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Welcome back RotoBallers to our top fantasy baseball prospects to stash for 2024 leagues. We're over two weeks into the regular season, but with each passing week, more and more injuries are piling up. This has caused fantasy managers to hit the waiver wire harder than we'd like this early in the season, but for every injury that surfaces, we have to quickly pivot to plan B.
Sometimes, plan B can be the arrival of a potential impact prospect, which is where these weekly Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash here on RotoBaller comes into play. But remember, stashing prospects should be done strategically and varies from league to league. Don't leave your teams without much depth just because you want all the high-upside prospects on your roster.
Also note that a few names that were on this last week have since been called up by their respective clubs. This includes Jackson Holliday, which is looking more and more premature by the day (1-for-22, 12 K), Alexander Canario, and Andy Pages. Additionally, the Rangers have placed Justin Foscue on the 60-day IL, and Jack Leiter will make his debut on Thursday April 18th.
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Top 25 Prospects to Stash for Fantasy Baseball
Notes on plenty of prospects can be found below the rankings table. And remember, these rankings are for 2024 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects to potentially make a rest-of-season fantasy baseball impact in 2024.
Honorable Mentions (No Particular Order): Owen Caissie, Matt Shaw, Adael Amador, Jackson Jobe, Spencer Jones, Carson Williams, Luisangel Acuna, Ben Rice, Jakob Marsee, Jace Jung, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Ryan Bliss, Chase Hampton, Will Warren, Addison Barger, Marco Luciano, Cade Povich, Blake Dunn.
| Rank | Player | Pos | Team | ETA | Prev |
| 1 | Paul Skenes | SP | PIT | April | 2 |
| 2 | Junior Caminero | 3B | TBR | May | 3 |
| 3 | Coby Mayo | 3B | BAL | May | 4 |
| 4 | Joey Loperfido | OF/1B/2B | HOU | May | 5 |
| 5 | Chase DeLauter | OF | CLE | May | 6 |
| 6 | Thomas Saggese | 2B/3B | STL | May | 10 |
| 7 | Heston Kjerstad | OF | BAL | May | 7 |
| 8 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | CLE | May | 8 |
| 9 | Christian Scott | SP | NYM | May | 11 |
| 10 | Ricky Tiedemann | SP | TOR | May | 9 |
| 11 | Jordan Beck | OF | COL | May | 12 |
| 12 | Tyler Black | 3B | MIL | May | 14 |
| 13 | Jasson Dominguez | OF | NYY | June | 15 |
| 14 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF | CHC | May | 13 |
| 15 | AJ Smith-Shawver | SP | ATL | May | 16 |
| 16 | Drew Thorpe | SP | CHW | May | 22 |
| 17 | James Wood | OF | WAS | July | 21 |
| 18 | Orelvis Martinez | 3B/SS | TOR | May | Unr |
| 19 | Connor Norby | 2B | BAL | May | 17 |
| 20 | Brooks Lee | 3B | MIN | May | 21 |
| 21 | Colson Montgomery | SS | CHW | June | 23 |
| 22 | Dylan Crews | OF | WAS | July | 20 |
| 23 | Cade Horton | SP | CHC | July | 24 |
| 24 | Jacob Misiorowski | SP | MIL | July | Unr |
| 25 | Drew Gilbert | OF | NYM | July | 23 |
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis
Junior Caminero (3B - TB)
Junior Caminero rocketed up prospect rankings last season after he hit .324 with 31 home runs between High-A and Double-A, with his season culminating in a cup of coffee with the big-league club at the end of the season and a spot on the postseason roster for the Rays. This was as a 19-year-old. Now 20 years of age, Caminero began the season at Triple-A and got off to a good start, but a quad injury kept him out of the lineup for two weeks. In the first game back, the righty hitter had a double, a home run, and five RBI.
Through five games, Caminero is 7-for-22 (.318) with a double, two home runs, seven RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base. Jose Caballero is holding down SS admirably to this point, but Caminero may end up at third anyway, which might push Isaac Paredes to DH or 2B. Regardless, with a little more seasoning in Triple-A, Caminero should be on his way to Tampa again. He didn't do much offensively last season during his call-up, but being a year older, he could have an immediate impact.
"YEAH, I'M THINKING I'M BACK"
- Junior Caminero (probably)He SMASHES a 425-foot homer & has driven in 5 runs in his 1st game back off the IL!
(also is 110.5mph off the bat good? that seems good) pic.twitter.com/MsEFQJpShC
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) April 14, 2024
Thomas Saggese (2B/3B - STL)
With Victor Scott II already in the majors, Thomas Saggese is the Cardinals' highest-ranked offensive prospect in the minors at this point. After winning the Texas League MVP in 2023 for leading the league in numerous offensive categories, Saggese has continued to hit in 2024. The 22-year-old has five multi-hit games over his first 12, going 12-for-43 (.279) with two doubles, a home run, eight RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases. He's currently riding a little four-game hit streak in which he's 6-for-13 (.462).
One concern is that he's tallied 14 strikeouts over those first 43 ABs of 2024, although 11 of those came in the first six games, with just three in the six games since. The former fifth-round draft pick can play both second and third base, but has actually spent most of his time at shortstop this season, which gives the Cardinals some flexibility.
Christian Scott (SP - NYM)
Christian Scott is the Mets' top pitching prospect and is coming off a season in which he posted an ERA under 2.50 with 104 strikeouts in 85 2/3 IP across High-A and Double-A. The 6-foot-4 righty started 2024 at Triple-A, and in three starts, he's got 26 strikeouts to just three walks in 14 1/3 IP. The head-scratcher is the five home runs he's allowed, which is already tied for the amount he gave up all last season.
Assuming he irons out that issue, we should see him in Flushing before June. While Jose Butto has pitched well in his two starts, they were against the Tigers and Royals, so let's see what he does against a more formidable opponent. Scott is probably an upgrade over all of Butto, Sean Manaea, and Adrian Houser. If the Mets want to compete, they don't want to roll with this rotation all season.
Us every time Christian Scott pitches 😃
5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
His longest Triple-A start…and the final 16 batters he faced didn’t get a hit 🤯 pic.twitter.com/5CUQBP3bzy
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) April 17, 2024
Orelvis Martinez (3B/SS - TOR)
The Blue Jays have a powerful bat producing in Triple-A, just waiting to give the big-league offense a boost. It's Orelvis Martinez, of course, who in 2021 (at the age of 19) hit 28 home runs across two levels of the minors. Then, in 2022 (at age 20), he hit 30 home runs at Double-A. Last season, between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit another 28 home runs. The righty hitter even increased his batting average almost 40 points when he made the jump to Triple-A (from .226 to .263).
After ripping 5 2Bs over 6 games, Orelvis Martinez crushes a GRAND SLAM for his 2nd jack in the past 3 games.
The @BlueJays' No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 82) with a 113.8 mph exit velocity on this 469-foot homer. pic.twitter.com/RmkjTbAS73
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 17, 2024
Martinez started 2024 in Triple-A, and through 14 games (54 at-bats), he's hitting .296 with six doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI, and 13 runs scored. He's in the midst of an 11-game hit streak and has hit safely in 13 of the 14 games he's played in. While there's no rush to get him to the bigs yet, especially with shortstop blocked by Bo Bichette and third base being handled fine by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, he may force the issue. He may also end up at second base anyway, which could be the opportunity he needs.
Right now, the keystone is being manned by Cavan Biggio, who is slashing .304/.385/.435, with Kiner-Falefa mixed in as well. But with a career average of .232, it's not likely Biggio will keep this kind of production up. The 29-year-old is also only signed through the end of the year, so all the more reason to get Martinez up to the Show for some reps before becoming a mainstay in the lineup in 2025.
Brooks Lee (SS - MIN)
Brooks Lee was taken as the eighth overall pick in 2022, and by the end of 2023, he had logged 38 games at Triple-A. The 23-year-old had a good spring with the big-league club, hitting .333 (12-for-36) with five doubles, a triple, and a home run in 13 games played. The switch-hitter does not strike out a lot, with a 16.0% K% in 2023, and had a solid 9.9% BB%.
An issue with back spasms toward the end of March landed him on the IL for three to four weeks. In the meantime, both Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa have landed on the IL, which could have opened the door for Lee had he been healthy.
He'll probably need some time at Triple-A to get his timing down again, but depending on the health of the aforementioned Lewis and Correa, Lee might be needed sooner rather than later. With Lewis's injury history, it'd be surprising if he were to stay healthy the remainder of the year even after he returns, so all the more reason to have Lee ready to step in. Look for him to get the call to the big-league club by mid-to-late May.
If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.
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