5 More Prospect Call-Ups We Need to See in 2024
Send in the reinforcements!
Right now the game of baseball is loaded with young and exciting talent. Every day, several levels of minor and independent baseball leagues compete, where thousands of players fight for a spot at the big league level. There are dozens of players who have caught my eye as of late but there are 5x players in particular that I am extremely excited about their call-up into the major leagues. Being a bit biased here and I’ll start with a Yankee prospect who has been in the limelight since he was 16 years old.
Jasson Dominguez (MLB Pipeline #25 Overall Prospect)
The Martian has been dealing with some significant injuries over the last year or so. As he has been recovering from Tommy John surgery, he seemed like he was almost good to go in his rehab and is now dealing with a serious oblique strain. He is expected to have a multi-week absence and be out until at least mid-August possibly September. Manager Aaron Boone said just yesterday that Dominguez “still has a ways to go” before he is ready to start playing again.
Dominguez did come up for a brief stint last year and was incredible. Across 31 at-bats he had 4 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .258/.303/.980 slash line. Outside of Dominguez super talented, a Yankee, and having impressive MLB numbers (I know small sample size), the reason I am hyped for Dominguez's debut is that the Yankees need him right now. The lineup is dependent on Judge, Soto, and a “healthy/productive” Stanton. That is not something you want to be depending on these days to rely on for production. Dominguez will get his chance again eventually but unfortunately, I think we will all have to wait a little while longer.
MiLB Career Stats - 1200 AB | 229 R | 327 H | 167 RBI | 89 SB | .273 AVG | .374 OBP | .818 OPS
Max Meyer (MLB Pipeline #81 Overall Prospect)
Free Max Meyer! There is no reason that Meyer should not be in the major league rotation right now. Meyer was already up this year and pitched to a 2.12 ERA across 3 starts in the big leagues. Not to mention he owned a 0.82 WHIP during those 3 starts. The Marlins (32-59) stink and their rotation already has massive holes in it with Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara being sidelined with significant injuries. Meyer has looked healthy with the Triple-A affiliate Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, so the question is when does he get the call?
My guess is sometime after the All-star break. The Marlins are going to play it safe with Meyer considering he is returning from Tommy John and their two other stud pitchers are dealing with elbow issues of their own. I cannot wait for him to get unleashed as his stuff is disgusting and the Marlins can surely use some reinforcements.
MiLB Career Stats - 3.25 ERA | 48 GS | 221.2 IP | 255 K | 1.19 WHIP
Dylan Crews (MLB Pipeline #4 Overall Prospect)
How could I not be excited about the 2nd overall selection from the 2023 Major League Baseball draft? The Nationals are in the midst of an impressive rebuild. They went all-in back in 2019 to win a World Series and did just that. Several moves since they have moved on from perennial All-Star players like Max Scherzer, Juan Soto, and Anthony Rendon. Now they are starting to reap the benefits of trades they made by having several young core players blossom as they hit the major leagues.
The Nationals are not expected to be competitive right now but they are only 8 games under .500. Adding a player like Crews to the lineup should be able to get you closer to a winning record. Dylan Crews is one of the best college bats we have seen in a while and should be able to contribute once he gets adjusted to major-league pitching. That being said, move Jesse Winker already and get this man up to the major leagues!
MiLB Career Stats - 269 AB | 39 R | 72 H | 49 RBI | 19 SB | .268 AVG | .329 OBP | .768 OPS
Junior Caminero (MLB Pipeline #3 Overall Prospect)
As a Yankee fan, I should not actively support any other team in the American League East but, the Tampa Bay Rays are fun to watch so I don’t care that I hope they are successful. They operate differently from other teams and put out a better product on the field than most so I have to respect the fact that they do not spend as much money on players as other teams in baseball.
That being said it is widely known the Rays are all about a “next man up” mentality and heavily rely on their farm system to stay competitive year over year. I am in the belief that is what we are about to see happen here yet again. The Rays are going to surely trade Isaac Paredes who they do not want to have to pay as he will be entering year 2 of arbitration and they can input #3 overall prospect, Junior Caminero, at the hot corner. And what do you know, Caminero just began his rehab assignment yesterday. With the trade deadline less than 3 weeks away, I think it is time for us to start getting ready to see Isaac Paredes in a new uniform.
‘MiLB Career Stats - 987 AB | 168 R | 304 H | 205 RBI | 20 SB | .308 AVG | .376 OBP | .922 OPS
Marcelo Mayer (MLB Pipeline #7 Overall Prospect)
Mayer is a part of the trio of prospects in the Boston Red Sox farm system that are considered “untouchable” across Red Sox circles. Many think to wait and call them all up on the same day sometime next year when all three will be ready to take a whack at the big leagues. Although that would be incredible my gut tells me to get Mayer up ASAP. He is further along in his development and can help the Sox this season. Connor Wong’s breakout this year is perfect timing as Teel can get more reps in and Roman Anthony is still only 20 years old.
Mayer can get some big league reps in post All-Star break and potentially help a Red Sox team clinch a playoff berth. Mayer can fit in somewhere between replacing David Hamilton at 2nd base or taking over at shortstop for Rafaela.
MiLB Career Stats - 1031 AB | 184 R | 280 H | 160 RBI | 46 SB | .272 AVG | .361 OBP | .823 OPS