The rest of the world is huddled away in rooms drafting season-long fantasy football teams that will disappoint and infuriate them. Not us, though! We fantasy baseball fans are prepping to add exciting, young, September call-ups to both our DraftKings DFS lineups and our season-long rosters.
Heck—we might even find some potential keepers if any of these prospects have a gangbusters month! What a time. I’ve got a few names I’m most excited about for both season-long and DFS lineups, all of whom should get their ticket to the big show in short order.
After consulting one of our baseball experts here at DKN, Zach Thompson (check out his phenomenal work here), he informed me a few of these names are deeper cuts. As opposed to, say, for example, a Manzardo, about whom everyone has gone totally nutbar.
Let’s preview my five favorite prospects poised to provide barrel-on-ball impact for the remainder of the season.
Jack Leiter, P, Texas Rangers
This’ll be Leiter’s second stint in the majors this year, and he was called up prior to Sunday—all to say, listing him here may be a bit of a low-hanging fruit. But how can I not? He’s starting Wednesday, and will surely be available for DFS contests this week.
His first opponent is the White Sox, which means his ability to make a fantasy impact has an immediate quality to it. Admittedly, Leiter’s first run against major-league hitting was spectacular as only ugly implosions can be: 22 runs in 13.1 innings. My man got himself absolutely shelled.
But that’s okay! It wasn’t his time. September will be. He’ll get settled in and lathered up against an historically bad lineup on Wednesday.
Could be that primes him for a massive September. Get in on it if you haven’t already.
Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B, Miami Marlins
35 home runs in the minor leagues in one season is a juicy enough number about which we all should be excited. We should also be on watch for the bat responsible in DFS, and snag De Los Santos as soon as possible in season-long lineups.
De Los Santos is the prized prospect the Diamondbacks sent over to the Marlins in exchange for A.J. Puk earlier this season. Miami should be as interested in seeing how his power translates to the big leagues as fantasy managers are.
Look for him to get called up sometime Sunday. And, if not Sunday, soon after. He’ll likely be cheap on DraftKings DFS contests for at least the first week he’s in the bigs, provided he doesn’t go berserk too swiftly.
Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles
The good news: we’ve already gotten the news that Baltimore is calling Mayo up today:
The bad news: he’s absolutely not going to serve an everyday role at 3B. How could he? Baltimore’s most dazzling new star, Gunnar Henderson, is too busy getting his photo taken in the hot corner.
But that’s fine. The Orioles will rest Gunnar a bit going down the stretch, so Mayo’s plus-plus power will be an occasional asset for DFS contests.
It seems utterly unfair that the Orioles have another young name to be excited about, but here we are. Mayo could even give the fans something more to cheer about than Jackson Holliday, who’s still clearly adjusting to the major league leap.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
Welp, we know Dominguez isn’t getting called up today.
Cue the sound of a deflated balloon. Or, perhaps, don’t. You’ll hardly be able to hear it over the clamor of angry Yankees fans questioning the front office’s dedication to curating a championship roster. If you don’t believe me, just read the replies to the above tweet.
Their outrage is justified. In his last fifteen games in Triple-A, Dominguez is hitting .383. It’s mystifying that the Yankees don’t want to capitalize on what’s clearly a locked-in batting eye on their biggest prospect on the first day of roster expansion. But, hey. The Yankees do weird stuff.
I really do believe Dominguez will see time in the big leagues this September, so keep an eye on his news blotter. When he gets called up, he’ll hit well enough to warrant DFS consideration.
Jake Bloss, P, Toronto Blue Jays
The darkest of dark-horse candidates here. But consider: Bloss didn’t allow a single run (not even an earned run; just a plain run) in any of his first three starts after the Blue Jays acquired him in a trade. That run has absolutely drawn some eyes from front office folks in Toronto.
A little bit of a buried lede there, since Bloss most recently was bombarded with eight hits, nine runs, and three home runs in his latest start. If there’s any shot the Jays think that has to do with innings fatigue, then they’ll leave Bloss with the Bisons.
But Bloss’s numbers in the minor leagues this year are impressive: 46 hits in 77 1/3innings, with 72 Ks to boot.
Reports have it that the Jays are willing to stretch Bloss’s 2024 innings total up to 110 innings, and I think there’s a decent shot he’ll close a lot of that innings gap in the bigs. If he does, he’s worth a look for season-long; monitor him for DFS.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
