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Jarod analyzes three top fantasy baseball prospects - Shay Whitcomb, Kyle Manzardo, Dylan Crews - who could make big impacts this season. These MLB prospects are potential waiver wire pick-ups or stashes.
It's Week 20 of the MLB season, and managers are positioning their teams to make a run at the fantasy playoffs, scouring the waiver wire and constantly monitoring all of the information out there in order to make a move before their league-mates, all in hopes it will pay off in the end by hoisting that fantasy championship.
Prospects are somewhat of an untapped resource. Unless you are Jasson Dominguez or Junior Caminero, these guys usually don't warrant a bench spot on your roster until they are finally in the majors. I wanted to highlight three fantasy baseball prospects here who could make notable impacts for their teams (and your fantasy teams) when they finally do get to the big leagues.
I outline why these players warrant your attention, and I also included the availability of each player in Yahoo leagues with each breakdown. Let's take a look at some of the hottest names in the minor leagues!
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Shay Whitcomb - SS, Houston Astros
Current Level: Triple-A Sugar Land
Availability: 0% rostered
2024 stats: 100 G, .302/.388/.549, 24 HRs, 88 RBI, 69 R, 26 SB
It has been a methodical climb up the ranks for Astros prospect Shay Whitcomb. The former fifth-rounder hit .293 with 23 home runs and 30 stolen bases across two levels of the low minors in 2021. His BA took a hit in his first taste of Double-A action in 2022, hitting just .219 but still mustering 19 homers and 20 steals. He saw success at Double-A in 2023, which prompted a promotion to Triple-A, where again the BA faltered (.224), but the power and speed remained (23 HR, 12 SB).
In 2024, it appears the 25-year-old has finally put it all together. Prior to this season, the power-over-hit prospect never struck out less than 28.3% at any level. The Astros' 28th overall prospect has cut the K% down from 31.3% last season to 20.0% in 2024.
Shay Whitcomb is the Astros Future player of the week. The 25-year-old hit .458 with 4 homers, 10 runs batted in over six games for Sugar Land! #Astros #Relentless pic.twitter.com/H4Hvtgy2dx
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) August 6, 2024
The UC-San Diego product is now slashing .302/.388/.549 on the year with 26 stolen bases. His 24 home runs are tied for fourth-most in all the minors and his 88 RBI are good for second-most. Jeremy Pena is having a fine season in Houston, outside of a dismal June, but Whitcomb offers an upgrade in power and speed potential. He should get a taste of the majors this season, and although he isn't a must-stash, he'd be worth a flier in deeper leagues whenever he does get the call, so keep an eye out for any developments on that front.
SHAY WHITCOMB IS ON FIRE!
Homer number 24 💣 #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/IAr0F3gjY9
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) August 5, 2024
Kyle Manzardo - 1B, Cleveland Guardians
Current Level: Triple-A Columbus
Availability: 3% rostered
2024 AAA stats: 62 G, .265/.396/.544, 14 HR, 38 RBI, 48 R, 2 SB
2024 MLB stats: 30 G, .207/.241/.329, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB
Kyle Manzardo began the season at Triple-A and slashed .303/.375/.642 with nine home runs over 29 games, prompting a promotion to the big league club. The 30-game cameo did not go as hoped, slashing .207/.241/.329 with zero home runs, resulting in a subsequent demotion.
Since his return to Triple-A, the 24-year-old hasn't put the bat on the ball quite like he was earlier in the season, as evidenced by a .226 BA, but getting on base hasn't been a problem. Prior to Sunday, Manzardo had at least one walk in 13 consecutive games, collecting a whopping 18 in that span and now sporting a .415 OBP since returning to Columbus.
#Guardians 24yr old (1B) prospect Kyle Manzardo reached base 4x today (1-3 R 2B 3BB SB) for Columbus including this double in the 1st inning extending his current on-base streak to 14 straight games.
During streak Manzardo has a .460 OBP.
10-43 7R 4(2B) 1(3B) 1HR 7RBI 16BB 1SB… pic.twitter.com/qIlBWGf4jV
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 1, 2024
That is something that should translate somewhat to the big leagues, but it didn't in his first cup of coffee after walking just 3.4% of the time while seeing his K% jump to 26.4%. The left-handed hitter owns a career BB% of 14.5 and 17.2 K% in the minors.
With the Guardians boasting the best record in baseball and current designated hitter David Fry performing sufficiently in that role, there is no need to rush Manzardo back. He can also play first base, but Josh Naylor, also a left-handed hitter, blocks his path there. All it takes is one injury, though, or an acute cold spell with Cleveland amid a playoff push to thrust his name back into the conversation.
Not everyone succeeds in their first taste of major league play; just ask MLB's No.1 overall prospect, Jackson Holliday, but with Manzardo's bat-to-ball skills and keen eye, MLB's No. 35 overall prospect will certainly get another shot with the Guardians, it just might not be this season. If he does get the call, managers may want to see if the approach has changed and if he's having some success before scooping him off the waiver wire.
Dylan Crews - OF, Washington Nationals
Level: Triple-A Rochester
Availability: 10% rostered
2024 AA stats: 51 G, .274/.343/.446, 5 HRs, 38 RBI, 26 R, 15 SB
2024 AAA stats: 34 G, .245/.317/.415, 4 HRs, 17 RBI, 19 R, 5 SB
Dylan Crews has quickly risen through the Washington Nationals system, reaching Triple-A after having been drafted in 2023. The former second-overall pick has played 34 games at Triple-A this season and is holding his own in his first go-round at that level, slashing .245/.317/.415 with four homers and five stole bases. MLB's fourth-ranked prospect even had a nine-game hit streak in June and an eight-gamer in July. Between Double and Triple-A, he's logged a .261-9-55-45-20 line in 85 games.
65-grade hit tool multiplied by a plus run tool gets Dylan Crews this triple!
MLB's No. 4 prospect (@Nationals) picks up his 6th extra-base hit in his past seven contests for the Triple-A @RocRedWings. pic.twitter.com/TorPasbAbV
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 1, 2024
Over his last four games, he's just 2-for-16 (.125), so he's not exactly pounding on the door to the majors, but if he gets on another roll, you could see the Nationals bring him up to join former teammate James Wood on the big league roster. The Nationals aren't making a playoff run this season and it could be beneficial to give the youngster a taste of major league pitching.
The 22-year-old has plus power, according to scouts, an even better hit tool, and doesn't chase pitches often. The LSU product has impressively reduced his strikeout rate at Triple-A, going from 23.7% at Double-A to 17.1% at Rochester, and increased the walk rate a bit, from 7.6% to 9.1%. Those numbers may be more telling than his slash line, showing that he's getting closer to being ready for the Show.
The right-handed hitter is not a stash candidate but is worth an add in most leagues if he gets summoned to D.C., providing multi-category potential for interested fantasy managers just in time for the fantasy playoffs.
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