Fantasy Baseball Top 100 Prospects for 2024 First-Year Player Drafts (January 2024 Update)

A number of the top international players that are being posted this offseason have signed, with a few more yet to come. Rankings for players have adjusted, some due to their destination, and a few MLB draft prospects are moving due to some additional viewing of tape and underlying metrics on those players. Otherwise, there isn't a ton of movement this time, more an update on where players are going to be in 2024 in the MLB.

The next big update for this piece will come next month, when those who have been signed during the January 15 international signing period can be added in. Right now, there may only be 2-3 that make this list from that group, as international prospects tend to have a lot more variance in outcomes.

That should give everyone a complete list as fantasy baseball FYPD drafts hit their peak in February/March heading into the 2024 MLB fantasy baseball season!

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MLB Prospect Rankings for First-Year Player Drafts

Proximity will rank highly in these rankings as a player that can return value immediately in a FYPD is always a benefit. Of course, this year's class offers both elite talent and proximity! Make sure to check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy baseball dynasty articles and fantasy baseball prospects coverage!

Breaking Down The FYPD Rankings

While Yoshinobu Yamamoto's signing with the Dodgers really doesn't add much to his upside for me, it definitely does raise his floor compared to a number of locations he could have ended up, as he should have a strong source of wins and a strong pitching park to work in.

Jung-Hoo Lee ended up in just about the most perfect location for his skill set in San Francisco, where the deep alleys in the outfield should allow Lee to have high double and triple totals with his line drive power. He's likely not a 20-homer guy, but in that park, he should definitely provide a high average and good R/RBI totals for fantasy owners immediately to open 2024.

One landing spot that caused a drop in rankings just a touch was Yuki Matsui landing in San Diego. While the Padres have no issue with putting a lefty as closer, as they did the last two years with Josh Hader, the diminutive Matsui had his contract with the Padres structured in such a way that San Diego will owe him more money depending on the amount of games finished. That stipulation on a team that's struggling financially could lead to Matsui's role being artificially manipulated throughout the year.

The biggest jump in this ranking is Cooper Pratt, who I had received some negative reviews on despite strong performance. I have had the chance to review tape on Pratt since the first ranking came out and was impressed by his physicality, with comparisons to Colson Montgomery and Corey Seager fairly apt. He jumps from the first few off the list previously to No. 73. I still have some reservations with the swing, but he should have a chance to stick at short while he adjusts to pro pitching and learns to attack pitches he can damage, allowing his raw power to play more in-game.

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