With baseball about a month into the season, we have seen several players slumping and/or injured. There may not have a lot of options on the waiver wire in larger leagues to seek replacements. What is a fantasy manager to do before the season is lost for good? Fortunately, there are quite a few players in the minors that appear to be on the verge of being called up to the majors. Who are these players? That is where this Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch edition comes into focus.

What should be an immense relief to all, there are pitchers and position players that can provide relief. Fantasy managers will want to keep a sharp eye on these prospects. If there is an open spot on the roster, stash the player now. In leagues that have NA slots, these players should already be in those spots. A few are already in the Big Leagues and worth an immediate roster add. With nothing further needing to be said, let’s shine the light on these youngsters.

Junior Caminero, SS/3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Leading off this Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch edition is Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero. Without question, Caminero had himself a very good showing in the minors last week. He had two two-homer games, bringing his season HR total to six. In 17 games, he is hitting .324-6-16. In 74 PAs, Caminero has 16 Ks and 6 BBs. Further, he has a .378/.662 slash line.

In three minor league seasons, his OPS has improved at each stop. In 2002, it was .882. Last season, it was .976. So far in 2024, it is 1.040. Certainly, it is nice to see such improvement as a prospect moves up the ladder. As for the Major League team, the Rays have struggled mightily so far in 2024, especially offensively. Clearly, Isaac Paredes isn’t part of the problem (.294-7-18).

However, Paredes missed last Wednesday’s game with soreness. Perhaps a move to DH will keep his bat in the lineup. With such a move, Caminero can be called up to man third base. Caminero’s phone should be ringing sooner rather than later. If third base (or shortstop in certain leagues) is a need, getting ahead of the curve and getting Caminero on the roster makes a ton of sense.

Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Obviously, no one needs an introduction to Paul Skenes, the top pitching prospect. It wouldn’t take much to proclaim him the top prospect in all of baseball. In any case, his call to the majors has been the speculation for over a week. Now, that call up looks like it may happen before this weekend.

After all, there is precious little for Skenes to prove at the minor league level. Pitching Sunday for AAA Indianapolis, Skenes pitched 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits. In 66 pitches, he struck out four and walked two. Amazingly, he has only allowed three earned runs this season.

For the year, Skenes has allowed a grand total of 17 hits, with 45 Ks and eight BBs in 27.1 innings. On Sunday, he allowed his first home run in his last 33.1 minor league innings. No question, that is impressive.

As usual, the Pirates have nothing to play for despite a good start to the season. As mentioned, there is nothing left that Skenes can demonstrate that he is major league ready . Expect his call up to come soon. You will want to be prepared when it happens or he will be on someone else’s roster.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians

Unlike others on this Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch list, Kyle Manzardo has already been spotted at the major league level. Manzardo made his debut Monday against the Tigers. The fact that he went hitless in three at-bats is not the story here. What is the story? I’m glad that you asked.

First, Manzardo is Cleveland’s number two ranked prospect. Second, all he has done since coming over in a trade from the Rays is hit. In 29 minor league games this year, Manzardo was hitting .303-9-20. In 109 ABs, his slash line was .375/.642. He was averaging almost a run a game with 25. Further, Manzardo shows good patience at the plate with 22 Ks vs 15 BBs.

Since he is now in the majors, the interest of fantasy managers is sure to increase. His roster percentage stands currently at 9.3. Assuredly, that will only skyrocket when Manzardo’s hitting skills are on full display. If a first baseman is needed on the roster, act now before Manzardo’s availability is nonexistent.

Orelvis Martinez, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

 Interestingly, one of the unique aspects of Orelvis Martinez is that he has faced Skenes in a game. On Sunday, Martinez lined an RBI single to left off Skenes, part of a two hit day. The hits raised his season slash line to .296/.367/.574. Of the players manning the SS position, he has unusual power. As proof, over his past three minor league seasons, Martinez has hit at least 28 home runs in each.

In 115 minor league at bats in 2024, Martinez has eight homers and 24 RBIs. He has shown an improving batting eye, going from 140 Ks in 2022 to 126 last season in 41 more at bats. When searching for talent, making improvements in such an area is a great place to start.

Like the others on this list, he has nothing more to prove in the minors. Expect him on Toronto’s roster sooner rather than later.

Jordan Beck, OF, Colorado Rockies

Of the players that could be mentioned on this Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch edition, Jordan Beck has been in the majors the longest. He received the call April 30 and has played six games so far for the Rockies. No question, there is nothing to celebrate back home as Beck only has three hits 21 at bats.

Even so, Beck is worth a look. All of those games were played away from Denver. Quite possibly, Beck may be like his Colorado teammates and will have difficulty hitting on the road. No worries this week, though, as the Rockies began a six game homestand Tuesday. When he was promoted, Beck was hitting a healthy .307-5-28 in 101 at bats with a .405/.594 slash line.

Best of all, Beck knows where home plate is, as he scored 24 runs in his 25 games. Further, his Ks/BBs was excellent (24/18). Finally, Beck has a nice power/speed combination, as he hit 25 homers and stole 20 bases while driving in 91 runs in 2023.

In the end, Beck isn’t a player that managers should plan on having on their roster all season. He can be added when Colorado is at home. Once he hits the road, he can simply dropped back to the wire. At two percent rostered, he is readily available and worth, for the moment, taking a shot on.

Christian Scott, SP, New York Mets

The last player to be profiled on this Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch edition is also in the majors. In this case, that player is Christian Scott, who made his debut Saturday. In 6.2 stellar innings, Scott allowed one run on five hits with a single walk against six strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Mets bats were largely silent and Scott finished with a no decision.

At one point in the game, Scott retired 11 batters in a row. That start just continued the excellent season that Scott was having in the minors. In 25.1 innings, he was 3-0, posting a 3.20 ERA with a 0.72 WHIP. His K:BB ratio was outstanding at 36:6. His H:9 was a miniscule 4.3. Last season, Scott was 5-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 87.2 innings. He struck out 107 and walked 12 for a 11.0K% and a 1.2BB%.

At present, Scott is 13.2% rostered. After what he showed on Saturday, that percentage is sure to increase. He has a tough task ahead of him Friday against the Braves. Should he pitch well against Atlanta, managers must be quick to add him to the roster. If not, it’ll be a huge missed opportunity.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch edition! As always. debate and discussion are highly encouraged. Agree or disagree with anything in the article? Let’s talk about it.

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