A reminder on how this works: This is a list for the 2024 season only. It is not a list of the top overall prospects, but the players who have the best chance of making a difference in 2024.
It feels so good to be back.
A reminder on how this works: This is a list for the 2024 season only. It is not a list of the top overall prospects, but the players who have the best chance of making a difference in 2024.
Also, it’s only a list of prospects who are currently in the minors/have prospect eligibility. Since the season hasn’t started, however, we will include players that are currently on MLB rosters who still have the aforementioned eligibility.
Those caveats out of the way, here’s a look at the top prospects who have a chance to make a fantasy contribution in 2024.
1. Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers
2023 stats: 108 G, .288/.413/.450, 13 HR, 26 SB, 81 BB, 111 SO at Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock; 23 G, .306/.413/.645, 5 HR, 3 SB, 12 BB, 14 SO at Texas.
There are many contenders here who would be in the top spot in most years, but this isn’t most years. Carter not only crushed MLB pitching upon his call-up last September, but he was outstanding in the postseason while helping Texas take home its first championship. He has a keen eye at the plate and the ability to hit the ball hard all over the field, and on top of his impressive speed, he’s beginning to tap into plus power in his left-handed bat. It doesn’t matter where Carter hits in 2024 because the Rangers’ lineup is so strong, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone at all if he is a five-category player in 2024. I’ll be more surprised if he isn’t.
2. Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
2023 stats: 128 G, .282/.338/.467, 22 HR, 44 SB, 43 BB, 104 SO at Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville.
This was hard, and you may have been expecting Carter’s teammate in one of these first two spots. Don’t worry, he’s here, too, but Chourio belongs in the second spot for a few reasons, not the least of which is his being one of the best overall prospects in baseball. He’s held his own with a .280 average and three doubles in the Cactus League, and watching him play, you’d never guess this was a player who just turned 20 two weeks ago. There will be ups-and-downs for Chourio in 2024, but there should be enough good with his power and speed to justify carrying him on a roster this year. It’s also worth pointing out he’s a terrific defender, and that matters here because it will keep his bat in the lineup. It should, anyway.
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3. Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers
2023 stats: 44 G, .360/.480/.677, 10 HR, 12 SB, 36 BB, 34 SO at High-A Hickory, Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock.
I told you we’d get to him. The fact Langford is going to make the Texas lineup just nine-plus months after being drafted out of the University of Florida is clearly impressive, and he’s been the talk of Arizona with his strong play during the exhibition season. I rank Langford behind Chourio for only two reasons: he’s much more likely to be sent down if he has a slow start, and I don’t think he’s going to be as big of a threat on the bases. Nevertheless, no hitter in the minors has more offensive upside with a chance for 70-grade (on the 20-80 scale) hit and power, and he’s far from a slowpoke; 20-plus steals are well within reason. There’s a little more risk here than with the two names above and a few below, but just as much reward, if not more.
4. Jackson Holliday, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2023 stats: 125 G, .323/.442/.449, 12 HR, 24 SB, 101 BB, 118 SO at Low-A Delmarva, High-A Aberdeen, Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk.
If this was just a list of the top prospects in baseball, Holliday would be at the top. He ranks fourth on this list because we know he won’t make the Opening Day roster for reasons that are likely service-time related even if the front office denies it. The first pick of the 2022 Draft has a chance to be well above-average at everything, and he’s looked ready to help at the highest level even as a 20-year-old. Holliday won’t likely be in the minors for long, and he’s well worth draft consideration in redraft formats.
5. Jackson Merrill, OF, San Diego Padres
2023 stats: 114 G, .277/.326/.444, 15 HR, 15 SB, 35 BB, 62 SO at High-A Ft. Worth, and Double-A San Antonio.
The third and final Jackson on the list (note to parents, maybe a moratorium on the name for a little while?), Merrill is opening the 2024 season as the starting centerfielder for the Padres, and his stock for the 2024 season has taken a massive jump because of it. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has excellent bat-to-ball skills with a swing path that suggests high average, but he’s improved his strength and he has a chance to provide decent power numbers on top of it. While only an average runner, his acumen on the bases should also allow him to steal a decent number of bags. Merrill will need to play well in order to justify staying on the San Diego roster, but there’s a reason he’s universally considered a Top 15 prospect in the sport. He looks ready.
6. Colt Keith, INF, Detroit Tigers
2023 stats: 126 G, .306/.380/.552, 27 HR, 3 SB, 60 BB, 121 SO at Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo.
Keith signed a multi-year deal with the Tigers in the offseason after putting up those sensational numbers you see above, and he is expected to see regular playing time for the Tigers to begin the 2024 campaign. He’s not a speed demon so he’ll have to hit to remain a regular, but his ability to drive the ball into the gaps - and often over the fence - along with a keen eye at the plate gives him a chance to do just that. Keith hasn’t gotten the talk of some of the other top prospects this spring, but that’s a mistake. He can really hit.
7. Junior Caminero, INF, Tampa Bay Rays
2023 stats: 117 G, .324/.384/.591, 31 HR, 5 SB, 42 BB, 100 SO at High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery: 7 G, .235/.278/.353, 1 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 8 SO at Tampa Bay.
It wasn’t terribly surprising that Caminero was sent down to the minors to begin the 2023 season, but it’s still a little disappointing. That’s largely because he’s a right-handed hitter with the type of power you see in players who rank among the league leaders in homers, but he also has the bat-speed and smooth stroke you see from hitters who hit for a high average as well. Steals aren’t likely for the 20-year-old, but if he helps in the other categories to his fullest capability, there’s still a great chance he’ll be a fantasy helper in 2024.
8. Kyle Harrison, LHP, San Francisco Giants
2023 stats: 21 G, 67.2 IP, 4.52 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 48 BB, 109 SO at Triple-A Sacramento; 7 G, 4.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 11 BB, 35 So at San Francisco.
Harrison is the only pitcher on this list to open the year, but this is not a “best of a bad group” situation; there are a few hurlers who have the stuff to succeed in 2024 if given the opportunity. Opportunity is a key word in this case, as the southpaw is locked in with a rotation spot to begin the season. Command has been an issue in the past, but even if the WHIP may not be a strength for Harrison, the ability to miss bats with stuff that suggests he’ll be difficult to square up can compensate for it. There’s volatility in the profile, but the arsenal is too good to suggest he should be ignored to begin the year.
9. Ceddanne Rafaela, INF/OF, Boston Red Sox
2023 stats: 108 G, .302/.349/.520, 20 HR, 36 SB, 26 BB, 103 SO at Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester; 28 G, .241/.281/.386, 2 HR, 3 SB, 4 BB, 28 SO at Boston.
It was trending this way even before he posted an .896 OPS in his first 19 games in the Grapefruit League, but it’s now official that Rafaela will be on the Opening Day roster. His weaknesses here are readily apparent - a poor approach at the plate along with a good deal of swing-and-miss in his profile - but the power/speed combination along with enough hard contact to dream on a decent average are just as easy to see. There may be a thin leash with Rafaela to begin the year, but his versatility along with the aforementioned skills give him a great chance of succeeding through the summer.
10. Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2023 stats: 105 G, .278/.378/.496, 20 HR, 36 SB, 56 BB, 101 SO at Double-Amarillo and Triple-A Reno; 14 G, .129/.206/.129, 0 HR, 1 SB, 2 BB, 11 SO at Arizona.
It was hard to leave several players off the list, but we know the rules, no one can have a list of more than 10 players. At the end of the day, I think Lawlar deserves the final spot over a plethora of quality prospects because of his proximity to the majors on top of a skill set that can contribute in every category. The issue for Lawlar is that there’s currently no room for him, but assuming he plays well in Triple-A, the Diamondbacks are going to find a way to get one of the top infield prospects in baseball into the lineup.
Also considered: James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals; Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates; Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs; Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays; Noelvi Marte, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
