Waiver Wire Prospects For Fantasy Baseball Week 20
Waiver wire prospects have come knocking early. Some may warrant redraft attention, while others may be keeper league stashes. These five waiver wire prospects have reached the Show and could help fantasy managers now, even before normal September call-ups.
Waiver Wire Prospect #1
Logan O’Hoppe
The first prospect reemerges after debuting early in the season. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim prized prospect Logan O’Hoppe was slashing .283/.339/.547 over 59 plate appearances. Though an injury sidelined him for most of the season, he bopped four homers during that short stretch.
Since returning from that extended injury in which he tore his shoulder labrum, O’Hoppe’s been hitless over nine at-bats. It’s a small sample size, as O’Hoppe returns to try and impact an Angels team who believes they’re going for it.
There’s no doubt he’s a talented hitter. FanGraphs scouts give a 55 Future Value on his plus Hit tool and a 50 grade on his Raw Power. Statcast has calibrated the power to show an Average Exit Velocity above average at 92.7 mph. O’Hoppe is also Barreling at a baller 13% clip.
Over his recent minor-league rehab stint, he showed no worse for the wear. O’Hoppe batted .375 with an OBP of .464 and a slugging percentage of .500 across 28 plate appearances. If fellow managers have given up on O’Hoppe, the time to grab him for opportunistic playoff contenders is nigh.
Prospect #2
Nelson Velázquez
Recently acquired Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velázquez is another waiver wire prospect to get a second look in the majors this season. The first was in May with the team that traded him away, the Chicago Cubs.
During the 24-year-old’s initial cup of coffee with the Cubs, Velázquez acquitted himself admirably. He posted a robust 145 wRC+ and popped three home runs to support a video game-like ISO of .379. He struck out 25% of the time, which is acceptable for a hitter who profiles as 60-grade Raw Power.
Velázquez carries a big bat, no doubt. What qualifies him as suspect are the mid-30% strikeout rates he’s posted in the minor leagues.
Since re-debuting in the majors with his new club, he’s kept the strikeout rate in check at 23.1% over 26 plate appearances. During that concise span, he smashed four bombs and hit .308.
Some talented bats lay dormant most of the season in Kansas City. Velázquez’s arrival in Kansas City coincided with the team’s offense picking it up overall. He’s joined in the hit parade, so grab Velázquez while in beast mode for help in home runs and .OPS.
Prospect #3
Masyn Winn
New starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, Masyn Winn, clocks in as a top-50 prospect and second on the Cardinals. If allowed to finish the season in the minors, the spry shortstop would likely have achieved the vaunted 20/20.
In just under 500 minor league plate appearances, Winn launched 18 homers and swiped 17 stolen bases. He also struck out less than 17% of the time. This good feel for contact is likely why FanGraphs graded his Hit tool Future Value at 55.
FanGraphs also grades his Speed as elite with a 60. Between the ability to make solid contact and wheels to move, Winn poses true five-category fantasy appeal.
Even though the Cardinals have no playoff spot to chase, they want to see what the toolsy infielder’s got over the last weeks of the season. But Winn could make the winning difference for fantasy managers pursuing a playoff spot.
Prospect #4
Noelvi Marte
For any fantasy managers who prefer their shortstop waiver wire prospects with the added value of third base eligibility, Cincinnati Reds Noelvi Marte says hello.
He must catch up in the shuffle of exciting Reds prospects to come on the scene in 2023. But the 24th-ranked MLB prospect possesses all the compelling qualities over which fantasy managers drool.
Graded with elite Raw Power Future Value at 65, Marte has performed more as an on-base-oriented contact hitter in the minors. Marte shot his way to the majors over two minor league levels.
This season he’s hit .280 and smacked 11 bombs with 18 steals. Additionally, he’s kept his strikeout rate under 20% and walk rate at or above 10%. This is excellent news. The knock with most hitters that profile as raw power studs is the tendency to strike out.
As mentioned, Marte will be installed at the hot corner, giving him third-base eligibility. Arguably, what the 21-year-old displays in his plate discipline makes him very sneaky value for keeper leagues.
If Marte can maintain his recent minor league strikeout rates and post-home run totals Scouts believe he’s capable of, he could grow into a top 50 fantasy player.
Prospect #5
Nolan Schanuel
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim clock in for a second time on this list. The organization has displayed a propensity for progressing prospects rapidly to the majors. They were open about promoting last year’s number one draft pick, Zach Neto, earlier this year.
Accordingly, the same is confirmed as the Angels have wasted no time promoting their number one draft pick this season to the majors. First baseman Nolan Schanuel makes for an intriguing unknown quantity.
What may be discerned from the super brief time he spent lighting up the minor leagues could be why the Angels have installed him in the leadoff spot. Over 96 plate appearances spanning three levels, Schanuel got on base at a .510 OBP. So, that’s getting on the floor a lot.
This is supported by walk rates of around 22% and meager strikeout rates at 10.4%—his minors’ track record profiles like some Billy Beane wet dream.
His even briefer showing in the Show displays an almost exact echo of his minor league performance. Schanuel has put up a walk rate of 14.3% and a strikeout rate of 7.1%.
He’s also scored four runs in three games. So even though he might not profile as a significant power guy, getting on base in front of Shohei Ohtani will give him an excellent chance to score a boatload of runs down the stretch run.
Main Photo Credits: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
