Sometimes, it takes a while for things to click with prospects. Carlos Gomez floundered for years with the Mets and Twins, before finally having it all click in his age-26 season. Corey Kluber couldn't hold down a rotation spot until he was 27, and didn't break out until he turned 28.
Which is to say, just because a prospect has aged out of prospect lists and struggled, doesn't mean they are hopeless. Sometimes, you just need a chance, and injuries likely opened up everyday jobs for two former prospects in the NL East, both of whom are at least worth keeping an eye on in Fantasy: Nationals outfielder Michael Taylor, and Mets pitcher Rafael Montero.
Taylor stepped into the starting lineup over the weekend, replacing starting center fielder Adam Eaton, who is done for the year with a knee injury. Taylor saw close to everyday playing time in 2015 and hit 14 homers with 16 steals, and has always had tools that ooze Fantasy potential. However, inconsistent contact has plagued him, leading to a .228 batting average and 32.0 percent strikeout rate in the early going.
Those contact issues have remained for Taylor in the early going, and if he can't solve them, the Nationals are likely going to have to consider other options -- including Andrew Stevenson, hitting .350 in Double-A before getting promoted to Triple-A Monday, or potentially top prospect Victor Robles. However, Taylor is going to get his shot, and the 20-20 potential makes him worth keeping an eye on for Fantasy purposes, because a Carlos Gomez-like late breakout is certainly possible.
Montero has even less success at the major-league level to his name, and he hasn't been confirmed as the team's Noah Syndergaard replacement yet, though he is an obvious choice. He carries a career 5.51 ERA in 80 major-league innings, and has just one top-100 appearance on Baseball America's list, but was dominant in the spring, and has opened his Triple-A season at Las Vegas with a couple of excellent starts. The swing-and-miss stuff has always been there, and now it's just about harnessing it. If he has, there's still a chance he can make an impact.
You're looking at long odds for both, and it's hard to say either should be picked up outside of NL-only formats for the time being. However, though neither has followed the expected timetable, their talent could end up winning out in the long run.
| 61% | 
Carlos Gomez
Texas CF
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| Speaking of Carlos Gomez, he's starting to turn things around, and it's not just because he hit for the cycle Saturday. Gomez's OPS hit it's lowest point of the season on April 21, when he ended the day at .631; he is hitting .444/.484/.704 in eight games since. Gomez has stolen three bases in that span, after failing to swipe even one in his first 17. Gomez is still hitting just .245 on the season, but probably has some positive regression coming his way, with a .288 BABIP a bit south of his .314 career mark. We'll see if Gomez continues to get the green light on the basepaths, but it's good to see these signs of life from someone who has been a difference maker in the past. | |
| 56% | 
Eduardo Rodriguez
Boston SP
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| We've been waiting for Eduardo Rodriguez to live up to his potential for a few years, and we just may be seeing what it looks like when he does. He has calmed down from a rough start to the season, putting together two straight quality starts, with 16 strikeouts in 12 innings against the Cubs and Orioles. He has also walked seven in that span, so it's not all good news, but Rodriguez has racked up a ton of strikeouts against a couple of tough matchups, and has backed it up with an impressive 14.9 percent swinging strike rate overall. Rodriguez may be figuring his own struggles out. | |
| 56% | 
Zack Cozart
Cincinnati SS
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| Something seemed to click for Zack Cozart in 2015, as he improved his 4.6 percent career walk rate to 7.0 between 2015 and 2016, while also upping his Isolated slugging percentage from .122 to .181 in that span. Cozart is off to a great start in the early going, improving his walk rate yet again, while also continuing to improve on his power. Curiously, he has just one homer in his first 21 games, though his overall power has been fine, with 12 extra-base hits overall. Cozart has hit at a 20-plus-homer pace since the start of 2015, and he just moved to the No. 2 spot in the lineup over the weekend, putting him behind Billy Hamilton and ahead of Joey Votto in the lineup. He should get plenty of pitches to hit in that spot, and might just be underowned at this point. | |
