Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch: Jac Cagianone Highlights Top Infielders

The minor league player pool is full of players looking for a chance in the majors, but only a rafe few get a chance to make a long career at the next level.

Shawn Childs

Kansas City Royals First Baseman Jac Caglianone
Kansas City Royals First Baseman Jac Caglianone / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Several rising prospects across multiple positions are making waves as the minor league season progresses. From catcher Dalton Rushing to rising infielders Jac Caglianone and Marcelo Mayer, fantasy managers should keep these names on their radar, especially in dynasty baseball formats.

Catchers

Dalton Rushing, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers’ fans got their wish this week after they called up Rushing to replace Austin Barnes as their backup catcher. Over 263 games in the minors, the Dodgers’ rising catcher hit .277 with 174 runs, 54 home runs, 184 RBIs, and five steals over 916 at-bats.

His major league debut went well (2-for-4 with three runs) after a fast start this year at AAA (.308/23/5/17/1 over 107 at-bats). Los Angeles played him at 1B (9) and OF (2) this season, highlighting their willingness to get him more at-bats in the majors.

Moises Ballesteros, Chicago Cubs

After success in 2024 between AA and AAA (.286 over 454 at-bats with 57 runs, 19 home runs, 78 RBIs, and one steal), Ballesteros reached new heights in his first 34 games this season at AAA (.372 with 20 runs, four home runs, 18 RBIs, and two steals over 137 at-bats).

The Cubs called him up this week, but Chicago is still carrying Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya at catcher. Kelly played surprisingly well over his first 83 at-bats (.289/18/8/23), highlighted by more walks (20) than strikeouts (13). Amaya doesn’t have a high ceiling in power, while being serviceable over his first 23 games (.275 with 11 runs, three home runs, and 18 RBIs).

Ballesteros gains an edge for batting left-handed but not for his defense. His opportunity was created by Ian Happ landing on the injured list. He should be viewed as a DH option for the Cubs, putting him in the wild card category for fantasy teams in 2025.

First Basemen

Deyvison De Los Santos, Miami Marlins

Last season, De Los Santos appeared to be on the fast track to the majors after hitting .293 with 89 runs, 40 home runs, 120 RBIs, and one steal over 540 between AA and AAA. His bats started off slow over 35 games (.248/14/3/15/3 over 133 at-bats) in 2024 due to an increase in strikeouts (31.7% – 24.7% last year). On the positive side, he has a four-game hitting streak (4-for-14 with four runs, two home runs, five RBIs, and one steal) heading into Friday night’s action.

Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals

The Royals continue to keep Caglianone at AA despite riding a seven-game hitting streak (9-for-30 with six runs, one home run, eight RBIs, and one steal). More importantly, he only had two strikeouts over this span. Over his last 23 games, his bat has been on fire (.386/19/6/25/2 over 88 at-bats) while posting a favorable approach (walk rate – 11.6 and strikeout rate – 17.6). Kansas City must promote him in some way soon.

Second Basemen

Eddys Leonard, Atlanta Braves

After a dull April (.197 over 76 at-bats with nine runs, five home runs, nine RBIs, and two stolen bases), Leonard has been more consistent at the plate over the past two weeks (13-for-46 with seven runs, three home runs, and eight RBIs), with seven walks and six strikeouts. From 2021 to 2024 in the minors, he hit .272 over 1,721 at-bats with 279 runs, 68 home runs, 251 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. This season, Leonard saw action at 2B (23), 3B (18), SS (1), and OF (1).

The combination of Nick Allen and Orlando Arcia has 11 runs, no home runs, nine RBIs, and five steals over 144 at-bats this season, showcasing the need for an upgrade at shortstop. Leonard has 236 games of experience at the position from 2021 to 2024.

Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks gave Lawlar at-bats after his call-up earlier this week, but he failed to record a hit with two strikeouts. He played one game at second and shortstop. His AAA stats (.336/38/6/31/13 over 152 at-bats) point to an extended audition with Arizona this season.

Third Basemen

Otto Kemp, Philadelphia Phillies

Despite only hitting one home run in May over 48 at-bats, Kemp continued to swing a hot bat (.354 with 11 runs, 10 RBIs, and three steals). He opened the season with success over his first 108 at-bats (.315/24/9/27/4). The Phillies have played him at 1B (11), 2B (6), 3B (24), and OF (4) this season.

Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs should recall Shaw soon based on the direction of his bat. Over his last seven games at AAA, he went 9-for-25 with 10 runs, three home runs, six RBIs, and three steals with a much-improved approach (three walks and two strikeouts).

Chicago gave him 143 games of experience between AA and AAA in 2024 and 2025, leading to a .284 batting average with 96 runs, 25 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases over 524 at-bats, highlighting his impact fantasy value once Shaw finds his stroke in the majors.

Shortstop

Marcelo Mayer, Boston Red Sox

Mayer has been more steady than explosive in May based on his production over 46 at-bats (.283/9/1/5). He still leads shortstops in the International League in runs (26), home runs (8), and RBIs (39) over 146 at-bats with a .274 batting average and one steal.

Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers

After a progression year in 2023 (.276/55/14/46/8 over 406 at-bats) with the Rangers, Duran has struggled to find his major league identity over the past two seasons (.235 over 293 at-bats, 28 runs, three home runs, 21 RBIs, and one steal). Over his last seven games at AAA, he went 13-for-28 with nine runs, two home runs, two RBIs, and three stolen bases, leading to a recall to Texas to replace Cory Seager. His playing with the Rangers looks spotty, but Duran’s bat can be streaky.

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Shawn Childs
SHAWN CHILDS

With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.

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