We’re just three weeks into the 2024 season and yet the first big batch of MLB prospects being called up has come. Last week it was Jackson Holliday, and now this week, five more teams are jumping into the news with top prospects getting promoted. 

Guys like Jonatan Clase, Andy Pages, Jack Leiter, and Christian Scott headline the call-ups or possible call-ups. All of them are top-five MLB prospects for their teams based on my latest Top-400 Prospect Rankings. 

Fantasy Baseball Prospects 2024: MLB Prospect Risers & Noteworthy Players

Those are some big call-ups this early in the season. Just how can those prospects help your fantasy baseball teams? Find out by reading below.

 

 

 

Jonatan Clase — OF Seattle Mariners

Clase is the first of the top-100 prospects in the Mariners’ current system to crack the majors. The offense in Seattle has been struggling since the beginning of last year and Clase is coming to try and give it a charge.That, plus take the spot vacated by Dominic Canzone landing on the IL. 

Clase, the 21-year-old outfielder, is most known for his elite-grade speed that’s led to a ton of stolen bases in the minors. In 325 minor league games, Clase has 184 steals to go with a .263/.376/.457 slash line with 39 homers. The power is below-average as is the hit tool which limits the upside a tad bit. 

If he hits .255 in the majors with 15 HR, you’d take that to go with the 40-steal upside. Right now he’s going to split at-bats in the lineup in Seattle, but if he sticks once Canzone is healthy, there is steal upside from Clase for fantasy managers.

Andy Pages — OF Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have needed a boost for the outfield much of the season. Yes, even the Dodgers need a boost. Pages will be given the chance to provide that. The call-up comes after his hot start at Triple-A Oklahoma City which saw him hit five homers in 15 games. The main tool for Pages is his plus-power which has led to 94 homers in his 416 MiLB games. 

That comes out to a 36-homer pace over 162 games. Clearly, that was against minor league pitching, but shows how real the power is. Pages will be given a pretty good run in right field for LA and already got a hit on the first pitch he saw in the majors. He’s a must add in any 12-team or bigger league.

Darius Vines — RHP Atlanta Braves

Last week, we took a shot on Allan Winans, but the Braves had other ideas with the call-up of Darius Vines. Vines got his first start earlier this week going 4.2 IP with solid numbers, he’ll now get a second start on Sunday. His four-pitch mix features all average-to-above-average pitches that he mixes well enough to keep hitters off-balance. 

His above-average control makes his pitches play up. Vines fits a backend starter prototype with just over a K/IP in the minors. If Vines pitches well on Sunday, he should earn himself another start in the Braves’ makeshift backend of the rotation and offer some streaming upside for fantasy baseball purposes.

Landon Knack — RHP Los Angeles Dodgers

The 2nd round pick in the 2020 draft for the Dodgers will now make his MLB debut in the rotation spot vacated by Bobby Miller landing on the IL. The 26-year-old righty has a four-pitch mix anchored by a mid-to-upper-90s fastball with run. The other pitches are an above-average changeup and slider and a curveball that’s a work in progress. 

Over his 243 innings in the minors, Knack has posted 277 Ks which is a healthy 10.25 K/9, but occasionally, control has been an issue with nearly 70 walks in that time, too. His minor league career has spoken to his up-and-down focus. 

When he’s at his best there is high-end number-3 starter upside, but if he loses focus and control, he drops to a low-end number-4 starter. He’s a streaming option until we know if he’s going to be up with the Dodgers longer term or not.

Jack Leiter — RHP Texas Rangers

The former second overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Leiter has finally turned a corner in his development. It’s been a rocky road for Leiter posting two seasons of ERAs over 5.10 and WHIPs of 1.40 or higher. 

However, perhaps the seven weeks he’s spent on the development list over that span has finally gotten his delivery under control. The stuff has never been a problem as shown by his 248 Ks in 192 IP which is an 11.6 K/9 rate. The problem has been his timing in his delivery which leads to walks (108 in those IP) and getting hit too much. 

This year however, the Rangers have seen improvements in that delivery with a sub-1.00 WHIP through three Triple-A starts and a sub-3.80 ERA as well. There’s a chance this is a spot start or two for a team with a need for depth in the starting rotation, but he’s worth a streaming shot for fantasy.

Nick Nastrini — RHP Chicago White Sox

The first of two call-ups for the White Sox this week was Nastrini, who pitched five innings with five Ks earlier in the week. The 2021 4th round pick has been putting up solid numbers in the minors with 353 Ks in 252 IP. That sounds great, right? Sort of, until we see the other numbers. 

His 4.5 BB/9 and 1.14 HR/9 suggest he has control problems. The stuff is all at least above-average, but the non-repeating delivery and below-average command and control keep the upside of a number-two starter at an arm’s length. Right now, he’s a high strikeout number-four starter who the White Sox are hoping develops into a number-two starter.

Jonathan Cannon — RHP Chicago White Sox

The second of two White Sox call-ups this week will pitch later this week as Cannon takes a spot in the now-six-man-rotation. Perhaps the starter with the best floor of the White Sox prospects, Cannon fits a number-four starter type with the ability to strikeout hitters at a solid clip, but not overpower them regularly. 

His MiLB numbers show that with 121 Ks in 138 innings overall. He pitches to a decent amount of contact, but his 6’6” frame and downhill plane induce a solid amount of ground balls. All of his four pitches are at least average, but none are plus, again fitting the mold of a number-four starter with solid ratios and decent K-rates.

 

 

 

MLB Prospects: Speculative Fantasy Adds

Fantasy baseball managers are closely watching potential additions this week, as many up-and-coming players are starting to stand out. These players could be the future stars of fantasy baseball, giving managers a chance to benefit from their potential early on.

Christian Scott — RHP New York Mets

The first of the speculative adds this week is Scott. There has been a ton of publicity about the Mets’ righty starter and for good reason. He’s been electric at Triple-A Syracuse. He’s leading the minors in strikeouts with 26 in just 14.1 innings on the bump. Scott uses a 60-grade fastball, 55-grade changeup, and 55-grade slider to strike out opposing hitters and all of them play up because of his double-plus 65-grade control. 

Since 2021, the righty has pitched 163.1 innings in the minors racking up a whopping 211 strikeouts to just 38 walks. It’s simply a matter of time for Scott to be called up to Queens as the Mets need all of the help they can get at this point.

Richard Fitts — RHP Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are dealing with an oblique injury for Garrett Whitlock after he came out of his start early on Tuesday night. That could lead to an IL stint and a hole in the pitching staff. That’s where Fitts fits in, excuse the too easy pun. Received in an off-season trade, Fitts has the profile of a backend starter and he’s gotten off to a reasonable start at Triple-A Worcester. 

He’s posted an 8:2 K:BB ratio in 9.1 innings in two starts so far this year and last year, he posted 163 K to 43 BB in 152+ innings at Double-A Somerset. The three-pitch righty has three above-average pitches and controls them very nicely. If Whitlock is headed to the IL, Fitts could come in as a 5th starter for Boston and offer decent fantasy value for 12+ team leagues.

Luis Guerrero — RHP Boston Red Sox

I’m taking a stab at this one in case of Rafael Devers landing on the IL. The Red Sox have enough bats on the MLB roster but could add bullpen depth with the extra spot, hence Guerrero.

He was nasty last year, racking up 68 Ks in 54.1 innings and 19 saves. He’s mainly a three-pitch pitcher with a plus fastball and changeup and above-average slider. There’s not a ton of fantasy value here, but if he comes up, he could be in line for holds and some Ks in relief.