X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Top 20 Fantasy Prospects: 2014 MLB Rookies

Scott McCloy analyzes the 2014 MLB rookies, and provides his top 20 fantasy baseball prospects for 2014. Consider these MLB prospects for your fantasy baseball teams.

As the baseball season is upon us, we (fantasy baseball enthusiasts) are elbow deep in reading every article we can get our hands on (mostly RotoBaller articles!!) and analyzing every player with even a glimpse of seeing the show this year.  By knowing every player in MLB, you are better prepared to dominate your opponents on your way to championship that you can brag about for the rest of time.  Here at RotoBaller, we want to let you know that we will be here with you every step of the way, through the ups and downs.  We’ll help you get through those dreaded DL stints and those weeks where your star player couldn’t hit a beach ball.

 

Top Rookies & Prospects for 2014

By Keith Allison (Flickr: Kevin Gausman) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

One of the ways to construct your fantasy championship team is to meld fantasy studs with fantasy rookies and prospects.  The proper balance of known commodities and breakout rookies will work together to bring you home the bacon.  Here at RotoBaller, we’ve came up with a list of 20 rookies who will have fantasy impacts in 2014.  Below is the first installment of the top 20 prospects, stay tuned for part 2 coming soon.

 

20.  Jameson Taillon, SP - PIT

The Pirates have gone through this before with Gerrit Cole.  They have a young stud pitcher who is MLB ready today but they believe in waiting to bring him up.  Well, it worked with Cole, so expect to see Taillon called up in June and help the Pirates try to make back-to-back postseason appearances.

 

19.  Erik Johnson, SP - CWS

Johnson is the #4 starter for the White Sox.  He had an overall 2.21 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in his brief Minor League career.  Johnson had a cup of coffee with the Sox last year finishing 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA.  His minor league K/9 of 8.4 will help him miss some bats, which he will need pitching in hitter friendly U.S. Cellular field.

 

18. Jackie Bradley Jr., OF - BOS

The darling of 2013 Spring Training, Bradley tore it up to a tune of 2 HR, 12 RBI and .419 BA, earning a spot on the Opening Day roster.  Those numbers didn’t translate to the games that counted, as Bradley struggled with a .097 BA in April, earning a trip back to the minors.  He figured it out in AAA and finished an up and down year with a  .275/.374/.469 slash line.  Nothing to get too excited about, but with Jacoby Ellsbury leaving for New York, Bradley is competing with Grady Sizemore for the starting CF spot.  Sizemore has the inner track right now, but I doubt Sizemore can sustain his spring stats as well as his health.  Look for JBJ to take over CF duties at some point, and keep it for the rest of the year.

 

17.  Alexander Guerrero, 2B / SS - LAD

Even though it seems that he will start the year in AAA, as Dee Gordon has won the job in LA, Gordon is no sure bet to last in that spot.  When he slumps, which he will, the Dodgers will waste no time to bring up another Cuban hitter in Guerrero.  Don’t expect a Puig type of splash, but Guerrero will provide you with a second basemen that has power.  Guerrero hit 43 HR in 657 plate appearances in his final two seasons with Cuba’s Serie Nacional, which propelled him to get $28 million over 4 years from the Dodgers.  Yes, his defense is suspect, but his power is not.  If you need a little extra power, look no further than Guerrero when he gets the call.

 

16.   Kolten Wong, 2B - STL

By Johnmaxmena2 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Wong will be the Opening Day second basemen for the Cardinals as he has earned his spot.  A career .301 BA in the minors as well as back to back seasons of 20 SB will help the Cardinals in the bottom of the order.  This is a great place for Wong has he will have the ability to drive in some runs as well as provide you with double digit HR and SB.  This is a really good Cardinals team and Wong will be an added bonus.  Don’t worry about newly signed Mark Ellis taking ABs away from Wong, Manager Mike Matheny won’t let that happen if he knew what was good for the Cardinals.

 

15.   Javier Baez, SS - CHC

Have you seen his monster HR’s this spring? If you watch this and this, I will have no need to write anymore.  He is starting year in AAA Iowa but he won’t be there a full season.  The Cubs will move him up no later than early July, so he won’t become eligible for arbitration until after the 2016 season.  Baez needs more defensive work and he will get that at AAA playing both SS and 2B.  The Cubs need his bat and he will come raking when that time comes.  If you have the ability to stash him, do so and reap the rewards for the end of the season and many more to come.

 

14.   Matt Davidson, 3B - CWS

Though he was recently sent down to AAA, Matt Davidson will be a key piece to the White Sox this year.  I expect an early May call up after acquiring some at bats in Charlotte. The Sox were willing to deal closer Addison Reed because they believe that Davidson will be the cornerstone of their infield, along with the Jose Abreu, for years to come.  Expect Davidson to come up and stay in the big leagues, providing you with a corner infield hitter that will help in most fantasy hitting categories.

 

13. Travis D’Arnaud, C - NYM

By slgckgc on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

D’Arnaud has been the top fantasy prospect at the catcher positions for two straight years now.   He missed most of 2013 with a broken foot, and when he did recover and was sent up, he didn’t produce as expected.  Now fully healed, with the starting catching spot all his, D’Arnaud can relax and do what he has been doing all his life - hit. Right now, he can be a second catcher in two-catcher leagues, as well as a stash in keeper and dynasty leagues.  Once he gets more experience, he could become a top-10 catcher year in and year out.

 

12. James Paxton, SP - SEA

Coming off an impressive debut in 2013 (3-0, 7.88 K/9, 1.50 ERA), Paxton looks to anchor the Mariners rotation.   The big lefty has a mid 90s fastball, a nasty slider and a decent curve.  He worked on a changeup this offseason to add to his repertoire as well.  Finally fully recovered from knee injuries, Paxton can be that gem you find late in draft rounds as he has the ability to dominate hitters, especially lefties.  Pitching in Safeco always helps as well.

 

11. Kevin Gausman, SP - BAL

After getting a taste of the big leagues last year, Gausman (2013 MLB.com #14 rated prospect) wants another chance to impress.  He came up and made 5 starts that were not very memorable, but a shift to the bullpen showed he can pitch at the big league level.  Though most likely to start season in AAA, Gausman is an impact pitcher that can dominate hitters.  I expect him to do big things this year, thinking along the lines of Gerrit Cole last year.

 

Stay tuned for my top 10 2014 fantasy impactful rookies coming soon!

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Logan O'Hoppe14 mins ago

Out Against Pirates
Seattle Seahawks21 mins ago

Cameron Young Let Go By Seattle
Detroit Lions34 mins ago

Detroit Makes Kerby Joseph The Highest-Paid Safety In League History
Davion Mitchell35 mins ago

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Seiya Suzuki1 hour ago

Scratched On Wednesday With Wrist Soreness
Brandin Podziemski1 hour ago

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford1 hour ago

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.1 hour ago

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum2 hours ago

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart2 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI2 hours ago

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha2 hours ago

Recovering From Small Procedure
Will Smith2 hours ago

Out With Sore Wrist On Wednesday
Connor Wong2 hours ago

Likely To Go On Rehab Assignment This Weekend
Nikolaj Ehlers2 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Lucas Giolito2 hours ago

Could Make Season Debut Next Thursday
Miro Heiskanen2 hours ago

Still Out On Wednesday
Blake Snell3 hours ago

To Be Shut Down From Throwing, Might Go For More Imaging
John Klingberg3 hours ago

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Grayson Rodriguez3 hours ago

Has Mild Lat Strain, To Resume Throwing In A Couple Weeks
Evander Kane3 hours ago

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Edwin Díaz3 hours ago

Edwin Diaz Leaves With Left-Hip Cramping On Wednesday
Gabriel Landeskog3 hours ago

Likely To Play In Game 3
Cam Smith3 hours ago

Absent From Astros Lineup
Will Smith3 hours ago

Resting At Wrigley
Denver Broncos4 hours ago

Broncos Not Expected To Trade Up In Round 1
Nicky Lopez4 hours ago

Cubs Re-Signing Nicky Lopez
Houston Texans4 hours ago

Texans Trying To Move Up In Round 1 Of NFL Draft
Atlanta Falcons4 hours ago

James Pearce Jr., Mike Green Potential Top Targets For Falcons
Royce Lewis4 hours ago

Expected To Start Rehab Assignment This Week
Pablo López4 hours ago

Pablo Lopez Likely To Rejoin The Rotation This Weekend
Dallas Cowboys4 hours ago

Cowboys Could Add Wide Receiver Help With No. 12 Pick
Justin Martinez5 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Fatigue
New Orleans Saints5 hours ago

Saints Likely To Address Defense With No. 9 Pick?
Kristian Campbell5 hours ago

Sitting Against Mariners
5 hours ago

Rams Eyeing Trade Up For Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland?
Kyle Freeland5 hours ago

Next Outing To Be Determined
Ezequiel Tovar5 hours ago

Could Be Battling Hip Injury All Year
Patrick Mahomes5 hours ago

Itching To Get Explosive Passing Game Back
Kris Bryant5 hours ago

Not Ready To Return
Jacob Stallings5 hours ago

Kyle Farmer Sitting On Wednesday
Willi Castro5 hours ago

Not Playing On Wednesday
Zac Veen6 hours ago

Optioned to Triple-A
Chris Olave6 hours ago

Saints Picking Up Chris Olave's Fifth-Year Option
Derek Carr6 hours ago

Saints Hope To Have Clarity On Derek Carr Soon
6 hours ago

Chiefs Talk With TreVeyon Henderson
Los Angeles Rams7 hours ago

Rams Not Ruling Out Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Dallas Cowboys7 hours ago

Micah Parsons Taking Part In Offseason Program
Anthony Richardson7 hours ago

Working On His Footwork
Kayshon Boutte7 hours ago

A Trade Candidate?
Kirk Cousins7 hours ago

Browns, Steelers, Vikings Could Target A Trade For Kirk Cousins
Jaren Jackson Jr.10 hours ago

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander10 hours ago

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman10 hours ago

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam10 hours ago

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo10 hours ago

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Lee Hodges10 hours ago

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA11 hours ago

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle11 hours ago

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland11 hours ago

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Luka Dončić11 hours ago

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy11 hours ago

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard11 hours ago

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Jock Landale11 hours ago

Unavailable For Game 2
Sam Stevens11 hours ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Jae'Sean Tate11 hours ago

Remains Out Wednesday
Nicolai Hojgaard11 hours ago

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares11 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout11 hours ago

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen11 hours ago

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Akshay Bhatia11 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young11 hours ago

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov11 hours ago

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk11 hours ago

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Erik Van Rooyen11 hours ago

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Anthony Cirelli12 hours ago

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi12 hours ago

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
John Klingberg12 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action
Evander Kane12 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Game 2
Michael Pittman Jr.20 hours ago

Back Injury Is In The Past
George Pickens20 hours ago

Steelers Appear Unlikely To Trade George Pickens
Jaylen Warren20 hours ago

Steelers Believe Jaylen Warren Can Be Their RB1
Andrew Novak21 hours ago

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin22 hours ago

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore23 hours ago

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark23 hours ago

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama23 hours ago

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa23 hours ago

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Jaylen Warren24 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers
Thomas Detry1 day ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
Terry Rozier1 day ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Will Have His Minutes Monitored Tuesday
Jayson Tatum1 day ago

Listed As Doubtful For Game 2
Robert MacIntyre1 day ago

Returns To Zurich Classic With High Hopes
Derek Forbort1 day ago

Recovering From Surgery
Martin Fehérváry1 day ago

Martin Fehervary To Miss Postseason Following Knee Surgery
Shane Lowry1 day ago

Returning To Zurich Classic With Red-Hot Teammate
Luke Glendening1 day ago

Available For Start Of Playoffs
Mitchell Chaffee1 day ago

Available Tuesday
Cody Glass1 day ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Brenden Dillon1 day ago

Won't Play In Game 2
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Cleared To Play Tuesday
Nikola Jokić1 day ago

Nikola Jokic Posts 19th Postseason Triple-Double
Kawhi Leonard1 day ago

Leads Clippers To Game 2 Victory
Jalen Brunson1 day ago

Leads All Scorers With 37 Points In Monday's Loss
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF