The Hitter Edition of the Stash List is back for the 2024 season.
This Stash List highlights the 10 best-hitting prospects likely to make an impact during the 2024 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 2024 ETA, and getting ahead of the curve on rostering these prospects is a key part of roster management. Last year we saw more prospects debut than ever, and there is no reason we should expect to see anything change in 2024. 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 2024.
- 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
After a hectic few days last week, It was a slow period for prospect promotions. No one from any previous stash list was promoted to the Major Leagues this week. The highlights among the roster moves this week were Austin Martin and Trey Lipscomb returning to the Twins and Nationals respectively. Here’s to hoping some top prospects jump to the Majors in the coming weeks.
A former Stash List mainstay, Coby Mayo, was assigned to Single A to begin his rehab assignment. If he performs up to the standard he was playing at pre-injury, he will be back on the list in no time. The missed time has not seemed to affect him. He’s hitting .750 with two home runs in the two games since returning.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. James Wood, OF – Washington Nationals
We’re still playing the waiting game with James Wood. He remains inactive since leaving the game on May 23rd with a hamstring issue. It’s never been seen as a serious issue unlike the injuries to Junior Caminero or Coby Mayo, so he remains at the top of the list. Wood’s potential to be a game-changer at the Major League level has been well documented, and if he proves that he is 100% healthy after his absence, he may get a chance to prove it.
The Nationals need some extra firepower in their lineup. They rank 29th in home runs, just one ahead of the last-place Tampa Bay Rays. They also rank toward the bottom in SLG, OPS, and runs. Outside of CJ Abrams, there isn’t much to be excited about in Washington’s lineup. The veterans that they brought in have not panned out. Joey Gallo is hitting well below .200, and the lofty power numbers haven’t been present this year. Lane Thomas has also regressed from a solid 2023 season, hitting just .222 with a 79 wRC+. Despite this, the Nationals are still in the thick of the Wildcard hunt. Making some savvy moves could propel Washington into a surprise playoff berth. While I wouldn’t call promoting Wood “savvy”, it is the right move to invigorate a struggling lineup.
Jace Jung has started June on fire. In nine games between June 1st and the time of writing, he’s hitting .400 with three home runs and twelve walks. He’s only struck out four times in that period and has a wRC+ of 249. Those are the signs of a player ready for an audition in the Major Leagues. His .935 OPS is the best in the Tigers organization among hitters outside the Complex League and is now 50 points higher than Justyn-Henry Malloy, who was called up last week. On June 11th, he hit two home runs, his first multi-homer game. He’s shown that he’s more than ready for a run of games in the Major Leagues, and the Tigers could use another solid bat on their roster.
Detroit ranks 26th in home runs, and 24th in batting average and OPS. These numbers have led the Tigers to a 32-34 record in the AL Central. With the Guardians and Royals playing excellent baseball this season, the chances for Detroit to make a run at a playoff spot are diminishing. As I said last week, the Tigers may need to make drastic changes to their lineup if things don’t improve. Colt Keith is going through another dismal stretch in the Majors. So far in June he is 2-27 with a wRC+ of -67. He has been very unlucky though, with a hard-hit rate of 57% and a BABIP of .095. Still, if Keith’s struggles continue, he may find himself temporarily out of the lineup, allowing Jung a chance to prove himself against MLB competition.
3. Jasson Dominguez, OF – New York Yankees
I would like to formally apologize to Jasson Domínguez, clearly putting him at #9 last week was far too low. He has returned to professional baseball with a vengeance and is on the verge of a recall to the Yankees just weeks after returning from injury. He was optioned to AAA after returning from the 60-day IL, but if he continues to perform he won’t be there for long. In 20 games since returning to action, he’s hitting .368 with six home runs and a wRC+ of 189. His smooth lefty swing has been a welcome sight for Yankees fans who have been waiting to see how Dominguez returned from Tommy John surgery. On June 9th, that swing deposited his sixth home run over the right field fence. Then, two days later he hit a single up the middle at 111 miles per hour. The Yankees don’t need to rush Dominguez back into the fold, their current center fielder isn’t half bad, but having another young impact bat on the roster couldn’t hurt.
The exit velocity on Jasson Domínguez's past 6 hits:
109.6 mph
58
109.8
84.9
111.6
109.2@swbrailriders | @Yankees | @NYYPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/Cf1DWoyOXO— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 12, 2024
Dominguez’s path to playing time isn’t crystal clear. For obvious reasons, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto will not lose their long-term spots in the lineup. Giancarlo Stanton is paid far too much to take out of the batting order permanently. The last man standing is Alex Verdugo. He’s been solid for the Bronx Bombers in left field. His 1.6 WAR ranks are 10th among players in his position up until this point in the season. The most likely scenario that would result in “The Martian” returning to Yankee Stadium would be in place of Oswaldo Cabrera or Trent Grisham on the bench. At 48-21, Aaron Boone won’t feel any pressure to make a move right now, but Dominguez’s performances in the minor leagues may force his hand.
NOTE: Jasson Dominguez was placed on the Injured List on Sunday. Yankees’ Manager Aaron Boone said that Dominguez felt something in his side after a checked swing. Once more information is released regarding his condition, his place on future stash lists will become more clear.
4. Owen Caissie, OF – Chicago Cubs
The situation remains unchanged for the Chicago Cubs. Tuesday’s game against the Rays was indicative of the issues that have been plaguing Craig Counsell’s team all season long. With the Cubs up 1-0 in the top of the fifth inning, Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to start the inning and then advanced to third. With one out and the speed demon on third base, Mike Tauchman failed to put the bat on the ball to drive in a run. Seiya Suzuki then hit a ball 106 miles an hour which resulted in a groundout. Brandon Lowe completed Tampa’s comeback with a walk-off home run to give the Rays a 5-2 win. The Cubs also dropped Thursday’s game similarly, losing by one run after only mustering two runs on offense. While Caissie may not be a blanket fix to the offensive woes in Chicago, his promotion would be indicative of a step in the right direction.
Owen Caissie’s 10th homer of the season goes 422 feet off the bat at 110.9 mph🚀 pic.twitter.com/MAl82QsENo
— The Call Up | An MLB Prospect Podcast (@The_CallUpPod) June 13, 2024
Caissie provides something that the Cubs are desperately lacking right now, a consistent power threat. Outside of Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel, Chicago does not have a player on the roster with 40+ home run potential, and both of the names listed have been inconsistent at best this season. On Wednesday, Caissie showcased his power by smashing a home run off the scoreboard, more than 420 feet from home plate. He still has his flaws, striking out at a near 30% clip in AAA this season, far higher than an ideal rate. On top of that, the Cubs roster has plenty of outfielders that are locked into their spots. Bellinger isn’t vacating a lineup spot, and neither are Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki. Crow-Armstrong has been a bolt of lightning when he’s played so I doubt he gets sent back down. One of the Bote-Wisdom-Tauchman trio will have to make room for Caissie should a promotion be on the cards.
5. Noelvi Marte, INF – Cincinnati Reds
Noelvi Marte made his season debut on June 11th, going 2-5 with a double. He isn’t eligible to return to the Major Leagues until June 27th, but if he puts up strong numbers in the two weeks between now and then, he won’t have to wait long past that date to return to the Majors. Marte was very impressive in his first run in MLB last season, putting up a 120 wRC+ with three home runs in 35 games. Marte projects as an everyday third baseman with a high offensive upside and a good enough glove to stick at the position. The Reds are in a good spot right now with infield talent, but Marte’s talent should land him a consistent spot in Cincinnati’s lineup. These next two weeks will provide a lot more clarity about what the rest of Marte’s 2024 will look like.
The Reds are stuck in the dogfight that is the NL Central. Milwaukee has jumped ahead of the pack for now. Every other team in the division is within half of a game with each other. Cincinnati has a good problem on their hands in the pursuit of the Brewers. They have an abundance of exciting bats in their lineup. Elly De La Cruz isn’t going anywhere, his game-changing talent is essential to the success of the team. The Reds are also financially committed to Jeimer Candelario, so his spot is safe. The most logical move would be to move Candelario to first base, move Spencer Steer to left field, opening up the hot corner for Marte. Cincinnati is far from out of the playoff picture, and adding Marte to the lineup should give them a boost.
Orelvis Martinez is one of three players that dropped three spots on the list this week. He hasn’t been bad in AAA in June, but he hasn’t performed to the necessary level to force a call-up. Martinez has hit .222 with two home runs this month. In the last week, he’s pushed his wRC+ up by 12 points, from 101 to 113. These are signs that Martinez is on the right track, but he will have to perform with a little more consistency to get the call-up. He hit .310 in April, then managed an average of just .205 in May. Improving his average by 20 points is a step in the right direction, but the Blue Jays haven’t shown any urgency to call him up as things stand.
I think Jays fans are dying for Orelvis Martinez to come up and help boost a below-avg offense, and usually the reason you hear is that his 2B def is a work in progress.
But I think it's also this: look at this huge platoon split. Is there room for a lefty-masher only? pic.twitter.com/RptL2IlB4G
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) June 10, 2024
As MLB.com’s Mike Petriello points out, Martinez has struggled against right-handers this year. That 220-point gap between his OPS numbers between righties and lefties is likely a red flag for Toronto. His defense has also been questionable at best. He has 14 errors this season, 12 at second base, and two at third base. For context, the MLB error leader, Elly De La Cruz, has 11 errors so far. There is no question that Martinez’s bat has value for the Blue Jays, but he may be considered a defensive liability. Toronto has deployed Spencer Horwitz at second base since his call-up, a position he’s only played 17 times in his minor league career. Martinez still holds value, but the question marks about his splits and defense have quieted some of the buzz around him.
7. Jordan Lawlar, SS – Arizona Diamondbacks
Jordan Lawlar announced his return to the world in emphatic fashion on Tuesday. He went 3-5 with a double and a home run for the AAA Reno Aces in his first game after a rehab assignment in the Complex League. Some were concerned that the D-Backs’ top prospect would return with a degree of rust after missing the beginning of the season with a wrist injury, but he’s proven that he’s healthy. Lawlar has been red hot in June. In six games since the turn of the month, he’s hitting .385 with three doubles and five stolen bases. If he continues to play this way, the Diamondbacks will have to consider bringing their top prospect into the fold.
Jordan Lawlar returned tonight and is 2-for-2 with a homer and a double.
The vibes are immaculate.
pic.twitter.com/WMv70Jvvhh— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) June 12, 2024
Geraldo Perdomo made his return to the Major Leagues on June 11th after missing the beginning of the season with a meniscus tear. For now, he’s Arizona’s #1 option at shortstop. Blaze Alexander and Kevin Newman have provided solid production in his absence and will be good depth pieces for the Snakes going forward. Eugenio Suárez hasn’t performed to expectation, so one of the bench options may take his spot before long. The infield is crowded at Chase Field, but Lawlar is playing his way into contention for playing time
NOTE: Lawlar left Saturday’s game with a hamstring issue. He will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury. His status on the list in the coming weeks will heavily depend on the diagnosis he receives.
8. Matt Shaw, INF – Chicago Cubs
Matt Shaw dropped two places because of the otherworldly play of Jasson Domínguez and the impending return of Noelvi Marte. I’ll admit I’m beginning to be torn between Shaw and James Triantos (21 SB, seven-game hit-streak ended Thursday). Shaw has gotten off to a rough start in June as well, which hasn’t helped his case to move up on the list. So far this month he’s hitting just .171, striking out nine times. A similar stretch earlier this season left me to question Shaw’s proximity to the big leagues, but I still think he’s in with a shot to contribute this season. He’s shown an ability to hit for power to all fields and has been a bonafide threat on the base paths. Sure, the batting average is lower than ideal, but the strikeout and walk rates he possesses aren’t signs of any red flags up until this point.
I think I made my point clear when writing about Caissie. The Chicago Cubs need consistency in their lineup. While Shaw hasn’t been the model of consistency this season, his track record of success at all levels up to this point of his career gives me confidence that he’ll find his footing. The hot corner has been a question mark for the Cubs for over a year. Christopher Morel is simply not good enough defensively to hold down that spot long-term, and Jed Hoyer hasn’t shown a willingness to part with his prospect core to upgrade that spot. Shaw’s ability to play the hot corner, as well as produce results offensively makes his path to the Majors clearer than some of the names below him. He likely won’t debut for the Cubs this month, but when he does come up, I expect him to lay a permanent claim to third base at Wrigley Field.
9. Brooks Lee, SS – Minnesota Twins
Brooks Lee continues to impress on his road back from injury. In five games at Single-A, he registered a 143 wRC+. In his next five games, at AAA, he’s hitting .333 with a 137 wRC+. Lee, alongside Emmanuel Rodriguez, is the Twins most exciting hitting prospect and the former is close to earning his first appearances in the Major Leagues. He’s hitting .292 in June, with two extra-base hits and five walks. Minnesota’s starting infield is set, but there isn’t a ton of depth behind the first team.
Brooks Lee 👀👀 2-3 on the day#MNTwins
pic.twitter.com/gQHujkJtx7— Twins Talk (@LetsTalk_Twins) June 12, 2024
Edouard Julien lost his roster spot after Royce Lewis returned from injury. Julien was hitting just .207 with a 34% strikeout rate when he was demoted. AAA hasn’t been kind to him either. Since arriving he’s hitting just .125 with a wRC+ of 27. Should something happen on the Twins roster, they will likely look to another option before recalling him. Austin Martin was just called up in place of Alex Kirilloff, which likely means he will spend most of his time in the outfield. Yunior Severino is also on the 40-man, but Lee’s ceiling is higher than his. The injury history of both Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis has made headlines in past years. They are both performing well though, with Correa hitting .432 and Lewis hitting four home runs this month. If an injury was to occur, Brooks Lee may be the next Twins prospect to get an opportunity.
10. Jackson Holliday, SS – Baltimore Orioles
I’m not quite sure what to make of Jackson Holliday. His value in dynasty leagues is unquestionable. He has the potential to be a franchise-altering player for the next decade. However, his impact in the immediate future is unclear. He’s the consensus #1 prospect in baseball but struggled mightily in his first audition with Baltimore. Since returning to AAA, he hasn’t been able to recreate his almost otherworldly production. Before his call-up to the Majors, he was hitting .333 with a 179 wRC+. Since returning to Norfolk, he has a .252 average with a 127 wRC+. That is far from a bad stat line, but it likely isn’t enough to displace one of the many talented infielders on the Orioles roster.
I still think that Holliday will be back at Camden Yards this season, but the O’s do not need to rush him. Gunnar Henderson is playing like an MVP candidate, and Jordan Westburg has built a solid case for an All-Star appearance. Ramón Urías has been red hot in June, hitting .300. He has a 114 wRC+ on the season, which will make him hard to replace. Heston Kjerstad, Connor Norby and Holliday have all had trouble carving out a consistent role with Baltimore. Holliday still holds value in redraft leagues, but I don’t think he will live up to the lofty expectations that some were putting on him for the 2024 season.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.
Stash List