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Jake analyzes three top fantasy baseball prospects - Dylan Crews, Tyler Gentry, Matt Shaw - who could make big impacts this season. These MLB prospects are potential waiver wire pick-ups or stashes.
It is now Week 22 of the MLB season! As we near the end of our 2024 fantasy leagues, we’ve already witnessed a significant number of prospects make their debuts and impact our matchups. However, there are still many highly regarded prospects in the minors who could soon have a major impact this summer or fall (and beyond)!
This week brings an interesting group of players—from the third-ranked prospect in baseball to the 15th-ranked prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization.
These three players all have immense potential and should be considered in all but the shallowest of fantasy leagues. I’ve also noted each player’s availability in Yahoo! leagues to help you gauge their current value and where it may go from here.
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Dylan Crews - OF, Washington Nationals
Current Level: Triple-A Rochester
Availability: 44%
2024 stats: 45 G, .257/.333/.450, 7 HRs, 24 RBI, 31 R, 8 SB
Dylan Crews, selected as the second overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, is now ranked as the third-best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. The young star has shown incredible maturity at every level of play so far this season and is currently playing in Triple-A.
In the month of August, Crews is slashing .268/.339/.518 with six extra-base hits in 14 games. His .518 SLG is the highest total he has had in any month this season, which could be a sign that his call-up is coming sooner rather than later.
James Wood has been proving many people right with his recent play, including a monster home run today. Now, it’s time to give Dylan Crews the call. Will we see him this season?
✍️ @DCBerk https://t.co/1kO80bh164
— District on Deck (@DistrictOnDeck) August 18, 2024
Crews possesses a unique blend of skills that few players can match. He boasts 60-grade hitting, power, and speed. Despite being only 22 years old, he has demonstrated remarkable poise at the plate and in the field.
As the Washington Nationals (56-69) are at the bottom of the standings, their focus has shifted to the future. They will use the remainder of the 2024 season to evaluate their roster for 2025 and beyond. A promotion for Crews looks pretty likely, offering him the opportunity to showcase his talent on the biggest stage and earn a roster spot to start the 2025 season.
Crews hold significant potential as a fantasy baseball asset, making him a player that fantasy managers should keep on their immediate radar. If given the opportunity, all managers should stash Crews and look forward to his (imminent) call-up.
DYLAN CREWS pic.twitter.com/TElKOHmPTy
— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) August 18, 2024
Tyler Gentry - OF, Kansas City Royals
Current Level: Triple-A Omaha
Availability: 92%
2024 AAA stats: 101 G, .254/.347/.424, 12 HRs, 52 RBI, 54 R, 5 SB
Tyler Gentry, the 25-year-old outfielder, currently ranks as the 15th-best prospect in the Royals organization. Gentry has succeeded at every level of play through his minor league career and has remained in Triple-A for almost two full seasons now.
Over the past four seasons, Gentry has shown an ability to adjust and improve. He has been required to make several mechanical changes to help smooth out his swing. Although he started off the 2024 season rather slow, he has been much better during the second half. In his last 22 games, Gentry is slashing .296/.387/.432 with three homers and 15 RBI.
Tyler Gentry gets us on the board pic.twitter.com/bxXQ3l8lbQ
— Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) August 17, 2024
The Royals currently sit at 69-55 and are three games back of the AL Central division lead. As they chase a long-awaited return to the postseason, they may look deep into their organization to find someone who can add a spark to their lineup, specifically to replace the struggling Hunter Renfroe (.569 OPS in his last 15 games).
As a corner outfielder, Gentry should be at the top of the list as possible replacements and lineup boosters. Although there is no news that Gentry is set to be called up, there is some reason to believe that he will get a chance in the big leagues at some point this season.
As of right now, due to his (extremely) high availability in fantasy leagues, managers should hold off on making any brash decisions. The best course of action is to keep Gentry on your radar/watchlist and then reevaluate if he is called up and starts to hit.
Tyler Gentry brought the fireworks. pic.twitter.com/BBVT0kQaiF
— Preston Farr (@royalsminors) July 5, 2024
Matt Shaw - 2B, Chicago Cubs
Level: Triple-A Iowa
Availability: 59%
2024 stats: 12 G, .263/.391/.447, 2 HRs, 7 RBI, 5 R, 2 SB
Matt Shaw, 22, was the 13th overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft and currently ranks as the 25th-best prospect in baseball. After spending most of the 2024 season (86 games) in Double-A, where he slashed .279/.373/.468 with 14 HR and 50 RBI, Shaw earned a promotion to Triple-A on August 5.
Shaw is a special talent, possessing a 55 grade in hitting, power, and running. He has an exceptional future ahead of him; however, he is still quite raw in terms of his readiness for a major league call-up.
Matt Shaw absolutely CRUSHED this ball #RoadToWrigley pic.twitter.com/g6Ter4iFxk
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 17, 2024
In his minor league career (which started last season), he has only taken 38 at-bats at the Triple-A level. This means that he lacks experience facing the closest thing to major league pitching and will likely need to get more reps under his belt before he gets the chance to actually face the real deal.
Shaw also needs to improve his plate discipline before receiving a call to the show. Throughout his college and minor league career, he has walked a fine line between patience and aggression while batting.
The last thing a major league organization would like to do is taint their top prospect's future by throwing him into the fire too early. Although Shaw is an amazing talent and will be an impactful player for years, I cannot see him playing in the MLB in 2024. Fantasy managers should not pick up Shaw in season-long pools; however, he should be monitored/stashed in pools that go beyond 2024.
A 507-FOOT GRAND SLAM! Matt Shaw put this thing into orbit and they had to measure it with a satellite shot!pic.twitter.com/mB7J183ahj
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 1, 2023
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