Prospects Who Made Opening Day Rosters: Fantasy Outlooks for Jackson Chourio, Wyatt Langford, Jared Jones and More
Discussing some highly-regarded prospects who have made an Opening Day roster and their fantasy outlook.
It’s finally opening week for the MLB season! Teams are still whittling down their rosters, but a number of teams have already announced where some players will open the year.
Today, let’s look at some highly-regarded prospects who have made their team’s Opening Day roster and what their fantasy outlook looks like for the 2024 season.
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Jackson Chourio Fantasy Outlook
Chourio cracked the Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day roster after a strong spring.
?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EtweetChourio hit for a .328 average and got on base at a .381 clip. He had four extra-base hits among his 19 total hits. Chourio drove in three runs, scored 13 times and stole two bases.
Chourio is the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, and will debut before No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday. Chourio has above-average grades in every tool but arm (average). He had a career .286 average and .347 OBP in the minor leagues, so while he’s only gotten 21 at-bats at the Triple-A level, the Brewers believe he’s ready for the show.
The 20-year-old Chourio is projected to hit near the bottom of the order, but that will also allow him to ease into things instead of having a ton of pressure on him with a spot at the top of the lineup. There still should be some RBI chances, but I think Chourio should be best viewed as a contact hitter with a high OBP. If he excels early in the season, he probably starts hitting first or second in the lineup, and then his fantasy stock will rise big time.
To start the season though, I view him as a bench option in the outfield, or a final starter at an outfield or utility spot. If you have a roster spot to play with and Chourio is available, he’s worth stashing.
Evan Carter/Wyatt Langford Fantasy Outlook
Carter and Langford are a couple of my favorite hitting prospects in the MLB, and both will be on the Texas Rangers’ initial roster.
Carter had already made his MLB debut in 2023, but Langford will join the bigs for the first time in his career.
Carter played in 23 games a season ago, hitting for a .306 average and getting on base at a .413 clip. He homered five times among his 19 hits, drove in 12 runs, stole three bases and scored 15 times.
Langford has absolutely dominated this spring, sitting with a .375 average and .429 on-base percentage. He’s homered six times among his 21 total hits, has driven in 20 runs and scored 13 times.
Langford was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and played at four minor league levels before the season wrapped up. He got just five games in at AAA, but hit .360 among the four stops.
Carter is expected to be the team’s cleanup hitter to start the season, with Langford probably a spot behind him in the order. Both guys are going to have a ton of RBI opportunities, and with as loaded a lineup as the Rangers have, they each should score plenty of runs.
Both Texas players are fantasy starters to begin the season, and should be in the lineup every time they are playing. I’d want to protect them with another proven player, but I’m expecting big things all season from Carter and Langford, even if there are some minor struggles along the way.
Colton Cowser Fantasy Outlook
Coswer made the big leagues in 2023, and made the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day roster in 2024.
Cowser played in 26 games with the Orioles in 2023, hitting just .115 with a .286 on-base percentage. He doubled twice among his seven total hits, drove in four runs, stole a base and scored 15 times.
Last year’s numbers in the MLB weren’t pretty, but he was a monster this spring. He hit .304 with a .418 OBP, cracking six homers among his 14 total hits. Cowser also drove in 13 runs and scored 11 times across 18 games and 55 plate appearances.
Cowser isn’t projected to be a starter for Baltimore, but I’d also guess that the team will do its best to get him into action as often as they can. He can play all three outfield spots, so that works in his favor.
Because he’s not locked into a starting role to begin the season, he should probably be left on the waiver wire for now, or stashed on the end of your bench. If he can hit like he did this spring, he can be a big fantasy asset, so keep a close, close eye on him at the start of the season.
Jared Jones Fantasy Outlook
Jones has been absolutely dominant this spring on the hill, and it helped him make the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation out of spring training.
Along with his 16 1/3 scoreless innings this spring, he’s struck out 15 batters. There’s some control issues (8 walks) he’ll have to work through, but it’s hard to keep a pitcher with those kinds of numbers off the MLB team.
Jones has a 4.31 earned run average across three seasons of play in the minor leagues. He has 391 strikeouts to 135 walks over 315 innings pitched.
The Pirates don’t have many locked-in starters, so while Jones could have a relatively short leash, he should also stick in the big leagues if he pitches well to open the season.
Jones is a fantasy option in deeper leagues and dynasties, but should probably be left on the waiver wire in standard leagues, at least until he proves he can deliver in a meaningful game. He’s another guy to keep a really close eye on early in the season, as he’d likely be a popular waiver wire player with just one good start.
Ceddanne Rafaela Fantasy Outlook
Rafaela made his debut in 2023, and made the Boston Red Sox Opening Day roster in 2024.
Across 28 games with the team in 2023, Rafaela played at second base and shortstop and in center field, so there’s a number of ways he can crack the lineup. It could also mean he picks up position versatility at some point this season, so keep that in mind.
In 2023, Rafaela hit for a .241 average and got on base at a .281 clip. He homered twice among his 20 total hits, drove in five runs, stole three bases and scored 11 runs across 89 plate appearances.
Rafaela fared a bit better in spring training, posting a .281 average, 339 OBP, three homers among his 16 total hits, eight RBIs, four stolen bases and eight runs scored across 21 games and 62 plate appearances.
He’s projected to be the team’s starter in center field, and hit near the bottom of the order. If the Red Sox can stay pretty healthy, there’s a chance this could be a sneaky good hitting team. That could mean a decent amount of RBI chances for Rafaela. He’s a lot like Chourio in that you should look at him as a contact hitter first, and a guy who can earn you some fantasy points with his speed. If he excels and gets moved to the top of the order, then his fantasy stock would rise quite a bit.
I view him as a top OF option off the bench, or a guy that could start at a final outfield or utility spot, especially if he excels early on. He probably will be available in a bunch of leagues, so be sure to keep a close eye on him as the season gets going.
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