Check the home schedule for your local International League club because the Charlotte Knights will be the hot minor league team to watch in the first months of the season -- and not because veterans Cody Asche, Anthony Swarzak and Cory Luebke (remember him?) are on the squad. No, the excitement will be due to infielder Yoan Moncada and right-handed starting pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, among others.
Of course, fantasy owners in one-year formats are hoping these top prospects aren’t honing their skills in the minor leagues for long because their potential big league statistics are so intriguing. Moncada is the key here, as he’s the prime prospect actually starting the season in the minor leagues and the lone option one could reasonably call an "obvious" selection in ESPN average live drafts. I’ve got him ranked in the middle rounds as the upside is huge.
Hitters are considerably safer than pitchers when they’re raw and inexperienced, and they can do less damage to fantasy teams as well. Moncada projects as a superstar in the near future, a guy with power and speed. With other top prospects Andrew Benintendi, Dansby Swanson and Manuel Margot securing big league roster spots, Moncada is in a class by himself. He was acquired in the Chris Sale trade from the Boston Red Sox, along with noted right-handed flamethrower Michael Kopech, who should start the year with Class A Winston-Salem.
Giolito and Lopez came from the Washington Nationals in the Adam Eaton deal, and they’ll join Carson Fulmer in Charlotte. While Giolito and Lopez didn’t thrive in brief duty with the Nationals, each possesses significant upside for fantasy owners. It’s tough to call either a coveted option in a standard mixed league, but I have to admit, it’s rare any minor league pitcher warrants such a designation. Watch the Charlotte rotation and also the one for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, as the Phillies have interesting depth there.
A quick perusal among the other top prospects slated to start the season in the minor leagues shows just how special Moncada truly is for expected immediate impact. For the record, there’s nobody handling second base for the White Sox blocking him, though we wish scrappy Tyler Saladino luck. Moncada was in the majors briefly in 2016 so he’s not exactly like Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant, who had to wait for a mid-April promotion in 2015 when it was obvious he was ready earlier.
For the White Sox to add an extra year of financial control Moncada would need to stay in the minors until after May 15. Perhaps his play forces a sooner arrival, but otherwise it’s six weeks. We can wait six weeks. We’re still drafting injured Colorado Rockies star Ian Desmond, and he’s missing at least a month, right? Save a bench spot for Moncada, too.
There really aren’t other prospects starting the season in the minors worthy of attention in ESPN’s standard mixed leagues, which feature a small, three-man bench and aren’t keeper formats, but here are others I’d keep an eye on anyway:
New York shortstops Amed Rosario and Gleyber Torres are top-10 prospects and future stars, though I’d caution fantasy owners a tad on immediate fantasy productivity. The Mets’ Rosario figures to start in Triple-A Las Vegas, where he can’t help but statistically impress in that ballpark, but that won’t tell us much. Everybody hits there. Plus, the Mets have a shortstop in Asdrubal Cabrera. The Yankees have an April opening with Didi Gregorius on the disabled list, but Torres isn’t quite ready. He’ll head to Double-A Trenton. Could Torres, only 20 but with five-category reasonable upside, be up by midseason? Of course he could. I can’t recommend selecting either in a standard league though, and let’s include Philadelphia Phillies shortstop J.P. Crawford as well. Cabrera and Gregorius remain better picks than these prospects for 2017.
If the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a long-term Adrian Gonzalez injury or had tested power-hitting prospect Cody Bellinger in left field this spring, then you could sign me up. Bellinger is potentially special, and not in a Joey Gallo type of way. Bellinger offers power without a million strikeouts. But Gonzalez isn’t hurt, figures to hit cleanup and will be productive. Meanwhile, there’s no real indication the Dodgers want to prepare Bellinger for regular outfield duty. Perhaps that changes. Regardless, Bellinger looks ready, so if an opportunity opens up, fantasy owners should get ready. The same goes for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows. He’s got game, but there’s currently no outfield opening in the big leagues.
Few would call Boston Red Sox first baseman Sam Travis a top prospect, but he can obviously hit and a reasonable summer opportunity seems more likely. For one, there’s no David Ortiz in the designated hitter slot, and Hanley Ramirez isn’t a stranger to DL time. Mitch Moreland is handling first base for now, but he’s best utilized as a platoon guy, and Travis seems like he’d be perfect to pair with him. Travis can’t really amass big numbers facing only lefties, but Moreland isn’t a star. Travis could be up soon and playing regularly.
The defending AL champions certainly have room in their outfield for lefty Bradley Zimmer, so keep an eye on not only the Michael Brantley situation in Cleveland but the center field mess of Tyler Naquin, Brandon Guyer and Austin Jackson. Zimmer swings and misses a lot so he’ll probably struggle to hit for average in the majors, but he hits and runs and can defend as well (Naquin cannot handle center field). I’d probably go with Clint Frazier, Zimmer’s former teammate, as a long-term fantasy option, but for this year, the Yankees have more sure things in their outfield.
Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Keon Broxton keeps showing up on my many rosters so I’m obviously invested there, but if he fails -- or if Ryan Braun or Domingo Santana get hurt -- it will be Lewis Brinson time, and the former Texas Rangers prospect looks ready.
If stolen bases are your thing, Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn and Atlanta Braves infielder Ozzie Albies can provide them, but the former has to prove durability and the latter would need a Brandon Phillips injury or trade. The future looks bright for both and it wouldn’t be a shock to see either in the major leagues by May.
I'm kind of disappointed the Seattle Mariners didn’t give Dan Vogelbach a chance at first base, even in a platoon with Danny Valencia, but that doesn’t mean the former Chicago Cubs prospect isn’t up soon. Vogelbach boasts power and plate discipline and the trade to Seattle gave him opportunity. I still project a 20-plus homer season and there’s on-base percentage upside as well.
While I can’t find a starting pitcher in the minors worth a clear and obvious standard mixed league selection, I’m mighty intrigued by Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Tyler Glasnow (expected to be demoted), Tampa Bay Rays right-handers Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon, Milwaukee Brewers lefty Josh Hader, Houston Astros right-hander Francis Martes and San Francisco Giants right-hander Tyler Beede. Glasnow and Hader offer ace upside. Honeywell isn’t throwing 95 mph, but he’s got a screwball and you have to love his minor league numbers. Plus, the Rays tend to handle young pitching well. Plus, it can’t be long before the Giants go with Beede in the rotation, though it makes sense to give veteran Matt Cain a chance. Just remember most first-year pitchers struggle, with Michael Fulmer being a happy exception.
Dodgers lefty Julio Urias is no longer eligible for the Rookie of the Year award, so he’s technically not a prospect and not a fit for this blog entry, despite starting the season in the minors. Then again, he’s 20. His future is so bright. Don’t forget him in drafts and be patient for his eventual recall. He should make at least 20 big league starts.
If you're thinking about saves -- and really, who isn’t? -- it’s rarely recommend to scour the minor leagues for the next top closers. Managers promote setup guys, not inexperienced arms in the International League. One exception could be the Detroit Tigers, as right-hander Joe Jimenez has closed at each minor league level. If embedded veteran Francisco Rodriguez gets hurt or traded, Jimenez still probably doesn’t leapfrog Bruce Rondon for saves, but dare to dream.