The Complex League is now up and running for the 2024 season as we start to see some of the prospects transitioning from DSL, College/High School ball, or just rehabbing to get warmed up. For this article, I will exclude rehabbing players and focus on the draft-class prospects and DSL guys getting their first taste of pro ball stateside. The majority of these guys are likely to be on your waiver wire in deeper dynasty formats so this is designed to be an early “waiver wire claim” article. Let’s dive into some of the top performers early on in the Complex League.
5 Complex League Prospects To Watch
Simon Juan, OF NYM
(7 GP, .419/.438/.742, 2 HR, 9 R, 9 RBI, 1 SB)
New York signed Simon Juan in the 2022 international signing period and praised the young prospect for his potential above-average pop and plus speed. Juan stands 6’ and 195 pounds at just 18 years old so there is still plenty of time for him to get to more power but so far the output in seven games played in his second stint at complex ball is encouraging. Across 32 at-bats Juan is slashing .419/.438/.742 with two home runs, nine runs, nine RBIs, and has one stolen base. The tool most scouts said would take some time is the hit tool which I’ve seen graded out as well below average. With these early results, it’s well above expectations.
Simón Juan enjoyed a career day on Tuesday against the Nationals. His 5 RBI and 6 total bases were all single-game bests.
His top exit velocities on the afternoon: 106, 106, 104.#LGM | @MetsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/FNjWTEIX2n
— Florida Complex League Mets (@FCLMets) May 8, 2024
At the plate, Juan has tallied 13 hits with five being for extra-base hits early on. With the early strikeout rates being just 9.4% there is a lot to like with Juan but even if he gets back to the 23-26% strikeout rate we saw in 2022 & 2023 you will take it with a league average 8.2% walk rate. It will be some time for Simon Juan as he makes his way up the Mets organizational ladder but the early returns are solid potentially forcing the Mets to send him to St. Lucie if this keeps up.
Josue Gonzalez, C NYY
(8 GP, .381/.606/.905, 3 HR, 5 R, 8 RBI, 2 SB)
One of the Yankee’s major standouts in the DSL in 2023 was Josue Gonzalez and it looks like he’s picked up where he left off in the Complex League. The 5’9” 170 pound Gonzalez is currently 20 years old in his first taste of professional ball and is one to watch right now. In eight games played Gonzalez is slashing .381/.606/.905 with three home runs, five runs scored, eight RBIs, and two stolen bases. Across 33 plate appearances, he is walking 27.3% while striking out 21.2%. Now most are probably screaming “small sample size” and you are correct but if you look at what he did in the DSL in 2023 this all tracks.
Josue Gonzalez’s 2nd HR in yesterday’s FCL Game! (Hit 2 HR in DSL last season, lone Yankees DSL All Star)
Off to a hot start: .500/.688 – 1.888 OPS | 3 XBH – 2 HR, 4 RBI | 4 BB – 1 K #RepBX #Yankees pic.twitter.com/lj9H9jVClV
— YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) May 10, 2024
In 33 games played Gonzalez slashed .324/.517/.529 with two home runs, 32 runs scored, 20 RBIs, and stole eight bases. Across a larger sample size of 147 plate appearances, Gonzalez walked 25.9% while striking out just 14.3%. This leads me to believe we will continue to see the advanced plate approach out of Josue Gonzalez as he could get bumped to Low-A Tampa if his play continues to impress the Yankees making this an excellent stash-and-see prospect.
Felnin Celesten, SS SEA
(8 GP, .452/.541/.806, 2 HR, 7 R, 9 RBI, 2 SB)
Making his professional debut for the first time state-side is Felnin Celesten a prospect who ranked up at the top of the 2023 international draft class with Ethan Salas and Sebastian Walcott. The switch-hitting Celesten stands 6’1” and 175 pounds playing in his age 18 season and the early results are fantastic. Projected as a potential plus bat, speed, and fielding prospect going into the international signing period. Celesten was fit for the Seattle Mariners who have a long track record of signing and developing international talent with success. In eight games played in the Complex League Celesten is slashing .452/.541/.806 with two home runs, seven runs scored, nine RBIs, and two stolen bases. Across 37 plate appearances, he is walking 16.2% while striking out just 13.5% of the time.
Felnin Celesten launched his first two professional home runs last night down in Arizona! #TridentsUp 🔱
(via @IsItTheWelsh) pic.twitter.com/OOKJI0KJch
— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) May 14, 2024
This is a prospect that is widely owned in deeper dynasty formats but if you are in a 10-15-team dynasty league with shallow minor league spots he could be available and the upside is massive. With that in mind attempting to trade for Celesten in deep dynasty formats would cost a ton currently so keep your eye on his performance as it’s likely he will see Low-A this season.
Luis Reyes, 1B/3B CIN
(5 GP, .400/.409/.750, 2 HR, 4 R, 6 RBI, 1 SB)
It’s easy to get caught up in the sky-high numbers early on in developmental leagues like the Complex League. When it comes to Luis Reyes you look at his career stats dating back to 2021 and he has remained the same each season. The 20-year-old Reyes stands 5’10” and 193 pounds playing at first and third base. In five games played at the Complex Reyes is slashing .400/.409/.750 with two home runs, four runs, six RBIs, and stole one base. Across 23 plate appearances, Reyes has yet to draw a walk but is striking out 17.4% of the time. These numbers track with what Reyes did in the Complex League in 2023.
In 40 games played Reyes slashed .315/.428/.538 with four home runs, 24 runs, 36 RBIs, and two stolen bases with a 13.8% walk percentage and struck out 19.5% in 159 plate appearances. Yes, this is his second stint in the Complex League but he is performing as he always has. If you look back to 2022 in the DSL Reyes slashed .275/.453/.475 in 14 games played with a 22.6% walk percentage and struck out just 15.1% of his 53 total plate appearances. This is a prospect that has not been talked about much at all making him an excellent stash as the Reds could promote him to Low-A in short order.
Starlyn Caba, SS PHI
(7 GP, .364/.517/.636, 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB)
Philadelphia might have struck gold with Starlyn Caba as the 18-year-old shortstop makes his state-side debut in the Complex League. Standing 5’9” 160 pounds Caba impressed in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. In 38 games played, he slashed .301/.423/.346 with 29 runs scored, 17 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases while walking 17.1% and striking out just 9.8% of his 164 plate appearances. Power might not be a big part of Caba’s game but he makes the most of getting on base at the top of the order. This success translated into a solid start to the 2024 season in the Complex League. In seven games played Caba is slashing .364/.517/.636 with one home run, four runs scored, four RBIs, and two stolen bases.
The patience at the plate has continued to be a solid plus for Caba as he has walked 24.1% while striking out just 3.4% in 29 plate appearances so far this season.
No. 5 Phillies prospect Starlyn Caba hit his first professional home run in the first game of the FCL season pic.twitter.com/sCxV305X7x
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) May 5, 2024
For dynasty managers, Caba’s numbers early on are a welcome sight none more than the first career home run. In just 22 at-bats Caba has tied his extra-base hits in the DSL during the 2023 season. This could be a solid returns to come if he can get to 5-10 home runs early in his career. The plus bat paired with excellent defense and speed on the base paths hitting at the top of the order makes Starlyn Caba an interesting prospect to watch.