Even if you’re still not in your fantasy playoff chase, these final few weeks could have a significant impact on draft-day strategies next spring.

As the 2018 season winds down, let’s look at a few more reasons to be excited for 2019. Based on observations, stats and a little bit of speculation, here’s our annual list of the 30 most intriguing players for next season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Baltimore: 2B Jonathan Villar. The speedster was a top-5 fantasy performer just two years ago in Milwaukee (.285, 19 HRs, 62 SB). Since being traded to Baltimore, Villar, 27, has rekindled some of those memories with six homers and 12 steals in 35 games entering the week.

Boston: SP Eduardo Rodriguez. He missed time with injuries each of the past two seasons, but they’ve been to his ankle and knee, not his arm. With 12 wins and a 10.0 K/9 rate in 21 starts, a true breakout could be on the horizon.

Chicago: OF Eloy Jimenez. The service time game might have kept him from reaching the majors this season, but there’s no way he won’t be up in 2019. After a midseason promotion to Class AAA, the 21-year-old hit .355/.399/.597 with 12 homers in 55 games.

Cleveland: SS Francisco Lindor. He leads the majors with 118 runs scored — and with a career-high 34 homers needs seven more steals to join teammate Jose Ramirez in the 30-30 club.

Detroit: SP Mattew Boyd. The left-hander has a 3.06 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 10 second-half starts. His last outing was his best, allowing only one run on two hits over seven innings and striking out 11.

Houston: 1B Tyler White. Since the All-Star break, he has a .323/382/.653 slash line, nine homers and 31 RBI in 34 games. The DH spot is wide open with Evan Gattis a free agent this winter.

Kansas City: SS Adalberto Mondesi. Mondesi, 23, has stolen 20 bases in 24 attempts in 55 games since being promoted from the minors. He also has seven homers in 189 at-bats. That combination of skills doesn’t usually come cheaply.

Los Angeles: DH Shohei Ohtani. In roughly a half-season’s worth of plate appearances, he’s hit 19 homers and stolen eight bases. Only four qualified hitters — Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Jose Ramirez — have a higher OPS than Ohtani’s .966. With potential elbow surgery putting his pitching plans on hold, he’ll concentrate only on hitting next year.

Minnesota: OF Byron Buxton. Strong second-half finishes in each of the previous two seasons artificially boosted Buxton’s draft stock the following spring. That won’t happen this time … but his elite-level skills remain intact.

New York: C Gary Sanchez. He was the top-ranked fantasy catcher after hitting .278 with 33 homers a year ago. Can he rebound after hitting just .181? And will he stick behind the plate?

Oakland: 3B Matt Chapman. A future MVP candidate, Chapman's offense has almost caught up to his Gold Glove-caliber defense. He’s cut his strikeout rate while improving his power numbers (22 HRs, .521 slugging percentage).

Seattle: SP James Paxton. A no-hitter in May and an elite strikeout rate (11.6 K/9) point to an ace-quality pitcher. If only he could stay healthy enough to pitch 200 innings …

Tampa Bay: SP Tyler Glasnow. Dominant in the minors, terrible in the majors. What’s the key to unlocking his talent? Glasnow’s progress could impact how the Rays deploy their “opener” strategy.

Texas: 2B Rougned Odor. One of this season’s greatest rebounds is Odor going from a .217 hitter with one home run on June 17 … to a .293 hitter with 17 homers since then.

Toronto: 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. All he did was hit .381 with a 1.073 OPS over four minor league levels … at age 19. With Josh Donaldson no longer manning the hot corner in Toronto, the Vlad Jr. era can soon begin.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Arizona: 2B-SS Ketel Marte. He’s shown some power and some speed, combined with excellent plate discipline.

Atlanta: OF Ronald Acuna Jr. Eighteen of the 20-year-old’s 25 homers have come since the All-Star break, as have 12 of his 14 stolen bases. And oh yeah, he leads the majors with a 1.129 OPS in the second half. Is next season too early to think of him as a first-round pick?

Chicago: 2B-SS Javier Baez. His breakout season finally arrived. The result is a .294 average, 30 homers and 100 RBI. His appearance Monday at third base now gives him fantasy eligibility at a third position.

Cincinnati: 3B Eugenio Suarez. One of the game’s unsung stars, Suarez continues to improve. While Baez will get serious MVP consideration, he and Suarez have nearly identical numbers on offense.

Colorado: SS Trevor Story. His first three seasons in the majors have been full of peaks and valleys. However, he’s at the summit right now, hitting .293 with 31 homers, 96 RBI and a surprising 25 steals.

Los Angeles: 1B-3B Max Muncy. While the unlikely All-Star’s home runs have continued since the break, the batting average (.218) and on-base percentage (.314) have not.

Miami: C J.T. Realmuto. With 20 homers and a .287 average, Realmuto has clearly been this season’s top fantasy catcher. He may be the Marlins’ only mixed league-relevant player next season.

Milwaukee: RP Josh Hader. Is he a closer next year? A setup man? Or both? Despite collecting only 11 saves, Hader has been the NL’s most valuable reliever because of his stellar ratios (2.13 ERA, 0.77 WHIP) and 121 strikeouts.

New York: SP Zach Wheeler. In the second half, Wheeler has quietly given the Mets a third ace. He’s 7-1 in nine starts with a 1.50 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Philadelphia: SP Aaron Nola. Before the season, there were questions about his durability. Not any longer. He ranks among the top five in the majors in innings (1882/3), wins (16), ERA (2.29) and quality starts (23).

Pittsburgh: SP Trevor Williams. Williams is defying modern-day science with his success, proving you don’t have to throw hard (he averages 90.4 mph on his fastball) to get hitters out. In his last nine starts, he’s posted an ERA of 0.66 while averaging just 5.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

St. Louis: OF Harrison Bader. One of the game’s fastest players, he’s a strong candidate for a 20-homer, 20-steal 2019 since he’ll be the Cards’ full-time center fielder.

San Diego: C Francisco Mejia. Switch-hitting Mejia might have the greatest fantasy impact of many excellent Padres prospects next year because of his offensive skills at a thin position. Unlike this season, he'll go into 2019 drafts with catcher eligibility.

San Francisco: SP Dereck Rodriguez. The rookie didn’t arrive with much fanfare, but he’s been perhaps the most consistent pitcher on the staff with a 2.41 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 15 starts.

Washington: OF Juan Soto. The 19-year-old rookie has shown the rare combination of power and superb plate discipline. As a result, his .922 OPS would be the highest for any teenager in major league history.

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner