The middle of July tends to be a bit of a lull in the MLB schedule. The teams are waiting for the All-Star break to happen and the MLB Draft. With that being the case, teams aren’t making a ton of callups right now.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospects 2024: MLB Prospects In The News

All that said, we still had a couple this week in Yilber Diaz, Rece Hinds and Justin Wrobleski. Along with that, we’ve had a few big names starting to make noise about a possible callup in the next couple of weeks. Even though it’s a lull, there’s still plenty to talk about with MLB prospects and what they can do to help your fantasy baseball rosters.

 

 

 

Yilber Diaz — RHP Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have used a lot of starters this year. 13 to be exact, not including openers. Diaz was that 13th on Monday night when he started against the Braves. Prior to joining the Diamondbacks, Diaz went through two levels in the Arizona system and racked up 105 strikeouts in 76 innings over 15 starts. 

The walks have been so-so at 38 in that span but the BAA is a slight .203. Diaz has two main pitches he uses in his electric fastball and 12-6 curveball with his fringy-above-average slider being the third offering. His changeup is still developing and is a long way off yet. 

In his MLB debut, Diaz used a lot of sliders to keep the Braves pretty off-balance and go 6 IP with 4 H, 5 Ks, and a lone walk. The Diamondbacks have said he’ll get another turn in the rotation, and he may stick longer than that given Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Jordan Montgomery are all injured currently.

Rece Hinds — OF Cincinnati Reds

The injuries to Stuart Fairchild and Nick Martini forced the Reds’ hand in calling up Hinds. The callup was a tad surprising based on some numbers, but less so based on others. The average at Triple-A Louisville wasn’t great, to be polite, at .216 with a 38.4% K-rate in 77 games. 

The good news though is that he produced a .323 BABIP and a .308 wOBA even with that along with great counting stats. Coming off a 23-20 year at Double-A in 2023 he was on his way to doing that again with 13 HR, 12 SB, 41 RBI, and 38 R in those 77 games at Triple-A. Again even with striking out nearly-40% of the time. 

The 2nd round pick from the 2019 MLB Draft is mainly a power bat with average speed and a cannon for an arm in the outfield. The hit tool has never been even average with a .244 AVG in 322 MiLB games. Hinds has had a great two-game start to his career thus far but it’s hard to see him being anything special for fantasy with a career K-rate over 30% added to a poor hit tool.

Justin Wrobleski — LHP Los Angeles Dodgers

The latest starter to come up for the Dodgers in their seemingly unending need for starters, Wrobleski hasn’t gotten a ton of hype. Sure, he’s not a frontline starter in the making, but as the most polished southpaw in the Dodgers’ system, he’s at least a number-4 starter. 

Possessing a four-pitch mix of at least MLB-average pitches, Wrobleski can keep hitters off-balance enough to limit damage even when the offerings aren’t elite. The fastball works in the mid-90s with run while slider sits in the mid-80s as his second-best pitch. His changeup is also an effective third pitch while he flashes an occasional curveball and cutter. 

With the news that Tyler Glasnow is back on the IL with a back issue, Wrobleski is likely to get another turn through the Los Angeles rotation after a solid enough first outing of 5 IP. If you’re in need of pitching depth, Wrobleski is an interesting arm to look at on a team with good win chances and him possessing enough strikeout upside from the back of their rotation.

 

 

 

2024 MLB Prospects On The Rise

Junior Caminero — 3B Tampa Bay Rays

Caminero is back off the minor league IL and announced his return with a home run the other night. The mainly-third-baseman, but part-time shortstop and DH, has been the cream of the crop in the Rays’ system for a while now. Now that he’s back healthy, and the Rays’ offense has been struggling for a while, Caminero is likely to come up to the majors shortly after the All-Star break. 

Over 34 games at Triple-A Durham this year, he’s slashing .261/.333/.478 with a .295 BABIP and .355 wOBA to go with 8 HR, 24 RBI, 19 R, and a steal. If he’s still available in your league, this is the time to grab him as the Rays need all the help they can get and Caminero is a big piece of that help.

Jacob Wilson — SS Oakland Athletics

If Wilson was drafted by the Angels, he’d have already come up. That’s how good his first 68 pro games have been. A combined slash line of .414/.455/.635 with 8 HR, 57 R, 46 RBI, and 6 SB with 35 doubles is all he’s done. It’s like he’s playing MLB The Show in real life. Wilson had the best overall hit tool in the 2023 MLB Draft at a 70-grade tool and that’s clearly shown through early in his pro career. 

The rest of the tools are like a throwback shortstop in that the speed is average, fielding is plus, and power is a tad below-average. Oakland has typically been very slow to promote their top prospects but recently with Mason Miller and Zack Gelof they’ve been quicker and perhaps that bodes well for Wilson. Max Schuemann has only been so-so at shortstop and clearly isn’t holding up Wilson based on what Wilson is doing currently.

Owen Caissie — OF Chicago Cubs

There are rumors again about the Cubs trading pieces at the deadline. Part of the rumors are circling around Cody Ballinger, a fellow outfielder. If Bellinger does get moved, the hole would be there for Caissie to get the callup from Triple-A Iowa. Caissie has been starting to figure things out over the last two seasons between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa where he’s hit at least .279 over the last 196 games.

He’s also hit 30 HR, 49 2B, scored 112 R, and driven in 130 while stealing 13 bags. He’s mainly a power guy with below-average speed and a plus-arm for the corner outfield spots. The Cubs are at a crossroad right now and we may see them take the path of youth like they did leading up to 2016.

 

 

 

Moises Ballesteros — C Chicago Cubs

Speaking of crossroads, the Cubs are there with their catcher position. Tomas Nido isn’t exactly lighting things up behind the plate and Miguel Amaya hasn’t been able to beat him out even with that. If only the Cubs have a young, talented, replacement in the system who’s showing he’s ready? That’s where Ballesteros comes in. 

Since the start of 2023, he’s hit a combined .292 over 186 games with a .370 OBP and 24 HR, 111 RBI, 98 R, and 8 SB to go with 41 doubles. Most of that time he’s been behind the plate as well. If the Cubs decide they’re going the way of youth, it may not be long in the minors for the 20-year-old Ballesteros.

Cade Cavalli — RHP Washington Nationals

Cavalli is rehabbing from the Tommy John surgery that happened last March. He’s expected to be back a bit after the All-Star break to join an overachieving Nationals’ rotation. His downside has always been his control but the upside of a frontline starter. 

Washington is likely to watch his innings per start when he comes back but if you need a guy with great strikeout upside with decent chances for wins, Cavalli is an interesting name to monitor over the next couple of weeks as he works through the end of a rehab assignment.