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
There have not been any promotions from last week's list this week.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Coby Mayo, 3B - Baltimore Orioles
No changes to the top spot in this week's stash list as Coby Mayo maintains his throne at the top of this list. Mayo is an elite offensive talent who is dominating Triple-A pitching. He crushed his 19th home run of the year this past week for Triple-A Norfolk. His power is something that not even the deep left field of Camden Yards will be able to contain.
https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1811215883441942576
Notably, Mayo has been getting time at first base this past week. With the trade deadline looming, this seems like a peculiar time for Mayo to be adding to his defensive versatility. While Mayo is unlikely to be traded out of Baltimore, the team could look at other options such as trading away Ryan Mountcastle to help solidify the rotation. Either way, Mayo is continuing to prove he is ready for the Major Leagues. Whether he comes up to replace Ramón Urías at third base or is the beneficiary of a trade, now is the perfect time to stash him. If he is still sitting on your waiver wire, you should pick him up as he has the chance to be a difference making bat for fantasy managers.
2. Jace Jung, 2B/3B - Detroit Tigers
After a brief stint on the IL, Jung returned to the Triple-A lineup on Tuesday. Jung played four games at Low-A homering in his final game before returning to Triple-A. This home run was a welcome sign for dynasty managers who were worried by the wrist injury Jung experienced. Jung also added another two homers in Triple-A on Friday. Jung's power is what makes him a top-tier fantasy asset. Despite shifting primarily to third base this year, Jung has enough power to be a fantasy-relevant player upon his promotion.
A promotion that should come soon. The Tigers promoted Justyn-Henry Malloy but even he is struggling to get anything going. Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry are splitting time at third base but the team is better served putting Vierling in the outfield full time. McKinstry is not doing much offensively and Akil Baddoo has not hit since his 2021 breakout. Jung represents an instant offensive upgrade for the Tigers' lineup. Once he shows that his wrist is no longer an issue, he should find himself playing in Detroit. The Tigers likelihood to be sellers at the trade deadline could open up more opportunities for Jung to earn a promotion.
3. Jacob Wilson, SS - Oakland Athletics
Jacob Wilson continues to move up the stash list landing at third this week. Wilson ranked in the 70s in my latest Top-100 prospect rankings but that was too low. The numbers he is putting up since his promotion to Triple-A are ridiculous and he deserves more recognition. Wilson's average between Double and Triple-A this season sits all the way up at .461, but he has been even better as of late. Since returning from the IL on June 25, Wilson is batting .488. Even more significant has been his sudden ability to hit balls out of the ball park. My hesitation with Wilson was that his hit-first profile would not produce much power or speed limiting his fantasy ceiling. Well, in his last 10 games, Wilson has crushed four home runs. There is more fantasy upside than I believed.
Despite being drafted last year, it is clear that Wilson is on the precipice of a Major League promotion. The Athletics continue to be in a rebuild phase and are trying different options at shortstop. Max Schuemann continues to get regular playing time as the everyday shortstop but he is not part of Oakland's long term plans. Wilson represents Oakland's future and will find himself in the Major Leagues before the end of August. His hit tool is incredible and he will provide an instant boost to your fantasy team's batting average.
5. Owen Caissie, OF - Chicago Cubs
With me taking the reigns of the stash list for a couple of weeks, Owen Caissie drops to the second most important player to stash on the Cubs. This has little to do with Caissie's personal performance though. He has been red hot at the plate over the past two weeks batting well over .300 since June 26. The issue is that his barrel rate has dropped significantly over the past month and his whiff rate is up. Since his last home run on June 16, Caissie is whiffing over 35% of the time. Strikeouts have plagued Caissie and could continue to be an issue for him throughout his professional career.
Part of the other reason for Caissie's short fall down this list is the crowdedness of Chicago's outfield. Even with Cody Bellinger on the IL, the team still has Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Alexander Canario. Plus, Mike Tauchman is on the IL as well. While Caissie is banging on the door and offers plenty of fantasy upside, it is fair to be concerned over how his playing time will look once promoted. He remains a strong stash option, but falls out of the must-stash territory in my ranks.
6. Nick Yorke, 2B - Boston Red Sox
After his professional debut in 2021, Nick Yorke was one of the most sought after prospects in all of baseball. His pedigree and dynasty value has decreased steadily since then, but is bouncing back in a big way in 2024. Since his promotion to Triple-A, Yorke has been a man on a mission. In just 28 games, Yorke has already hit six home runs and is a perfect 6/6 on the base paths. His contact skills have shown noticeable improvements since last year and he is even being more patient at the plate. Yorke's power was on full display last Wednesday as he crushed two home runs. Power has never been Yorke's calling card but the underlying numbers in Triple-A look fantastic. He is averaging over 92 mph on his exit velocity with a strong barrel rate and launch angle.
https://twitter.com/RedSoxPlayerDev/status/1811527084252234142
After making his stash list debut last week, Yorke moves up to sixth this week. David Hamilton has been serving as Boston's primary second baseman for the past few months. He has been excellent for fantasy managers thanks to his elite base stealing abilities. While this is great in fantasy, he is not helping the Red Sox much in real life. He has been struggling offensively for the past few weeks and profiles as a below-average offensive hitter. With Boston hanging around the playoff race, it would behoove them to put their most talented lineup on the field. Yorke should be a part of that lineup and it would not surprise me to see his name in Boston sooner rather than later. He might not have the same elite one-category upside that Hamilton is currently providing, but he will provide solid all around contributions to fantasy teams once promoted.
7. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B - Arizona Diamondbacks
I am not the biggest believer in Deyvison De Los Santos. That being said, anytime a prospect is in Triple-A with 27 home runs before the All-Star Break, he is worthy of stash consideration. De Los Santos has taken offense to being left off of Cleveland's Opening Day Roster and is turning that into offense (see what I did there). He is crushing Minor League pitching and has not slowed down since joining Triple-A. His average remains well over .300 for the season and he added another home run last Wednesday. My concerns come from his poor contact skills as well as his aggression at the plate. In a sense, he reminds me a lot of Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Massive power, but low walk rates and high whiff rates. Major League pitchers often have no trouble exploiting the weaknesses in aggressive young hitters. That is my fear with De Los Santos.
However, with great risk comes great reward. De Los Santos can demolish baseballs and has easy 40+ home run upside. Not many other prospects can say the same. With the trade deadline looming, De Los Santos could find himself in the Major Leagues sooner than later. The 2024 season has been a major disappointment for Eugenio Suárez whose wRC+ sits below 90. However, he is showing signs of life at the plate recently which could make him an attractive asset for a contending team. Arizona could flip Suarez and promote De Los Santos to the Major Leagues. He is worth stashing if you need a power boost at third base.
8. Dylan Crews, OF - Washington Nationals
Dylan Crews slides down on the stash list for me personally. While Crews still has tremendous upside as a prospect, there is no denying this season has not been what we expected. Overall on the season, Crews is up to 8 home runs and 20 stolen bases which is perfectly fine, but nothing to write home about. he is batting .253 since joining Triple-A but just .214 since the start of July. Looking at his Statcast numbers, Crews is doing most of his damage off fastballs. He is batting .294 with a .471 slug off heaters. However, off anything other than a fastball, Crews is whiffing over 33% of the time with just a .205 batting average. He is clearly not a finished product.
All of this and Crews still lands eighth on the stash list for this week. The Nationals clearly want Crews to succeed and might push him to the Major Leagues even if he is not ready. The second overall pick from last year's draft has plenty of fantasy upside thanks to plus power and speed. With the trade deadline right around the corner, the Nats could trade away Jesse Winker and open up playing time for Crews in D.C.
9. Junior Caminero, 3B - Tampa Bay Rays
What did Junior Caminero do in his first rehab game? Of course, Caminero blasted a home run to announce his return to the diamond. Caminero's raw power is impressive and is as good as any prospect in the Minor Leagues. The issue for him is getting to it consistently. Caminero has struggled to elevate the ball consistently throughout his professional career which is the biggest thing holding him back. Outside of that, Caminero is an excellent hitting prospect. He has 30+ home run potential and already has Major League experience. If he comes back from his injury looking strong, he could force his way to Tampa Bay very quickly.
The Rays have all but given up on Caminero's potential to stick at shortstop. He has primarily played third base this season with a few appearances at second. The Rays are not exactly setting the world on fire offensively this season. They are currently rotating the DH slot around to a variety of batters but have no true offensive player they are giving at-bats to. This is the perfect opportunity for Caminero to step in. The fantasy community is well aware of his upside making now the perfect time to stash him at the end of your bench. Once he is promoted, it will be too late.
10. Shay Whitcomb, INF/OF - Houston Astros
The numbers that Shay Whitcomb is putting up in Triple-A are not being talked about enough. He is up to 19 home runs with 22 stolen bases and an average over .300. He is the only Minor League batter age 25 or younger to have at least 15 homers, 20 steals, and an average of .300 or better. Sure, the Triple-A hitting environment that Whitcomb plays in is a factor here, but these are great numbers. Not just good numbers which makes Whitcomb worthy of stash consideration.
Whitcomb's versatility is what will get him to the Major Leagues. There is not any one obvious path for him to earn Major League at-bats but talent always wins out. The Astros have a clear need at first base and could use some help in the outfield. Whitcomb has started eight games in the outfield this season and could be called upon to play there this season. There is also the real possibility of a trade. Whitcomb is blocked in Houston and could be trade bait for the team to acquire a true outfielder or pitching help.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week's list in no particular order.
Nacho Alvarez Jr.
Stash List
