A reminder on how this works: This is a list for the 2024 season only. It is not a list of the top overall prospects, but the players who have the best chance of making a difference in 2024.
Also, it’s only a list of prospects who are currently in the minors/have prospect eligibility. Players who are currently on MLB rosters or have exhausted their rookie status are not considered eligible.
Those caveats out of the way, here’s a look at the top prospects who have a chance to make a fantasy contribution in 2024.
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1. Coby Mayo, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 63 G, .309/.393/.651, 21 HR, 3 SB, 31 BB, 71 SO at High-A Aberdeen and Triple-A Norfolk.
So this is hard. With James Wood now mercifully not eligible -- not that I didn’t love writing about him, he’s incredible, he just has better things to do than crush Triple-A pitching -- there’s a few guys you could argue belong in this top spot, but it’s just not possible for me to recommend a fantasy prospect over Mayo right now. The risk is obvious because of Baltimore’s situation, but the reward is a hitter who can hit for average, power and provide some run production in the loaded Orioles’ lineup. Junior Caminero is a 1B, but if there’s any prospect I’d be rostering right now, yep, it’s Mayo.
2. Junior Caminero, 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 IL with a quad strain and hasn’t been able to play since May 28, but he’s nearing the end of his expected 4-6 week timeline. He also wasn’t exactly tearing the cover off the baseball as of late with an OPS of .430 over his last 40 at-bats, but Caminero has some of the best offensive upside in the sport regardless of level, and assuming good health in the coming weeks, he definitely has the potential to be an impact bat at some point this summer.
3. Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics
2024 stats: 38 G, .461/.494/.731, 7 HR, 2 SB, 10 BB, 13 SO at short-season ACL, Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.
Somehow, some way, those numbers above may not be the most impressive of Wilson’s 2024 campaign. He hasn’t struck out since June 26, and that’s largely because he’s making contact with an absolutely absurd 96.1 percent of his swings. That’s impossible to sustain even with some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the minors -- or majors -- but it just speaks to how impressive they are. The fact he’s done this while also homering in two of his last three games is silly. Wilson isn’t a lock to make his debut in 2024 and he may only contribute in a couple of categories, but I mean, just look at those numbers.
4. Jackson Holliday, INF, Baltimore Orioles
2024 stats: 59 G, .273/.449/.447, 8 HR, 5 SB, 69 BB, 64 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 10 G, .059/.111/.059, 0 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 18 SO at Baltimore.
Some of it has to do with pitchers just not wanting to pitch to Holliday, but goodness gracious is his approach at the plate impressive. He walked three more times Saturday and drew nine free passes over his last five games. He also homered and picked up four extra-base hits in that timeframe. Holliday is the best prospect in the minors -- that’s even more obvious now with Paul Skenes and Wood no longer eligible -- and despite his shaky play with Baltimore in his limited sample, he’s absolutely a must-roster if Baltimore calls him up again this summer.
5. Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs
2024 stats: 71 G, .306/.369/.486, 10 HR, 1 SB, 25 BB, 44 SO at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.
Ballesteros had a so-so week for Iowa. The good was picking up a hit in four of his five games. The bad was that he only picked up one knock in three of those four contests. Even with that shaky-ish play, Ballesteros has been outstanding since his promotion to Triple-A with a slash of .328/.359/.459 in a not-so-small sample of 61 at-bats. It wouldn’t shock me one bit if Chicago gave Ballesteros a shot to help the catching ranks, and he could help fantasy managers in the process.
6. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
2024 stats: 43 G, .295/.394/.622, 13 HR, 0 SB, 27 BB, 31 SO at Triple-A Columbus; 30 G, .207/.241/.329, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3 BB, 23 SO at Cleveland.
Manzardo has been outstanding since his demotion with a slash of .277/.433/.575 with four homers in his 14 games. The first baseman wasn’t terrible at the highest level, but 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 either giving Manzardo another chance to help the lineup and in turn fantasy managers, or maybe even moving Manzardo at the deadline which would create a chance to help another team, but still fantasy players in the process.
7. Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2024 stats: 12 G, .333/.411/.542, 1 HR, 5 SB, 5 BB, 11 SO at short-season Arizona and Triple-A Reno.
Ranking Lawlar is hard. Well, hard compared to the rest of this list, this is a really easy job if we’re being completely honest with you. But the difficulty here is that on one hand, this is one of the top prospects in baseball who can contribute in all five categories if healthy. On the other, he’s only been able to play 12 games because of injury, and he just got back on the field Saturday in his second rehab stint at the rookie level. Whether Lawlar is going to play for Arizona likely depends on what the Diamondbacks do over the next couple of weeks, but just in terms of potential upside, Lawlar beats everyone on this list but Holliday.
8. Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
2024 stats: 51 G, .274/.343/.446, 5 HR, 15 SB, 16 BB, 50 SO at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.
Crews was the second pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, and while he hasn’t been quite the fast-track player that Skenes was, reaching Triple-A a little under a year later is an impressive accomplishment. The 22-year-old has been just ok in his time in Triple-A with a .244/.289/.410 slash, but the talent is obvious. He can hit for average, power, steal bases and he’s also a strong defender; which doesn’t hurt his chances of reaching the highest level. It’s just as likely that Crews won’t debut until 2025, but obviously he’s someone you have to pay attention to.
9. Tyler Black, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers
2024 stats: 58 G, .286/.393/.493, 10 HR, 12 SB, 32 BB, 41 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 12 G, .235/.316/.294, 0 HR, 3 SB, 4 BB, 18 SO at Milwaukee.
Black is back in the minors, which is a little disappointing, but also understandable. The nice thing is that while it has come in the minors, Black has picked up two hits in four-of-five games while showing off his offensive upside. It’d be a surprise if Black didn’t get another chance at some point this year with the Brewers -- assuming he’s not traded in a deadline deal, of course -- and while his fantasy upside is palpable, just make sure you keep in mind that he could be in a reserve role if/when that takes place.
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.
Dominguez was diagnosed with a “moderate” oblique strain that is going to keep him out until at least the end of August. The good news is that injury doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t be a fantasy contributor at the end of the year. It’d be nice if you could place Dominguez on your injured list, but without that ability, it’s tough to roster him at this stage. That being said, he’d be at the top of this list if not for the injury, so again, keep him on your radar.
Also considered: Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs; Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta; Jace Jung, INF, Detroit Tigers; Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs