The 2024 trade deadline is mere days away and teams are already moving and dealing players. With those deals, opportunities for rookies to either get a call-up or fill a role they have only seen sparingly in the first half of the season are opening up. Which rookies will see expanded playing time as a result of the July 31 deadline? Time will tell, but this has certainly been a year when many rookies get their first shot.
Injuries and setbacks have hit teams like the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, and Cincinnati Reds, and they are bringing up prospects just to fill holes until their regulars are ready to go. In both situations, fantasy baseball managers are getting long glimpses of players who could have massive fantasy implications. We should be paying attention to all of them.
This weekly piece will track some of the notable performances from rookies during the 2024 season now that we have reached the All-Star break. In dynasty and keeper formats, most of these players will be long gone, but in seasonal leagues, is it worth clogging up a roster spot with a rookie? Diving into their performance this season will hopefully help us look into a little bit of their future.
Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report: Hitters
Jackson Chourio (OF, Milwaukee Brewers)
- .259/.306/.405, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 12 SB, 44 R
July has looked like a carbon copy of June for Jackson Chourio as he is hitting .318/.366/.455, almost identical to what he did last month. This month, he traded power for speed. After four homers in June, he has just one this month but has swiped four bags.
David Hamilton (SS, Boston Red Sox)
- .261/.315/.399, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 26 SB, 36 R
In just 74 games, David Hamilton has 26 stolen bases, well over a 50-steal pace for a full season. He’s hitting just enough to stay fantasy-relevant, but all of his value comes from his legs right now.
Heston Kjerstad (OF, Baltimore Orioles)
- .281/.395/.453, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB, 6 R
After striking out just 15% of the time in June, Heston Kjerstad is up to 31% in July and it has completely sapped his power (just one home run all month). He still has a strong .359 on-base percentage, but he has been losing some playing time lately to Anthony Santander.
Michael Busch (1B, Chicago Cubs)
- .259/.347/.442, 12 HR, 38 RBI, 2 SB, 48 R
Michael Busch has almost 20 more strikeouts than any other rookie this year, and his strikeout rate is now over 31% for the season. It hasn’t cost him playing time (he has missed one game since June 22), but he now has exactly two home runs in three straight months.
Joey Ortiz (3B, Milwaukee Brewers)
- .248/.349/.402, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 6 SB, 36 R
Whether it’s the lingering effects of coming off the IL from a concussion or something else, Joey Ortiz has had a miserable second half. He is hitting .111/.167/.148 with no home runs and one stolen base. He can’t get the ball in the air recently and is pounding more than 52% of his batted balls into the ground this half.
Colton Cowser (OF, Baltimore Orioles)
- .236/.322/.444, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 7 SB, 39 R
Colton Cowser leads all rookies in home runs and is third in RBI this season and much of that production has come in July. He is getting stronger as the year goes along and is so far up to .294/.379/.451 for the month with a pair of homers and stolen bases.
Ceddanne Rafaela (OF, Boston Red Sox)
- .251/.278/.416, 12 HR, 55 RBI, 15 SB, 50 R
If you want a dark horse dart throw at the winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award, I might recommend a few units on Ceddanne Rafaela at his current +600 odds. None of the players above him have done anything to separate themselves from the pack and Rafaela is hitting .280/.308/.533 with four home runs and four steals in July.
Jackson Merrill (SS/OF, San Diego Padres)
- .285/.316/.442, 12 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB, 46 R
July has by far been Jackson Merrill’s worst month of the season. Hitting just .243/.274/.357 so far, has he hit a wall? Is it something that can be corrected? The primary reason is strikeouts. While Merrill struck out just 17% in the first half, he is up to 36.7% in the second half. That means pitchers could be figuring out the holes in his swing, so it’s worth monitoring.
Wilyer Abreu (OF, Boston Red Sox)
- .266/.331/.485, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 7 SB, 39 R
In the three seasons leading up to 2024, Wilyer Abreu reached at least 10 home runs and 10 steals in each of those campaigns while in the minor leagues. Now at eight homers and seven steals this season, he has a real shot at doing it for Boston as well. He is still striking out way too much (28%), but his slugging is up to .500 this month as he just keeps hitting as the season moves along.
Masyn Winn (SS, St. Louis Cardinals)
- .285/.332/.408, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 9 SB, 46 R
One positive byproduct of the St. Louis Cardinals’ lousy season is that they are giving Masyn Winn all the run he can handle, and he is hitting first literally every day. He has missed one game since June 29 and has been a top-60 hitter in fantasy baseball since the All-Star Break ended.
Wyatt Langford (OF, Texas Rangers)
- .244/.310/.370, 5 HR, 43 RBI, 9 SB, 34 R
Well, the one-week power spike that banked Wyatt Langford four home runs in early July is long gone and his average and slugging percentage are plummeting again. Langford is somehow still hanging on as the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year (+180), but Colton Cowser (+220) and a pitcher are right on his tail and any more prolonged slump likely takes him out of the top spot.
James Wood (OF, Washington Nationals)
- .235/.309/.341, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 2 SB, 9 R
Just like everyone else on his team on Friday, James Wood had a monster game where he went 4-for-5 with a walk, two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. That one game propped him up to a .235 average and a .650 OPS when he was just at .200 and .560 before the game. Hopefully, that sparks something in one of baseball top hitting prospects, especially with Jesse Winker now out of the way for playing time.
Colt Keith (2B, Detroit Tigers)
- .259/.317/.411, 11 HR, 41 RBI, 5 SB, 40 R
Colt Keith is absolutely scorching right now, hitting .338/.434/.662 with six home runs and 14 RBI in July. It is far and away the best month of his rookie campaign and has forced the Detroit Tigers’ hand to now bat him second every single day in the lineup.
Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report: Pitchers
Jared Jones (SP, Pittsburgh Pirates)
- 16 Starts, 91.0 IP, 5 W, 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 98 Ks
Jared Jones remains on the IL with a right lat strain al though the club hopes he can make a comeback to the mound very soon. He has been on the shelf for more than three weeks, but the Pirates have given every indication they plan to have him pitch as soon as he is ready to help with the stretch run.
Shota Imanaga (SP, Chicago Cubs)
- 19 Starts, 109.2 IP, 8 W, 2.95 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 111 Ks
After some shaky days in late June, Shota Imanaga is back on track this month. In July, he has allowed just four earned runs in 19 innings while striking out 24 batters. The most encouraging sign for Shota Imanaga is that his success in these three starts has come against Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Arizona, all very good offenses this year.
Mason Miller (RP, Oakland Athletics)
- 15 Saves, 40.2 IP, 1 W, 2.21 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 70 Ks
Mason Miller was recently placed on the 15-day IL with a broken finger he suffered either by pounding a table in the locker room or placing his hand awkwardly on it, depending on who you believe. This means it’s likely Miller will not get traded and that he will not pitch again for more than a month.
Paul Skenes (SP, Pittsburgh Pirates)
- 12 Starts, 74.2 IP, 6 W, 1.93 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 97 Ks
The National League Rookie of the Year chase is officially over now that Paul Skenes has moved to -2400 or better at most sportsbooks. The All-Star Game starter has not allowed more than two earned runs in a game since June 5 (one of the two times he has allowed three runs this season).
Simeon Woods Richardson (SP, Minnesota Twins)
- 17 Starts, 88.0 IP, 3 W, 3.27 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 76 Ks
Simeon Woods-Richardson continues to be the unluckiest rookie pitcher in the league this year. He can’t buy a win even though he is producing an ERA under 3.50 and has a 1.11 WHIP. Even though the Twins have won 12 of Woods-Richardson’s 17 starts, he only has three of them in his personal ledger.
Luis Gil (SP, New York Yankees)
- 20 Starts, 107.1 IP, 10 W, 3.10 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 124 Ks
With the struggles of all the AL hitters, Luis Gil is trying to scratch and claw his way back into the AL Rookie of the Year conversation. He is up to +220 (tied with Cowser for second-best odds in the AL) after three straight starts only allowing one earned runs and striking out at least six in each game.
Who’s Next?
This section will look at any noteworthy rookies who have just debuted, are on the verge of debuting, or might be on their way up soon, and whether they are worth the roster position on your fantasy squads.
Connor Norby (2B, Baltimore Orioles) – After his first seven games with the Orioles, prized prospect (one of many for Baltimore) Connor Norby is hitting just .200 with a .640 OPS in 25 plate appearances. His numbers, however, are partially saved by two early home runs in his first six games and he has been unlucky with a low .214 BABIP in his first week. With Jorge Mateo injured now, Norby is likely to see plenty of playing time, which was the criticism with many of their other prospects this year. Norby has 15/15 power-speed skills in his profile, but time will tell if they both come out now that he is in the big leagues.
Max Meyer (SP, Miami Marlins) – Max Meyer had a mixed return to the Major Leagues on Saturday when he faced the Brewers, but only lasted four innings and gave up three earned runs. There was certainly some rust after spending more than two months back down in the minors so the Marlins could “save” his arm. Four hits and two walks were not typical for Meyer in his April starts when he finished with a 2.12 ERA and just a .377 slugging percentage against. Presumably, he is back up with the Miami Marlins for good now this season and will get plenty of opportunities to bounce back from this start. He is one of the best 25-and-under pitching prospects in the league, so better days are certainly ahead.