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2023 Draftees On The 2024 Fantasy Radar

January 18, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 5 Comments

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Spring Training is just 26 days away. We’re already receiving word of who will be receiving invitations to MLB camp with select organizations, with some interesting names hitting the forefront. No, I’m not talking about a name like Fart McGart, Ima Teapot or Corky St. Clair. I’m referring to the Jack Leiters and Wyatt Langfords of the world. One of those names could break camp with Texas this spring, along with a handful of other 2023 MLB Draft hopefuls. This week, I’ll break down five such players that could debut or make an impact at the big league level in 2024, making them a formidable asset in both redraft and dynasty formats. So let’s get right to it with our first taste of collegiate baseball insight of 2024.

1. Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers 

I don’t say this lightly, but you’re looking at the best combination of in-game power and pure hitting tool of any prospect in the last decade in Langford. It’s hard for me to justify Dylan Crews and Max Clark being taken ahead of him in last year’s draft, especially after typing that. And yesterday reports funneled in from Rangers camp that Langford has not only received an invitation to Major League Spring Training but will also have a chance to win an everyday job in the outfield. For a player who was playing college ball this time last year, that’s a heck of a leap. To help fill in some of the gaps, Grey wrote a 2024 fantasy outlook on Langford in October, which is well worth the read despite the fact that he wrote it in nipple tassels while hanging off the Cliffs of Moher.

I’m going to say two relatively crazy things that I wouldn’t dare utter unless underneath a cow: Langford WILL break camp and he WILL hit immediately, both for power and average. As wild as it sounds, he is more-or-less big-league ready, in the sense that I don’t think there’s much more developing he can do away from the MLB level. As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Langford was a .356/.447/.719 hitter with a 14.5% strikeout rate. As a junior in 2023, he slashed .373/.498/.784 with a 14.5% strikeout rate (yes, exactly 44 strikeouts in 303 PAs both years). Advancing from Rookie-ball all the way to Triple-A last summer, Langford hit .360/.480/.677 with a 17.0% strikeout rate (.368/.529/.526 in AAA, .405/.519/.762 in AA). Are you seeing the trend? We already know what type of player Langford is. He’s been the same talent at every level of ball he’s played, whether with metal or wood. Sure, there is development to be done, but he’s proven everything he can outside of the sport’s top level. It’s been said before, but you’re looking at the next Mike Trout from a fantasy perspective. And all the intangibles are there, from work ethic to character to toughness. This is a Hall of Fame caliber player you don’t want to miss.

2. Nolan Schanuel | 1B | Los Angeles Angels

There are a handful of guys I’m more excited about in 2024 than Schanuel, but he’s going to start at first base on opening day and had a nice cameo in the big at the tail-end of last season. Unfortunately for Schanuel, the Angels have rushed a handful of their prospects to the Major Leagues (such as Schanuel and Zach Neto) too quickly, potentially stunting their long-term development. After being selected 11th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft out of FAU, Schanuel made it to the MLB after just 22 games and 97 plate appearances in the minors. Take out rookie-ball and that gets reduced to 19 games and 85 PAs. In 29 games with the Angels, he slashed .275/.402/.330 with one homer, three doubles, and zero steals. Most impressively, he opened his career by reaching base in 27 straight games. Not too shabby. However, remember this is a first baseman we’re talking about. He posted a .330 SLG with four extra-base hits in 132 trips to the plate. For comparison, Schanuel slugged .868 as a junior at FAU in 2023 with 31 XBH in 289 PAs. In 2022? He slugged .658. As a freshman? He slugged .576. But on the Cape in the summer of 2020, he slugged .272 with wood. Schanuel is an intriguing rookie prospect with a high ceiling, but the numbers portray a picture that said ceiling may have a very small likelihood of being reached. In reality, he projects to be a lot more of a James Loney type with room for more power. If you’re searching for upside instead of certainty, it’s best to take a dart throw in 2024 on a name below Schanuel on this list.

3. Hurston Waldrep | RHP | Atlanta Braves

Langford’s college teammates at Florida in 2023, Waldrep also has a chance to be promoted to the MLB and make a fantasy impact in 2024. Although nothing is official yet, Alex Anthopoulos announced in December that Waldrep is expected to be at big league spring training with the Braves next month. It’s not a mystery why. Although Waldrep struggled to achieve elite bottom-line results at Florida (10-3, 4.16 ERA, 101.2 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 13.8 K/9, 5.0 BB/9), the pure stuff was always elite and bordering on insane. Waldrep can pump the fastball into the upper 90s and touch triple-digits while commanding a 65-grade splitter that was arguably the best pitch in college baseball last year. That comes with an above-average to plus slider, so it’s a complete arsenal albeit one that lacked command during his amateur years. After being drafted 24th overall by Atlanta, Waldrep made eight starts spread across Single-A (one), High-A (three), Double-A (three), and Triple-A (one). He finished with a 1.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 12.6 K/9, and 4.9 BB/9. In 14 1/3 frames at Double-A and Triple-A, he allowed three runs, 12 hits and struck out 16 while walking 10. Again, there is a trend here. As soon as Waldrep tightens up his command, what’s holding him back from bringing that high-leverage arsenal to a win-now Braves squad? Nothing, and you’ll see him in Atlanta this year barring injury.

4. Paul Skenes | RHP | Pittsburgh Pirates

Although Skenes was the No. 1 player on my collegiate MLB draft rankings, he falls below Waldrep on this list for two reasons. One, he was drafted by the Pirates who will be less inclined to rush their prized possession to the MLB in risk of stunting his development. Two, he was shut down at the end of last year and thus did not make as much progress up the farm ladder as Waldrep did. For what it’s worth, Skenes went No. 1 overall last July and despite my lofty evaluations on Langford, it was 100% the right decision at the time. Skenes is a generational arm, exhibiting unprecedented velocity and command in the SEC. He went 12-2 last year with a 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 15.3 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. The numbers are unheard of, especially for a first-year SEC hurler (Skenes transferred in from Air Force). There isn’t much of anything Skenes needs to work on in the minor leagues other than proving his readiness with bottom-line numbers and learning the proper pitch-sequencing to more advanced hitters with his stuff. In five MiLB starts, last year spread across Rookie-ball (one), Single-A (two), and Double-A (two), Skenes posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, and 2.7 BB/9. He allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings – all at Double-A – which illustrates the extremely small sample size we’re talking about and why he isn’t higher on this list. Still, it’s a name you want on your dynasty roster and a player you should even be keeping your eye on in redraft leagues this year.

5. Dylan Crews | OF | Washington Nationals

Crews went two spots (No. 2) ahead of Langford (No. 4) in the 2024 MLB Draft and if he weren’t such a surefire big leaguer, the Nationals would be regretting the call for decades to come. But although they might have goofed, they certainly didn’t miss. Crews profiles as a future .300 hitter capable of 15-homer/30-steal output as an everyday centerfielder. Everyone will take that, but he doesn’t have the raw power and in-game ability to slug, nor he ever will, that Langford already possesses. He advanced from Rookie-ball to Double-A in 2023 and although he did run into some trouble in Double-A (.208/.318/.278, 22.4 K%, 9.4 BB%), his overall numbers were impressive overall: .292/.377/.467, five homers, nine doubles, four steals, 23.9 K%, 8.8 BB%). My expectation is that Crews opens 2024 in Double-A and advances to Triple-A relatively quickly after making the necessary adjustments. He could be in DC by the All-Star break or so if everything goes well, but that situation will be worth monitoring. After all, Crews’ strikeout rate is particularly high in pro ball to this point and he hasn’t truly tapped into the power potential he does possess.

That’s all for this week, Razzball fam! As always, I’m happy to take this conversation into the comments section or on Twitter, where you can find me @WorldOfHobbs.

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