Fantasy Baseball Farm Report: Heston Kjerstad, other young O's are raking in the minors

If you look at the leaderboard in any hitting category in the International League right now, you are basically looking at a Norfolk Tides lineup card. It’s absolutely wild. This sort of thing is not normal at any point in the season. Six different everyday players are hitting .333 or better, and four have already launched at least four homers. Six players currently have an OPS north of 1.000.

It’s almost as if the Baltimore Orioles are operating an entirely separate MLB franchise at the Triple-A level. The Tides currently have a 7-2 record, and the team has scored 100 runs in nine games, which seems silly.

Honestly, if you live anywhere near the Norfolk area, you should probably get yourself to Harbor Park before this murderers' row of future O’s is broken up.

Jackson Holliday, the consensus top prospect in baseball, is presently hitting .342/.490/.605 with six extra-base hits and more walks (11) than Ks (8), and he just got his MLB call-up. Coby Mayo is hitting .390 with an OPS of 1.091. Connor Norby is slashing .395/.438/.767 with four bombs and 14 RBI. Kyle Stowers has hit six homers and driven in 18 runs while slugging .872.

And then there’s 25-year-old Heston Kjerstad, the second overall pick in the 2020 draft. His first nine games of the 2024 minor-league season have been cartoonish. At the moment, Kjerstad leads the International League in hits (18), home runs (6), RBI (25), slugging percentage (1.026), XBH (10), OPS (1.548) and total bases (40).

These homers aren’t wall-scrapers, either:

Baltimore has a few bats off to slow starts at the major-league level — we’re looking at you, Austin Hays — plus, the O’s just suffered back-to-back painful losses to the Pirates, so let’s not rule out the possibility of a spring promotion (or three) to follow Holliday's. If you have unfilled NA roster spots available to you, we’d suggest stashing one or more of these Orioles prospects.

Paul Skenes, nearly unhittable

Not that it’s any great surprise, but Triple-A hitters are having trouble with Skenes. The best pitching prospect in the game has been nearly flawless in his two appearances for Indianapolis, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings and giving up only one hit and one walk while striking out 11.

Just look at this giant human and his weapons-grade fastball:

For our purposes, it’s great if the Pirates limit his innings early in the year, then bring him up when he’s fully approved to go five or six frames. Hopefully, that happens in May. Understandably, Skenes is already rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues, so not everyone can stash him at this late date. His call-up, whenever it happens, will be an actionable fantasy event.

James Wood has not yet cooled off

Wood had a monster spring for the Nationals, hitting .364 with four homers, three steals and 11 walks, generally looking as if he might be sufficiently ready. Over his first six games at Triple-A Rochester, he went 7-for-20 with three doubles, a steal and seven walks, so he hasn’t really slowed down. Wood hit 26 home runs and stole 18 bases at two minor-league stops last season, too. This is a player with an extremely fantasy-friendly skill set, and his path to the majors isn’t exactly full of obstacles.

Jack Leiter is dealing

It has been a somewhat bumpy prospect road for Leiter to this point in his pro career, due largely to command and control issues. His career minor-league WHIP is 1.48 through 45 appearances, and his BB/9 is 5.2. Not ideal.

Still, the K-rate keeps us interested — and in that area, he has not disappointed this year. He has whiffed 15 batters at Triple-A Round Rock over 8 1/3 innings so far, walking only three and allowing five hits. His solid start to the season follows an encouraging if imperfect spring, too, so let’s not dismiss him just yet. Not every top-of-draft talent is an immediate star. (Skenes might be, but don’t hold everyone to that standard, please.)

Drew Thorpe still collecting Ks

Thorpe arrived in the White Sox farm system via the Dylan Cease trade, and in his first start at Double-A Birmingham, he appeared as dominant as ever. Thorpe struck out eight batters while issuing just one walk and two hits in 5.0 scoreless frames. Have a look:

Last year, at 22, he struck out 182 batters in 139 1/3 innings across two levels, firmly establishing himself as a pitcher of interest in our game. It should go without saying that no one notable is blocking his path to Chicago’s rotation.

Joey Loperfido opens with a bang

José Abreu is off to another dreadful start in Houston, but the team has a potential fix for its first base/DH issues at Triple-A. Loperfido has launched five homers in his first eight games, most of which have been no-doubters. The 24-year-old had a big spring for the Astros, slashing .382/.488/.588 with six XBHs, and now he has opened the minor-league season with authority. Last year, he hit 25 bombs and stole 27 bags in 31 attempts, so this is a player with all-category potential. When he gets the call, it won't be a wait-and-see situation.

Jasson Dominguez is making actual progress

It sounds as if Dominguez is in a good place in his ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery, as he has extended his throwing to 120 feet and he’s taking swings. That’s real progress. You might recall that Dominguez, at age 20, hit four homers in his eight MLB games last season before he was diagnosed with the elbow injury. He also swiped 40 bags while getting himself on base at a .377 clip in the high minors before arriving in New York.

Assuming a June or early July return, Dominguez can still offer a half-season of difference-making fantasy upside. If you have an open IL spot, he’s an add worth making. When he returns, the buzz will be significant.