Which Top Pitching Prospects Could Help Fantasy Baseball Teams Out the Most this Season? | Connor Phillips, Anthony Solometo, Drew Thorpe, Hurston Waldrep, Tekoah Roby and More

Discussing some pitching prospects who could make a fantasy impact at some point in the upcoming season.

We took a look at some of the top pitching prospects last week, but weren't able to cover all the top arms inside the top 100 prospects, so we’ll wrap up that story here.

We covered Kyle Harrison, Cade Horton, Ricky Tiedemann, Rhett Lowder, Mick Abel, Jared Jones, Tink Hence and AJ Smith-Shawver in the first story. Top pitching prospect Paul Skenes was covered in another prospect article before that. 

Here, we will go over the remaining pitching prospects ranked inside the top 100 that have ETAs of 2024. I’m using the Top 100 Prospect Rankings put out by mlb.com, and using their ETAs as well.

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Connor Phillips Fantasy Outlook

Phillips was the Cincinnati Reds’ No. 64 overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft. His fastball is his best pitch, graded at a 70 out of 80. He’s also got above-average grades for his curveball and slider, but control is an issue.

He made his MLB debut last season, finishing with a ugly 6.97 earned run average over 20 2/3 innings pitched across five starts. He struck out 26 while walking 13. Phillips allowed five home runs.

Phillips is just 22 years old, and last year’s MLB experience gave him some things to work on during the offseason. He’s not projected to open the season in the big leagues, which makes sense with just 40 1/3 innings pitched at Triple-A.

He could push for a rotation spot right out of spring training with strong play, but I’d expect at least a month or two in AAA before Phillips gets called back up. That leaves several months for him to make a fantasy impact.

Anthony Solometo Fantasy Outlook

Solometo was a second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. The 6’5 lefty has above-average grades for his fastball and slider, while also having above-average control.

His highest level of play last season was AA, so it’s likely that he’ll either begin the season there again, or open in AAA. Solometo had a 4.35 ERA across 51 2/3 innings at AA, so he’s likely going to need a few months more of experience before making the jump to the big leagues. 

If he shines at AAA, he could get an early call to the big leagues, but at just 21 years old, expect Pittsburgh to slowly bring him along, likely meaning he’s a call-up in August or September. He could make a fantasy impact, but it’ll likely only be for a handful of starts/appearances.

Carson Whisenhunt Fantasy Outlook

Whisenhunt was a second-round pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2022. The 6-3 lefty has a 70-graded changeup and above-average mark on his fastball.

Whisenhunt pitched just 58 2/3 innings a season ago, and just 19 2/3 innings at Double-A, so he’s likely going to need a good amount more experience in the minors before getting the call. At AA, Whisenhunt had a 3.20 ERA, with 27 strikeouts across six starts.

He’s probably a bit behind Solometo in his development, so a September call up (if he gets the call at all this season) seems right for Whisenhunt. That will clearly limit his fantasy impact.

Drew Thorpe Fantasy Outlook

Thorpe was the second-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2022. He’s now in the San Diego Padres’ organization after being involved in the Juan Soto trade. Thorpe has a 70-graded changeup, above-average slider and good control.

He advanced to AA in 2023, but got just 30 1/3 innings there. He did post a 1.48 ERA across five starts there, so if he continues to excel, he could be a quick mover up the minor leagues. Thorpe finished 2023 with 182 strikeouts over 139 1/3 innings, so his arm could be ready for even more innings and the rigors of the MLB.

The 23-year-old likely will open the season at AA and then need some AAA seasoning before moving up to the big leagues. He could be another September call up, unless the need arises a touch earlier. Being 23 already, the Padres could decide to push him along quickly, so I’d definitely keep an eye out for him after a couple months of play.

Hurston Waldrep Fantasy Outlook

Waldrep was the first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2023 and is just 21, yet is expected to debut this season. He’s got above-average grades for his fastball, splitter and slider, but is below average with his control.

The reason he’s expected to debut this season is because he made it all the way to Triple-A last season. He only made eight starts between four levels of the minors, logging 29 1/3 innings, but he finished with a combined 1.53 ERA and 41 strikeouts to 16 walks, with only one homer allowed. 

While the Braves’ lineup is loaded, their rotation and bullpen is a bit lacking, which opens the door for Waldrep to potentially make a difference at some point this season. In order to stick in the majors permanently, Waldrep will either need to pitch well himself or have a rotation member or two miss extended time.

Depending on the need, Waldrep could make his debut (as a starter or reliever) fairly early in the season. I wouldn’t draft him outside of dynasty leagues, but he’s one to tag and keep an eye on right away this season - he could be up in short order.

Chase Hampton Fantasy Outlook

Hampton was a sixth-round pick of the Yankees in 2022. The 22-year-old has above-average grades on his fastball, slider, curveball and cutter, while having a below-average changeup.

A five-pitch mix is always a good thing for a prospect and allowed him to post a 3.63 ERA across 106 2/3 innings at High-A and Double-A in 2023. He struck out 145 batters while walking 37. Hampton did allow 13 home runs, which is a bit of a concern that low in the minor leagues.

With just 59 2/3 innings at AA, and a 4.37 ERA there, Hampton might begin this season at that level again. That could mean he’s another guy who doesn’t get a call until August or September, if at all. 

Teams usually play things more carefully with their top-end draft picks, so I’m curious to see if Hampton can make his debut sooner if the team sees something they really like with him. He’s one to keep an eye on pretty much from the start of the season.

Tekoah Roby Fantasy Outlook

Roby was a third-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2020. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Jordan Montgomery deal. Roby has above-average grades on his fastball and curveball, with above-average control as well.

He pitched at the Double-A level all of last season (splitting time between his two organizations), but covered just 58 1/3 innings across 14 starts. That likely means that Roby starts this season there, and might have an innings limit (which could delay his debut until 2025).

Roby has a 4.38 ERA across three minor league seasons, so while he’s shown some good things, he appears to have a ways to go before actually getting the call. I see him as a possible September call up if everything goes right for Roby and he stays healthy, but even in that case, he probably will only make a few appearances.

#prospects #connor-phillips #anthony-solometo #drew-thorpe #hurston-waldrep #tekoah-roby