Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch | Triple-A Hitters: Heston Kjerstad, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jackson Holliday and More

Taking a look at some of the top-performing Triple-A hitters and highly-regarded prospects so far and determining when they might get called up to the big leagues.

The MLB is unlike a lot of the other major sports in that its minor league system is critical to a team’s success over the course of a season.

MLB teams have a 26-man roster nowadays, but most teams play far more than 26 players over the course of a season. Injuries are the biggest reason behind that, but poor play also factors in.

While fantasy baseball leagues are focused on players at the MLB level, it’s also worth knowing some players on the brink of being called up so that you can beat other fantasy owners to that player on the waiver wire. It’s even more important for dynasty league owners, as players in the minor leagues right now are tied to your future success.

While only Triple-A minor league teams were in action up until today (Friday, April 5), 30 AAA teams provide plenty to talk about. We’ll cover some hitters here, and pitchers in another story, so check back for that.

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Top Triple-A Hitters

Baltimore has maybe the greatest assembly of hitting prospects at the Triple-A level ever, so we’ll kick things off with some of their players.

Heston Kjerstad leads AAA with 16 hits across six games. He’s homered five times and added three doubles, drove in 21 runs and scored 11 times. 

Kjerstad is the No. 31 prospect in the league and is expected to return to the big leagues at some time this season. He got in 13 games a season ago, finishing with a .233 average and .281 on-base percentage. 

Kjerstad played left and right field last season, but also could be utilized as a designated hitter if the team wants to get his bat into the lineup. 

Right now, Anthony Santander mans right field, with Austin Hays in left. Santander is off to a hot start, while Hays has struggled. I don’t anticipate the Orioles benching Hays, as he’s been a productive hitter over his career, but it’s a possibility if Hays continues to struggle. This is simply a tough situation for Kjerstad - absolutely raking at Triple-A, but stuck behind productive veterans for the time being. An injury could vault him into a big-time MLB role, so keep a close eye on Kjerstad in standard leagues.

Coby Mayo, Connor Norby and Jackson Holliday all have 11 hits so far for Baltimore’s Triple-A team. Those three guys are among the team’s top six prospects, with Mayo the 29th-rated prospect and Holliday, of course, at No. 1. None of the trio has played in the MLB level yet, but have dominated at every stop in the minor leagues.

Holliday can play shortstop and second base. Shortstop is currently controlled by Gunnar Henderson at the MLB level, while Jordan Westburg is the primary 2B. Henderson isn’t going to be pushed aside for Holliday, but Westburg could be if he isn’t an above-average player.

Mayo can play first and third base. Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O'Hearn handle 1B for now in Baltimore, while Ramon Urias starts at 3B. Mountcastle and O’Hearn are hitting over .300 this season, but Urias is hitless, so that could be the opening for Mayo.

Norby has played left and right field this season, but got lots of work as a 2B last year, so he has a few positions he could work into the lineup in. 

The Orioles really have a great problem on their hands, with tons of quality prospects waiting in case a MLB player struggles or gets injured. Keep an eye on all these guys.

Colorado Rockies’ Jordan Beck is off to a solid start as well. Across six games, he owns a .333 average on seven hits. Beck has two homers and doubles and a triple, has walked six times and scored five runs.

Most sites don’t have Beck making his MLB debut until at least 2025, but he absolutely could play his way into a call up at some point in 2024. Many probably thought he’s start the season at AA, where he only hit .240 a season ago, but he started the season in AAA and is adjusting well so far. 

Beck can play any outfield position, so that also works in his favor. Nolan Jones (LF), Kris Bryant (RF) and Brenton Doyle (CF) are the usual outfielders for Colorado right now, and Charlie Blackmon serves as the DH, but could play out there still. Blackmon and Bryant have dealt with injury concerns over the past few years, while Doyle only hit .203 at the MLB level last season. Jones seems pretty locked into a middle-of-the-lineup spot and has good success at the MLB level, but has also only played 141 career games. 

It might take a couple injuries for Beck to get the call, but depending on how the team performs this season, Beck is looking like a late-season MLB addition to me.

Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is the No. 16 prospect in the game right now and is off to a solid start this season.

Crow-Armstrong has a .308 average across six games. He’s delivered eight hits, five of which have been extra-base knocks, including one homer. Crow-Armstrong has scored seven runs and driven in four.

Crow-Armstrong played 13 games with the big league club in 2023, and many thought he would make the team out of spring training. That didn’t happen, but it probably means that it won’t be long before he gets the call.

Ian Happ (LF), Seiya Suzuki (RF) and Cody Bellinger (CF) are locked into the Cubs’ outfield spots right now, and hitting at the top of the lineup, so only an injury is likely to take them out of those spots. 

Bellinger also plays first base, so Crow-Armstrong could push Belli out of CF and into the lineup in that way. Of course, the DH spot also could help Crow-Armstrong out.

Michael Busch and Garrett Cooper play first base for the Cubs right now, and both are off to strong starts at the plate. Mike Tauchman has just one hit this season, so if he continues to struggle, Crow-Armstrong could be the replacement.

The thing that further complicates calling up a prospect is that teams want those guys in the lineup consistently, so if there isn’t an everyday position open, Crow-Armstrong might be forced to stick in Triple-A for longer. He’s still worth keeping an eye on though, and I’d think he gets called up before the end of May, at the very latest.

The last hitting prospect I want to discuss is Houston Astros' Joey Loperfido. He’s the team’s No. 6 prospect and is expected to debut at some point this season.

Loperfido has four home runs among his five hits across five games played so far. He’s driven in nine runs, but has struck out 10 times to just one walk.

Loperfido can play all over the field, playing at least 10 games at CF, 1B, 2B, RF and LF last season, which is a huge plus for him getting called up. He needs to get his strikeouts under control, and once he does that and raises his average a bit, he could get the call.

Houston has a lot of players locked into positions, but guys like Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers (outfielders) look replaceable depending on their performances at the plate. An injury to an everyday starter could also get Loperfido to the big leagues. He’s worth keeping an eye on and should get called up at some point this season.

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