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
The Washington Nationals kept their youth movement in progress, promoting their top-hitting yet-to-debut prospect, Brady House, to start the week. Some eyebrows may have raised if you’d said that he’d be on a big league roster this early in 2o25, but his performance in the minors so far has been remarkable. House is just one of 14 qualified hitters aged 22 or younger in AAA this season. He ranks 6th among them in OPS (.873) and wRC+ (129), following closely behind other top prospects such as Lawlar and Anthony. House will need to improve on his 26.5% strikeout rate to be successful in the Majors, but his 90+ mph average exit velocity and 46% hard hit rate mean that the power he displayed in AAA (19 HR in 109 games) should carry into his big league career. With Washington slipping further and further away from the playoff picture, expect House to get plenty of chances to lock down his spot in the hot corner in the nation’s capital.
Stash List regular Shay Whitcomb was recalled to the Astros’ big league roster on Wednesday. He’s struggled against MLB opposition in limited opportunities (.184 career AVG), and it hasn’t been better this year. Despite only receiving eight PAs, he struck out in 50% of them, which prompted a return to the minors. With Brendan Rodgers going to the DL, Whitcomb will get another chance to establish himself. Until Whitcomb carves out consistent playing time, there’s little to no fantasy value here for managers to look at.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Chase DeLauter, OF – Cleveland Guardians
A war was waged all week between DeLauter and Basallo for who deserved the #1 spot on this week’s list. For the second consecutive week, the former retains the top spot, largely due to the more immediate proximity he has to the Majors. At the time of writing, DeLauter is on a four-game hit streak and is hitting .306 in his last ten games. Over that time frame, he’s struck out just four times, compared to eight walks. DeLauter’s 92.4 mph average exit velocity would rank just outside the top 25 marks in the Majors, and his 51.1% Hard Hit rate is inside the top 30. He showcased that power on Wednesday, blasting a 430-foot home run with an exit velocity over 107 miles an hour. His Z-Con rate (84.1%) and SwStr% (8.5%) are both significantly worse than his AAA marks last year, but both are still pretty good numbers.
There’s still plenty of risk attached to DeLauter. He’s yet to play more than 60 games in a season, and has just 16 games at AAA under his belt this season. If he can stay healthy, though, he represents the bat with the most upside and proximity in Cleveland’s system. Nolan Jones, Angel Martínez, and Johnathan Rodríguez haven’t been able to make an impact, so a change is on the horizon. Getting DeLauter onto the big league roster would require a corresponding move to clear up a 40-man spot, but there are plenty of candidates for replacement. The Guardians, currently in third in the division, are still in the playoff hunt, even if they’re on the outside looking in as things stand. Adding a potent power threat like DeLauter to their lineup could propel them even closer to a playoff spot.
2. Samuel Basallo, C – Baltimore Orioles
As was the case earlier this season, you can’t really go wrong with either DeLauter or Basallo on your roster right now. It’s more of a 1A/1B situation, with Basallo narrowly missing out on the 1A spot. The main reason is that DeLauter’s offensive floor is slightly higher than Basallo’s, and we’ve seen numerous prospects fail to assert themselves on the first time of asking. That, in tandem with Baltimore’s track record with developing and integrating their top prospects, makes me trust DeLauter slightly more. Baltimore’s treatment of their young talent has been questionable at best. Coby Mayo flip-flopped between the Majors and AAA, and now has a .186 AVG in 14 games. Heston Kjerstad is also under the .200 mark, and has a -1.1 WAR. Colton Cowser’s been injured, but he’s rocking a near-40% strikeout rate right now. These were all top prospects who were expected to drive Baltimore to the playoffs. Now, they’re ten games under .500 and 11 games out of the division lead halfway through June.
The Orioles have had some success stories. Jackson Holliday looks like he’s turned a corner. Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg have been steady run producers, with Adley Rutschman still a stalwart behind home plate. Basallo looks more likely to fall into this category as opposed to the other one, which is why he’s still in the top two spots. His growth so far in 2025 has been staggering. Basallo’s walk rate is his best mark of his career so far, and he’s on pace to smash his career high in home runs (20 in ’23, on pace for 27). The batted ball data continues to fit the mold of a top prospect, as the 94 mph average exit velocity and 57% hard hit rate put him in the Anthony/Caglianone range. The Orioles have options to get Basallo into the lineup, with minor lineup shuffling. He could serve as a DH, at first, or behind the plate. While that would move some other players around and require a corresponding 40-man move, it’s more than worth it to get Basallo into the lineup.
3. Jordan Lawlar, SS – Arizona Diamondbacks
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Jordan Lawlar struggled in his first MLB stint in 2025, going hitless in 22 plate appearances with a 40% strikeout rate. Since returning, he’s shown why he’s still considered a top prospect despite a career MLB OPS of .259. Since returning to AAA, he’s registered a .636 SLG, .439 wOBA, and a 144 wRC+. The first two numbers would be the top marks among MLB shortstops right now, and the final number would be comfortably inside the top three. At the time of writing, Lawlar has homered in two straight games and has either a run or an RBI in his last three. He’s reached safely in five straight and has added three steals to his season total.
Lawlar remains on the 40-man, so a long-term injury on Arizona’s roster could signal a return to the Majors for MLB’s #4 prospect. His defensive spot is currently occupied by the 7th most productive shortstop in baseball (by fWAR), so there’s little chance that Lawlar stays in that spot in the Majors. Eugenio Suárez is still in the top five in home runs with 21, so his bat is too valuable to take out of the lineup. Second base? Nope. Ketel Marte has a 160 wRC+. We’ve seen prospects struggle in their first few stints in the Majors, then rebound and be a valuable offensive weapon, but there just isn’t a clear path for Lawlar to get consistent reps and at-bats in Arizona’s current roster.
4. CJ Kayfus, 1B – Cleveland Guardians
As discussed in the DeLauter segment, the Guardians need more offense if they’re going to get themselves into playoff contention. Cleveland sits in the bottom five among MLB teams in runs (270, 25th), batting average (.232, 25th), and OPS (.678, 24th). Meanwhile, Kayfus has the 10th best wRC+ (177) among all minor league hitters (min. 150 PAs), to go with the 8th best OPS (1.004). He hasn’t been phased in his first 39 games in AAA, posting an impressive .423 wOBA, which would be the 7th best mark at the level if he had qualified. Kayfus doesn’t possess elite power that you’d expect from a corner infield prospect, but 25 home runs in 164 games is nothing to scoff at. He has the ability to spray the ball to all fields and avoids hitting too many grounders. The bat-to-ball (66% Z-Swing, 85% Z-Con) also ensures that he won’t be a frequent strikeout victim at the next level.
Kayfus’ .412 BABIP likely isn’t sustainable at the next level, so expecting him to carry over his AAA productivity into the show may be unrealistic. That said, Kayfus looks remarkably poised at the plate, and his lefty swing is a thing of beauty. He has the ability to extend his swing to get to breaking balls on the outer half, while also maintaining the ability to get to inside fastballs. Kayfus, along with DeLauter, may not represent a complete solution to Cleveland’s offensive woes, but they can’t hurt. Kayfus may be forced into an unfamiliar defensive home with Kyle Manzardo and Carlos Santana splitting time at first and at DH. He’s spent some time in the corner outfield spots, but will have to compete with DeLauter when they’re both on the roster. There’s still plenty of question marks around how he’ll fit on the roster, but once he gets there, he’ll have the tools to produce immediately.
5. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B – Miami Marlins
De Los Santos returned from a quad strain last week (missed that last week, my apologies), and is slowly returning to full health. In four games between the Complex League and Single-A, he’s hitting .231 with three walks and four strikeouts. The power we’ve become so accustomed to hasn’t materialized so far, and it was down a significant amount before the injury, but he still possesses it. A 40-homer season is no fluke. That said, his 35% HR/FB rate last year was nothing short of ludicrous, and that was always going to regress. His contact rates have remained consistent between this year and last, but at 77% Z-Con and 67% contact, there’s plenty of room for improvement. De Los Santos’ average exit velocity (91.5 mph) and 50% Hard Hit rate indicate that there’s still plenty of pop in his swing, but if he keeps this pace, he’ll fall well short of his 2024 homer total.
There’s no long-term option at first base in Miami right now. The Matt Mervis experiment didn’t pan out, and Eric Wagaman has cooled down after a hot start to the year. The latter has still been serviceable, but at 27 years old with a .666 career OPS in the Majors, a breakout season is unlikely. Simply put, the Marlins don’t have a better option at first base for this year and beyond. De Los Santos’ glove isn’t going to win him any gold gloves (4 errors at 1B this season), but the bat is just too good to keep out of the lineup. Whether it’s at DH or at first, Miami should give De Los Santos a shot to lock down an everyday role once he fully returns from his injury troubles.
6. Bryce Eldridge, 1B – San Francisco Giants
Did anything happen this week that could affect Eldridge’s promotion timeline? No? Okay, business as usual then. Jokes aside, the Giants’ acquisition of Rafael Devers sent seismic waves throughout the baseball world, but will undoubtedly have an impact on the future of San Francisco’s top hitting prospect. The team hasn’t been crystal clear about where Devers will fit into the defensive lineup, saying that he could play some first (which would be just hilarious), third, and serve as the designated hitter. Any of those spots would require some shuffling, with Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores serving as key bats for the Giants right now. The most natural fit (in my opinion) would be to keep Chapman at third, and Wilmer at first, and deploy Devers as the DH for most games. Should that scenario materialize, Eldridge’s potential spot becomes unclear.
Before this week, my biggest perceived need for the Giants going into trade season was a more consistent power threat. Well, they acquired a player averaging just under 30 home runs over six full seasons, and he is on pace for 33 in his seventh (2017 and 2020 excluded). At the same time, Eldridge is just 6-45 in the month of June with a 35.3% strikeout rate and 19 wRC+. This combination of circumstances would result in a drop down the list for anyone. Eldridge still possesses immense upside, and his performance up until this month has been remarkable. He’s still averaging over 93 miles an hour on balls in play, but over 50% of those instances in AAA are resulting in ground balls. If he can get that number closer to his AA mark (37%), he should see his production rebound. I still think Eldridge makes his debut this summer, but the signing of Devers makes that scenario a little more unclear than it was a week ago.
7. Brooks Baldwin, UTL – Chicago White Sox
8. Colby Thomas, OF – Athletics
Okay, seriously, what more does Colby Thomas have to do to warrant getting a chance against MLB competition? He’s been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball over the last two seasons and has maintained a high level of production through 70 games this season. He remains on pace for 35 homers and a staggering 150 RBIs. Granted, he plays most of his games in very offense-friendly ballparks in the PCL, but the 42% hard hit rate and average exit velocity north of 90 miles an hour show that this production is legit. In the five games since last week’s list, Thomas is 4-13 with one homer, six RBIs, and five walks. Those numbers are good enough for a .470 wOBA and 162 wRC+.
The one excuse the Athletics could point to as a reason to keep Thomas in the minors is the existing young core. For a team in the midst of a rebuild, taking a potential cornerstone (Butler), a breakout power hitter (Soderstrom), and a blossoming defensive wizard (Clarke) out of the lineup would be counterintuitive. The A’s have pieces that could be key contributors to a winning team, Kurtz and Wilson especially, but they also have some “spare parts.” Max Schuemann and JJ Bleday have been (somewhat) productive during their years with the club, but would they get playing time on a winner? Probably not. It’s time to see what the A’s have in Thomas. If he succeeds, he becomes another piece of the A’s young nucleus. If he doesn’t, then at least we have a clear answer.
9. Owen Caissie, CHC – Chicago Cubs
There were three names from the same organization in contention for a spot on this week’s list, but the 22-year-old Canadian wins out this week. Jonathon Long and Moisés Ballesteros have made compelling cases this season, but I have concerns about both (Long’s roster fit and Ballesteros’ defense). That’s not to say that Caissie is a perfect prospect, devoid of flaws, who should be on the roster right now, but he’s more likely to get consistent playing time. He’s been red hot in June, hitting .383 with four homers and a 1.186 OPS in 72 PA’s. His average exit velocity (92.5) and hard hit rate (54.3%) both have taken big jumps from last season, in which he hit 19 homers with a 115 wRC+.
The Cubs’ outfield has been remarkable this season. Pete Crow-Armstrong is a bona fide superstar, with Kyle Tucker turning into more of a co-star than a franchise player. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki have also been very good at the top of the lineup. That said, the baseball season is a marathon. Happ and Suzuki have both missed time in previous seasons due to various injuries, and Tucker was day-to-day for about a week with a hand issue. The drop off in production if one of these bats goes down is significant. Vidal Bruján is the only bench option with the ability to play the outfield, but his bat leaves plenty to be desired. In the hypothetical scenario that one of the Cubs’ stars goes down for a prolonged period of time, Caissie may be called upon to replicate some of the lost production.
10. Brice Matthews, INF – Houston Astros
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.
Stash List
