SS Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins
Lee is proving to be as ready as a prospect can be and now is the time for fantasy baseball players to manage his movement in the upcoming months. Lee finished 2023 between AA and AAA, slashing .275/.347/.461 with career-bests in home runs (16) and RBI (84). Building off his 2023 campaign, Lee entered Friday slashing .371/.435/.484 after missing two months dealing with a back injury.
A switch-hitter, Lee makes great contact from both sides of the plate while driving the ball to the gaps. He hasn’t tapped into his full power potential, but his 16 home runs a season ago show his ability to hit for power without seeing a slip in average. He’s shown great discipline at each stop in the minors and managed only 91 strikeouts in 501 at-bats (18%) while walking at an 11% clip in 2023.
Assuming both are healthy, Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis should handle shortstop and third base, respectively, but the Twins will find a way to get Lee’s bat in the lineup, given his ability to hit for average and get on base at a high rate.
OF Brennen Davis, Chicago Cubs
Davis once sat atop the Cubs prospect rankings list, but a pinched nerve in his back and core muscle surgery derailed the past two seasons of Davis’s growth. Now flying under the radar and healthy, Davis is developing into a player who can provide a valuable power bat. Before this season, 2021 was the last full season of health, where Davis slashed .260/.375/.494 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI across A, AA, and AAA.
In 44 games between A and AAA, Davis seems to be back on pace, slashing .233/.395/.504 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI. He has seen a slight decrease in speed as he’s added muscle to his 6’3″ 210lb frame, but he still moves well for his size. Entering Friday, Davis has had two home runs and four RBIs in his last five games for AAA Iowa.
The Cubs desperately need power, and there is a good chance they will turn to their minor league system. Davis could be the prospect called up within the next few weeks.
LHP Reggie Crawford, San Francisco Giants
Spending his first two seasons as both a hitter and pitcher, 2024 is the first season Crawford is a full-time pitcher. Concentrating solely on pitching has produced great results, as Crawford owns a 2.95 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. The southpaw sits in the mid-to-high 90s while reaching 100 MPH, and a few left-handed pitchers possess power like Crawford.
The 23-year-old’s power slider has been a devastating out pitch, and the development of his changeup could see him reach his potential as high upside number two starter. This season’s 18.1 innings pitched are the most he’s thrown in his three seasons in the minors, and reaching a new innings plateau while working on control will be areas of focus as he develops as a full-time pitcher.
His talent and power alone could see the Giants move him quickly and settle into a bullpen role as he first reaches the Majors. Crawford’s athleticism and elite arm make him a prospect with whom all fantasy baseball players should become familiar.
RHP Carlson Reed, Pittsburgh Pirates
Projected as a top bullpen option, the 21-year-old Reed is in the starting rotation early into his minor league career. The 2023 4th round pick has made 11 starts for A Bradenton, posting a 1.99 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts in 49.2 innings. A move to AA should happen by mid-July, and the real test begins to determine whether he has the makings of a starting pitcher or high-leverage reliever at the Major League level.
The 6’4″ Reed has a fastball in the mid-90s while topping out at 98 MPH. The heavy sink on his fastball has caused numerous swings and misses from opposing batters. His hard slider has been his go-to out pitch, and his above-average changeup is a respectable third pitch.
Should Reed continue his dominance over minor league hitters, he will find himself on Pittsburgh’s Top-30 prospect rankings list entering 2025. An unknown as of now, it is only a matter of time before dynasty players move Reed up their prospect list.