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With the Major League Baseball draft now complete, many dynasty leagues are focusing on their First-Year Player Drafts (FYPD). While most leagues will not draft until the offseason, some are drafting now, and it's good to begin looking ahead.
While not a ranking piece, this article should give a good idea of the players that you should be looking into.
Keep your eye on the following players for the rest of the season and throughout the Arizona Fall League to prepare for your 2024 FYPD.
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Top Five FYPD Draft Targets
The top of this year's FYPD pool consists of a consensus grouping of five players. It's how they get ordered that could change. Top overall pick Paul Skenes is a generational pitcher that could quickly ascend to the Pirates rotation and be a fantasy ace. Barring a major stumble or injury, Skenes should race through the Pirates' system, potentially making a big league debut midway through the 2024 season.
Outfielders Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford will come into the minor leagues after dominating the best college conference in the country. Both landed with major league teams (Crews with the Nationals and Langford with the Rangers) who could move them quickly up to the majors. Crews may take a bit to produce at a fantasy level once he hits the majors, but Langford should be an immediate power producer for fantasy managers. Both should contend for MLB playing time by the end of 2024 if things go as planned.
The other top two consensus players are both high school outfielders. Max Clark and Walker Jenkins were both elected by AL Central teams but may take a little more time to reach the majors. The other three of the top five should all be in the majors by mid-2025. For either Clark or Jenkins to move up that quickly would require production similar to what we're seeing from Jackson Holliday.
College Bats Rule The First Day
The 2023 MLB Draft was very loaded on the college side, especially with bats. The college shortstop class was deep, with Arizona's Tommy Troy, Oakland's Jacob Wilson, the Cubs' Matt Shaw, and the White Sox's Jacob Gonzalez all selected in the top 15. Each has the potential to move quickly, though for very different reasons. Troy and Shaw are a head above the rest for fantasy purposes.
Beyond the shortstops, the Angels' Nolan Schanuel could move quickly with a high-average gap power profile. Yohandy Morales of Washington, Milwaukee's Brock Wilken, Tampa Bay's Brayden Taylor, and Jake Gelof of the Dodgers all have impressive profiles that could lead to them finishing 2024 in the upper minors and ready for an MLB debut in 2025. While prospecting freshly drafted catchers is a wary proposition, Boston's Kyle Teel is a guy that should be populating the first round of most FYPD drafts.
Finally, the Orioles selected Vanderbilt's Enrique Bradfield, who has some of the most elite speed in the class and top-end defense. He could move quickly based on those skills alone but may offer little power. The underrated gem of a player and team pairing from the draft is Chase Davis and the Cardinals. His impressive raw tools should develop well in the St. Louis system, though he might be a guy that takes a few years to fulfill his massive potential.
Beyond the college bats, Cincinnati's Rhett Lowder, Colorado's Chase Dollander, and Atlanta's Hurston Waldrep were all exceptional college pitchers that could move very quickly. Each may have been top-five selections in a draft with less depth at the top.
In the high school hitter class, Arjun Nimmala of the Blue Jays has the loudest tools, but he has a significant floor. Colt Emerson, Colin Houck, and Kevin McGonigle are each high school shortstops that landed in good organizations to develop their talent. Aidan Miller will likely end up as a corner infielder but has big power, and Walker Martin is one of the top prep bats that fell into the second round for the Giants.
This season's prep pitcher class should produce just one potential first-round pick in FYPD drafts; Noble Meyer, the Marlins' selection at 10th overall. The Marlins also grabbed the second-best prep arm in this year's class, Thomas White, while the Twins picked up Charlee Soto. Both should be considered in the top three rounds of FYPD drafts, but neither is a first-rounder.
Day 2 and Day 3 Gems
Several players from the second and third days of the MLB Draft will likely factor into the 2024 FYPD draft prep.
On the second day, Virginia Tech outfielder Jack Hurley was picked by the Diamondbacks along with Korean-born slugger Kevin Sim. Both have big offensive profiles that could help them move quickly. The Giants selected Tennessee infielder Maui Ahuna while Cleveland picked Duke infielder Alex Mooney. Both are better defenders than hitters, but each has an impressive feel for the game.
Other college arms selected on the second day that you should keep an eye on include Wake Forest's "other" top arm, Teddy McGraw, who the Mariners picked in the third round. Also, big lefty Hunter Brown, who went to the Royals, and reliever Cade Denton, who should move quickly up the Rockies system.
The most intriguing prep player selected on the second day was 6'7" outfielder George Wolkow, who was picked by the White Sox. Wolkow could be similar to James Wood entering the minors, though Wood's result is a rarity, not an expectation!
On the third day, Tennessee outfielder Jared Dickey was selected by the Royals. Dickey was the third of the elite 2022 Tennessee outfield, including Drew Gilbert and Jordan Beck. The Giants selected Louisville catcher Jack Payton, who has a hit-first profile behind the plate.
Brayden Jobert parlayed his strong performance for LSU before being selected by the Cardinals, where he'll likely play infield and outfield corners. Also on the third day, the A's selected infielder Luke Mann, who has impressive raw power.
While he might not sign, Texas righty Tanner Witt has electric stuff, which drew the Orioles' interest in the 18th round. However, he could return to campus and increase his value in the 2024 draft.
Not Quite All There
While the top five is fairly agreed upon, that may not be the case for leagues allowing international signees to be drafted. Two notable imports from Asian leagues could impact the very top of FYPD drafts like Kodai Senga and Masataka Yoshida did last season.
Two players projected to arrive could impact the early rounds of 2024 FYPD drafts. Yoshinobu Yamamoto impressed many in the World Baseball Classic this spring, and the Japanese righty has put together incredible seasons for Orix. He projects as a mid-rotation starter in the majors immediately after he signs with an MLB team this offseason.
The other potential impact foreign player in FYPD drafts will be Korean infielder Jung-hoo Lee. Lee is just 24, after joining a KBO team at 18. He's hit .300 every season of his career in Korea, though power doesn't necessarily translate from Korea to the MLB. What to expect is still to be determined. However, many believe that Lee possesses a stronger overall offensive profile than fellow Korean Ha-Seong Kim, who has put together a .700 OPS in the majors with 30 home runs and 34 steals in 350 games.
Every year, a select few Latin signees impact FYPD drafts. While there isn't anyone with Ethan Salas' hype this year, the closest is probably Jose Perdomo, who is expected to sign with the Braves. Leodalis De Vries and Fernando Cruz are fellow shortstops that should be near Perdomo in the signing bonus.
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