The 2024 Fantasy Baseball season is in full swing, which means a whole new crop of rookies and first-year players are making their debuts across Major League Baseball. Each week this Rookie Report will look at the recent production of these players and what it means in a fantasy baseball context.
Rookies are among the most volatile assets in the fantasy baseball game, with the opportunity both to boom or bust right in front of us. Rookies and first-year players are a part of teams’ plans more than ever before; just take the World Series Champion Texas Rangers, for example. Rookie Evan Carter played in the postseason for the Rangers, but now DH Wyatt Langford and SP Cody Bradford join him and are key cogs of a team that hopes to repeat their championship.
This weekly piece will track some of the notable performances from rookies during the 2024 season with an eye toward actionable advice for each one. 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)
- .207/.252/.359, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB, 10 R
The batting average has really been a problem for Jackson Chourio as he adjusts to Major League pitching, but he is contributing well in every other category, despite batting ninth on most days. It’s a tantalizing peek at what is still to come for Chourio, and once he puts the ball in play more, he should start to explode.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF, Chicago Cubs)
- .385/.385/.692, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 2 R
PCA – as he is affectionately known – hasn’t displayed his world-class speed on the bases yet in the Major Leagues, but there aren’t many complaints so far from his first 13 at-bats. Two extra-base hits and four RBI have already endeared him to Cubs’ fans and fantasy managers alike, and he still has the wheels to steal 25 bases the rest of the season.
Wyatt Langford (OF, Texas Rangers)
- .248/.325/.327, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB, 13 R
Wyatt Langford FINALLY got his first Major League home run on Sunday, although it was via the Inside The Park variety. Langford still has yet to clear the fences this year and also has three doubles. He is still having good at-bats as evidenced by his 20% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate.
Evan Carter (OF, Texas Rangers)
- .213/.311/.461, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB, 17 R
Evan Carter’s batting average and OBP have fallen way off from the beginning of the season, but his power is starting to emerge as part of a fantasy trade-off for his managers. Carter is second on the team with five home runs to only Adolis Garcia. Batting third or fourth in the lineup each day is going to ensure he piles up a lot of runs as well.
Heston Kjerstad (OF, Baltimore Orioles)
- .000/.000/.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, 0 R
It’s only been five plate appearances for Kjerstad, so we can’t say he is “pulling a Jackson Holliday” just yet. It’s just a good reminder that even the best minor league players struggle when they move up to that top level and face the best pitchers in the world. Kjerstad will be up with the big club for at least a while longer.
Colton Cowser (OF, Baltimore Orioles)
- .310/.375/.662, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 3 SB, 11 R
Colton Cowser is likely the American League Rookie of the Year frontrunner at this point, as he has been crushing everything in site and also chipping in with three steals. His spot is secure at this point no matter what happens with Kjerstad, Holliday, Coby Mayo, or any other Orioles’ prospect.
Jackson Holliday (SS, Baltimore Orioles)
- .059/.111/.059, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, 5 R
Well, the abysmal start for Holliday didn’t last forever, because he got sent back to AAA last week after recording just one hit. He will be back soon enough with just a little more seasoning on his plate discipline and his approach against breaking balls. Holliday is still just 20 years old.
Michael Busch (1B, Chicago Cubs)
- .278/.340/.522, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 0 SB, 14 R
After hitting a home run in five straight days, Michael Busch has really slowed down in the power department, but the overall numbers look great so far. Busch’s 25 hits this season are third among all rookies behind Jung Hoo Lee and Jackson Merrill.
Wilyer Abreu (OF, Boston Red Sox)
- .292/.366/.472, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB, 13 R
Over the last week, Wilyer Abreu has become an essential piece of the Boston Red Sox offense and has helped sparked a series of offensive explosions. His power-speed combination of skills is something he has displayed every year since he entered professional baseball at age 18. Now in his second season and just 25 years old, Abreu could be an emerging star.
Blaze Alexander (SS, Arizona Diamondbacks)
- .322/.385/.559, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB, 10 R
Taking over for the injured Geraldo Perdomo, Blaze Alexander may be on the verge of Wally Pipp-ing Perdomo once he gets healthy. Alexander has been so good since his insertion into the starting lineup, he was actually given a chance to hit in the second spot in the lineup one day when Ketel Marte was out.
Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report: Pitchers
Jared Jones (SP, Pittsburgh Pirates)
- 6 Starts, 34.0 IP, 2 W, 3.18 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 42 Ks
Jones’ 12.1 K/9 ratio compared to his 1.24 BB/9 is simply crazy production for a rookie in his first MLB season. Jones, if you remember, only has 16 total games pitched above AA and has looked like one of the best pitchers in the National League. When the Pirates do finally bring up Paul Skenes, they may have their trio of stud pitchers (along with Mitch Keller) that leads them to a number of playoff berths in the future.
Shota Imanaga (SP, Chicago Cubs)
- 5 Starts, 27.2 IP, 4 W, 0.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 28 Ks
Shota Imanaga may be the only reason Jared Jones doesn’t win National League Rookie of the Year. Perhaps it’s not fair considering Imanaga is 30 years old, but he has shut down anyone and everyone in his path this year. Imanaga has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his five starts this season.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SP, Los Angeles Dodgers)
- 6 Starts, 28.0 IP, 2 W, 3.54 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 37 Ks
After his first MLB start when he allowed five earned runs in just one inning, Yamamoto has two games with three earned runs allowed and three games with no earned runs allowed. That shows me growth for the free agent phenom, especially as he gets more accustomed to the MLB lifestyle and approach hitters take.
Mason Miller (RP, Oakland Athletics)
- 7 Saves, 12.1 IP, 0 W, 1.46 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 25 Ks
Despite playing for the Oakland Athletics, there is a case to be made that Mason Miller is the best closer in baseball today. After a couple of early speed bumps, Miller is striking out everyone and routinely throwing over 100 mph. Only seven players have more than Miller’s seven saves this season, but none of them come close to his 18.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Mitchell Parker (SP, Washington Nationals)
- 3 Starts, 16.0 IP, 2 W, 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 14 Ks
Mitchell Parker came out of nowhere to beat the Astros and Dodgers in his first two starts and now has three strong outings under his belt. It’s been a little fluky for Parker so far (7 K/9 and an 80% left on-base percentage), so he is not someone to rush and add to rosters unless you have a need you are trying to fill.
Keaton Winn (SP, San Francisco Giants)
- 6 Starts, 34.0 IP, 3 W, 3.18 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 28 Ks
Somewhat overshadowed by Kyle Harrison in the prospect hype, Winn has been quietly very successful this season, already piling up three wins and an ERA under 3.25. He isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, but he has always been known for being a stellar groundball pitcher. That has translated to the big leagues as he carries a 59% ground ball rate in the new week of the MLB season.
Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report: 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.
Coby Mayo (3B, Baltimore Orioles) – With Heston Kjerstad, Gunnar Henderson, and Adley Rutschman all in the show and Jackson Holliday sure to be back up soon, there can’t be anyone left in the Orioles’ AAA who is Major League ready, right? Wrong. There are still guys raking down there and it’s just a matter of time before they get the call. Coby Mayo has eight bombs in the International League and is slashing .324/.387/.631 while also chipping in three stolen bases. I think Ryan O’Hearn (primarily the DH) might need to start getting his bags packed, because his days in Baltimore could be numbered.
Junior Caminero (SS/3B, Tampa Bay Rays) – The Tampa Bay Rays offense stinks right now, and they just got swept by the Chicago White Sox. Can prized prospect Junior Caminero be the answer? Caminero is hitting .313 with a .377 on-base percentage including four home runs and 12 RBI in just 48 at-bats in the minor leagues this season. Tampa Bay is now 23rd in the MLB with a .303 wOBA and Caminero could easily come in and replace Jose Caballero or Amed Rosario right now.
Joey Loperfido (1B/OF, Houston Astros) – On their way back from Mexico City, the Houston Astros apparently decided enough was enough with Jose Abreu. Abreu has a .099 batting average and looks completely lost this year, so the Astros are going to give slugging prospect Loperfido a shot. Loperfido leads the world with 13 home runs and 27 RBI for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. He strikes out way too much, but it simply can not be worse than what Abreu is doing this year. Look for Loperfido to get the bulk of first base starts over the next 10 days or so while the Astros see if they have something on their hands that can stick with the big club.