Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers (Week 12) - Rookies to Stash and Top Performers

The minor league baseball season is underway and many well-known prospects are already making their case for an MLB debut later this summer.

However, the question is do these performances truly matter for this season? How easy will it be for these prospects to reach the big leagues and are they worth stashing on your redraft roster?

Knowing which prospects to watch can put you ahead of your league mates and in the driver’s seat during the second half of the season. Adding the right prospect can fill the missing piece on your roster and power you to a fantasy baseball championship. This fantasy baseball prospects biweekly series will examine a few key players in the minor leagues and assess whether they have a path to fantasy stardom in 2024. 

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Ben Rice, C, New York Yankees

New York No. 12, Overall N/A

New York Yankees catching prospect Ben Rice has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues over the past few weeks and was recently rewarded for it by earning a promotion to Triple-A.

In his past 12 games, the 25-year-old has posted an incredible .400/.500/.822 with four long balls, 12 RBI, two stolen bases, and a 9:12 BB:K ratio.

The recent promotion of Rice to Triple-A is a significant development. This move indicates that the Yankees are recognizing Rice's potential and are considering him for a major league call-up in the near future. Rice opened the season with Double-A and posted a .261/.382/.511 line with 12 home runs and a 32:46 BB:K ratio. He has continued his impressive performance at Triple-A, launching three home runs with an incredible nine RBI through his first five games.

While his time at Triple-A is a small sample size that is not worth analyzing, we will instead compare his performance at the Double-A level over the past two seasons. He logged 48 and 49 games at this level, respectively, over the past two summers.

Ben Rice is hitting .478 with a 1.586 OPS now in Triple-A. pic.twitter.com/Q2djqHzH2T

— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) June 12, 2024

One major improvement was his walk rate, which jumped from 9.5% last summer to 14.7% this season. However, he had a better stat line last summer, but that should not be much of a worry as Rice was recently awarded the promotion to Triple-A, which tells us that the Yankees are aware that Rice is nearing the end of his time in the minors.

Does this incredible run and recent promotion matter for 2024? It may, but for reasons you may not expect.

Currently, the Yankees have had very poor production from their two major league catchers. Austin Wells was expected to take the lead behind the dish this season but has disappointed with a .211 AVG, and backup Jose Trevino has remained pedestrian with a .264 AVG.

The Yankees have their eyes set on competing this season, and their current catchers are not getting the job done. If Rice continues this production at Triple-A, he could become a must-stash in the second half of the season. His potential impact on the Yankees offense could give them a much-needed spark at the back end of their lineup.

Verdict: Leave on waiver wires for now

Shane Baz, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

No Longer Considered a Prospect

There may not be a pitcher in the minor leagues with more upside than Shane Baz. Unfortunately, for Baz’s sake, he has battled numerous injuries and has been healthy for a very short window since 2022.

He pitched only 40 ⅓ innings in the majors and held a 4.02 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, with a 12:48 BB:K ratio in 2021 and 2022. 

However, Baz underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2022 and suffered numerous setbacks but has recently began pitching in rehab assignments. Throughout these outings, Baz continued to showcase his elite strikeout potential and could be nearing a return to the major leagues. His recovery process has been promising, and if he continues to perform well in his rehab assignments, he could potentially make a big impact in fantasy later this summer. 

In his past two rehab starts with Triple-A, he struck out 14 over nine frames with a 1.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. These stats are significantly better than his performance in the first few innings of the season, indicating that Baz is getting back into form and could potentially make a big impact on the Rays' pitching rotation.

Shane Baz dominated yesterday for Triple-A Durham.

5 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Health permitting, the upside is still a Top-20 SP for #FantasyBaseball.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/yNw0AdYk93

— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) June 9, 2024

While Baz has an incredible strikeout upside, he may only have a full opportunity in the major leagues in the second half of the season. Currently, the Rays are operating with a five-man rotation and should welcome back Jeffrey Springs (elbow), who also underwent Tommy John surgery and is nearing the start of his rehab assignment. This could potentially limit both Baz's opportunity in the short term and his upside.

Baz should remain stashed in standard leagues but it might be wise to hold off in shallow formats for now. However, do not wait too long, as there may not be another pitcher on the waiver wire all season with a strikeout upside like him.

Verdict: Stash in standard leagues

Alexander Canario, OF, Chicago Cubs

No Longer Considered a Prospect

Alexander Canario has been on an incredible power run over the past week at Triple-A. Canario has appeared in 19 games at the major league level and posted a .282/.333/.455 line with two home runs, nine RBI, and a 2:11 BB:K ratio. 

From May 30 to June 8, the 24-year-old held a .324/.387/.786 line with four long balls, nine RBI, and a 3:9 BB:K ratio. Overall on the season at Triple-A in 37 games, he has held .289/.373/.611 with 12 long balls, 35 RBI, and an 18:44 BB:K ratio. 

By examining his performance over both a 36-game sample size in Triple-A last summer and a 37-game sample size this season, we can identify what steps Canario has taken to improve.

First, he improved his walk rate from 9.3% to 10.7% and lowered his K rate from 28.0% to 26.0% over the past year. In addition, his current slash line is a significant improvement over his 2023 line of .276/.342/.524.

More importantly, the 24-year-old improved his ISO (isolated power) from .248 to a stellar .322, his wOBA from .373 to .419, and wRC+ from 111 to 136 in the past year at Triple-A. 

A loud home run from Alexander Canario!🚀 pic.twitter.com/UAGpfQrmu2

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 11, 2024

While he has clearly improved every season in the minor leagues and has even looked quite comfortable in the major leagues, the Cubs have several options at outfield that will always limit Canario’s playing time. Currently, Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, Mike Tauchman, and Pete Crow-Armstrong have the lion’s share of outfield opportunities in the major leagues.

However, fantasy managers can view this from another perspective. With the Cubs' surplus of major league-caliber outfielders, Canario or one of their starters could be considered bait at the trade deadline. The Cubs need help behind the dish and out of the bullpen, and their surplus of outfielders can be used to upgrade their weak positions. 

Canario will find his way into a starting role similar to how former Cub Nelson Velazquez eventually found a home in Kansas City after being kept in a situation that looks eerily similar to Canario.

Trust the talent and continue to hold onto him in dynasty leagues. He should be left on the waiver wire in shallow leagues until he returns to the majors. 

Verdict: Stash in all deeper leagues, wait in shallow leagues

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