September is always an exciting baseball month.
Major League rosters have expanded, bringing fans of the game a glimpse of what their favorite team’s future will look like, and the fantasy managers get a new crop of players to replenish a depleted waiver wire.
Most of the key new faces around MLB have been snatched up in your league, but the beauty of baseball’s minor league system is its depth, and there are still a few prospects to monitor.
A call-up now could mean three weeks of boosted production for your team, and in this economy, that’s a great thing.
The Cardinals have fallen out of the playoff race.
They’re basically done for this year, and the No. 1 prospect in their system, shortstop JJ Wetherholt should be due for some big league experience.
After all, he is slashing .312/.424/.523 with 16 home runs, 21 stolen bases and a 66:65 K:BB over 99 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.
Technically, the team doesn’t need to promote Weatherholt.
He does not need to be on the 40-man roster to be protected in the Rule 5 draft this offseason.
However, with president of baseball ops John Mozeliak announcing this will be his final season, the new regime may decide the 22-year-old could benefit from a few weeks in the majors, especially with the possibility of sliding over to third base.
Mozeliak and manager Ollie Marmol have not handled their prospects well in recent seasons, so perhaps a new mandate is in order — especially with injuries to Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado, not to mention Thomas Saggese’s .190 batting average.
A bit of a long shot, but worth your attention.
Also keep an eye on Angels outfielder Nelson Rada.
The Halos aren’t coming close to the playoffs, Bryce Teodosio and Matthew Lugo look terrible both at the plate, and veteran Taylor Ward could probably use some time off.
Rada is slashing .333/.440/.429 with an .869 OPS, two doubles, a triple, four RBI and seven steals over his past 10 games at Triple-A Salt Lake and could be a major under-the-radar asset for stolen bases.
Keep in mind, he doesn’t profile as much of a power hitter.
The Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly, and the power won’t translate from Salt Lake to Los Angeles.
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However, the advanced plate discipline and the elite speed certainly will.
Monitor what the Angels opt to do over these final few weeks and keep Rada near the top of your watch list.
Mining the minor leagues and the ensuing call-ups is imperative at this time. Many teams are preparing to look forward, and this is the perfect opportunity for them to get a proper look. Not every call-up will hit, but with less than a month to go in your fantasy season, everything is worth a try.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball news and advice.
