Theo

Gillen

Gillen brought home the go-ahead run with a fifth-inning single to left field that brought Nelson Rada around from second base. He struck out swinging on a nasty changeup from flame-thrower Miguel Sime Jr. in the seventh. The 20-year-old former first-round pick from the 2024 MLB Draft has made the leap to elite fantasy prospect this season with a robust .310/.415/.516 slash line with 12 homers and 32 thefts in 330 plate appearances through 71 games.

The 2024 first-round pick hit five home runs in 81 minor league games last season, so him already being at five home runs in 10 games in 2026 is certainly noteworthy. That’s despite the fact that his fly ball rate at High-A is 10 percent lower than it was in A-ball last season. It’s early days, but if Gillen keeps this up, the 20-year-old could be in Double-A by the summer.

Gillen winds up receiving a full-slot deal of $4.372 million from the Rays as the 17th overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 18-year-old prep outfielder is coming off a handful of injuries, which likely caused him to slip in the draft, but there are enough offensive tools here for fantasy managers to dream on.

Gillen is one of the top prep bats in the class and offers a considerable amount of fantasy upside. The 6-foot-2 infielder has dealt with injuries as a prep with a torn labrum and knee injury, but when healthy he shows the ability to make consistent hard contact with a frame that suggests he’ll be able to hit for power at the highest level. His lack of arm strength may move him to center field or second base, but the bat can certainly play there. Gillen will need time as all prep hitters do, but the reward has a chance to be well worth the wait.