Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers
Wyatt Langford is officially making the opening day roster, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Langford has already been flying up draft boards due to his massive spring, where he's slashed a ridiculous .388/.446/.796 with 6 home runs in 56 plate appearances. He has crept all the way up into 8th round ADP, and that number should continue to rise over the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised to see Langford go off the boards as early as the 6th round in roto leagues, where a 20/20 season seems like a worst-case scenario for the rookie. Langford hit 10 home runs and stole 12 bases with a .360 average in 44 minor league games last year, and he has true first-round upside for fantasy if he can stay adjusted to major league pitching.
Jackson Holliday, 2B/SS, Orioles
Jackson Holliday will officially begin the season in the minor leagues. He climbed from Single-A to Triple-A last season, where he slashed .323/.442/.499 with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 125 games. He even showed advanced plate discipline for his age, walking 17.4% of the time compared to a 20.3% strikeout rate. His power numbers were lacking, likely needing more time to grow into his body to turn his doubles power into more home runs. That could be one of the reasons why the Orioles decided to send him to the minors, but I expect Holliday to make his major league debut within the first half of the season. He has solid 20/20 upside as a rookie and is still worth a later-round pick if you have room to stash him on your bench.
Jonathan India, 2B, Reds
Noelvi Marte's suspension and injuries to Matt McLain and TJ Friedl turned a crowded Reds lineup into a pretty straightforward one. Jonathan India will be locked into the lineup every day at second base or designated hitter, instead of vying for playing time as previously thought. He has dealt with many injuries over the past few seasons but isn't that far removed from his 2021 Rookie of the Year performance that saw him slash .269/.376/.459 with 21 home runs. In 119 games last season, he had a poor .245 batting average but still managed to hit 17 home runs and steal 14 bases. He still managed to reach base at a respectable .338 clip and still has
20/20 upside with tons of counting stats playing in Great American Ballpark. He is a solid late-round MI option in drafts this season.
Brewers Bullpen
The closer role is wide open in Milwaukee, with Devin Williams out 3 months with stress fractures in his back. Joel Payamps may be the favorite for the job, coming off of a 2023 season where he posted a 2.55 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 77 strikeouts in 70.2 innings. Abner Uribe is also a name to watch after he struck out 39 batters in 30.2 innings to go along with a 1.76 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Uribe has the most upside of the duo, but he has control issues at times, walking 20 batters last year. There is also an outside chance that Trevor Megill ends up with saves, but the first two are much more exciting for fantasy purposes. Payamps and Uribe are worth speculating on after the top 20 closers are off the board on draft day.
Twins Bullpen
Jhoan Duran is also set to start the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain. This leaves Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart to compete for saves in the meantime, and they both would be stellar fantasy options. Jax has a sweeper that is one of the best pitches in the league, leading to a 3.22 ERA and 1.17 WHIP last season with 68 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. Stewart was even more dominant in 27.2 innings pitched, striking out 39 batters with a 0.65 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Both of these guys would excel in the closer role given the chance and are worth taking a shot on late in drafts when the sure-fire closers are gone.
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Diamondbacks
Eduardo Rodriguez has been shut down with a strained late and will begin the season on the IL. He enjoyed a breakout 2023 campaign where he pitched to a 3.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with a 143:48 K:BB in 152.2 innings. His underlying metrics don't jump off the page at you, and he is about the middle of the pack with a 23.0% K%, 7.7% BB%, 88.6 mph average exit velocity, and 38.5% hard-hit rate. His greatest fantasy appeal was his ability to eat innings with good but not great ratios, but now his injury will prevent him from doing that. He should be drafted outside of the top 70 SP on draft day, and might not be worth a pick at all if you don't have room to stash him in an IL spot.
Garrett Whitlock, SP, Red Sox
Garrett Whitlock has officially made the opening day rotation for the Red Sox. Whitlock had an up-and-down season in an injury-plagued 2023, where he finished with an ugly 5.15 ERA. However, he pitched very well down the stretch out of the bullpen after returning from injury in August, collecting 25 strikeouts in 20 innings. He displayed an elite 4.3% BB%, and still got plenty of swings and misses with a 32% whiff rate on his changeup and a 47.2% whiff rate on his sweeper. His career numbers over the past three seasons still work out to a 3.51 ERA with 235 strikeouts in 223.1 innings, and I think he can still deliver on the breakout potential that was expected of him over the past couple of years. I would take him as a late-round dart throw in the last few rounds.
Zack Littell, SP, Rays
Zack Littell is locked into the Rays rotation this season, after impressing as a starter in 2023. Through his 11 starts last year, he posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. His strikeout rate left something to be desired, but he made up for it with exceptional control. His 3.2% BB% placed him in the 100th percentile, and a 31.6% chase rate shows there is potential for more strikeouts. Littell figures to be a reliable source of innings with plenty of wins backed by the Rays offense. He also will have RP eligibility, giving him extra value in points leagues where it could be beneficial to start him in a relief pitcher roster spot. He is one of my favorite late-round pitchers to fill out the end of my fantasy staff.
Brenton Doyle, OF, Rockies
Doyle slashed a disappointing .203/.250/.343 last season, but there may be hope for some fantasy relevance in 2024. His 29.9 feet per second sprint speed placed him in the 98th percentile, and this led to 22 stolen bases to go along with 10 home runs. He has a legitimate argument to be considered the best defensive player in the entire league so that alone will lock him into an everyday role in Coors Field. He could become a useful fantasy player with a little Coors magic, returning a 15/20 or 20/20 season if he can get a little more pop out of his bat. He shouldn't be considered in standard-sized 3-outfielder leagues, but he makes for a great bench bat late in 5-outfielder leagues.
Erick Fedde, SP, White Sox
Despite a career 5.41 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in the major leagues, Fedde looks primed for a breakout season in 2024. He won the equivalent of the MVP and Cy Young in South Korea last season, striking out 209 in 180.1 innings pitched with a 2.00 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He reinvented his arsenal, adding a sweeper and fixing his changeup, which allowed him to dominate the KBO with a solid four-pitch mix. He obviously will not put up these types of numbers in the MLB, but Merrill Kelly showed that it is possible to become a successful MLB pitcher after a stint in South Korea. Fedde doesn't have ace upside, but he could prove to be a reliable top-50 SP if everything goes right. He's currently being drafted outside of the top 100 SP, so there is no risk to take the chance on him in the last round of drafts.
Matt Wallner, OF, Twins
Matt Wallner had a breakout second half of the season, slashing .237/.354/.500 with 13 home runs in 65 games. He destroys the baseball, with his 116.4 mph max exit velocity placing him in the top 3 percent of the league. His 91.9 mph average exit velocity, 18.8% barrel rate, 48.1% hard-hit rate, and .517 xSLG are numbers you'd expect from the best power hitters in the game. He does have major strikeout issues (31.5% K%) and has massively struggled against lefties (.119 BA in 45 plate appearances). He should be locked into a strong-side platoon to start the year, but there is a chance the Twins give him a chance to hit lefties as well. His ADP is outside the top 300, so he is still worth it in deep, daily lineup leagues where you can plug him in whenever the Twins are facing a right-handed pitcher.
Matt Manning, SP, Tigers
In a surprising move, the Tigers have optioned Matt Manning to the minor leagues. He showed potential in 15 starts in 2023, pitching to a 3.58 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with a 50:21 K:BB across 78 innings. He mainly pitches to contact, with his 5.77 K/9 not exactly cutting it for fantasy managers, however there was some sleeper appeal heading into 2024. The former top prospect has proven he can get reliable outs at the MLB level, which is good enough to be drafted in deep leagues. However, with him starting the year in the minors he is not worth the draft pick in any round, and you should probably look to his teammates Reese Olson and Casey Mize as sleeper pitchers instead.
Chris Paddack, SP, Twins
Chris Paddack returned to the bullpen late last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He only threw 8.2 total innings between the regular season and playoffs, but showed off a career-high 95.4 mph fastball and maxed it out at 99 mph. He struck out 14 batters and only walked 1, and it's important to remember that Paddack looked like one of the most promising young pitchers in the game in his past. Only 28 years old, he has the chance to prove he still has that upside in 2024, and he is essentially free in the last rounds of fantasy drafts.
Colt Keith, 2B/3B, Tigers
Colt Keith is the number 22 ranked prospect according to MLB.com, slashing .306/.380/.552 with 27 home runs and 101 RBI in 126 games in the minors last season. The 6-year extension he signed with the Tigers essentially guaranteed his spot on the opening day roster, and he is set to be the Tigers' primary 2B in 2024. His power is real and he has good enough plate discipline, striking out 21% of the time. He has solid sleeper appeal for a CI spot later in drafts.
Michael Busch, 1B/3B, Cubs
Michael Busch finally got his shot at the major league level last season but put up a disappointing .167/.247/.292 slash line in 27 games. However, he is still the 51st ranked prospect according to MLB.com, and crushed AAA last season to the tune of .323/.431/.618 with 26 home runs in 98 games. His 88:65 K:BB in the minors shows his elite plate discipline, and he finally doesn't have to worry about playing time with the Cubs. He is locked in as their starting first basemen, not having to worry about someone taking his job any day like in Los Angeles. He isn't worth drafting in standard-sized leagues, but in 15-teamers or leagues that have CI spots, he is worth a late-round pick. I have a feeling he will show very quickly whether he can succeed in the MLB or not, so it's better to draft him late than fight for him on the waiver wire if shows a promising start to the season.
