Major League Baseball

Top MLB prospects to watch in pennant races

Updated Sep. 26, 2023 10:26 p.m. ET

The MLB postseason is around the corner and most of the main characters are already known.

Their remarkable talents have been readily available for consumption over the regular season's six-month marathon. We have spent the summer being inundated with Ronald Acuña Jr. stats and Mookie Betts home runs and inconceivable Baltimore Orioles highlights.

But just under the wire, only weeks before the big show begins, a handful of new figures have entered the fray. Top prospects added to big-league rosters for a postseason test drive or a late-season audition are an annual tradition.

Youngsters with incomplete skill sets thrust into the limelight because their talent was too overwhelming to ignore. October is a heck of a time for an introduction.

Here are six recent call-ups who could make a real impact this fall.

Arizona Diamondbacks SS Jordan Lawlar

Lawlar, a remarkably talented shortstop prospect who many experts considered the top talent in the 2021 draft, has looked overmatched thus far against big-league pitching. Since his call-up on Sept. 7th, the 21-year-old has gone just 4-for-26 without a single extra-base hit. Arizona knew that Lawlar wasn't ready offensively, but considered him enough of a defensive upgrade that 10-year D-back Nick Ahmed was jettisoned to the DFA abyss.

That means something. So while Lawlar is unlikely to win any games this October with his stick, don't be shocked if his stellar glove makes a late-game impact at some point for the Snakes.

Baltimore Orioles OF Heston Kjerstad

The Orioles' embarrassment of riches keeps embarrassing. Another day, another talented young hitter.

Kjerstad, the second overall pick in 2020, debuted on Sept. 14th and has gotten the majority of starts as Baltimore's DH against righties. At this point, the big left-handed outfielder seems a lock to make the postseason roster; absurd considering he has just nine games and 24 plate appearances under his belt.

But the O's trust their youngsters. That's a big part of why they're inching toward 100 wins.

Chicago Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong

PCA is a rough 0-for-11 so far in his big-league career. But while that first career hit has remained elusive, the 21-year-old center fielder has sparkled with the leather as a defensive replacement. Crow-Armstrong has started just twice since his debut on Sept. 11th, and his light-going bat might keep him off a Cubs postseason roster. But he could also be an incredibly valuable late-night sub both on the basepaths and the grass.

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Orion Kerkering

Kerkering is a hard-throwing reliever who started this season with the low-A Clearwater Threshers. Over the weekend, he made his big-league debut with the Phillies, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning of work.

Behind the meteoric rise? A high-90s heater, a mind-melting slider and a remarkable improvement in the command of both. The slider in particular looks like a true unicorn offering, the kind of pitch that pushes Statcast boundaries and leaves hitters baffled and helpless.

Yes, Kerkering has only one big-league inning under his belt. Yes, he could crumble under the bright lights of October. Yes, rostering a 22-year-old who made his first outing this season against the Bradenton Marauders in front of 2,404 people is patently ridiculous.

But the stuff might be too good to leave at home.

Tampa Bay Rays INF Junior Caminero

No team has been more aggressive with top prospects in October over the past half-decade than the Rays. Injured ace Shane McClanahan made his MLB debut in the 2020 ALDS. Fellow hurler Shane Baz started against Boston in the 2021 ALDS with only three MLB outings under his belt.

Now it might be Caminero's turn.

Few players in any level of professional baseball can hit a baseball harder than Tampa's 20-year-old phenom. It's a long swing, with some whiff worries, but Caminero's ability to rip baseballs well above the speed limit might convince the Rays to jam him onto a wild-card round roster.

Texas Rangers OF Evan Carter

Carter has a remarkable draft and development story. When the Rangers took him with the 50th overall pick in 2020, opposing scouts and public prognosticators were stunned. Some prominent prospect analysts either admitted they'd never heard of Carter or vehemently argued that Carter was an overdraft. Time has proved the Rangers right.

Three years later, and the left-handed hitter has blossomed into a key cog of Texas' future. The 21-year-old outfielder has shined since making his MLB debut on Sept. 8th, going 15-for-46 in a 17-game sample and solidifying himself as the Rangers' everyday left fielder against right-handed pitching.

Carter's 30.4% strikeout rate is predictably high for such an inexperienced player, but his outrageously impressive 4.57 pitches per plate appearance offers some encouragement and makes him a pest for opposing pitchers. Though that mark is sure to drop over time — Colorado's Ryan McMahon is tops among qualified hitters this season with 4.39 P/PA — Carter's approach has already earned him the nickname "Full Count Carter."

A month ago, Carter couldn't legally purchase an alcoholic beverage. A month from now he could play a key role in carrying the AL West-leading Rangers back to Fall Classic glory.

Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.