double-A
2022 stats: 99 G, .291/.359/.492, 22 HR, 80 RBI, 74 R, .303 BABIP, .372 wOBA, 114 wRC+ 9.0 BB%, 16.1 K%
Currently 25 years old, Crim was selected in the 19th round of the 2019 draft and has slowly climbed through the minor league ranks. He has looked good at every level so far, boasting a great hit tool and truly phenomenal power. His OBP isn't great and it would be nice if he could draw more walks, but he has managed to keep his strikeout rate down so perhaps it's a fair sacrifice. Solid defensively, Crim has played third base in the past, but he'll likely stick at first base long-term.
Crim was incredible this past week, going 14-for-28 (.500) with six homers, 15 RBI, two walks, and four strikeouts over the course of six games. He has now gone yard in five consecutive contests and is making the case for a promotion to Triple-A. If he can continue to hit for power without striking out too much, he should have no trouble reaching the big-league club, perhaps as early as next season.
Carlos Rodriguez - SP, Milwaukee Brewers
Level: High-A
2022 stats: 25 G, 19 GS, 102.2 IP, 6-5, 2.89 ERA, .276 BABIP, 10.96 K/9, 3.24 BB/9
There are two players named Carlos Rodriguez listed on MLB Pipeline's ranking of the top-30 Brewers prospects. This one, a right-handed pitcher, is just 20 years old and has quickly made a name for himself since being selected in the sixth round of last year's draft. He pairs a mid-90s fastball featuring good elevation with a fading changeup. As you could imagine, these pitches are essentially polar opposites and are both quite effective. He is also developing a slider that could add another dimension to his pitching profile.
Rodriguez spun six perfect frames this past Saturday. Of the 18 batters he faced, all 18 were retired, including nine via the strikeout. He has allowed just six earned runs over his last 40.1 innings, making him one of the hottest pitchers in Minor League Baseball as a whole. Still a couple of years out from making his MLB debut, Rodriguez's potential is quite apparent.
David Calabrese - OF, Los Angeles Angels
Level: Single-A
2022 stats: 107 G, .247/.325/.388, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 65 R, 26 SB, .315 BABIP, .329 wOBA, 85 wRC+, 10.3 BB%, 24.1 K%
Just 19 years old, Calabrese continues to make an impact in the lower levels of the minors. He has great awareness of the strike zone, working walks and making consistent contact, although his strikeout rate is higher than ideal. A solid defender, Calabrese has spent most of this season in center, where his blazing speed and average arm play nicely.
Calabrese did a little bit of everything this past week, going 13-for-24 (.542) with two homers, one double, one triple, three walks, and two strikeouts. He added a whopping 12 RBI and also stole four bags on five attempts. His offensive production isn't super projectable, but if he can keep it up, his odds of reaching the majors are favorable.
Willian Suarez - RP, San Francisco Giants
Level: Single-A
2022 stats: 23 G, 43.0 IP, 2-0, 3.98 ERA, .400 BABIP, 18.21 K/9, 4.40 BB/9
Suarez has made a slow progression through the minors since being signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. It wasn't until this year that he reached affiliated ball, earning the nod to Single-A San Jose back on Aug. 9. Suarez is a hard-throwing reliever who gets a whole lot of strikeouts and groundouts. He limits home runs but has historically struggled in the walk department.
Suarez put on a show this past week, making three different outings, each lasting two innings. In total, he allowed just two hits, one walk, and zero runs. The icing on the cake? Over these six innings, he struck out a whopping 16 batters. That's right: all but two of his outs came via the strikeout. If the right-hander can keep up this clip, he'll continue to rise through the minors with ease.
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