A reminder of how this works: This is a list for the 2024 season only. It’s not a list of top prospects overall, but rather the players who have the best chance to make a difference in 2024.
Also, it’s only a list of prospects who are currently in the minors or have eligibility to be prospects. Players who are currently on MLB rosters or who have exhausted their rookie status are not considered eligible.
Those caveats aside, here are the top prospects who have a chance to make a fantasy contribution in 2024.
Listen to the Rotoworld Baseball Show for the latest player news, waiver claims, roster advice, and more from our experts throughout the season. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
1. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
2024 stats: 52 G, .353/.463/.595, 10 HR, 10 SB, 40 BB, 42 SO at Triple-A Rochester.
It’s official. Wood is headed to the majors with Eddie Rosario designated for assignment. The outfielder missed playing time with a hamstring injury, but as you can see from the numbers above, he’s capable of helping in a number of categories, and quite a bit in some of them. There will be some ups and downs because baseball is really tough, but Wood is a special offensive talent who is an absolute must-have addition in all formats. There’s too much potential to not include him on your roster.
2. Junior Pathfinder, INF, Tampa Bay Rays
2024 stats: 34 G, .261/.333/.478, 8 HR, 1 SB, 14 BB, 35 SO at Triple-A Durham.
Caminero was placed on the seven-day injured list with a quad strain and hasn’t been able to play since May 28. He hasn’t exactly been at the top of his game lately, either, with a .430 OPS over his last 40 at-bats. Still, Caminero has one of the best offensive looks in the game, regardless of level, and assuming he’s healthy in the coming weeks, he definitely has the potential to be an impact hitter at some point this summer.
3. Coby Mayo, roster player, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 57 G, .317/.393/.674, 20 HR, 3 SB, 25 BB, 65 SO at High-A Aberdeen and Triple-A Norfolk
Another incredible week for Mayo, something Miracle Whip fans hate to hear: He had three multi-hit games and also homered in all three games. Over his last 50 at-bats, Mayo has a sensational .431/.525/.961 batting average with seven homers to go along with eight walks and six doubles. Simply put, his offensive potential rivals that of any prospect in baseball, and you could argue that he’s the best power-hitting prospect still in the minors. You probably should. It’s just a matter of finding him playing time in 2024.
4. Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs
2024 stats: 66 G, .311/.378/.506, 10 HR, 1 SB, 25 BB, 42 SO at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.
Speaking of multi-hit games, Ballesteros has had two hits in four of his last five games, and while he didn’t homer, he did add four doubles. The 20-year-old catcher was certainly good in Double-A with an .867 OPS, but his offense in Triple-A (admittedly a much smaller sample size of 41 at-bats compared to 41) is now a scorching .366/409/.561 in his 10 games in Iowa. There’s no guarantee Ballesteros is going to get a promotion, but it’s very easy to see him helping the Cubs and fantasy managers in the second half of the 2024 campaign.
5. Jackson Holliday, roster player, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 50 G, .269/.437/.458, 7 HR, 5 SB, 60 BB, 54 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 10 G, .059/.111/.059, 0 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 18 SO at Baltimore.
Holliday has returned from the injured list for his elbow injury, but he’ll only be playing designated hitter for the time being. It’s very important to remember that this is just a 2024 prospects list; if it were a long-term list, Holliday would still be at the top of the list. Because of the injury, and at least a little bit because of his struggles in his 10 games, he remains more of a long-term option than one worth adding to the 2024 roster. That said, if Baltimore gives him another chance this year? I’ll do the same.
6. Brooks Lee, roster player, Minnesota Twins
2024 stats: 29 G, .353/.417/.571, 6 HR, 2 SB, 13 BB, 17 SO at Low-A Fort Myers and Triple-A St. Paul.
Lee showed off his underrated power with two more home runs last week. Since being called back up to Triple-A, the infielder has hit .333/.400/.617, and over his past 10 games he has a 1.105 OPS in the International League. It’s a little hard to see where Lee would be playing right now, but it’s worth noting that he’s played some second base. However, most of his reps have been at shortstop (the same position that the hot Carlos Correa plays), so it doesn’t seem like a promotion is imminent at this stage. He’s still someone who needs to be on everyone’s radar.
7. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
2024 stats: 40 G, .297/.394/.641, 13 HR, 0 SB, 25 BB, 31 SO at Triple-A Columbus; 30 G, .207/.241/.329, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3 BB, 23 SO in Cleveland.
Manzardo had a monster week for Columbus with four home runs and seeing his slugging percentage improve by 50 points. The first baseman wasn’t terrible at the highest level, but he obviously didn’t come close to finding this level of success while a member of the Guardians. With Cleveland looking like a legitimate World Series contender, it’s easy to see them giving Manzardo another chance to help the lineup and fantasy managers, or maybe even moving Manzardo at the deadline, which would create an opportunity to help another team, but still fantasy players in the process.
8. Christian Scott, right-handed pitcher, New York Mets
2024 stats: 9 G, 42.1 IP, 2.76 ERA, 10 HRA, 12 BB, 55 SO at Triple-A Syracuse; 5 G, 27.2 IP, 3.90 ERA, 3 HRA, 6 BB, 25 SO at New York (NL).
Surprisingly, this is the first time Scott has appeared on the list. That’s partly because my opinion of Scott is a little lower than some people’s, but he probably should have been on this list the past few weeks, and I regret the mistake. Scott is expected to return to the Mets’ rotation soon, and while he has some command issues (more so than control, though he did walk three times in his last outing in just four innings with Syracuse), he certainly has the ability to make hitters miss with all three of his pitches. He’s more of a run-of-the-mill pitcher than a starting pitcher, but Scott deserves consideration when the Mets bring him back to the team.
9. Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics
2024 stats: 38 G, .463/.497/.705, 5 HR, 2 SB, 9 BB, 13 SO in short-season ACL, Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.Full disclosure: These numbers are boosted a bit by his 14 at-bats in Arizona, where he hit .571/.647/.857 during his rehab assignment. Fuller disclosure: The numbers outside of that are actually pretty good even without them. Wilson is now back in Triple-A, and he homered twice on Saturday while adding four hits and followed that up on Sunday by going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles to improve his Triple-A offense to .447/.490/.650. Yes, there has been some good luck for Wilson, and his exit velocities don’t jump out at him. He’s still a player with a plus-plus hitting tool, solid if unspectacular power, and he doesn’t strike out. There’s a lot to like here, and if the A’s give him a chance, I think he’s worth adding to see how this plays out. What’s the worst that can happen?
10. Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
2024 stats: 23 G, .356/.404/.609, 6 HR, 3 SB, 7 BB, 19 SO at Low-A Tampa, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Well, fuck it. We were waiting for word on the severity of Dominguez’s injury at this point last week, and unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a “moderate” oblique strain that will keep him out for up to eight weeks. The bad news is that it will keep him out until essentially the end of August. The good news is that it doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t contribute in fantasy at the end of the year. It would be nice if you could place Dominguez on your injured list, but without that ability, it’s hard to get him on the roster at this stage. That said, he’d be at the top of this list if not for the injury, so again, keep him on your radar.
It is also considered: Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs; Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta; Jace Jung, INF, Detroit Tigers; Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs; Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks