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Well, it's been an interesting week when it comes to prospect promotions and demotions. In Baltimore, we saw Jackson Holliday returned to Triple-A and Heston Kjerstad recalled to the show. But then Baltimore has proceeded to start Kjerstad just once in five games. We also got a late Sunday night promotion of minor league home run leader, Joey Loperfido.
On top of that, Jordan Walker was sent down to Triple-A Memphis for the second consecutive April. He's not a prospect anymore, but I'll be including a blurb about him below.
And 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.
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Top 25 Prospects to Stash for 2024 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 (Hitters): Matt Shaw (CHC), Spencer Jones (NYY), Carson Williams (TBR), Luisangel Acuña (NYM), Ben Rice (NYY), Jakob Marsee (SDP), Jace Jung (DET), Justyn-Henry Malloy (DET), Justin Foscue (TEX), Marco Luciano (SFG), Ryan Bliss (SEA), Damiano Palmegiani (TOR), Drew Gilbert (NYM), Colson Montgomery (CHW), Blake Dunn (CIN).
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Jackson Jobe (DET), Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), Chase Hampton (NYY), Will Warren (NYY), A.J. Blubaugh (HOU)
UPDATES:
- Jordan Beck was called up by the Rockies on Monday April 29th and will make his debut.
- The Brewers are calling up Tyler Black on Tuesday April 30th.
| Rank | Player | Pos | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Junior Caminero | 3B | TBR | May |
| 2 | Jackson Holliday | 2B/SS | BAL | May |
| 3 | Paul Skenes | SP | PIT | May |
| 4 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | CLE | May |
| 5 | Coby Mayo | 3B | BAL | May |
| 6 | Christian Scott | SP | NYM | May |
| 7 | Orelvis Martinez | SS | TOR | May |
| 10 | James Wood | OF | WAS | June |
| 11 | Chase DeLauter | OF | CLE | June |
| 12 | Jasson Dominguez | OF | NYY | June |
| 13 | Cade Povich | SP | BAL | May |
| 14 | Thomas Saggese | INF | STL | May |
| 15 | Cade Horton | SP | CHC | July |
| 16 | Jonatan Clase | OF | SEA | June |
| 17 | Johnathan Rodriguez | OF | CLE | May |
| 18 | Victor Scott II | OF | STL | June |
| 19 | Connor Norby | 2B | BAL | June |
| 20 | AJ Smith-Shawver | SP | ATL | May |
| 21 | Drew Thorpe | SP | CHW | May |
| 22 | Dylan Crews | OF | WAS | July |
| 23 | Jack Leiter | SP | TEX | June |
| 24 | Owen Caissie | OF | CHC | June |
| 25 | Brooks Lee | 3B | MIN | June |
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis
Joey Loperfido (OF/1B - HOU)
When I started writing this article, I planned to go on some rant about how the Astros were foolish for not bringing up Joey Loperfido yet with him mashing in Triple-A and Jose Abreu forgetting how to hit a baseball. Well, either the Astros can read my mind or my timing was impeccable with my "#FreeJoey" post because Loperfido was finally promoted Sunday night.
Joey Loperfido crushes his third homer of the week for the @SLSpaceCowboys 🧑🚀
The @astros No. 6 prospect leads all Minor League hitters with 13 home runs. pic.twitter.com/ZV4kV5033K
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 28, 2024
Given the power/speed blend that Loperfido possesses, he's a must-add player outside of incredibly shallow leagues and should see plenty of run between first base and the outfield in Houston. Loperfido is coming off a 25/27 season in 2023 and already had 13 home runs and five steals in 25 games this season.
Jackson Holliday (2B - BAL)
Well, that didn't go as expected. In his first taste of the Majors, uber-prospect Jackson Holliday struggled immensely to the tune of a .059/.111/.059 slash line and 50% strikeout rate in 36 plate appearances. These struggles weren't due to being too aggressive as his swing rate was actually below league average, but Holliday simply couldn't make any contact with a 64.9% zone contact rate and 49.2% whiff rate. He'll be back up eventually and should still be stashed if you roster him.
Junior Caminero (3B - TBR)
We have a new top dog in these stash rankings and his name is Junior Caminero. After a quad injury cost him the first few weeks of the season, Caminero is doing his best to make up for lost time with three home runs in his first eight games including two on Sunday that registered at 109.7 mph and 106.2 mph off the bat. The power upside Caminero brings to the table is nearly unmatched in the minors right now and the long-term upside is a third baseman in the Riley/Devers tier if everything clicks. He should be stashed everywhere right now and I'm betting he's up within the next two weeks.
Brick shot!
2nd homer of the game, 4th in 12 @DurhamBulls games this year for @RaysBaseball's Junior Caminero (@MLB's No. 4 prospect)
109.7 mph exit velocity | 433 feet pic.twitter.com/qdFUnbN8u6
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 28, 2024
Kyle Manzardo (1B - CLE)
After a decent spring showing in limited action, Kyle Manzardo has swung the bat well to open the season in Triple-A Columbus, especially lately. Over his last nine games, Manzardo is slashing .394/.447/.909 with two doubles, and five home runs. For the season, he's already racked up a half dozen doubles and home runs with a .299/.381/.575 slash line, 13.3% walk rate, and an 18.1% strikeout rate. Meanwhile, the duo of David Fry and Estevan Florial have been occupying the DH slot with Josh Naylor getting a game there here and there as well. Manzardo will likely be up soon and starting regularly at either 1B or DH (or both) along with Naylor.
Tyler Black (3B - MIL)
After four home runs in the last 10 days, Tyler Black is now up to five in 25 games this season with a trio of steals and a solid .303/.393/.525 slash line. This coming after a season where he posted a .417 OBP, 55 extra-base hits, 18 home runs, and 55 stolen bases. Black has also shifted from third base to first base this season, giving him a much easier path to playing time in Milwaukee.
The Brewers have been starting a cvombination of Jakes Bauers, Owen Miller, and Rhys Hoskins at first base this season, but could easily slot Hoskins into the DH spot full time to make room for Black. ANd while Black probably isn't more than a 15-20 homer bat, he can provide plenty of steals from the first base position with a respectable AVG and impactful OBP.
Cade Povich (SP - BAL)
You'll have a difficult time finding a pitcher in the minors who has performed better than Cade Povich so far this season. In five starts for Triple-A Norfolk, Povich has recorded a stellar 1.03 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 10.4% walk rate, and a 41.7% strikeout rate. The walk rate remains on the higher end but is down from 12% last season which is encouraging. Povich has the upside of a high-K #3 starter, but with Kyle Bradish and John Means scheduled to return this week, Povich remains blocked from the Major League rotation.
Jordan Walker (OF - STL)
Yes, I know Jordan Walker graduated from prospect status last summer, but "should I stash him or drop him" has been a common question I've seen over the last several days on social media following his demotion to Triple-A last week. The answer is yes with an asterick. If you play in a shallower format, it's logical to drop Walker as the replacement level value is solid. However, if you play in a deeper format or are in a good spot with your roster and can afford to burn a bench spot on him, I'd recommend holding Walker for now.
His demotion last season lasted five weeks and he hit .277 with a .346 OBP and 24/8 HR/SB pace once being recalled. Walker needs to work on his swing, but on the bright side, he was running an 11.9% barrel rate and 91.7% AVG EV with improved contact rates this season as well. Don't give up hope. The future and long-term outlook for Walker is still very bright.
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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