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Moncada headlines prospects to monitor

Yoan Moncada will not begin his season with the White Sox, but he could be very relevant in fantasy baseball this season. Ron Vesely/MLB Photos/Getty Images

Check the home schedule for your local International League club because the Charlotte Knights will be the hot minor league team to watch in the first months of the season -- and not because veterans Cody Asche, Anthony Swarzak and Cory Luebke (remember him?) are on the squad. No, the excitement will be due to infielder Yoan Moncada and right-handed starting pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, among others.

Of course, fantasy owners in one-year formats are hoping these top prospects aren’t honing their skills in the minor leagues for long because their potential big league statistics are so intriguing. Moncada is the key here, as he’s the prime prospect actually starting the season in the minor leagues and the lone option one could reasonably call an "obvious" selection in ESPN average live drafts. I’ve got him ranked in the middle rounds as the upside is huge.