It is time. Drafts are starting up at a rapid pace and we are scrambling to find some deep targets that will help make an impact on our rosters down the stretch. As I mentioned in a previous article, we are all looking for that shiny new prospect who can be a difference-maker. We all know the guys at the top like Bobby Witt Jr., Adley Rutschman, Julio Rodriguez, and Shane Baz are easy decisions. It’s about deciding on those that aren’t going to give you the counting stats from the beginning.
Roster construction, size of your league, and positional requirements all play key factors in deciding on whether you can take the risk of stashing a prospect later on in your drafts. Are you looking for proximity to the big leagues, a guarantee for playing time, or just the chance at saying you made the right decision by holding on to a player for so long? Either way, the players listed below should produce and outweigh the risk that comes with using a roster spot for a prospect.
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In terms of safety, Jung might be the player that offers you the most security in the 2022 season. He has done nothing but produce in his first two seasons in the minor leagues with a .322/.394/.538 slash line to accompany 36 doubles, 21 home runs, and a dash of six stolen bases in 122 games. Proving that he possesses one of the more polished hit tools in the minor leagues, and no clear roadblock at the third base position for the Rangers, Jung should be up in April and continue to showcase his hitting ability on your roster before you know it. In a lineup that will now feature Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, Jung should provide you with plenty of counting stats.
With the way Miranda burst onto the scene last year in the Twins minor leagues, there were a lot of questions as to why he did not make his debut last season.
He slugged an impressive .572 while hitting 30 home runs, 32 doubles, and driving in 94 RBIs between AA and AAA. Another stat that caught a lot of attention was his ability to limit the strikeout percentage to 12.3% throughout the entire season. Josh Donaldson is almost always a guarantee to find himself on the injured list during the season. Once that happens, Miranda is going to be the clear benefactor of that and should be a strong fantasy contributor in 2022.
A highlight piece from the Yankees in the deal that sent Jameson Taillon to New York, Contreras was able to have a cup of coffee at the tail end of the 2021 season for the Pirates. Going forward, there is no reason why he should not be on the big-league roster at the beginning of 2022.
There’s no secret that the Pirates are not going to contend this season and that leaves little-to-no reason why Contreras should not be in the rotation. He dominated the minor leagues last season before getting his call-up. In 13 starts, he had a 2.64 ERA, 0.96 WHIP while striking out hitters 35% of the time and limiting his walks to only 5.6%. As I stated before, it all comes down to how the Pirates organization will want it to play out, but Contreras should make an impact near the beginning of this upcoming season
While Casas is most likely not one of the prospects that will make an impact in the first half of the season, he will definitely make his presence felt in that Red Sox lineup once he is penciled in.
This past season, Tristan Casas was one of only 20 prospects, in all of the minor leagues, to have a strikeout rate below 20%, a walk rate above 10%, and slugged an ISO above .200. Now that Kyle Schwarber is most likely not going to return, Bobby Dalbec is currently the only real first baseman that the Red Sox have. Once he is called up to the major leagues, he will prove to his fantasy managers why he was worth the stash early on.
Much like Casas, Nick Pratto will likely make his debut sometime near the midway point of the 2022 season. Also like Casas, Nick Pratto finds himself in a situation where there is not much competition at the position once he does arrive.
Carlos Santana and Hunter Dozier are currently projected to be the starters at the position going into Opening Day. However, there are already rumors swirling around as to whether Santana will even be around once the season starts. With Dozier, his ability to play multiple positions should keep him around, but this job is going to be Pratto’s going forward.
While he did have his struggles in the second half of the 2021 season in the minors, Pratto really came out of the gates hot and ended the year clubbing 36 home runs to go along with a .988 OPS. Once given the opportunity, Pratto will be a solid fantasy contributor to your roster.
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Cristian Crespo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Cristian, check out his archive and follow him @CCres_26.
