Happy Fourth of July everybody! As we celebrate America’s birthday this week, it’s just in time to see some key prospects getting promoted to MLB. The Nationals started the week with calling up their top prospect, and one of the best in baseball, James Wood on Monday. However, not to be outdone, the Minnesota Twins promoted Brooks Lee to replace the injured Royce Lewis.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospects 2024: MLB Prospects In The News

On top of those promotions, we’re seeing a few other prospects get closer to being called up as well. The excitement of the 2024 All-Star Futures Game is becoming more real with the announcement of the rosters. We’re highlighting a few of the lesser-known MLB prospects picked to play in that showcase of future MLB stars too.

 

 

 

James Wood — OF Washington Nationals

Quite simply he is a must-add in basically all formats. A consensus top-five prospect in baseball, Wood is an impact bat of the highest order. The skills leap off the page just as much as his 6’7” frame does. 

Given that the Nationals have requested the full release of Eddie Rosario at this point, Wood is up for the long haul with simply nothing left to prove in the minors. In 52 games at Triple-A Rochester this year he was slashing .353/.463/.595 with 10 HR and 10 SB with 44 R and 37 RBI. The double-plus Power and plus-Speed traits lead him to be a 35-30 candidate regularly while hitting .280 or so and playing any of the three outfield spots.

Brooks Lee — 3B/SS Minnesota Twins

While it’s a big blow to the Twins’ offense to lose Royce Lewis for any period of time, it’s a big bonus to have a top-15 prospect to fill in for him. That’s where Lee comes in. The former 8th overall pick and his near-elite Hit tool and above-average Power tool have shown up at every stop in the minors. 

Over 186 games across the minors he’s slashed .292/.364/.480 with 27 HR, 127 R, 125 RBI, and 9 SB while switching between short and third. He will likely play third for the Twins to take the defensive spot left open by Royce Lewis’ groin injury. If you’re needing middle infield help, or depending on site CI help, Lee has all the upside to be a .290 hitter with 25 HR upside while stealing some bases too.

Gregoy Barrios — SS Tampa Bay Rays

Barrios, a 20-year-old shortstop, was the return to Tampa for trading Aaron Civale on Wednesday. He fits the quintessential middle infield mold with an above-average Hit tool and Speed tool. The rest of the skill set is about average. In 61 games a High-A, Barrios was slashing .325/.367/.429 with 36 R, 34 RBI, and 18 SB while striking out just 24 times in that span. 

He’s already played in 245 games across multiple MiLB levels at just 20 years old which is quite a bit of seasoning. He’s down in the Rays system at this point but he could be a faster mover and be up perhaps next year and offer a solid average and speed option.

 

 

 

MLB Prospects Coming Soon

Dylan Crews — OF Washington Nationals

The next big name to come up for the Nationals will most likely be Crews. He’s reached Triple-A Rochester already since being drafted second overall in last year’s draft. The skills are elite for Crews with three plus-to-double-plus skills and the others no worse than above-average. 

Across 64 games this year split between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s slashing .273/.332/.445 with 7 HR, 47 RBI, 38 R, and 18 SB. While it’d be nice to see more power showing, the 18 XBH aren’t anything to sneeze at. He’s been warming up of late too and another few weeks of that warmup and he should be up in D.C. by the end of July.

Shay Whitcomb — INF Houston Astros

We’ve gone digging deep in the Astros’ system for this one. Whitcomb was drafted with an average set of skills at his disposal in the 5th round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Since then, some of those average skills have shown up, and some others have vastly improved. Over the 426 games in the minors, Whitcomb has posted a .259/.327/.481 slash line with 95 HR, 309 R, 284 R, and 90 SB. 

That works out to a 35-35 HR-SB per 162 game rate. Should that be expected going forward? It’s unlikely but in fairness to Whitcomb he’s posted at least 18 HR in every season thus far, and last year he went for 35 HR in 133 games. The Astros’ offense has been struggling so Whitcomb may be on his way up to Houston in lieu of one of the bench bats who aren’t providing a boost. Watch this one closely.

 

 

 

2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game Prospects

Deyvison De Los Santos — 1B/3B Arizona Diamondbacks

It’s been a breakout campaign for De Los Santos at Triple-A Reno. In the 75 games this year, he’s slashed .344/.394/.677 with 26 HR, 76 RBI, and 54 R while adding 18 XBH. Even though his Hit tool is generally considered below-average, the corner infielder has produced a combined .296 AVG over 376 MiLB games across all levels. 

The power is the calling card for him, and he has that in spades which fits his typical positional expectations. Given the state of the Diamondbacks’ offense currently and the struggles of some key big bats. Once the Futures Game is complete, he could be on a flight from Reno to Phoenix in short order.

Kyle Teel — C Boston Red Sox

It wasn’t that surprising when the Red Sox took Teel in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. They needed a fast-moving developed catcher and that’s just what Teel is. That presumption has held true through his first 87 games in the minors for the Red Sox. The lefty-hitting catcher is hitting a combined .316/.415/.468 with 10 HR, 20 2B, 70 RBI, 66 R, and 8 SB in that span. 

That’s quite impressive considering all of the game-management pro catchers are expected to do as well. That strong showing has landed Teel on the roster for the Futures Game, and he may not be far away from a spot on the Boston roster as well.

Brandon Sproat — RHP New York Mets

The 2023 MLB Draft second rounder has been pitching to an elite level this year, his first season in pro ball. Over 67 IP, Sproat has posted a 1.61 ERA over 13 appearances with 76 Ks and 26 BBs. There was some risk when the Mets took him thanks to the inconsistency he showed at Florida despite the raw stuff that grades out with three plus pitches. 

It seems, though early on, that the Mets have started to get the most out of that stuff. Sproat will have that stuff on display during the Futures Game and now is the time to get in on the bottom floor of a future number two starter for the Mets.

Cooper Pratt — SS Milwaukee Brewers

One of the reasons the Brewers were willing to let Barrios go was because of Pratt and his development. He might only be 19 years old and in Class-A, but the skills are there to make him one to watch going forward. At Class-A Carolina this year, Pratt is slashing .312/.411/.405 with 2 HR, 35 R, 31 RBI, and 19 steals. 

The 6th-round pick from the 2023 MLB Draft possesses a nice mix of tools between his above-average Hit, Arm, and Fielding traits to go with an average Power and Speed combo. On the taller side for shortstops at 6’4”, he has the athleticism to stay there or move to third later if need be. Pratt profiles as a .280 20-25 shortstop when everything clicks.