With the All-Star Game rapidly approaching we’ve reached the point in the year where dynasty baseball managers without a realistic shot at contending for a title have begun pivoting towards the future. There isn’t a silver bullet strategic approach, but generally speaking, cashing in established veteran talent for speculative lottery-ticket prospects is a tried-and-true approach when kick-starting an extended rebuilding effort. This week’s Dynasty Baseball Stock Watch attempts to highlight 10 non-superstar prospects that fantasy managers in the nascent stages or midst of a rebuilding effort should prioritize in the coming weeks.
The overall goal of the exercise is to highlight prospects on the rise that haven’t reached elite status yet, and figure to continue gaining value over the remainder of the 2024 campaign. That means we’re excluding nearly all of the universally regarded top fantasy prospects like Coby Mayo, Carson Williams, Jackson Jobe, Colt Emerson, Lazaro Montes, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Samuel Basallo, Dylan Crews, Walker Jenkins, Noah Schultz, Matt Shaw, Max Clark, etc… If you’re reading this column, you know these high-profile names already, and let’s be honest they’re likely going to command an astronomical package to pry them away from their current dynasty managers. We’re attempting to dig a little bit deeper in search of some lesser-known targets that could continue to see their stock improve over the next few years, which would make them worth acquiring now, especially for dynasty managers in the rebuilding phase of their contention cycle.
Mid-Season Trade Targets in Dynasty Leagues
Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres
At just 17 years old, De Vries is one of the youngest players in the entire California League, checking in at nearly a presidential term younger than some of his current competitors. The top-ranked prospect from last year’s international signing class homered from both sides of the plate last Friday and is batting .229 (41-for-179) with four homers and eight steals in 213 plate appearances through 45 games for Low-A Lake Elsinore.
He’s still a hyperspace jump (or two) away from reaching the majors, but he’s rapidly blossoming into one of the top prospects in the entire fantasy landscape. It’s difficult to properly convey how impressive his performance has been this season given his astronomical expectations and San Diego’s willingness to push him aggressively right to full-season ball. Barring something unexpected, he’s going to enter the 2025 campaign with a guaranteed spot in the top 100 of the Fantrax Top 500 Overall Dynasty Rankings.
George Klassen, P, Phillies
Arguably the biggest starting pitching breakout performer of the first half, the opportunity window for fantasy managers to acquire Klassen might already be slammed shut. The hard-throwing 22-year-old righty has morphed into one of the top pitching prospects in baseball over the last few months and hasn’t really skipped a beat since making the leap a couple weeks ago to High-A Jersey Shore where he’s piled up 27 strikeouts across 17 1/3 innings (four starts). He boasts a remarkable 1.95 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 84/21 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings (13 starts) this season between Low-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore in his professional debut.
The sixth-round selection from the 2023 MLB Draft is going to miss plenty of bats moving forward and might already be a borderline top-10 dynasty pitching prospect.
Felnin Celstin, SS, Mariners
Celestin is rapidly emerging as one of the most intriguing long-term prospects in the dynasty landscape after drawing rave reviews this season in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, batting .341 (42-for-123) with three homers and five steals across 142 plate appearances in 31 games. The 18-year-old shortstop, who received a $4.7 million bonus as the centerpiece of Seattle’s haul from the 2023 international signing class, missed all of last year due to a hamstring injury, which is why he’s gone from basically off the dynasty radar to a borderline top-100 overall ranking in the span of a few months.
A switch-hitting shortstop with a fluid swing and some over-the-fence pop from both sides of the plate, his stock will continue to skyrocket if he keeps excelling. There’s still time to get on board in dynasty leagues, but the window of opportunity is closing quickly.
Starlyn Caba, SS, Phillies
Caba has already made good on his future projection as one of the top prospects from the 2023 international signing class and is rapidly evolving into one of the top prospect in Philadelphia’s system. The 18-year-old shortstop has done nothing but build on last year’s impressive showing in the Dominican Summer League by slashing .262/.438/.348 with two homers and 33 stolen bases across 185 plate appearances in 42 games this season for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League.
He’s displayed extremely impressive plate skills so far, drawing 43 walks while only striking out 28 times during that span. The stolen base upside is apparent here, especially if his sublime swing decisions remain intact as he ascends to the majors, but he’s going to need to add some over-the-fence pop in the future if he’s going to emerge as an elite five-category contributor. The borderline elite hit tool and contact skills are going to carry him extremely far. If he grows into some additional power, he has a chance to be pretty special.
Chase Dollander, P, Rockies
There’s a buying opportunity here for fantasy managers as a result of the high degree of difficulty in determining Dollander’s long-term outlook given the extreme juxtaposition between his immense talent and Coors Field’s high-octane offensive environment. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was selected ninth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, is still a ways off from taking on the Colorado challenge, which virtually no pitcher has solved since the likes of Ubaldo Jiménez nearly two decades ago.
He’s compiled a stellar 2.82 ERA (2.89 xFIP), 1.25 WHIP, and 102/26 K/BB ratio across 67 innings (13 starts) this season for High-A Spokane in his professional debut. He’s going to make some noise in the All-Star Futures Game in a couple of weeks and if we’re speculating purely on talent, he might have a real shot at excelling in Colorado. We’ve been a bit conservative with his placement in the Fantrax Top 500 overall dynasty rankings, but it might be time to just throw out the Coors Field factor temporarily until we see it in a few years.
Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B, Diamondbacks
The Guardians are probably regretting their decision to return De Los Santos, who they picked up last December in the Rule 5 Draft, back to Arizona in late March after he failed to make their season-opening roster. The 21-year-old slugging corner infielder has flourished in the upper minors this season, slashing .332/.381/.652 with a career-high 26 home runs across 336 plate appearances between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno. He doesn’t strike out a ton for a power hitter and it’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s making more frequent hard contact after struggling to do so last year once he reached the upper minors.
We’re not going to forecast a clear path to fantasy stardom, but De Los Santos is starting to have the look of an impact four-category fantasy contributor, especially if he gets an opportunity in Arizona’s hitter-friendly ballpark.
Bubba Chandler, P, Pirates
Improved command has done wonders this season for Chandler, who has cut back on the free passes, enabling him to compile a solid 3.65 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 75/22 K/BB ratio across 61 2/3 innings (15 appearances, 13 starts) for Double-A Altoona. The hard-throwing 21-year-old third-round pick from the 2021 MLB Draft has been on a roll lately with a pair of double-digit strikeout performances over his last three starts, while only issuing a pair of walks combined in those outings.
The combination of his four-pitch mix — fastball, curveball, slider and changeup — and newfound confidence to attack the strike zone more aggressively is starting to pay dividends. There’s never been much of a question regarding Chandler’s talent. If he’s truly started to harness his formidable stuff, he’s going to skyrocket up dynasty starting pitcher rankings lists in the coming months. There’s still time to get on board, but this rocket ship might already be taking off.
Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs
With Miguel Amaya, who is out of minor league options, struggling mightily at the highest level, and only veteran Tomás Nido holding down the metaphorical fort, it might be time for Chicago to give Ballesteros a shot following the All-Star break. The 20-year-old backstop has been one of the more impressive first-half performers in the minors this season, slashing a robust .306/.369/.486 with 10 homers across 287 plate appearances between Double-A South Bend and Triple-A Iowa.
He hasn’t skipped a beat since arriving in Triple-A a couple of weeks ago, and while there are some questions about his defense behind the plate, he’s going to make an impact from an offensive standpoint once he gets a shot. He’s flown a bit under the radar relative to some of the other prospect breakouts this season, which makes him a prime target for dynasty managers with an eye toward the future.
Jarlin Susana, P, Nationals
Susana came over to the Nationals from the Padres back in 2022 as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster trade just a few months after signing as the top-ranked international pitching prospect in his signing class and was just promoted to High-A Wilmington last week after recording an encouraging 4.47 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 83/30 K/BB ratio across 56 1/3 innings (14 starts) for Low-A Fredericksburg.
The 20-year-old righty has skyrocketed up dynasty prospect lists this season thanks to an astronomical strikeout rate, which definitely puts him on the map for fantasy purposes, even if he’s still light years away from reaching the majors. We’re still a long way from figuring out whether he’ll excel in the big leagues, but he’s the type of pitching prospect that is worth rostering purely on upside alone.
Shay Whitcomb, INF, Astros
Whitcomb fits the bill for dynasty managers searching for a bit of a lottery ticket as there’s a pretty wide range of potential outcomes here. The unheralded 25-year-old has displayed an extremely impressive power/speed combination this season in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with 19 round-trippers and 21 thefts through 80 games for Triple-A Sugar Land. The over-the-fence pop isn’t unprecedented as he ripped 35 homers in 133 games last year in the upper minors, but it came with a bit of an all-or-nothing approach. He’s cut back pretty dramatically on the strikeouts this year and is still managing to hit for a ton of power. It’s probably time to see if he can make this profile work in the big leagues. If it does, he’s not going to be available in dynasty leagues for very long.