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The Top 30 list keeps getting more and more challenging as the window for prospects to impact the 2019 fantasy season gets smaller and smaller. But there are still a healthy number of names to dream on as the minor league season also winds down towards a conclusion at the start of September.
A few players from last week’s list received promotions to the Majors. Cardinals reliever Junior Fernandez received his first taste of big-league action. Josh Rojas, who was traded from Houston to Arizona recently, immediately made his presence felt in The Show. And Mitch Keller received his much-deserved third opportunity for the Pirates.
Four organizations had new prospects make the list this week including the Athletics, Twins, Marlins, and Dodgers.
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Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings (1-10)
1. Gavin Lux, SS, Dodgers (AAA) (ETA: August)
He’s still hot. Lux has five multi-hit games in the past 10 contests. He’s also shown both power and speed with three home runs and three steals. In 35 Triple-A games, Lux has a BB-K of 25-29. He’s not a speed-burner but the young middle infielder now has 10 steals on the season to go with 24 home runs and a .356 batting average.
2. Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros (AAA) (ETA: August)
Tucker is on another hot streak with a .366 batting average over the past 10 games. His BB-K during that stretch is an impressive 4-4 and he has more home runs (five) than strikeouts. On the season, Tucker now has 32 home runs and 25 steals with a .932 OPS.
3. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Rays (AAA) (ETA: August)
Lowe is all but guaranteed a spot on the big league club in September and he’d be even higher on this list if he had a clearer path the regular playing time. He already has an .875 OPS in 30 big league games this year and he’s hitting .314 with five home runs over his past 10 minor league games. Lowe has also really improved his approach at the plate as witnessed by his recent BB-K of 7-6 and overall BB-K which is now 56-68.
4. Carter Kieboom, SS, Nationals (AAA) (ETA: August)
Kieboom is another player that is perhaps being inspired by the impending roster expansions in September. He has four multiple-hit games in the past 10 and is hitting .300 during that stretch. Overall, he’s hitting .311 with 57 walks in 95 games so he has added value in leagues that reward walks.
5. Kyle Wright, RHP, Braves (AAA) (ETA: August)
Another week, another strong result from Wright. In his last appearance, he allowed just one earned run in six innings with a K-BB of 6-0. He’s now struck out six or more batters in seven of his last eight minor league starts. During that eight-game stretch, he’s allowed just 12 earned runs in 53.1 innings which equates to a sparkling 2.03 ERA. Ignore that first part of 2019; this is the real Wright.
6. Jesus Luzardo, LHP, Athletics (Rehab) (ETA: August)
Luzardo makes his way back onto the list in grand style — jumping all the way back into the Top 10. His last appearances on Aug. 10 was outstanding with three shutout, hitless innings, and seven strikeouts. In his two appearances in A-ball since coming off the injured list, he has a K-BB of 12-0 with just one hit allowed in five innings.
7. Nick Solak, 2B/OF, Rangers (AAA) (ETA: September)
Solak is enjoying life with his new organization. Over 24 games with the Rangers, he has a 1.052 OPS although the BB-K of 4-21 leaves a little something to be desired. It could be a moment in time or it could be related to a change in organizational philosophy as the Rangers are a much more aggressive organization than the Rays. Either way, his 26 home runs will play in the Majors and his .425 batting average over the past 10 games suggests he’ll get a shot at The Show soon.
8. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, Twins (Rehab) (ETA: August)
The Twins have recently suggested that Graterol could receive a promotion to the Majors once he shows he’s healthy again after missing over two months with a shoulder injury. And it looks like the team is preparing him for a relief role in the Majors. In three appearances since coming off the injured list, he’s thrown 4.2 shutout innings with a K-BB of 7-0.
9. Bryse Wilson, RHP, Braves (AAA) (ETA: August)
Wilson is likely battling Kyle Wright for big-league innings in September. He’s throwing well over the last four starts with just one earned run allowed in 27 innings (0.33 ERA). His K-BB over that same stretch is 25-6. He’s also doing a nice job of keeping the ball in the park and has allowed just one home run in his past six games.
10. Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP, Yankees (Rehab) (ETA: August)
Loaisiga is another pitcher returning from injury that could have an impact in September — but out of the bullpen. He’s appeared in three games since getting healthy. The one game was a dud with three runs allowed in two-thirds of an inning. In the other two, he did not allow an earned run in 5 combined innings while producing a K-BB of 7-0.
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings (11-20)
11. A.J. Puk, LHP, Athletics (AAA) (ETA: August)
Puk continues to battle through some command issues as he shakes off the rust from a long injury layoff. He’s now allowed five earned runs in 9.1 innings at the Triple-A level in part because he’s allowing more fly balls and fewer ground balls. The encouraging number is his K-BB rate, which is at 13-3. He has to be added to the 40-man roster this fall so expect him to get at least a look in September.
12. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B/3B, Orioles (AAA) (ETA: September)
Mountcastle continues to show a better approach at the plate as the minor league season winds down. He still has an ugly overall BB-K of 17-108 but it’s a more-than-respectable 3-6 over the past 10 games. With a .313 average through his first nine games of August, Mountcastle has hit .300 or more in four of the five months that make up the 2019 season so he gets extra marks for consistency.
13. Jordan Romano, RHP, Blue Jays (Rehab) (ETA: September)
Romano finally began his rehab assignment last week after missing more than a month with an injury. He threw a shutout inning and could be on target for a promotion to the Majors when rosters expand. With closer Ken Giles still hurting, there are high-leverage innings to be had.
14. Abraham Toro, 3B, Astros (AAA) (ETA: September)
Toro is on fire at the Triple-A level. He’s hitting .417 with just three strikeouts and six walks in nine games. Overall between two levels, he has a .316 batting average with a .919 OPS. He’s an on-base machine with legit 20-homer power.
15. Deivi Garcia, RHP, Yankees (AAA) (ETA: September)
As Garcia approaches the 100-inning mark for the first time in his young career (He’s at 98.2 innings), the Yankees are keeping a close eye on his pitch count. He’s been pulled in his last two games at 4.0 and 4.2 innings despite solid in-game results. There is a small chance that the diminutive righty could be pitching key innings for the Yankees in September.
16. Jake Fraley, OF, Mariners (AAA) (ETA: September)
Fraley has been battling health issues recently and it just doesn’t look like he’s playing at full strength in August. He’s hitting just .257 over his past 10 games with a BB-K of 1-9. Still, he’s a legitimate 20-20 threat when healthy and has to be added to the 40-man roster this fall so he could get a shot at the Majors in September.
17. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, Twins (AAA) (ETA: September)
The Twins may have been unable to make a big splash at the trade deadline but Thorpe appears ready-willing-and-able to help out if needed. He allowed just one hit over six shutout innings while producing a KK-B of 7-0 in his last start.
18. Nick Gordon, SS, Twins (AAA) (ETA: September)
It will be difficult for Gordon to find regular playing time but he should be up when rosters expand in September, if not a little sooner to make him eligible for the playoffs if the club wants to use him as a pinch-runner. He’s hitting well recently with a .357 batting average over the past 10 games and has shown steady defense at both shortstop and second base.
19. Jared Walsh, 1B/RHP, Angels (AAA) (ETA: September)
The versatile Walsh keeps getting teased with short stints in the Majors but is deserving of a more extensive opportunity - especially with the bat. He has an 1.108 OPS on the year and is one home run away from 30. He’s been especially hot over his past 10 games with a .405 batting average, four home runs and BB-K of 7-12.
20. Jesus Sanchez, OF, Marlins (AAA) (ETA: September)
Sanchez has been hitting well since moving from the Rays to the Marlins at the trade deadline. He has a 1.062 OPS in 10 games since the trade and has seen an increase in his power output. After going deep just nine times in 96 games in the Rays system, he’s now hit four with the Marlins organization.
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings (21-30)
21. Luis Robert, OF, White Sox (AAA) (ETA: September)
After an extended hot streak, Robert has gone ice cold. He’s hitting just .196 with a BB-K of 2-16 over the past 10 games. His OPS for the season is sitting just below 1.000 at .998.
22. Jo Adell, OF, Angels (AAA) (ETA: September)
The window of opportunity is closing fast for Adell with the Angels falling out of playoff contention and with the young outfielder’s recent struggles. He’s hitting just .209 over his past 10 games at Triple-A.
23. Forrest Whitley, RHP, Astros (AA) (ETA: September)
Whitley’s control issues came back to haunt him on Aug. 10 when he walked five batters in 3.2 innings. The good news is that he was pitching to the same team in back-to-back appearances, which is always tough, and he still struck out five batters and allowed just two hits.
24. Jon Duplantier, RHP, Diamondbacks (AAA) (ETA: September)
Arizona’s starting rotation is pretty full right now but Duplantier could still pitch some key innings out of the bullpen in September. He had an ugly start on Aug. 4 but bounced back OK on Aug. 9 with four shutout innings with six strikeouts.
25. Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers (AAA) (ETA: September)
I tagged Gonsolin as a sleeper a couple of years ago and he finally looks ready to make good on his potential. He showed well in a recent MLB stint and then went back to Triple-A where he continued to throw well. In his last start, he struck out nine batters in five shutout innings.
26. Sheldon Neuse, IF, Athletics (AAA) (ETA: September)
Neuse, 24, has a .932 OPS in Triple-A but he’s also blocked by all-start Matt Chapman. He’s been seeing time at a few different positions. He has lots of power to offer with 22 home runs and 30 doubles in 112 games.
27. Anthony Alford, OF, Blue Jays (AAA) (ETA: September)
The outfield is pretty crowded in Toronto right now but the club likely wants to see what a healthy Alford is capable of before entering the offseason with a lot of decisions to be made on the makeup of the 40-man roster. He has hits in seven of his eight games since coming off the injured list.
28. Justin Dunn, RHP, Mariners (AA) (ETA: September)
He’s curiously spent the entire year in Double-A and has battle command issues but Dunn could still see some big league innings in September for the rebuilding Mariners. His last start was encouraging with five innings of one-run ball in which he struck out eight batters and walked just two
29. Jose Urquidy, RHP, Astros (AAA) (ETA: September)
The Astros did an outstanding job at the trade deadline of solving their pitching issues but could use some arms in September to help rest the veteran hurlers for the playoffs. Urquidy and Framber Valdez will likely get a recall in September.
30. Tanner Houck, RHP, Red Sox (AAA) (ETA: September)
Boston needs a minor miracle to reach the playoffs at this point but Houck could still get a look even if the club just wants to see how close the young hurler is to helping out. In his last two appearances, he’s allowed two hits and struck out five batters in 3.1 innings.
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