The Hitter Edition of the Stash List is back for the 2025 season.
This Stash List highlights the 10 best hitting prospects likely to make an impact during the 2025 season.
Prospects are often thought of as only holding value in dynasty formats. However, knowing which prospects hold value for the current season can help set you apart in redraft leagues. Several have a 2025 ETA, and getting ahead of the curve on rostering these prospects is a key part of roster management. Read to discover the top 10 hitters you should stash in your redraft leagues.
Ground Rules
- The Stash List is for your redraft leagues and does not consider impact beyond 2025.
- Only current minor league players who are expected to make an impact this season are included.
- Upside, proximity, health, and opportunity are all weighed for each player.
- The focus is on 12-team leagues with standard categories.
- Rankings will be updated weekly.
- Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Thursday’s games.
The Stash List
Graduates/Call Ups
Four prospects from last week’s Stash List made the jump to the big leagues this week. As expected, there’s plenty of turnover in the top ten as a result, so let’s jump right in.
Marcelo Mayer made his major league debut on Saturday, going 2-8 with a double in his first two games. He carried that momentum into the following series against Milwaukee, going 3-11 during the midweek series. At the time of writing, Mayer’s hitting .263 with an average exit velocity over 90 mph and a 46.7% hard-hit rate. With Alex Bregman projected to miss significant time, Mayer should get plenty of chances to continue to make an impact for the Red Sox.
Until Friday night, Cole Young held down the #8 spot on this week’s list. Then, Seattle decided to hand the 21-year-old infielder his major league debut. Young has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since the start of May, and that didn’t change this week. In the four games since Sunday’s article went live, Young hit .556 with one homer, two steals and six RBI. On May 28th, he went 5-6 with two doubles against the Angels’ farm team. In his first foray into AAA, Young’s 89.7 mph average exit velocity and 44.1% hard-hit rate don’t crack the upper echelons of the rankings, but they’re far from the worst marks at the level. At 21, Young has plenty of room for growth, and projects to be a 10-15 homer, 20+ steal threat in the majors.
Another Saturday call-up features this week as well. Shay Whitcomb returned to the Astros after Chas McCormick hit the injured list. Whitcomb sat at #6 on this week’s list before the promotion. Before he was recalled, here is what I had to say about the 26-year-old:
“At the time of writing, 66% of Whitcomb’s last six base hits left the yard for a home run, taking his tally from 13 to 17 in the last 48 hours. That mark leads all minor league hitters, and puts him on pace for 49 long balls this season. That kind of power threat should not be wasted in AAA for much longer. Granted, the Astros aren’t desperate for offensive help (6th in AVG, 13th in OPS), but they rank 18th in the majors in homers, so Whitcomb could provide a boost to that statistic. The 28.3% home-run-per-fly-ball rate is his career high, and he’s hitting almost 40% of his balls in play in the air. Pairing Whitcomb’s right handed swing and power up with the Crawford Boxes in Houston could be a dangerous duo for fantasy managers to explore.”
Houston also promoted Jacob Melton Saturday night for what would be his Major League debut. The 24-year-old outfielder missed most of the season to date with a groin issue, but has posted an .887 OPS and 141 wRC+ in 11 AAA games since May 14th. Melton and Whitcomb should provide some much-needed offensive firepower in the bottom of the Astros’ lineup.
Coby Mayo was recalled by the Baltimore Orioles after Ryan Mountcastle went on the injured list. He retains his spot this week due to how the O’s have handled him in the past, with the possibility of a quick return to AAA looming (especially after his antics on Saturday). Read more about Mayo’s outlook in the #9 spot in this week’s list.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF – Kansas City Royals
We have a new #1 hitter to stash this week. Jac Caglianone set AAA alight this week, torching baseballs en route to a .343/.351/.800 slash line over his last eight games. Oh, and he added five home runs and posted a 181 wRC+ in that time frame. His season total of 14 long balls so far puts him second among all minor leaguers (tied with and behind two other players on the list this week) and his .428 MiLB wOBA would rank fifth among all big league hitters. The Royals showed their hand already by moving him into the outfield, a clear move to get him ready to take over a corner spot at Kauffman Stadium.
The main reason he jumps Anthony this week is because of his proximity. The Royals’ outfield this year has been bad. Hunter Renfroe and M.J. Melendez both lost their roster spots after posting negative WARs in the first months of the season, and Mark Canha has just two extra base hits in 28 games. Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel have both posted 0.5 WAR each, but neither strikes fear into opposing pitchers when they step into the box. Kansas City needs more offensive production outside of Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino if they’re going to stay in the hunt for October. Jac Caglianone is quickly proving that he can step into the lineup every day and be a legitimate contributor from day one.
2. Roman Anthony, OF – Boston Red Sox
The story hasn’t changed. Roman Anthony is good enough to play Major League Baseball, but the roster construction in Boston makes it hard to get him enough consistent playing time without drastically affecting the rest of the Red Sox lineup. Last week I made the case against moving Ceddanne Rafaela out of the lineup, and he showed why during the week. Rafaela went 4-9 in two games against the Brewers, with a homer and a double. That run did break a 1-22 slump over the previous seven games before that though. Rafaela’s glove and flashes of offensive production have kept him in the lineup for now, but the pressure to get Anthony up is mounting. A move into the infield, or an outright benching, may be on the cards if Anthony keeps performing at the level he is.
That level is pretty darn high right now. Since May 18th, he’s hitting .323 with a 210 wRC+ and 1.197 OPS. In that time, he mashed three homers and three doubles, with more walks (10) than strikeouts (9). At the time of writing, Anthony is in the middle of a four-game hit streak, with a run or RBI in every game of the stretch so far. The stolen bases haven’t materialized to the level that he reached in 2024 (21 SB), but he’s still 3/6 on the season. Anthony projects as an All-Star level talent with the potential to put up 25-20 seasons for the next decade. The one question remaining is when he will get the chance to prove it at Fenway Park.
3. Samuel Basallo, C – Baltimore Orioles
When the Pittsburgh Pirates have a better record than you as the calendar ticks over to June, you know there’s something seriously wrong. Time is not on the Orioles’ side, and something has to change if they’re going to (somehow) pull themselves back into the playoff picture in the American League. Offense hasn’t been Baltimore’s biggest issue, but for a team with World Series aspirations, a team .237 AVG and .698 OPS isn’t going to cut it. Ryan O’Hearn has been a nice surprise (2.0 fWAR), and the young core has (mostly) performed admirably. Critics could point out Gunnar Henderson’s 27.5% strikeout rate or Jackson Holliday’s low walk rate (5.1%), but they’re both putting together solid production so far (115 and 118 wRC+ respectively).
The clear issue with the Orioles is the pitching staff. The only team with a worse ERA and BAA than Baltimore is the Colorado Rockies. Yikes. To win baseball games, you have to score more runs than your opponent, and when you’re pitching staff is letting up over five runs per nine innings, you’re going to need an incredibly productive offense. Samuel Basallo is not the blanket solution to the O’s issues, but he’s another stellar bat that immediately provides some offensive value when he’s called up. His 93 mph average exit velocity and 54.1% hard-hit rate indicate his bat will translate to the next level, and a 10% boost in contact rate shows that he’s worked on the bat-to-ball question marks. At 20 years old, Basallo would become one of the youngest players in the league, but he’s shown he’s ready for the opportunity to face major league pitching.
4. Chase DeLauter, OF – Cleveland Guardians
DeLauter has been one of my favorite prospects to track since he was drafted in 2022. He possesses so much talent, but it’s only been visible for short spurts because of the injury trouble he’s faced so far in his career. In 2+ seasons in the minors, he’s played in just 106 games due to injury issues in both feet, and a muscle injury to start 2025. DeLauter returned to action on May 6th, and rattled off a three-game hit streak in the Complex League just days after being activated. His final game in Arizona started a four-game hit streak that carried into his current home at AAA, and included his first homer of the season on May 26th. In his first four games in AAA, he’s posted a 60% hard hit rate and a 143 wRC+. It’s a very small sample size, but it’s an indication that DeLauter can be a game changer when he’s healthy.
Similar to the Royals, the Guardians outfield has been sluggish offensively. Lane Thomas (.119 AVG), Jhonkensy Noel (.151), and Nolan Jones (.191) are all struggling to generate any kind of impact. DeLauter provides an instant upgrade to Cleveland’s lineup, and could slot nicely into the back half of the Guardians’ batting order. The main question mark with DeLauter will always be his durability and his likelihood of staying healthy. However, when he’s on the roster, he’s a 20-25 homer threat with big-time pop and a gorgeous lefty swing. If he avoids injury, DeLauter could threaten the #1 spot on the list very soon.
5. Kyle Teel, C/DH – Chicago White Sox
Kyle Teel = Good at Baseball. The Chicago White Sox = Bad at Baseball. It’s that simple. This is going to be the sentiment I stick with every week until the Sox make the smart move and call up one of their best young hitters. Teel has been excellent in the month of May, hitting .359 with a 1.091 OPS and 184 wRC+. All of those marks are top five among qualified minor league catchers, and he’s the closest to the big leagues of anyone in those categories by far. Last week, he took him the International League Player of the Week after hitting .500 with three homers and six RBI. All of the momentum is going towards a major league debut for Teel, and the White Sox can only keep him in the minors for so long.
The under-the-hood numbers remain impressive as well. Teel’s average exit velocity sits just under 90 mph, and he has a 43.8% hard-hit rate. Both of those rank towards the middle among qualified MLB catchers. The 23-year-old does not have the underlying numbers that suggest he’s going to be a game changed like Anthony or Caglianone do. That said, his collegiate and professional track record of “average-to-good” offensive production, in tandem with his catcher eligibility, makes him an intriguing player to track this summer. The White Sox’s roster isn’t loaded with young talent to block him, so expect to seem Teel on the South side of Chicago by the end of next month.
6. Ryan Ritter, SS – Colorado Rockies
In a 72-hour period between May 25th and 27th, Ryan Ritter hit five home runs. Three of those dingers were hit over 104.7 mph and two traveled more than 400 feet. One was probably a little lucky (92.5 EV, .097 xBA), but it counts nonetheless. Ritter is in the middle of a 13-game hit streak, boosting his average from .218 on May 10th to .292 at the time of writing. While this level of production comes as a surprise, his track record as professional suggests that he may have been overlooked until now. In his first full season in 2023, Ritter hit 24 home runs and stole 20 bags. The 29% strikeout rate was a red flag at the time, but he’s cut that rate by over 7% since then. An ankle injury shortened his 2024 season, but he still produced a seven homer, 17 steal season with a 126 wRC+.
Ritter’s 2025 season is his best so far. He’s on pace for 44 home runs and his 142 wRC+ ranks fourth-best among qualified shortstops at AA or higher. That’s good enough production to threaten promotion for most MLB teams, but especially for Ritter’s parent club. The Colorado Rockies are on pace to be historically bad this year. At 9-47, they have shown little to no signs of life, and their roster is devoid of exciting talent (outside of Tovar, Doyle and Dollander). The Rockies did acquire Orlando Arcia, but they’re going to need a lot more to try and put out a somewhat competitive offense. Colorado should reward Ritter’s hot streak with an audition to lock down an everyday role in the lineup.
7. Brady House, 3B – Washington Nationals
Brady House has been left on the outside looking in, residing in the honorable mentions for several weeks this season. He cracks the list this week due to the promotions of Mayer and Young, not to mention to his .412 AVG, 2 homer week. After nearly the same amount of games, House’s 2025 numbers are vastly better than last year’s AAA stint. His average exit velocity has jumped just under four mph, and his hard-hit rate is up 7%. That’s resulted in a 35 point boost in his batting average, and a near 150 point boost to his OPS.
The Nationals are quickly losing pace in the race for the NL East, and may opt to see what they have in their young talent in the minors. There are just three hitters in Washington’s lineup above the age of 26, and if they opt to promote House, they may get even younger. The current nucleus of James Wood, Dylan Crews and C.J. Abrams is exciting enough as it is. Add the upside that House brings into that mix, and the Nationals look like a team to watch out for next year and beyond. The Nationals are currently without a long term third-base solution on the MLB roster, so look for them to give House a shot sometime this summer.
8. Bryce Eldridge, 1B – San Francisco Giants
In the interest of honesty, I’ll admit that Eldridge did not make the top ten until the eleventh hour. He was forced to settle for the honorable mentions until Saturday, when Young, Whitcomb and Mayo all made their way onto Major League rosters. These names landed ahead of the Giants’ slugger mostly due to their proximity as opposed to true upside. Eldridge carries a ton of the latter, and if he continues on his current trajectory, he should be able to showcase that in the Bay Area soon. Since May 1st, he’s hit six homers with a .313/.368/.573 slash line. His 169 wRC+ would rank 2nd among AA hitters over the course of the season so far, but instead his 158 will have to settle for 7th.
As of June 1st, the Giants are still right in the midst of the NL West race. The Dodgers and Padres are the clear #1 and #2 in the fight as things stand, but San Francisco is far from out of it. The pitching staff has quietly accumulated the 7th best fWAR among MLB teams this year, and rank second in xFIP(3.56) and ERA (3.20). Their offense has not lived up to the same standard. They rank 24th in OPS (.685), and 21st in homers (56). While Eldridge may not be ready to face MLB competition this very second, the Giants may need him to in the coming weeks. LaMonte Wade Jr.’s .171 average and 60 wRC+ is simply not up to the standard of a competitive team. Should Eldridge remain this productive, look out for the Giants to fast-track him to Oracle Park sometime this summer.
9. Coby Mayo, 3B – Baltimore Orioles
The downfall of Coby Mayo is going to be a storyline that I follow closely for the rest of the season. Last year, Mayo was in the top five on the Stash List for the majority of the season. Mayo hit 25 homers with a .293 average and 149 wRC+ in 93 games (missed time due to injury). He was rewarded with a 17-game stint with the big league club between August and September. That stint wasn’t pretty (.098 AVG, 47.8 K%). The struggles carried into the spring, which led to him breaking camp in AAA. Mayo was called up in May, but went 1-13 in four games and was sent back to Norfolk. Since being demoted, Mayo’s hitting .167 with a strikeout rate approaching 40%. Questions were raised about the treatment and handling of Mayo’s development, but those numbers are not indicative of a player with impact potential.
The underlying numbers don’t paint a pretty picture for Mayo either. He has struggled mightily against breaking pitches this season (.131 AVG, 48.3% whiff), and is hitting just .245 against four seamers. In 2024, all of those numbers were significantly better. There is still plenty of time for Mayo to get back on track, but he’s got a long way to go before he’s a viable stash option again. He stays on the list because of the upside he possesses, and the Orioles’ need for offense in their lineup. That said, this slump is entering it’s second month, and at some point his spot will have to go to someone hitting better than .200 over the last month.
10. Jonathon Long, INF – Chicago Cubs
When the Cubs drafted Long in the ninth round in 2023, I thought it was an absolute steal. The former Long Beach State standout is proving me right so far. Long is #1 in the Cubs system in AVG (.349), OPS (.948), wOBA (.424) and wRC+ (147), with 18 extra base hits in 48 games. His 93.3 mph average exit velocity and 58.3% hard-hit rate are also the top marks among Iowa Cubs players, higher than top prospects Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcántara, and Moisés Ballesteros. Those names have all made appearances on the stash list in the past, but the build of the Cubs’ roster makes it challenging to get any of them to the big leagues. Chicago’s bench is currently filled with low-ceiling veterans who can fill in for one/two game stints, but lack the production to be a mainstay in the lineup. Long has the bat and the defensive versatility to take over one of those roles and be a legit option for Craig Counsell to utilize.
Long primarily operates between first and third base, which are currently occupied by Michael Busch (128 wRC+) and Matt Shaw (173 wRC+ since 5/19). The Cubs shouldn’t force a change into a lineup that has been one of the best in baseball this season. Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson have been excellent up the middle as well. That means the only real path to at-bats is via the bench (barring an injury). Long also is not on the 40-man roster, so there would need to be a move to free up a spot to get him onto the roster. There’s a lot of hoops to jump through before Long can debut, but this level of production should be rewarded with a promotion sometime this summer.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.
Jordan Lawlar (Demoted on Thursday after 0-19 stint with Arizona. He will feature on next week’s list)
Stash List
