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Top 10 fantasy baseball prospects: May 27

NBC Sports
·6 min read
4

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. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals

2024 stats: 45 G, .355/.465/.596, 9 HR, 10 SB, 35 BB, 37 SO at Triple-A Rochester.

This is starting to get a bit wasteful. Wood continues to crush Triple-A pitching, and over his last 10 games he’s hitting a sensational .400/.550/.667 with a couple homers and 10 free passes. The Nationals continue to run out Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker in their corner-outfield spots to varied levels of success, and it’s hard to imagine Washington truly believes they’re better options in the short -- and obviously long -- term. Wood should be up in the coming weeks, and he’s a must-roster in fantasy formats as a potential three-plus category contributor.

2. Junior Caminero, INF, Tampa Bay Rays

2024 stats: 33 G, .269/.338/.493, 8 HR, 1 SB, 13 BB, 34 SO at Triple-A Durham.

Caminero has really struggled over the past week-plus with a .193 average over his last 42 at-bats, but he did homer during Sunday’s game against Memphis. Even with that homer he’s slugging just .357 over his last 10 games with a .190 average and .244 OBP, but the Rays aren’t going to be too concerned over such a small sample of struggling. There’s as much upside in his bat as any prospect in baseball, and you have to think Tampa Bay is going to find a way to get his bat in the lineup soon. When that happens, fantasy managers should do the same.

3. Jackson Holliday, INF, Baltimore Orioles

2024 stats: 36 G, .268/.426/.451, 5 HR, 4 SB, 39 BB, 37 SO at Triple-A Norfolk; 10 G, .059/.111/.059, 0 HR, 0 SB, 2 BB, 18 SO at Baltimore.

Holliday is dealing with his first shaky run of play in the minors -- we obviously know that there was a rough patch in the majors, as well -- but an encouraging sign is that it hasn’t affected his approach at the plate. He’s walked in three straight contests, and drew three free passes Wednesday against Triple-A Worcester. Holliday still ranks as the top prospect in baseball, and the only reason he ranks this “low” is because it’s a little tougher to see a path to playing time right now. If it occurs, fantasy managers should absolutely take the plunge again.

4. Tyler Black, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers

2024 stats: 38 G, .280/.386/.476, 6 HR, 7 SB, 20 BB, 25 SO at Triple-A Nashville; 7 G, .227/.261/.318, 0 HR, 2 SB, 1 BB, 8 SO at Milwaukee.

Black wasn’t at his best last week, as he went hitless in five of his six games. Similar to Holliday, however, he was able to get on via walk as he’s drawn at least one in four straight contests to keep the on-base percentage at a nice rate. Black isn’t running as often as he did in 2023 when he swiped 55 games, but he still projects as a threat in the category at a position where there aren’t many. The question now is when Black sees time with Milwaukee again, but the fantasy upside is obvious.

5. Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs

2024 stats: 8 G, 33.1 IP, 4.05 ERA, 4 HR allowed, 12 BB, 36 SO at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.

Horton had easily his best start since being promoted to Triple-A on Wednesday, as he struck out six while throwing five innings of two-run baseball against Indianapolis. Even with that outing he still has an ERA of 6.88 in the PCL, but keep in mind it’s a sample of all of 17 innings, and his ERA in Double-A was a miniscule 1.10. Obviously the Cubs need to see more consistent results from Horton to consider him for a promotion, but the stuff and command is just about ready to go. He could be a major fantasy-helper this summer.

6. Coby Mayo, INF, Baltimore Orioles

2024 stats: 42 G, .291/.359/.605, 13 HR, 3 SB, 17 BB, 53 SO at Triple-A Norfolk

Mayo is expected to miss around a month while he recovers from a broken rib. The infielder was obviously enjoying quite the season before that injury, and it’s a disappointing development for one of the best power-hitting prospects in the sport. That injury along with the loaded Baltimore infield makes Mayo’s ETA tough to predict. That’s the only reason he’s not listed in the top three of this list. He’s ready to hit.

7. Colson Montgomery, SS, Chicago White Sox

2024 stats: .44  G, 220/.337/.387, 6 HR, 4 SB, 26 BB, 58 SO at Triple-A Charlotte.

Montgomery is going through a major power drought right now, as he has had just one extra-base hit over the last week and two over the past 10 games. He’s also struck out 12 times in those 39 at-bats, and swing-and-miss without the benefit of power or steals -- one swiped bag in that time frame -- is problematic. Still, this is one of the most talented prospects in baseball, and while it’d be nice to see him thriving, he’s still someone that you should consider rostering when the White Sox do the same.

8. Orelvis Martinez, INF, Toronto Blue Jays

2024 stats: 45 G, .240/.325/.515, 12 HR, 0 SB, 14 BB, 31 SO at Triple-A Buffalo.

Oh dear. Martinez has been awful since the middle of May, and if you need further evidence, he’s hitting .108/.190/.324 since May 14 while striking out 16 times in just 37 at-bats. That’s not going to work, Orelvis. There’s no denying the power of the 22-year-old, and when he does make contact it’s quite often of the hard variety. That’s not going to matter if Martinez doesn’t cut down the strikeouts, and Toronto is going to need to see him get back on the right track before bringing him up north.

9. Jace Jung, 3B/2B, Detroit Tigers

2024 stats: 45 G, .274/.379/.506, 8 HR, 1 SB, 29 BB, 53 SO at Triple-A Toledo.

There are prospects playing well, I promise, but outside of Wood, they’re not on this list. Jung hasn’t been horrible as of late with a .752 OPS over his last 10 games and picking up hits in eight of those contests, but that’s a far cry from the level he was playing at prior to the middle of the month. Again, it’s not a large sample of mediocre play, but he’s going to have to pick it up again to be on the precipice of helping the Tigers and fantasy players this summer.

10. Jacob Wilson, Oakland Athletics

2024 stats: 28 G, .438/.458/.652, 3 HR, 2 SB, 3 BB, 12 SO for Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.

Wilson was placed on the injured list last week with a minor knee issue. The good news is that the word “minor” is being used to describe it, and it sounds like there’s a chance he’ll be able to return by the end of the month. There are some who are concerned by Wilson’s mediocre hard-hit rate and inflated BABIP (batting average on balls in play), but there’s a reason this was the sixth pick in the draft. Wilson can flat-out hit, and he can absolutely be a fantasy contributor if/when Oakland decides to promote him in the foreseeable future.

​Also considered: Brooks Lee, INF, Minnesota Twins; Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees; Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks