Being proactive in fantasy baseball is a never-ending venture. You have to be quick and ahead of the curve if you want to win consistently and that means knowing what players will be coming up to help your team.
This season we have watched some big in season call ups like Nick Kurtz and Mick Abel make an immediate impact to their teams but also watched as high-profile players like Jac Caglianone and Brooks Baldwin struggle to make the adjustment. So, with the trade deadline approaching here are some minor league names to keep tabs on and perhaps take the chance to grab them a little early and get the jump on your league mates. So, as Bill Goldberg would say ... who's "Next".
Colby Thomas was called up this week and if he is still available, he is a must grab. Thomas gets to play in a minor league stadium in Sacramento and can mash. He led the minors in extra base hits last year and was top 5 in home runs. This season he is hitting near .300 down on the farm.
Justin Crawford can make an immediate impact if Philly calls him up. Crawford was injured but never hit the IL this year and still has been raking. Crawford is batting .344 with 23 steals in 29 attempts through 54 games at Triple-A. The Phillies have not had great production from Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas in centerfield. Crawford could be a boost for those looking for the ever-coveted steals.
Bubba Chandler isn't on the Pirates roster simply because they are the Pirates. Pittsburgh has a habit of keeping talent down and manipulating their service time and Chandler seems like the perfect example of that. He is no Paul Skenes, but he isn't all that far off stuff wise. Chandler is someone who throws into triple digits throughout his games and has a league best strikeout percentage. Once he comes up there will be some volatility, but those K's will rack up and he can be popped right into your rotation.
The last player to go get off waivers is a little bit of a cheat by me because he isn't strictly a minor leaguer and that is Ha-seong Kim from the Tampa Bay Rays. Kim has a long major league career but after an injury marred spring he has not taken a single at bat with his big-league club. Kim provides a steady bat, and he will be another steals target for savvy owners. The Rays are in a pennant chase and their SS production has been awful, they won't wait long before calling Kim up and seeing if they can improve that need area before making a trade to do so.