Welcome back, RotoBallers! We're heading into Week 20 of the fantasy baseball season. While there has already been plenty of action in the majors, we can't ignore some of the top prospect performances that took place in the minor leagues last week.
It's imperative to monitor the top fantasy baseball prospects who have turned heads thus far. The players listed here are not only coming off dominant weeks but have also impressed over the entire season. Don't be surprised when these exact names are painting corners, mashing homers, and swiping bags at the big-league level soon.
Fantasy managers should certainly keep an eye on these players over the long haul as they may prove to be excellent adds in no time.
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Xavier Edwards - 2B, Miami Marlins
Level: Triple-A
2023 stats: 76 G, .373/.441/.484, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 69 R, 29 SB, 11.0 BB%, 5.4 K%, .380 BABIP, .417 wOBA, 138 wRC+
Due to depth at the major league level, Edwards is currently trapped in the minors, but he's making the most of it. The switch-hitter has solidified a tremendous approach at the plate, generating contact and keeping strikeouts to a bare minimum. Although he lacks power, he more than makes up for it with his impressive speed and ability to put balls in play. Defensively, he offers some versatility but looks most natural at second base, where he provides a solid glove in the middle of the infield.
Last week, Edwards went 16-for-22 (.727) with two homers, nine RBI, five walks, and just one strikeout. He also stole one base. The 24-year-old has repeatedly shown that he can handle Triple-A pitching with ease. As a result, he should be summoned to the majors as soon as a current big-league hitter suffers an injury or starts to underperform.
Carson Seymour - SP, San Francisco Giants
Level: Double-A
2023 stats: 21 G, 16 GS, 2-2, 82.2 IP, 3.81 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 3.48 BB/9, 7.95 K/9, .272 BABIP, 48.0 GB%
Seymour is a former Mets sixth-round pick who was shipped to the West Coast as part of a five-player trade last August. The 24-year-old boasts a mid-90s sinker with impressive life and an upper-80s cutter that dashes towards left-handed batters with nasty break. A curveball and changeup round out his repertoire, offering an important change of pace to keep opponents off guard. Since being drafted, he has developed impressive control and an ability to induce more weak ground balls.
During his start on August 1, Seymour lasted five full innings, allowing just one hit, zero walks, and zero runs. To put the icing on the cake, of the 15 batters that the right-hander retired, a whopping nine went down via the strikeout. He was quite effective in the outing and seems destined to reach Triple-A by the end of the season.
Trey Lipscomb - INF, Washington Nationals
Level: Double-A
2023 stats: 82 G, .292/.332/.446, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 47 R, 9 SB, 5.0 BB%, 18.8 K%, .338 BABIP, .349 wOBA, 111 wRC+
Lipscomb landed with the Nationals as a third-round pick out of the University of Tennessee in 2022. He is a reliable, versatile defender who has played all four infield positions this season. However, with impressive glovework, strong reactive instincts, and an above-average arm, he should stick at third base long-term. Offensively, the 23-year-old has started to re-find his power after going yard just once last year. With that said his strikeout and walk rates after four months emphasize the need for Lipscomb to improve his plate discipline.
This past week, Lipscomb went 15-for-24 (.625) with two homers, two doubles, one triple, and 10 RBI. Discipline late in counts continued to be a concern as he struck out four times and drew just one walk. If the young prospect can bring his K/BB rate down, he'll likely find his way to Triple-A by the end of the season.
Bryce Osmond - SP, Los Angeles Angels
Level: High-A
2023 stats: 16 G, 16 GS, 3-7, 66.2 IP, 4.19 ERA, 4.74 xFIP, 9.32 K/9, 4.05 BB/9, 43.2 GB%, .310 BABIP
Osmond is an Oklahoma State product who has flashed potential in his first pro season. The right-hander tosses a mid-90s fastball with a solid slider as his secondary pitch. He has also worked on developing a third pitch, a changeup, since joining the Halos organization He's been a mixed bag of results this year, racking up strong strikeout and ground-ball rates but still tallying walk and home-run clips that are a little too high.
Last week, however, Osmond displayed dominance. During his start on August 1, the 22-year-old delivered five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while issuing one walk. Most notably, he struck out a career-high 11 batters. If the first of the month is any indication of how the rest of August will go for Osmond, we're in for a treat.
Omar Martinez - C, New York Yankees
Level: Single-A
2023 stats: 80 G, .269/.377/.487, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 49 R, 8 SB, 14.0 BB%, 26.1 K%, .331 BABIP, .401 wOBA, 135 wRC+
Martinez signed with the Yankees out of Venezuela back in 2018. While the intention has always been to solidify his skills as a catcher, New York actually let him pitch 1.2 innings out of the bullpen back in 2021. He struck out three batters, indicative of a strong arm that has stood out during his work behind the plate. In addition to a heavy catching workload, Martinez has logged significant innings as a first baseman and designated hitter in 2023.
The 22-year-old showed off flashy plate skills last week, going 10-for-23 with four homers, 10 RBI, three walks, and five strikeouts. Without a doubt, his top performance came on August 1 when he slugged three homers and drove in five runs. Martinez has produced strong results through 80 games with the Tampa Tarpons and could be closing in on a promotion to High-A soon.
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