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
Ladies and gentlemen, it finally happened: James Wood is a Washington National. MLB’s #3 prospect debuted with the big-league club on Monday against the Mets. Wood had spent a handful of weeks at the top of the Stash List because of his sky-high potential and his ability to make an impact right away. He wasted no time making an impact, smashing a single at 107 miles per hour through the left side of the infield. Wood immediately becomes one of the most exciting players in the Major Leagues, and will add a dangerous bat to a Nationals’ lineup that desperately needs one.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Coby Mayo, 3B – Baltimore Orioles
Coby Mayo claims the throne of the Stash List following the graduation of James Wood. The Orioles’ third baseman has been on the fringes of the big leagues all season. He could have been up last month, but a rib injury derailed a stellar start to the season. He hasn’t missed a beat since returning though. Since the start of his rehab stint on June 13th, Mayo is hitting .366 with seven home runs between High-A and AAA. His 164 wRC+ is third among all qualified AAA hitters, behind two players who have spent time in the Majors this season (Wood, Horwitz). Mayo has earned a call-up and then some, and Baltimore has to be running out of reasons not to give him a shot.
Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías have split time at third base this season, with the former putting up much better offensive stats than the latter. Westburg ranks third among MLB third-basemen with a 2.7 WAR. However, he has also played 33 games at second base, so a move across the infield to accommodate Mayo isn’t out of the question. Urias has been below-average at the dish, so if Baltimore wants to upgrade his spot in the lineup, they have a great option in Mayo. The Orioles have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball, so they may not be pressed to make a change, but Coby Mayo is doing everything in his power to force a debut.
2. Jace Jung, 2B/3B – Detroit Tigers
Jace Jung made his return from injury on July 1st in Single-A. He went 0-3 with two walks after missing ten days with wrist soreness. He went 2-5 in his second game and should start to regain his timing as the season moves along. Jung moves into second on the priority list for redraft owners and is one of the game’s top prospects. The team has primarily been using him as a third baseman this year but that shoud not alter his path to the Major Leagues. Jung has effortless power to his pull side and utilizes it well. There are some holes in his swing, but he has improved his swinging strike rate this season and has excellent plate discipline.
In terms of the path to the Big Leagues, Jung has plenty of opportunities. Once he completes his rehab, it should not be long before he finds himself in Detroit. Matt Vierling is serving as the primary third baseman but he has spent half of the season playing outfield and could easily shift back out there. Gio Urshela is playing a lot of third base and Parker Meadows was just recalled from Triple-A. Jung is more talented than all of those players and will force his way up sooner or later.
3. Owen Caissie, OF – Chicago Cubs
Out of all of the players featured on the Stash List this year, Owen Caissie has arguably been the most consistent. The 21-year-old slugger has avoided injury and put up solid numbers throughout 2024. He’s been even better recently, batting .314 in his last eight games. The highlight of that stretch came against the St. Paul Saints in Iowa. Caissie went 3-5 with two runs. He also demonstrated his main flaw in that game though, striking out twice. Caissie’s near 30% strikeout rate has been a red flag for his entire career, and while he’s made some slight improvements this year, it’s still concerningly high.
That shouldn’t dissuade the Cubs from taking a look at Caissie. Their offense continues to be among the worst in the National League (12th in AVG, 14th in OPS). Seiya Suzuki has been a solid bat in the outfield, with 11 homers and a 126 wRC+. Every other outfield bat for the Northsiders has been underwhelming. Ian Happ continues to be one of the streakiest hitters in the league, and Pete Crow-Armstrong hasn’t found form in the Majors. Jed Hoyer is facing some tough decisions as the Cubs continue to drop games to NL Wildcard rivals. Soon, he will be tasked with finding a way to get Owen Caissie into the lineup.
5. Dylan Crews, OF – Washington Nationals
Dylan Crews is now the undisputed most exciting bat in the Nationals organization yet to make his Major League debut. Crews aim to be the next player from the first round of the 2023 Draft to make their debut, behind Nolan Schanuel and Paul Skenes (although the next player on this list may give him some competition). With James Wood now in Washington, Crews has been handed the reins to the center field spot in Rochester. His numbers in AAA in 12 games haven’t been as good as they were in AA, but he’s still flashing the tools that made him the #2 overall selection last year.
Crews’ are starting to heat up. In two games last weekend, he went 4-10 with six runs. That marked his first back-to-back multi-hit games since June 13th. He’s stolen eighteen bases on the season, a sign that his speed that lit up collegiate baseball will be effective at the next level. He’s also been a consistent presence in center field. In 93 innings since his promotion, he’s yet to make an error at the position. He’s made just one error in the outfield as a professional. Crews has all of the tools that fantasy managers could ask for in a center-field prospect, and he may be making an impact in the Majors soon.
6. Matt Shaw, INF – Chicago Cubs
Matt Shaw is putting himself into consideration for a summer call-up right in front of our eyes. For the third straight week, the Cubs’ offense has been abysmal. Chicago went into the season with a question mark at third base, and it seemed like they were content with letting Christopher Morel handle the position every day. To put it nicely, that experiment hasn’t gone to plan. It was no secret that Morel’s strengths lay with his bat, not his glove, but both have been dreadful this year. Among third basemen with more than 500 innings at the position, Morel ranks dead last in DRS (-7), OAA (-9), and FRV (-7). He’s also hitting just .198 with a 96 wRC+ at the time of writing. The power he provides is a plus, but there are too many red flags to warrant keeping him at the hot corner in the future.
Shaw is the antithesis to Morel. He plays great defense at third, despite playing shortstop primarily up until this year. So far in 2024, Shaw has ten home runs, 19 steals, and a wRC+ of 135. Since June 20th, he’s hitting .348 with three doubles and three home runs. The Cubs have not been afraid to be aggressive with their infielders in the past. Nico Hoerner played just 75 minor league games and skipped AAA entirely before locking down a spot in the middle of the infield. Morel also made the jump straight from AA to the Majors in 2022. Shaw would benefit from some time in Iowa but don’t be surprised if he is fast-tracked to Wrigley if things don’t improve on the North Side soon.
7. Shay Whitcomb, INF/OF – Houston Astros
Shay Whitcomb has been on the fringes of the Stash List for several weeks and finally makes his debut this week. The former fifth-round pick out of UC San Diego has slowly but steadily climbed through the Astros’ farm system and now finds himself on the fringes of the Major League club. Until 2024, Whitcomb had glaring strikeout issues, with rates hovering around 30% at every minor league stop. He was also not taking many walks. His career-high high walk-rate before this season was 10.7% in 41 games at Single-A in 2021. He looks like a completely different player this year though, with career bests in strikeout rate and walk rate. The power numbers have been stellar too. Whitcomb is well on his way to matching his tally of 35 dingers in 2023, mashing 18 already this season.
The Astros have started to turn their season around. They have gone 18-8 in June so far and are 9-1 in their last ten games. Jose Altuve is playing like an All-Star again alongside Yordan Alvarez. Jeremy Peña and Alex Bregman haven’t set the world on fire, but they’ve been solid complementary pieces. On paper, it looks like Whitcomb will have a tough time finding a place in the lineup, but his versatility could allow him to find an opportunity. He’s played everywhere in the infield, in addition to spending some time in the outfield. Whitcomb’s performance this year has warranted a call-up, and Houston should be able to integrate him into their lineup in pursuit of a return to the playoffs.
8. Adrian Del Castillo, C – Arizona Diamondbacks
Adrian Del Castillo continues his outstanding 2024, establishing himself as one of the breakout prospects of the season. The 24-year-old backstop leads the minor leagues in doubles and is second in total hits (behind the next man on this list). His .329 batting average is the highest among minor league catchers (min. 100 PA’s). His 88% zone-contact percentage would put him among the top 30 hitters in the Majors. Del Castillo has been pounding on the door of the Diamondbacks roster, and the catching tandem in Arizona may not be strong enough to prevent a debut.
Gabriel Moreno has returned from injury after missing after missing ten days with a thumb injury. He is yet to return to his 2023 form that made him one of the most exciting young catchers in the league. His wRC+ is down 13 points between this season and last, and his batting average is down nearly 50 points. Moreno’s status as the incumbent behind the plate for the NL Champions will likely keep him as the starter, but there could be improvements behind him. Jose Herrera hasn’t offered much offensively (41 wRC+), albeit in limited time. Should Moreno continue to struggle at the plate, Del Castillo would provide a solid change of pace for the Diamondbacks to plug into the lineup.
9. Nick Yorke, 2B – Boston Red Sox
Brooks Lee’s promotion to the Major Leagues opened the door for Boston’s first prospect on the Stash List since Kyle Teel at the start of the season. Nick Yorke has been nothing short of excellent since reaching AAA at the beginning of June. In 22 games since arriving in Worcester, the 2020 first-round pick is hitting .348 with a .988 OPS and 157 wRC+. His 45 games in AA pre-promotion were not bad by any means (.251/.325/.366, 98 wRC+) but he’s been a man possessed since the promotion. The biggest improvements in his game have been in his plate discipline. Since arriving at AAA, his swinging-strike % is down over two points. His zone-contact rate has also been stellar, hovering around 90%. These improvements at AAA could land Yorke on the Red Sox roster before the dog days of summer are up.
The Red Sox haven’t seen massive production from their middle infielders this season. Ceddanne Rafaela, Emmanuel Valdez, and David Hamilton have handled the majority of innings up the middle this season, but none of them have been stellar. Hamilton leads the group with a wRC+ of 105, adding 21 steals as well. Both Rafaela and Valdez have underperformed though, putting up 83 and 81 wRC+ respectively. Considering the resources invested in Rafaela, his spot is safe. However, if the Red Sox want to upgrade their production from their middle infielders, Nick Yorke is a great option waiting in AAA.
10. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B – Arizona Diamondbacks
Like Whitcomb, Deyvison De Los Santos is a player who has been on the fringes of the Stash List for a couple of weeks now. He made headlines during the offseason after Cleveland selected him in the Rule 5 Draft. He returned to Arizona after the Guardians failed to add him to the 26-man roster, and has been excellent ever since. De Los Santos is the clear home run leader in the minor leagues with 26 dingers. The power he possesses has always been the main point of interest with him, as he hit 20 home runs in both 2022 and 2023. This year has been a step up though, as his batting average is nearly 100 points higher than it was last season.
The Diamondbacks haven’t been able to replicate the magic of last season. They sit two games under .500, still in the thick of the Wildcard race, but they need a spark to reignite their season. De Los Santos has primarily been used as a corner infielder this season, with mixed results. He has made eight errors this season (seven at 1B, one at 3B) and made 14 last season. Christian Walker ranks third among MLB first basemen in WAR (2.1) so his spot is safe. Eugenio Suárez’s spot is not. The veteran ranks 19th out of 20 qualified third basemen with a WAR of 0.3. He’s hitting .196 with a 70 wRC+. If the Diamondbacks decide to move on from Suarez, they have a bonafide power threat ready to step in.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.
Stash List