The 2024 season has been a blast for fantasy baseball. What season is not a blast for fantasy baseball? 2024 has been especially fun to play in dynasty leagues as there have been tons of prospect promotions and impactful performances. With all that has happened, this article takes a second to award the best Minor League performers for each position this year. These are prospects that have seen their dynasty stock take off and should continue to dominate in 2025.
2024 Prospects For the Year
Catcher
Dalton Rushing, LAD
114 GP | .271 AVG | .384 OBP | .512 SLG | 26 HR | 69 R | 85 RBI | 2 SB
After being drafted in the first round, Dalton Rushing set Low-A on fire in a 28-game sample back in 2022. Rushing crushed eight home runs and instantly became one of the primary targets for dynasty managers in FYPDs. Expectations were high for Rushing entering 2023, but dynasty managers walked away from the season feeling disappointed. Disappointed is a tough term as Rushing still posted a 146 wRC+ in High-A, but a .228 average and 15 homers did not do much to excite many managers. Well, Rushing responded in a big way this season. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Rushing crushed 28 home runs while showing major improvements to his batting average.
✔️ 893 feet worth of homers
✔️ Another night in LF
✔️ First game as @Dodgers' Minors Hitter of the YearAll in a day's work for Dalton Rushing with @okc_baseball: https://t.co/mLMIXWQhQF pic.twitter.com/LVofFFwcq8
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 22, 2024
Looking under the hood, it is easy to realize we should have always been confident in Rushing’s offensive profile. Even in a down 2023 season, his home run rates were excellent, his line drive rate was incredible, and he has an elite understanding of the strike zone. This season, one of the biggest adjustments Rushing has made is being more aggressive in the zone. His walk rate is still over 12%, but he is swinging more leading to fewer deep counts and helping to reduce his strikeout rate. Although he played more left field than catcher this season, Rushing still has catcher eligibility and finishes 2024 as the minor league catcher of the year. Rushing should be in Los Angeles at some point in 2025.
First Base
Tre’ Morgan– TBR
100 GP | .324 AVG | .408 OBP | .483 SLG | 10 HR | 72 R | 68 RBI | 20 SB
Entering 2024, everybody in the dynasty community was laser-focused on a Rays first base prospect. That prospect was not Tre’ Morgan. While Xavier Isaac grabbed the headlines, Tre’ Morgan flew under the radar. Morgan put up solid numbers last year in a 14-game sample after being drafted in the third round. Still, many felt his hands were too loud and his contact-oriented profile would hold up enough to produce significant dynasty interest. Well, Morgan has completely changed the narrative after 2024. Morgan’s contact skills were impressive across three levels this season. He hit 10 homers and, more surprisingly stole 20 bases. Morgan’s real future value is going to come in OBP leagues where his contact skills and walk rate profile combine to post incredible on-base rates.
The biggest hit on Morgan at the end of this season is going to be his Double-A slump. In 21 games at Double-A Morgan’s numbers dipped significantly, but fantasy managers should not worry. There is far too much noise in a sample size of 91 plate appearances. For starters, prior to his promotion, Morgan owned a BABIP of .373 thanks to his ability to deposit line drives all over the field. While his batted ball data did not change much, his BABIP dropped to just .241. He continues to post strong contact rates while walking over 13% of the time. Morgan was excellent in his first full professional season and should be in for a big 2025.
Second Base
Luke Keaschall– MIN
102 GP | .303 AVG | .420 OBP | .483 SLG | 15 HR | 80 R | 40 RBI | 23 SB
The truth is that Luke Keaschall was not even remotely on my radar entering the 2024 season. The Twins selected Keaschall out of Arizona State 49th overall in the 2023 draft, but I do not think even they were expecting Keaschall to have the season he had. Keaschall started the year in High-A where he hit seven homers, stole 14 bases, and hit .335 before earning a promotion to Double-A. His numbers dipped slightly, but a 187 wRC+ was always unsustainable. All Keaschall did in Double-A was hit eight more homers, steal nine more bases, and post a 138 wRC+.
Keaschall does all of the little things well. His power profiles right around average and plays up thanks to his ability to pull the baseball. His hit tool and contact skills are certainly above average, thanks to strong plate discipline and a good line drive rate. Although he stole 23 bases, he was caught five times in 14 attempts once he got to Double-A. Long-term, Keaschall profiles to produce excellent on-base numbers, hover right around 20 homers, and steal 15-20 bases. Certainly a solid fantasy producer in the near future and was the best second baseman in the minor leagues this year.
Shortstop
Kristian Campbell, BOS
115 GP | .330 AVG | .439 OBP | .558 SLG | 20 HR | 94 R | 77 RBI | 24 SB
Why talk about Kristian Campbell once when he can get brought up again? Credit to Chris Clegg who successfully nailed another breakout pick from the Boston Red Sox with this one. Campbell was so good in 2024 that he might take the cake for the overall prospect of the year, not just at the shortstop position. The Red Sox took Campbell 132nd overall in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech. Campbell only played one full season at GT, where he slashed .376/.484/.549 in 45 games. The Red Sox saw enough to take him in the fourth round, but not many people in the dynasty community were expecting much from a 21-year-old with limited competitive baseball under his belt.
Despite low expectations, Campbell has been unstoppable all season for Boston. After starting the year in High-A, Campbell has successfully jumped to Double-A, and finally, Triple-A with no trouble handling the advanced competition. At 6’3″, Campbell combines tools, projectability, and on-field performance to create a dream profile for dynasty managers. The Red Sox have used him all over the diamond speaking to his athleticism and adding versatility to his profile. Campbell’s 20/20 season all starts with his approach at the plate. Campbell has an excellent understanding of the strike zone which helps him get on base at a high clip while punishing pitches that are left over the plate. He has no problem taking what pitchers give him and spraying the ball all over the field. He is a doubles machine and could turn into an elite fantasy asset as early as 2025.
🚨 BREAKING: Kristian Campbell is in fact that guy 🚨 pic.twitter.com/mx9ERs6uff
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 5, 2024
Third Base
Jesus Made, MIL
51 GP | .331 AVG | .458 OBP | .554 SLG | 6 HR | 63 R | 28 RBI | 28 SB
There was a lot of thought given to making this selection Matt Shaw. Shaw is my top prospect in baseball and had the larger sample of success this season. However, Jesus Made was so incredible in the DSL that he takes home third baseman of the year. Yes, Made only played in 51 games this year, but he also posted a 169 wRC+. Made’s 600 plate appearance pace would have been 17 home runs and 78 stolen bases. All the while, Made hit .331 with more walks than strikeouts. He was one of only two batters in the DSL to hit at least five homers while stealing 20 bases. He is the only player to do so at age 17 or younger.
Putting up counting stats at the DSL level is not the most difficult thing to do. Competition is weaker and raw talent oftentimes wins out. Made’s loud tools and raw talent were certainly on full display. The most impressive part, though, was Made’s ability to keep his strikeout rate down below 14%. Strikeout rate stabilizes quickly, and this should help ease Made’s transition to full-season ball next year. The future is bright for Made and dynasty managers should be encouraged by his strong 2024 season.
Outfield
Cole Carrigg, COL
115 GP | .283 AVG | .359 OBP | .491 SLG | 17 HR | 87 R | 65 RBI | 53 SB
Did Cole Carrigg put up the best counting stats of all minor league outfielders this season? No, Carrigg was not the most productive outfielder in the minor leagues. However, he had perhaps the most impressive season of them all. Drafted as a catcher out of San Diego State last season, Carrigg quickly transitioned off of the position. The best athletes are usually the ones playing right up the middle which is exactly where Colorado shifted Carrigg. He split time between shortstop and center field this year putting up excellent numbers in High-A. In fact, Carrigg was one of only two players in the minor leagues under the age of 23 to hit at least 15 home runs while stealing at least 40 bases. Henry Bolte joins him on that list but Bolte struck out 34.7% of the time; Carrigg meanwhile struck out in less than 19% of his plate appearances.
Yes, Carrigg is a little bit old for the level he played at this season, but that should not discredit his amazing performance. While transitioning full-time to (arguably) the most important position on the diamond, Carrigg put up one of the best seasons in the minor leagues. He has blazing speed with a future outlook of 35+ stolen bases and is learning how to tap into the raw power his 6’2″ frame provides. He has a great feel for tapping into his pull-side power which should play nicely in Coors. The Rockies could not have asked for a better first season from Carrigg. He ranks firmly within my top 100 prospects at this point and takes home the award for the minor league outfielder of the year.
Starting Pitcher
Bubba Chandler, PIT
23 GS | 119.2 IP | 30.9 K% | 8.6 BB% | 3.08 ERA | 3.10 FIP
Bubba Chandler keeps showing up in my articles. He has been the focus of pitcher performance reports, and prospect lists, and now is featured as the pitching prospect of the year. Paul Skenes opened the season as a prospect, but his fast graduation removes him from contention and shifts the award to Chandler. Chandler seemed to get stronger as the 2023 season moved along and the same was true in 2024. The season got off to a rough start for Chandler who owned an ERA over five through his first 10 starts. For dynasty managers, that was the chance to buy low. In the 13 starts since Chandler has been borderline untouchable. In those 13 starts, Chandler owns a 2.04 ERA which drops below two in his seven starts since being promoted to Triple-A.
Bubba Chandler's (@Pirates No. 1 prospect) numbers across seven Triple-A @indyindians starts after 8 punchouts Tuesday night:
⚫️ 1.83 ERA
🟡 12.4 K/9
⚫️ .183 BAA pic.twitter.com/zFZYji4u6Y— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 18, 2024
Prior to the 2023 season, the Pirates allowed Chandler to serve as a two-way player. Shifting him solely to pitching last season was the best decision they could have made. Chandler has simply exploded and is now one step from the Major Leagues. This is not just a pitcher with strong stats. The metrics on his fastball back up his success and speak to his future potential. The Pirates are forming a scary rotation with their young studs and they will add Chandler to the mix next season.
Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter)