The prospect list is my favorite article to write. Early in the season, there is plenty of fluctuation in these rankings. Things change quickly and if you are too slow to react, the rankings become outdated. At the same time, there are some prospects that dynasty managers need to be patient with. This month, the article takes a slightly different format to keep dynasty managers up to date. Same top 100 list, but different notes on a few more players. Keep reading to find the latest update on my top 100 prospects for dynasty fantasy baseball leagues.
Prospect List Rules:
- All players must have prospect eligibility.
- This list is only for prospects in the minor leagues; no major league players are included.
- Maximum of two positions listed per player.
- Primarily weighted for standard 5×5 leagues, but all league types are considered.
Prospect List Graduates:
This section of the prospect list is reserved for players who have recently been promoted to the major leagues. This month, the following prospects were promoted to majors and would have landed inside of this list: Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo (yes I know he is back in Triple-A; he would rank second behind only Matt Shaw), Jace Jung, Dylan Crews, Trey Sweeney, Junior Caminero, Zebby Matthews, and Rhett Lowder.
Three Fast Risers
Leodalis De Vries, #10 San Diego Padres
The highest-ranked big riser for this month is Leodalis De Vries. Entering the season, De Vries was viewed as one of the top prospects in baseball despite never playing in a professional game. The Padres signed De Vries out of the Dominican Republic this past signing period at just 17 years old. Despite his age, the team sent him straight to full-season ball where things got off to a slow start. At the end of June, De Vries was slashing just .196/.310/.313 with a strikeout rate of over 28%. De Vries started the season ranking around 50th, but that seemed a bit aggressive after one month.
De Vries’ age was important to remember. At just 17 years old, De Vries is on average four years younger than the typical Low-A player. This was also his first taste of professional baseball. Instant success should have never been expected. After a slow start, De Vries has come alive at the plate. July forward, De Vries slashed an impressive .284/.407/.589 with 10 home runs and seven stolen bases. The most impressive part of De Vries’ success was the maturity he showed at the plate. His raw power, speed, and athletic ability were always present but those things do not automatically translate to success in professional baseball. In De Vries’ case, he has cut his strikeout rate dramatically down below 19% since the start of July. Over that time, his walk rate is up over 15% as he is becoming more selective and doing damage when pitchers make a mistake.
The jump up into the top 10 for this month is significant. That being said, De Vries is worth the hype in dynasty leagues. Any player who can adjust as quickly as De Vries has proven is special. For dynasty managers, this is a player with the potential to finish as the best player in fantasy at his peak. Players like De Vries do not come around often which helps to justify his jump into the top 10.
Luke Adams, #26 Milwaukee Brewers
This is not the first time that I have brought up Luke Adams‘ name in this article. A few editions ago, Adams’ name was mentioned after he appeared in the back half of this list for the first time. The Brewers selected Adams in the 12th round of the 2022 draft and quietly put together a nice debut season. Playing all of last season in Low-A, Adams hit 11 home runs and stole 30 bases. He was one of only five minor league hitters under the age of 23 to hit 10 homers, steal 30 bases, walk over 15% of the time, and strike out less than 25%. The other four were Tyler Black, Jett Williams, Jasson Domínguez, and Jakob Marsee. While the other four hitters gained significant attention throughout the dynasty community, Adams remained relatively unknown.
This season, Adams has continued to show improvements at the plate. Overall on the season, Adams is slashing .232/.448/.408 with 11 homers and 28 stolen bases. However, his season-long numbers do not paint the full picture. On June 4, Adams’ slash line sat at .206/.390/.331 and despite a 121 wRC+, there was not a ton to be optimistic about. However, over the past few months, Adams has turned things around in a dramatic way. From June 5 forward, Adams is slashing .257/.495/.480 with a robust 187 wRC+. His walk rate since then is over 22% while his strikeout rate is at 19.8%.
While Emmanuel Rodriguez receives plenty of attention in the dynasty community, Adams is essentially the same hitter. 6-foot-4 with impressive raw power, rare contact skills, and a plus base stealer, Adams checks all of the boxes for fantasy managers. His overly patient approach can get him into trouble at times, but he is only 20 years old. There is plenty of time for him to continue developing as a professional hitter. His jump up to 26th overall this month is a testament to the potential he has for dynasty managers.
Bubba Chandler, #32 Pittsburgh Pirates
I was going to write about Bubba Chandler, but I also do not want to repeat what was already written. The Chandler hype train has officially left the station as he continues to dominate since his promotion to Triple-A. Through four starts, Chandler owns a 1.17 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. The fastball from Chandler grades out excellent according to all Triple-A stuff metrics giving him a fantastic base to work from. The most impressive part of Chandler’s success has been the sustained improvements to his control. Chandler’s walk rate in Triple-A sits at 6.7% which has been the biggest knock on him throughout his career.
His proximity to the major leagues and elite run of performances pushes him way up this list. Chandler now ranks as the fourth highest-ranked pitching prospect not in the major leagues. If you want to read more about Chandler, check out this recent piece I published earlier this month!
Prospect List
Highest Ranked New Additions
Emil Morales, #57 Los Angeles Dodgers
No player has had a better professional debut this season than Emil Morales. Morales signed with the Dodgers back in January for $1.9 million and has seemed to be worth every dollar. Even the most highly-regarded international prospects often have trouble adjusting to professional pitching, but not Morales. In 46 DSL games, Morales hit 14 homers and stole 12 bases, all the while batting a cool and crisp .342. Featuring a big leg kick, Morales’ raw power jumps off the screen. The leg kick and his 6-foot-3 frame certainly help, but his ability to generate power is instinctual. Despite his youthfulness, Morales has an excellent feel for tapping into his pull-side pop. His hands explode through the zone with excellent bat speed and strong hip rotation. His HR/FB% this year sat above 30%.
The caution flag, and what keeps Morales down at No. 57 while De Vries is up at No. 10 is the swinging strike rate. Morales’ swing is big and comes with plenty of holes. Although his strikeout rate in the DSL was just 22.4%, his swinging strike rate sat up at 27% this season. Hitters with that much swing and miss tend to struggle as they advance to face tougher competition. That being said, Morales has the kind of potential dynasty managers need to be aware of. He has 25+ stolen base potential with the kind of power to hit 30 homers. There is almost no such thing as a perfect prospect, but Morales has as much upside as anybody on this list.
Jarlin Susana, #70 Washington Nationals
Speaking of upside, Jarlin Susana certainly checks that box. Susana is looking to be another blue-chip prospect acquired as part of the Juan Soto trade. Known originally as a fire-baller with control issues, Susana is quickly turning into a complete pitcher. After turning 20 years old in March, the Nationals sent Susana back to Low-A to start the season. Through his first 12 starts, things seemed to be more of the same for Susana. He was striking out 32% of opposing batters but also walking 13.6% of them. Toward the end of June, things started to change. Susana continued to strike out batters at an impressive rate, but the walk rate came crashing down. Over his past 10 starts, Susana’s walk rate has dropped down to 8.7%. Across those starts, his ERA is down to 3.61 with a 2.26 FIP.
Susana has quickly turned into a pitching prospect that deserves attention in all dynasty leagues. He has the pure stuff to be a front-line starter and if these control improvements stick, he could become a dominant fantasy asset. He should be viewed very similarly to fellow pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski who comes in just a few spots higher thanks to his major league proximity.
Cam Smith, #75 Chicago Cubs
Talk about getting off to a fast start. Cam Smith has wasted no time introducing himself to Cubs’ fans and dynasty managers throughout baseball. The Cubs took Smith at 14th overall and he is quickly looking like a potential steal of the draft. Just one year after selecting newly ranked No. 1 prospect Matt Shaw, the Cubs seem like they may have struck gold again. Smith was mentioned in last month’s article as one of the prospects who just missed cracking the top 100. That was a mistake that has been rectified in this article. Smith’s power is effortless as evidenced by his six home runs in just 15 Low-A games. Smith’s excellent plate discipline forces pitchers to come over the plate where he can do damage. His swing is designed to deposit line drives all over the field and he profiles to be a doubles monster. While he lacks the fantasy upside as some other prospects ahead of him, his peak profile could turn out to be very similar to Alec Bohm.
Prospects That Just Missed
Robert Calaz, Colorado Rockies
Robert Calaz is a prospect already included in many top-100 lists, and one who just misses cracking the top-100 here. Calaz’s name started to generate some buzz prior to the season as a breakout pick and he has certainly lived up to expectations. Calaz started the season at the Complex level where he dominated. In 49 games, Calaz hit 10 homers with 12 stolen bases. With a 173 wRC+, the Rockies had seen enough to promote Calaz to Low-A where he has continued to perform. The sample size is small but Calaz has added another two homers and three steals while continuing to bat over .300. A high swinging strike rate is the one thing keeping Calaz from breaking into the top 100. His strikeout rate is up over 28% since his promotion but at just 18, there is plenty of time to continue developing.
Carlos Jorge was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Mariners system. Between him and Noelvi Marte, the Mariners seemed to have their middle infield of the future. In the blink of an eye, both players were in the Reds’ system and trended in very different directions. Jorge had a solid first season with the Reds putting together a 151 wRC+ and then continued his success in Low-A last season. The wheels started to fall off for Jorge once he was promoted to High-A as his average dipped and his strikeout rate went way up. Repeating High-A this season, Jorge struggled out of the gates. On July 5, Jorge was batting just .203 with a strikeout rate above 34%.
This was the time many in the dynasty community jumped ship. The shine of Jorge had worn off despite still being just 20 years old. Well, this might have been an overreaction. From July 9 forward, Jorge looked much more like the hitter he was back in 2022 and the first half of 2023. His strikeout rate dropped down to 21.9% as he slashed .274/.392/.488. Unfortunately, Jorge was injured on August 11 and could miss the remainder of the season. While I am not ready to re-add Jorge to the top-100 list, he is certainly a name dynasty managers should not forget about.
Deep Prospects to Note
Eduardo Beltre, Minnesota Twins
Each season there are a handful of prospects that fly onto fantasy radars after the DSL. Eduardo Beltre is a front-runner for that list right now. Beltre signed with the Twins out of the Dominican Republic and his professional career is off to a fast start. In 43 DSL games, Beltre is up to 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases and is batting over .300. On top of all of that, Beltre is also walking over 15% of the time. While there are some concerns about his contact skills, Beltre’s raw power makes him a name for dynasty managers to know now. If you wait too long, you might miss your chance to get Beltre onto your dynasty teams. Acquiring DSL breakouts is all about acting fast which is exactly what managers need to do if they want to roster Beltre.
Sabin Ceballos, San Francisco Giants
Sabin Ceballos was gaining some attention with the Braves but deserves even more after being traded. The 6-foot-3 third baseman was drafted in the third round of last year’s draft by the Braves and was the return the Giants got for Jorge Soler. Despite his physical frame, Ceballos has hit just six home runs all season. His swing is designed for hitting line drives and uses the whole field as opposed to driving the ball out of the park. However, since being acquired by the Giants, his pull rates and fly ball rates are both up significantly. His slugging percentage is up as a result and he could be unlocking a new level to his game. Ceballos is 22 years old and still in High-A, so there is no action for dynasty managers at this point. However, Ceballos is a deep league name worth keeping on your radars.
Kumar Rocker should be top 10
I wrote about Rocker some in this article! I think there is still significant relief risk and durability concerns which keep him out of my top 100
https://pitcherlist.com/dynasty-baseball-minor-league-pitcher-performance-report-5-0/