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

MLB Prospects Update: NL Rookies to Get Called Up

Credit: MiLB.com/Ken Weisenberger

Scott Slezak discusses the next potential National League (NL) minor league prospects to get the call up in 2014 and make a fantasy baseball impact as rookies.

Performing the art of adding MLB prospects to your fantasy baseball roster mid-season can take a delicate touch. If you have a league with plenty of bench or N/A spots (as Yahoo! leagues now offer), it doesn’t hurt to stash away some future stars and sleepers off the waiver wire. You have plenty of other guys to stream from your bench to fill your positions. But in no-bench leagues, or leagues with just a few bench spots, carrying a minor league player and waiting for a call-up can do more harm than good. It is rarely worth it. Those “zero stats” guys can be a drain on your numbers and put you in a hole early in the season.

Credit: MiLB.com/Ken Weisenberger

The prospect question most heard is "When will so-and-so be called up?” Without intimate knowledge of front-office decisions, that question is impossible to answer. We can only speculate based upon major league need, service time concerns and that player’s development.

The Astros gave George Springer the call-up on Wednesday after a month of speculation that they would wait until the Super Two deadline. The D-Backs announced that despite their desperate need for a starting pitcher, Archie Bradley will be staying in the minors for now, even though he’s better than their options at the major league level. This uncertainty requires fantasy owners to stay on top of team rumors, the transaction wire and the injury reports.

As usual, the most diligent fantasy owners will gain the biggest advantage over the course of the season. That said, this week I profile a few guys in the National League who may have a chance to help this season– or at least a few guys who are the “so-and-so’s” that fantasy owners are asking about.

 

Eye On The Minors - NL Prospect Updates

 

Oscar Taveras, OF - STL

Taveras would have been in the big leagues last season if not for a nagging ankle injury, so his long-awaited debut has been pushed back to 2014. The timetable for Taveras is “when he’s healthy and ready.” I know that Matt Adams and Allen Craig are fantasy darlings, but those guys will not block Taveras’ path to the majors. With Taveras, we have a potential NL batting champ with perhaps 30-HR pop who can sprinkle in a few steals as well. A fantasy beast and future first-round pick. He has hit to the tune of .289/.347/.489 in Double-A Memphis and has little more to prove in the minor leagues. By the end of the season, he could be the best hitter on the Cardinals.

 

Joc Pederson, OF - LAD

Poor Joc Pederson. Baseball America ranks him as the top prospect in the Dodgers' system, but he has nowhere to play at the big-league level. Pederson can hit. He is absolutely killing it at Triple-A Albuquerque with a .442/.564/.884 triple-slash line, five homers and four steals in his first twelve games. For many other teams, he’d be contributing at the big league level right now, but the Dodgers have enough trouble finding playing time with Andre Ethier, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford healthy and earning big contracts in their outfield. Pederson won’t get a chance this year unless the injury bug revisits L.A. or the Dodgers deal him away.

 

Tommy La Stella, 2B - ATL

Perhaps now is the wrong time to talk about a Braves second base prospect, with Dan Uggla coming off a two-homer game (including a grand slam) the other day. But as any fantasy owner knows, Uggla is prone to streaky hitting and monumental slumps. In the past few years alone, he has been benched for long stretches and was left off the NLDS playoff roster just last season. La Stella is the Braves best option on the farm to take over at second base if (when) Uggla struggles again. He was considered a candidate for the starting job out of Spring Training, but lost out to Uggla and was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett. La Stella doesn’t have power or great speed, but he can hit and get on base. I’ve seen generous comparisons to the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter. If he eventually gets the call, the young Brave could contribute in runs and batting average at a very shallow position.

 

Notes From the Minors

After finally finding his stroke following an 0-for-9 start, the Cubs’ Javier Baez was placed on the disabled list after rolling his ankle last Friday during fielding practice; he won’t be hitting, fielding or throwing for the next week or so, which will certainly delay his big-league debut... I mentioned the Pirates’ Gregory Polanco last week-- he currently leads the International League with a .485 average... Marlins’ lefty Andrew Heaney threw six shutout innings Tuesday night and may be ready for a call-up soon; the Marlins are certainly not shy about promoting young players.

 




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

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Reaches 25-Homer, 25-Steal Milestone
Chris Sale

Activated on Saturday
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
Joe Burrow

Bengals Feel Joe Burrow Just had "the Best Training Camp of his Career"
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
De'Von Achane

Should be Ready for Week 1
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months