Fantasy Baseball 2018 Rookies: Follow These Young Stars This Spring

Unlike fantasy football, fantasy baseball is a game that is often unkind to relying on the youth. Whereas there are rookie running backs who change who determine playoff spots every season in football, rare is the rookie who lights the world on fire in baseball. At least, until the last few years.

In recent memory, the likes of Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger etc. have been dominant forces. So start reading up about these up-and-coming rookies who will surely be available pretty late in your drafts and scoop up your favorites.

**Positions listed are positions played in the minors

Ronald Acuna, Braves, OF

Acuna wasn’t really a player I was prepared to think about in drafts because he’s going to be just 20 years old on Opening Day. But the Braves did something this offseason that could mean Acuna will be on their Opening Day roster; they traded OF Matt Kemp, their second-best hitter, to the Dodgers for some rotation help. There’s now a gaping hole in the OF that is unlikely to be filled by Adonis Garcia, or any other Braves prospect; after Acuna, the next OF in the Braves’ Top 30 is Cristian Pache, who is the same age as Acuna and far less developed.

So if he’s getting a spot cleared for him he must be pretty good, yes? You’re goddamn right he’s good. Last season Acuna slashed .344/.393/.548 with nine home runs and 11 stolen bases in 54 games at Triple-A. Remember, he was 19 years old! In 57 games the year before at Double-A Acuna’s numbers were strikingly similar, except he swiped 19 bags instead of 11. The kid is the absolute truth. I’d expect some issues in the big leagues because he’s just so young, but he is a potential star in MLB right now. He will absolutely be a relevant fantasy outfielder

Gleyber Torres, Yankees, 2B/SS/3B

Torres is the crown jewel of the Yankees’ loaded farm system, and is very likely to appear in the big leagues in 2018. Torres, who will be 21 on Opening Day, is billed as the complete package offensively. Tommy John surgery ended his 2017 prematurely, but he’d already been promoted to Triple-A, where he was slashing .309/.406/.457 with two home runs and two stolen bases. He’s got proven speed, swiping 22 bags with the Cubs’ Single-A team and then 19 with the Cubs High-A club. He hasn’t posted gaudy home run numbers, but per Fangraphs he grades 55/60 in raw power, and a respectable 35/55 in game power.

The biggest issue appears was playing time. He’s a premier SS prospect, but the Yankees have Didi Gregorius blocking him. That looked like it was going to be an issue, but the Yankees dealt 2B Starlin Castro in their trade for Giancarlo Stanton, and also shipped 3B Chase Headley to the Padres for financial relief. Now, where it looked like all paths to the bigs were blocked, Torres now has two straight paths to regular playing time.

Willie Calhoun, Rangers, 2B/OF

Calhoun is already a major leaguer, slashing .265/.324/.353 with one home run in 13 games with the Rangers. Calhoun has his doubters because of his body; at 5’8, and a pudgy 187 lbs. (per Fangraphs) there are questions about whether his prodigious minor league production can translate vs. MLB pitching. His minor league numbers are stunning though. Calhoun bashed 31 home runs in Triple-A last year between the Dodgers and Rangers, and clearly would’ve reached the bigs sooner if he hadn’t been blocked by Los Angeles’ loaded roster. The year before, Calhoun cranked 27 bombs at Double-A. Houston’s Jose Altuve proved you can be short and dominate, and Dustin Pedroia won an MVP before Altuve did. Calhoun is probably not going to be winning MVP awards, but he is a stone-cold slugger. Draft him confidently.

Eloy Jimenez, White Sox, OF

Jimenez was acquired from the Cubs in the deal that netted them SP Jose Quintana. It looks as if the Cubs paid a hefty price; Jimenez hasn’t struggled at any level of the minors, and his 14-homer campaign at Single-A is a very promising sign that he’ll slug once he reaches MLB. Fangraphs projects he’ll reach the majors in 2019, but if he is raking this year there’s no reason the White Sox can’t shove Charlie Tilson or Leury Garcia to the bench to make room. Jimenez hit .351 in 18 games at Double-A, so if he keeps that up there’s a very good shot at him appearing ahead of schedule.

Brent Honeywell, Rays, SP

Honeywell, 22, was expected by many to reach the majors last year. He spent the whole year at Triple-A, pitching very well. He has displayed good control (2.26 BB/9), and his FIP (2.84) was nearly a full run lower than his ERA (3.64). Honeywell struck out 11 batters per nine, continuing the trend he established at Double-A the year prior. The biggest issue facing Honeywell is opportunity, as Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Blake Snell and Jacob Faria are likely locks to be in the Tampa Bay rotation. Honeywell may be able to beat out Nathan Eovaldi, who is returning from major injury, and if so he could be a very impactful pitcher right away.

Scott Kingery, Phillies, 2B/SS/3B

Kingery, 23, is ready for the big leagues. He has raked for a while in the minors, and is a proven stolen base threat. Kingery has put up above-average numbers across the board without the benefit of sky-high BABIP, and he almost went posted a 20-20 campaign in Double-A in 2016. The knock on Kingery is a bit of a tendency to strike out, but these days that’s less of a black mark. If Kingery can beat out Cesar Hernandez or Freddy Galvis for playing time, he’ll be a cheap source of steals at a bare minimum.

Longshot

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, 3B

Guerrero Jr. is the son of a legend, and he is looking like he has enough ability to possibly pass his father’s incredible peak. Just 18 years old, Guerrero Jr. is already tearing up the lower levels of the minors like he’s facing Little League World Series pitching. It’s unlikely for a player his age to reach the majors, especially one who has yet to play above Single-A, but he may be enough of a talent to force the front office’s hand.

Another issue Guerrero Jr. faces is Josh Donaldson being entrenched at the hot corner. Donaldson is a premier MLB hitter who will not be moving anytime soon. Guerrero Jr. will have to start playing in the outfield to have a shot at playing time, likely slowing his path to MLB relevance. He’s clearly a dynasty league guy at this point, but he’s so good he’s worth paying attention to regardless of how unlikely he is to affect fantasy teams in 2018.