Welcome to Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch! This weekly feature will list and give updates on the best minor-league prospects who are trending up with a chance to make an impact in the MLB – and for your fantasy baseball teams – sooner rather than later.
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch
3B/SS Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays organization has done wonders developing pitching, but they may have done their best work when they acquired Caminero from Cleveland in 2021. Before his late-season callup in 2023, Caminero had his best minor league season at 19 years old, slashing .324/.384/.591 with 31 home runs, 94 RBIs, and five stolen bases across A and AA. The Rays’ top prospect, and fourth overall in MLB, will start the 2024 season at AAA, but it will not be long before he is called back to Tampa. Caminero finished the 2023 season with a highly respectable strikeout percentage of 21.7%. Starting this season at AAA will allow him to face Major League-ready pitching for the first time in his career. The Rays project to start offseason acquisition Jose Caballero at shortstop, but the 27-year-old is nothing more than a placeholder until Caminero is ready. Fantasy managers could see Caminero in the Majors as early as May.
OF Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
It was announced last Saturday that Jackson Chourio will make the Brewers’ Opening Day roster, and this is great news for fantasy players who roster Chourio. The second-overall MLB prospect is coming off his best minor league season, where he slashed .283/.338/.467 with 22 home runs, 91 RBIs, and 44 stolen bases across AA and AAA. Having turned 20 years old on March 11, the young outfielder possesses some of the best hit/speed tools of his peers. His strength and ability to hit to all parts of the field will see him reach 30+ home runs early in his Major League career. His plus speed tool will help make him a highly sought-after fantasy player in Redraft leagues moving forward. Chourio enters the 2024 as the early favorite for NL Rookie of the Years.
RHP Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Last year’s first-overall pick could easily be the Opening Day starter for Pittsburgh. After reaching 102 MPH in his Spring debut, Skenes finished Spring Training with three strikeouts in three innings of work. It is easy to understand the Pirates organization wants to see Skenes face AAA hitters to ensure he’s more than ready for his arrival to the Majors. In his final season at LSU, Skenes threw 122.2 innings, finishing with a 2.05 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 209 strikeouts. Making five starts between A and AA, the flamethrowing righty finished with a 1.05 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched. His Major League arrival may have to wait until July, but it is without question that Skenes will find himself in Pittsburgh during the 2024 season.
LHP Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants
Harrison finished the 2023 season with a 4.52 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and 109 strikeouts for AAA Sacramento. Harrison was well on his way to finishing with career-best numbers across the board, but a hamstring injury caused him to miss a handful of starts. However, he rebounded and found himself as a late-season call-up to San Francisco. Across seven Major League starts, Harrison owned a 4.93 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. The Giants had Harrison penciled as their number two starter, behind Logan Webb, but their recent signing of Blake Snell will see Harrison as the number three starting pitcher. Fantasy investors should expect a big rookie season from the lefty regardless of the bumps and bruises that will occur throughout the year. Harrison has the making of a front-line starter and he will be a fantasy commodity for years to come following the conclusion of the 2024 season.
