Getting Ahead of the Competition

As the fantasy baseball season enters the stretch run, finding the next impact prospect can be the difference between winning a championship and finishing a distant second. Two players should be at the top of your watch list. One has already reached the majors, while the other looks ready to force his way there in the coming weeks.

Luis Lara is already in Milwaukee, yet he remains surprisingly available in many fantasy leagues. The Brewers are hoping the 21-year-old can solve their problems in center field, where the position has produced a strikeout rate north of 30 percent while batting just over .220 this season.

Lara brings a completely different skill set.

At Triple-A Nashville, he hit nearly .330 with seven home runs and 20 stolen bases. While he isn't known for elite power, he consistently puts the ball in play and gets on base. Even more impressive, Lara walks more often than he strikes out, a rare trait for a young player making the jump to the major leagues.

Standing just 5-foot-7, Lara won't wow anyone with his size, but fantasy managers shouldn't overlook what he can provide. His speed, contact skills and ability to score runs make him the type of player who can quietly boost your batting average, stolen bases and runs during the second half.

The other name to stash is Seattle pitching prospect Kade Anderson.

The Mariners may not have an immediate opening in their rotation, but Anderson is pitching too well to stay in the minors much longer. His numbers are simply ridiculous. Over 72.2 innings this season, Anderson owns a sparkling 1.36 ERA while posting a 41.4 percent strikeout rate and an incredible 3.8 percent walk rate. His 37.5 percent K-BB rate is the best among all minor league pitchers with at least 70 innings, and the next closest pitcher sits at 25.3 percent.

Those are ace-level numbers.

Seattle will find room for Anderson sooner rather than later, and when that happens, he has the potential to become a league-winning arm down the stretch.

Championships are often won by managers who act before everyone else. Lara can help immediately, and Anderson could become one of the biggest fantasy difference-makers of the second half.