With the season winding down, this will be the last Prospect List for 2024. This season, we have seen several big names graduate where other prospects have seemingly come out of nowhere. This 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: Kyle Manzardo, Jackson Jobe, Kevin Alcántara, and Nick Yorke.
Three Fast Risers
Bubba Chandler, #17 Pittsburgh Pirates
The success that Bubba Chandler has seen in Triple-A vaults him up in this month’s edition of the prospect list. At this point, it is safe to say that Chandler deserves to be a part of the top tier of pitching prospects with Jackson Jobe, Noah Schultz, and Andrew Painter. Chandler has seemed to get stronger as the season has moved along and the dynasty community is catching on. Over his last 13 starts, Chandler owns a 2.07 ERA with a 33.3% strikeout rate.
The Statcast data behind Chandler’s Triple-A success is what pushes him up this list. Chandler’s four-seamer gets over 16″ of vertical break and sits comfortably in the upper-90s. He relies on this pitch heavily, but all three of his secondaries are producing a whiff rate of over 30%. His slider is brutal against righties and his changeup helps keep lefties off balance. Chandler is just one step away from the majors and should fill in nicely with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones in Pittsburgh’s rotation.
Kristian Campbell, #21 Boston Red Sox
What prospect list is Kristian Campbell not moving up? Campbell has been one of the year’s biggest breakout bats and slides up to 21 in this month’s update. Although Campbell’s season is officially over due to a lat strain, there is plenty for fantasy managers to look forward to in 2025. Between three levels this season, Campbell hit 20 homers, stole 24 bases, and posted a 180 wRC+. In his 19 games at Triple-A, Campbell whiffed just 18.2% of the time while barreling up the ball in 4.7% of his plate appearances.
What pushes Campbell up this list is his proximity to the majors. Campbell’s success pushed him all the way to Triple-A this season, and he will have every opportunity to earn a starting spot in Spring Training next season. As far as a defensive home, the Red Sox have already started working on that. Campbell got starts all over the diamond this season playing primarily shortstop but also playing second base, third base, and even center field. His athleticism allows him to get into the lineup wherever the team needs him and Boston certainly has holes that Campbell can fill.
Sebastian Walcott, #32 Texas Rangers
Sebastian Walcott has all of the talent in the world. This was obvious last season as a 17-year-old who crushed seven home runs with 12 stolen bases in just 48 games. The difficulty in ranking him is due to his volatility. The 6-foot-4 toolsy shortstop has the raw talent to become one of the best players in all of fantasy baseball. However, he also struck out 32.5% of the time with a swinging strike rate of over 40% last year at the Complex League level. Walcott has hovered in the back half of the prospect list for most of this season but rises to No. 32 for the final edition this year.
As previously mentioned, the issue with Walcott has been the swing-and-miss. This was more of the same early on this season, as Walcott owned a .191 batting average with a 32.5% strikeout rate at the end of April. After a slow start, Walcott has shown steady improvement as the season has moved along. From May forward, he has lowered his strikeout rate to 24.5% while slashing .278/.352/.472. From August forward, Walcott hit .298/.342/.511 with a 23% strikeout rate. Despite being just 18, the team had seen enough to promote Walcott to Double-A to end his season. Walcott appears to be on the fast track to the majors. If he continues to improve his strikeout rate, he could become the top prospect in baseball next season.
Prospect List
Highest Ranked New Additions
Bryce Eldridge, #57 San Francisco Giants
Sometimes there are prospects that, as an analyst, you just miss. While the majority of the community has been in on Bryce Eldridge, I was hesitant to buy into the hype. After being drafted 16th overall, there were rumors Eldridge would get the chance to continue as a two-way player. He then posted incredibly high swinging strike rates while focusing solely on hitting. At 6-foot-7, the question was never his incredible power but whether or not his hit tool was reliable enough to become an impactful fantasy asset. First base has the highest replacement level of any position in fantasy, and that led to skepticism over how high he was being ranked.
This month’s updates show that the skepticism was undeserved. Eldridge has FLOWN through the minor leagues this year posting ridiculous power metrics. Despite being just 19 years old, Eldridge has crushed 23 home runs and is already in Triple-A. Although his contact skills remain suspect, he has shown significant improvements in his strikeout rate, leading to confidence he can produce significant returns for fantasy managers. The best part is that he is knocking on the door of the major leagues before his 20th birthday. Eldridge could be the Opening Day first baseman in San Francisco next year which is great for dynasty managers and helps push him up on the prospect list. The only reason he is not higher is a .209/.273/.319 slash against lefties this season.
Gino Groover, #68 Arizona Diamondbacks
Gino Groover was one of my favorite FYPD sleeper picks heading into last year’s drafts. Groover was Arizona’s second-round pick last season and put up solid numbers in his 27 games debut. Just as Groover was about to enter this year’s top-100 list, he suffered a broken wrist which cost him nearly three months of the season. Groover returned to game action in the beginning of July but was clearly trying to shake off the rust and regain the power in his wrist. However, since August 3, he has looked like an elite third base prospect. Across his last 151 plate appearances, Groover is slashing an incredible .308/.384/.579 while being promoted from High-A to Double-A. Groover should continue to move quickly through Arizona’s system which is great news for dynasty managers.
With Groover, it is not just one aspect of his game that should get dynasty managers excited. To start, Groover has showed off excellent plate discipline. His strong understanding of the strike zone has carried over from NC State and is helping him produce strong walk rates. On top of that, his hit tool is phenomenal. He has posted excellent swinging strike rates in his first full professional season and has one of the smoothest swings in the minor leagues. His hands are quick to the ball and his swing produces line drives to all parts of the field. The icing on the cake is his plus raw power which has led to 10 homers this seaosn. His 600 PA pace this year is 26 home runs to go with his hit tool. Honestly, ranking Groover 68th might be too low.
Roderick Arias, #79 New York Yankees
This is not Roderick Arias‘ first appearance on the prospect list. In fact, Arias has been part of the list for the majority of the season. However, at a certain point his strikeout rate being well over 30% in Low-A was too much to ignore and he fell off the list. This might have been an overreaction for a 20 year old with less than 200 games under his belt. Over the final few weeks of the season, Arias caught fire. He hit over .300 while continuing to steal bases and walk at a strong rate. The most impressive part though was the improvements that Arias made to his strikeout rate. Over his final 18 games, Arias struck out less than 20% of the time which is a massive distinction from his season-long totals.
While there is plenty of risk in Arias’ profile, there is also plenty of upside. He stole 37 bases this season and has the kind of speed that will help him maintain fantasy value even if his hit tool struggles. He also hit 13 home runs, with five of those coming in his last 20 games. Arias will be 20 for almost the entirety of the 2025 season, giving him plenty of time to develop and refine his game. Hope that his end-of-season run will continue in 2025 is enough to land him at No. 79 in the final update of 2024.
Prospects That Just Missed
Zyhir Hope, Los Angeles Dodgers
Zyhir Hope’s name started to catch the attention of fantasy managers early this season. Hope was acquired by the Dodgers as part of the trade sending Michael Busch to Chicago and seemed to be another diamond in the rough find by Los Angeles. Injuries led to Hope missing nearly three months of the season but he put up strong numbers once he returned in late July. On the season, Hope slashed .290/.419/.484 with nine homers and nine stolen bases. His 600 plate appearance pace was 22 homers and 22 steals at just 19 years old. Hope is not a household name yet, but could fly up rankings with a strong start next season. Dynasty managers should consider buying in now while his price is cheaper.
Blake Mitchell, Kansas City Royals
The Royals surprised many by taking Blake Mitchell at eighth overall in last year’s draft. That is not to say Mitchell does not have the tools to become one of the top catchers in baseball, but there is plenty of risk associated with high school catchers. His professional career got off to a bit of a slow start but at this point, his production is vastly underrated. In his first professional season, Mitchell managed to hit 18 home runs while also stealing 26 bases. Stolen base production like that from the catcher position is rare, creating more value for dynasty managers to consider. Mitchell’s hit tool is still incredibly raw, which prevents him from breaking into the top 100 this season. Improvements to his contact skills could vault him into the top 100 next season.
Deep Prospects to Note
Ty Johnson, Tampa Bay Rays
If you are searching for the next pitching prospect Tampa Bay is going to work their magic on it could be Ty Johnson. Johnson was the Cubs’ 14th-round pick last season and was acquired at the trade deadline this season. According to Baseball America, Johnson has lowered his release point by four inches since joining Tampa and has found incredible success. In six appearances, Johnson is striking out over 45% of batters while lowering his walk rate to just 4.8%. There is relief risk here as both teams have used Johnson in more of a swing-man role, but it is difficult to argue with the incredible results Johnson has found on the mound since joining the Rays’ organization. Now is a great time to buy low on Johnson in dynasty.
Jimmy Crooks III, St. Louis Cardinals
A little bit strange nobody is talking about the season Jimmy Crooks III is having in Double-A for the Cardinals. Through 90 games, Crooks slashed .321/.410/.498 putting up an incredible 156 wRC+. The 156 wRC+ ranks sixth amongst all minor leaguers 23 years old or younger with at least 90 games played. The hitters ahead of him are Kristian Campbell, Tre’ Morgan, Cooper Ingle, Luke Keaschall, and CJ Kayfus. All except for Ingle are buzzworthy names throughout the dynasty community. Sure, Crooks is 23 years old, but catchers tend to move a bit slower than other positions, and he was only drafted in 2022. St. Louis has struggled to fully develop catching prospects since Yadier Molina, but Crooks could be the one to break that pattern. Get in on Crooks now before it is too late.