2014 Fantasy Baseball: The Farm Report
Last week we reintroduced our rookie report. This week we’re running our first installment of our farm report. We’re tracking prospects that are the most likely to make an impact this year. There are a ton of prospects worth following, but most people only play in year-to-year leagues, so following prospects in A-ball isn’t extremely useful.
Similar to recent seasons, there are a ton of arms that could make an immediate impact. Unfortunately, also similar to recent years, their respective estimated times of arrival are up in the air.
Mets’ fans might not have a ton to cheer about at the moment – Juan Lagares is super fun to watch, though – but that could change in a hurry. Maybe as early as the second half of the season. Both Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard could probably hold their own, perhaps more, right now, but a little more seasoning never hurts. Both have gotten off to nice starts and should continue their usual dominant ways towards a call-up.
Henry Owens has been the most impressive pitcher so far, not allowing a run in his first 12.2 innings. The Red Sox rotation is pretty well set for the moment, but injuries happen, and Owens could prove fantasy relevant later on in the year.
Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman will probably race the two Mets mentioned above to the majors. Both are highly polished pitchers and will be relevant immediately upon being called up, which could be any minute.
Offensively, Javier Baez, Oscar Taveras, George Springer, and Gregory Polanco are the names to watch. Polanco will likely be the first one up because he’s an immediate upgrade over Pittsburgh’s current situation, and given their playoff aspirations they might not be able to afford to wait too long. Baez’s free swinging ways have gotten him into a little trouble so far in Iowa, but that’s his MO. He’ll look stupid on one pitch and then hit the next offering through a bus window in the parking lot. He’ll need to improve on his pitch recognition and overall patience, so we’ll watch those aspects of his game closely.
Both Springer and Taveras have gotten off to tremendous starts. Taveras is somewhat blocked in St. Louis at the moment, but if he keeps hitting, they’ll make room sooner rather than later (eta: June). If Springer accepted Houston’s long term offer, he’d likely be in the majors right now. However, despite his hot start, it looks like we’re waiting until June to get a peak of him at the highest level.
All four the offensive prospects mentioned above are essentially must adds in most formats upon arrival. Each should help you across the board, although it looks likely that you’re waiting until late May or early June for any of them.