Minor Leagues Spotlight: Top Fantasy Prospects from Week 1

The weekly Minor League Spotlight column looks at MLB prospects and rookies who had a good week in the minors, and can make a potential impact for fantasy baseball owners in 2015.

Just a quick heads-up -- Kris Bryant is not on the list. Yes he had a good week, but we all know that Kris Bryant is great and he is already owned in most fantasy leagues.

Here are some of the top minor league performers from week one that you should keep in mind for fantasy baseball purposes.

Andrew Heaney – (SP, LAA)

As recently as 2014, Andrew Heaney was considered to be the second-best left-handed pitcher in baseball. But a subpar MLB debut in 2014 and a very disappointing Spring Training cost him the five spot in the Angels rotation. His first start of the MiLB season, however, was nothing if not impressive. He threw seven innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts, no walks, and only two hits. If he is able to repeat those starts through the early part of the season, he could be up in the Majors very quickly, likely replacing Hector Santiago.

Michael Lorenzen – (SP/RP, CIN)

Often overshadowed by Robert Stephenson in the Reds system, Michael Lorenzen has quietly been making incredible strides towards reaching the Majors this season. The Reds right-hander rose through the minors very rapidly, finishing the 2013 season at the Double-A level, just months after being drafted. After an impressive Spring Training, Lorenzen made the jump to Triple-A and started the season off right throwing seven innings with three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. If the Reds are sellers at the deadline, Cueto would more than likely be traded to a contender, opening a spot in the rotation that could be filled by Lorenzen if he continues to impress in Triple-A.

Carlos Rodon – (SP, CWS)

Carlos Rodon seemed to have a spot in the rotation all but locked up once Spring Training ended. Chris Sale was coming back from a foot injury, the back end of the rotation looked unstable, and Rodon pitched like a potential ace in Spring Training. But Sale did not take too long to come back from his injury and was able to start as soon as the sixth game for the Sox so Rodon was sent back to the Minors. In his first Triple-A start, Rodon threw five innings with two walks and two hits, no runs, and amassed an incredible nine strikeouts. Currently the four and five spots in the rotation are occupied by John Danks and Hector Noesi, two pitchers who have been unspectacular in their careers so far. It is very possible that Rodon is being kept down for the same reason that Bryant is: to add an extra year of contact control. No matter. Expect Rodon to be a major part of the Sox rotation before the end of the year.

Carlos Correa – (SS, HOU)

2012 and 2013 were huge years for Jed Lowrie because they fooled many people into believing that he could be one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball. Many forgot that he had never had a single double-digit home run season in any professional season prior to 2012 and he had never been able to sustain good health. To think that he will be healthy or be a stable bat in this lineup this year is to show an extreme amount of optimism. Correa, meanwhile has done nothing but rake in the Minors and his 2015 season in Double-A has started off well with him batting .353/.450/.647 with five runs batted in, four runs scored, and a stolen base (still no home runs). There are many scenarios that see Correa as the Astros’ shortstop for a good part of the season: if they are winning and Lowrie isn’t producing; if they are losing and Lowrie isn’t producing; if they are sellers and Lowrie is performing well. It does seem very likely that Correa could make it to the Majors sooner rather than later and he would have a great fantasy impact if he were called up.

Corey Seager – (SS/3B, LAD)

Think about this: the two people blocking Corey Seager to the Majors (Juan Uribe and Jimmy Rollins) both came into the Majors when Seager was only six-years-old. They are both fifteen years older than him and are both playing on the last year of their contract. They also have both considered retirement. On the opposite end of the age spectrum, Seager (20) played very well in Spring Training and gave Dodgers’ fans a teaser at what he could do when given a full-time role with the team. For now, the soon to be 21-year-old will have to wait in Double-A, but he is making the most of it. So far, he is hitting .438/.412/.500 with three runs scored and four runs driven in. The year is still very young, and if either of the veterans Uribe or Rollins finds themselves on the DL, Seager could get a shot in the Dodgers lineup.

Mark Appel – (SP, HOU)

Many thought when the Astros drafted Mark Appel with the first overall pick, the right-hander out of Stanford could potentially do for the Astros what Mike Leake did for the Cincinnati Reds in 2010: debut without throwing a pitch in the Minors. Appel required a little bit of time to develop in the Minor Leagues, but it looks like this could be his year to debut. He looked very sharp in his first start of the season, throwing five innings with four strikeouts, one walk, and two hits (one of those hits was a home run). Appel’s strong makeup, coupled with a weak Astros rotation make it look likely that he could see Major League action around June or July.