Boston Red Sox OF Ceddanne Rafaela is not a big man by athlete standards, listed recently at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, but his size certainly does not seem to hold him back on the baseball field. Rafaela, 22, entered this season at the Double-A level and well off the radar in redraft fantasy baseball leagues, though more than a curiosity in dynasty formats. Now, here we are in August and the Red Sox might present their future center fielder with his first look in the majors soon.
Rafaela hits right-handed, runs fast and plays an elite center field, and those skills alone would make him a reasonable big league player, though not one the Red Sox would need to push through the minors with expediency. Scouts previously cited a lack of plate discipline and power upside as negatives for the long term. Rafaela swings early and often in counts, but the approach is working for him. Rafaela is hitting .319 with a 1.028 OPS at Triple-A Worcester, and he is doing his best work versus right-handed pitching.
What's intriguing about his numbers for the WooSox are the 11 home runs versus four stolen bases (in seven chances) over 33 games and 150 PA. These are statistics that do not quite match up with what he achieved at Double-A this season, with six home runs and 31 steals (39 attempts) in 60 games and 266 PA. Rafaela is drawing barely a walk per week, but he is aggressively driving strikes in the air to and past the outfield, with a home run every three games. We know he is a factor stealing bases.
The Red Sox remain crowded in the outfield after failing to move veterans Adam Duvall and Alex Verdugo at the trade deadline, though they are certainly under no obligation to reward them with playing time over these final weeks, especially as the team struggles and potentially falls from the AL wild-card race. Fantasy managers should be aware that teams are waiting to promote prospects due to financial/draft implications of keeping players eligible for rookie status in 2024, so we should see hitters promoted later in August. Rafaela might be one of them.
Thank you for checking out the prospects blog this season. In addition to Rafaela, here are a few other players still in the minor leagues that fantasy managers could potentially see in the majors this season.
Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers: Hey, he's 19 and still hasn't hit at the Triple-A level, but the first-place Brewers are trying to win now and Chourio is batting better than .400 over the past month, with power, speed and excellent center field defense. If any combination of Joey Wiemer, Blake Perkins, Sal Frelick and Tyrone Taylor suddenly do not perform well and the desperate Brewers need an outfield bat, Chourio could be in the big leagues soon, even as a teenager.
Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks: Somewhat similarly, perhaps, Lawlar has been playing his best baseball of the season recently at Double-A Amarillo and the big league club fancies itself a contender right now and could need an offensive push. Lawlar, 21, is likely an upgrade on Diamondbacks starting SS Geraldo Perdomo as the veteran hasn't hit at all since somehow appearing in the All-Star game. Lawlar has 15 home runs and 29 stolen bases.
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals: The hard-throwing, speedy shortstop struggled offensively early in the season at Triple-A Memphis, but he has hit .344 with six home runs over the past three weeks. We like his season numbers of .284, 17 home runs, 17 steals and 92 runs in 100 games. There's nothing blocking him for the non-contending Cardinals. We will see Winn soon.
Heston Kjerstad, 1B, Baltimore Orioles: Kjerstad has hit for both average and power across two minor league levels and he is 24 years old, so all he is waiting for is the Orioles to open up playing time if the Ryan O'Hearn magic runs out, or an outfielder hits the injured list.
Colt Keith, 3B, Detroit Tigers: Keith pummeled Double-A pitching and he hasn't been overwhelmed in his month at Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers have little blocking him in the majors (Matt Vierling, Andy Ibanez). Keith is a developed, lefty hitter with power and plate discipline.
Tyler Black, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers: It might seem premature for him, since he just made it to Triple-A this week, but again, the Brewers are contending, and Black boasts a mature, versatile skill set. He has modest power, great speed (47 steals this season!), draws many walks and can play just about anywhere except catcher.
Justin Foscue, 2B, Texas Rangers: Things just got more interesting for him when Rangers 3B Josh Jung broke a thumb, because Foscue, 24, can play third base and he has had a solid season at Triple-A Round Rock. He's "hit tool and patience" over big power, but if Ezequiel Duran doesn't hit (he hasn't since the All-Star break), Foscue might get a shot.
Kyle Harrison, SP, San Francisco Giants: Finally, a pitcher, but there is a good reason we focus on hitters in fantasy. Pitchers offer far less certainty of both performance and role. Harrison recently returned to the Triple-A Sacramento rotation after missing weeks due to a hamstring injury, so the Giants might present him his first big league look in middle relief. That would not endear himself to fantasy managers. There is strikeout upside but major control downside, just as there is with Phillies RHP Griff McGarry, who seems bullpen-pound this summer should he get the call.