Fantasy Baseball 2018: 3 Young Players to Add for the Future

With fantasy baseball owners moving on from this season and looking to next year, they are looking for the next group of young players to add.

Being a fantasy baseball owner in a keeper or dynasty league requires a lot of patience. You can manage for the first couple of years but without scouting the future, your team will not be all that competitive. A good mix of current and future stars will make you a strong owner for years.

If you are looking to bolster your team with possible stars of the future, there are plenty of players performing well now that could make a big difference in 2019. Taking a chance on one or two of these players could push you ahead of the other owners in your league. Even if they aren’t on their current team by next season, they are playing well enough to carve out a role for themselves.

Here are the three players to eye for the future.

Luke Voit, NYY

Voit played very little with the St. Louis Cardinals this season. His playing time picked up significantly when traded to New York. The Yankees have had issues at first base for multiple seasons.

Greg Bird has a hard time staying healthy. When he is in the lineup, Bird is very hit or miss both at the plate and on the field. He is hitting .196 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 74 games. Voit, in his short stint with the team, is hitting .351 with three homers and nine RBIs.

More from Fantasy Baseball

• 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie
• Fantasy baseball mock draft 2023, 12-team: Aaron Judge over Trea Turner?
• 3 fantasy baseball sleepers being drafted too late
• NBA DFS picks December 25: Merry Bucking Christmas
• Fantasy Baseball: Hot pitchers worthy of starting this weekend

There are a lot of rumors and opinions on the web that the Yankees should move on from Bird. He is 26 years old and hasn’t played more than 90 games in a season (he may break that number this year). Voit is 27 but has shown great contact and power throughout all levels of the minors.

Ramon Laureano, OAK

The Oakland Athletics have surprised a lot of people this season, playing within a game of the Houston Astros with about a month left to the season. They’ve dealt with some injuries to the starting rotation but their revamped bullpen can offset the rotation losses.

The offense is firing on all cylinders. The addition of Laureano could help the team push for a division title. Matt Joyce is on the DL, making room for the 24-year-old. In 20 games this season, he is hitting .304 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, nine runs and four steals.

With speed hard to find this late into the season, Laureano has a boost in value for that alone. Looking towards the future, Joyce will be a free agent while Stephen Piscotty will still be under contract and Mark Canha is arbitration eligible, Laureano will likely start next season as the A’s starting right fielder.

Jeff McNeil, NYM

The New York Mets are a mess. There’s no nicer way to say it. They traded Jose Bautista to the Phillies but need a lot more improvements before they are competitive next season. With Asdrubal Cabrera now in Philadelphia as well, a job at second base opened up.

Since joining the team on July 24, he is hitting .330/.390/.482 with two homers, 10 RBIs and 15 runs scored. McNeil also recorded three steals and a respectable 11:8 K:BB ratio.

The Mets have been using Wilmer Flores more at first base and splitting Jay Bruce between first and the outfield. They don’t have a utility infielder to use like most other teams. McNeil is making the most of this playing time. If the Mets are looking to rebuild, he could be an important piece going forward.

All three of these players are getting significant playing time now, making them deep fantasy baseball league waiver wire adds for the final month. If things play out in their favor, they will have starting jobs next season. There are a lot more young players to stash in dynasty leagues. These three are the ones currently standing out.