Just Prospectin’: Mid-April Fantasy Baseball Prospect Ranks

We are only a little over two weeks into the season, but there have already been some outstanding performances in the minors.

The good news: Brent Honeywell has dominated Double-A (13 innings pitched and 20 strikeouts to go with a 2.08 ERA and 0.62 WHIP) and forced the Rays to promote him to Triple-A Durham. And while Brent is dominating the pitching side, Cubs second base prospect Ian Happ has been crushing pitching in the Pacific Coast League (league-leading six home runs).

The bad news: Top rated Yankees prospect James Kaprielian needs Tommy John surgery. You hate to see any youngster go down with a season ending injury, especially one as talented as Kaprelian. Hopefully we see him back early 2018.

News aside, here are the updated top 10 fantasy prospects:

1. Yoan Moncada — 2B-Chicago White Sox (Prev. Rank — 1)— Yoan has started the year as the top fantasy prospect, and has done everything he can to maintain that spot. Through ten games, Moncada has two home runs, two stolen bases, and a triple-slash of .317/.404/.488. Droolworthy! Then you find out he has struck-out 14 times in 41 plate appearances. Cringeworthy! Wiffs are Moncada’s biggest drawback, but if he hits for a .300 average and walks at a 10 percent rate…who cares? If he continues to produce at this level in the minors, the White Sox may have to bring him to the big league just to challenge him. Right now he projects to be in the majors as early as mid-May.
2. Austin Meadows — OF-Pittsburgh Pirates (Prev. Rank — 3) — Since Starling Marte was suspended 80 games for PEDs, a spot opened up in the Pirates outfield. Here comes Meadows! Or Jose Osuna. The Pirates want Austin to marinate in the minors a bit longer before he makes his major league debut. Meadows has not settled in yet this year (as evidenced by his .162 batting average) and will need to start heating up before he gets some consideration for the call-up. If he does turn things around, we may see Meadows with the Pirates in June.
3. Cody Bellinger — 1B-Los Angeles Dodgers (Prev. Rank — 2) — Cody is off to a terrific start, yet falls in my rankings?? As well as he is playing, the Dodgers have no reason to rush him to the majors right now. Bellinger has three home runs, FOUR stolen bases and boasts a slash-line of .372/.438/.674. His dominance thus far has made him a very interesting player to watch for the coming weeks.
4. Bradley Zimmer — OF-Cleveland Indians (Prev. Rank — 4) — It has been business as usual for Zimmer so far. Hitting for a solid average (.286), showing some speed (four stolen bases), and chipping in with a little power (three doubles, two triples, and one home run). The Indians outfield continues to be disgusting, so hopefully we see Bradley playing at Progressive Field sooner rather than later.
5. Ian Happ — 2B-Chicago Cubs (Prev. Rank Unranked) — Skyrocketing up the list from unranked to No. 5 is Ian Happ. He is leading the Pacific Coast League with six home runs and significantly increasing his trade value for the Cubs. Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez are blocking Happ at the major league level, and that may not change for the foreseeable future. However, if the Cubs want to make a move to add another rotation arm, they may be wise to unload Happ while his stock his high. While Happ’s best chances of getting to the big leagues may be via trade (hurting his current fantasy value), his performance to start the year merits a ranking in my top 10.
6. Ozzie Albies — 2B-Atlanta Braves (Prev. Rank 7) — Albies looks every bit ready for the major leagues. He is hitting .296 through the first 12 games of the season with five doubles, two triples, and five stolen bases (and hasn’t been caught stealing).
7. Amed Rosario — SS-New York Mets (Prev. Rank 5) — Rosario is hitting .362 in his first 47 at-bats, but all 17 of his hits have been singles. It’s good to see that he is putting the bat to the ball, but he is playing in Vegas (which plays like Coors field in Colorado). His high average and low strikeout rate (only six strikeouts in his first 12 games) make him look major league ready.
8. Lewis Brinson — OF-Milwaukee Brewers (Prev. Rank 6) — Brinson is off to a slow, but solid start. His one home run and one stolen base leave a lot to be desired, but he has only played in five games due to a dislocated pinkie finger. Once the pinkie feels better and he starts to feel more comfortable swinging the bat, we should see an uptick in the stat production.
9. Francis Martes — SP-Houston Astros (Prev. Rank 9) — Martes is yet to give up a run, but is also walking a batter an inning through his first two games started. Control is something Martes needs to work on, but his control isn’t this bad. The positive sign for his situation is the news coming from the Astros organization that they will be limiting his minor league innings. Limiting his innings early in the season will make him more available for the Astros hopeful playoff push, and available for fantasy owners come playoff time.
10. Brent Honeywell — SP-Tampa Bay Rays (Prev. Rank Unranked) — Honeywell has looked excellent to start the season and earned himself a promotion in the process. The Rays are typically very cautious with the their prospects, so it is difficult to project when he will be in the majors. However, if he dominates Triple-A batters like he did in Double-A, we may see him in Tampa later this year.

Fallers: J.P Crawford (Prev. Rank 8), Lucas Giolito (Prev. Rank 10.)

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