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The Stash List Week 16: Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash in 2026

Top 10 pitching prospects to stash in redraft league.

John Villavicencio
Dynasty An Hour Ago

The Pitcher Edition of the Stash List highlights the 10 best pitching prospects likely to make an impact during the 2026 season.

Prospects are often thought of as holding value only in dynasty formats. However, knowing which prospects hold value for the current season can help set you apart in redraft leagues. Several have a 2026 ETA, and getting ahead of the curve on rostering these prospects is a key part of roster management. Last year, we saw more pitching prospects make their debut than ever before, and there is no reason we should expect to see anything change in 2026. Keep reading to find out the top ten pitchers you should stash in your redraft leagues.

Ground Rules

  • The Stash List is for your redraft leagues and does not consider impact beyond 2026.
  • 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 and roster percentages will be updated weekly.
  • Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Thursday’s games.

 

Minor League Starting Pitcher Leaders in Strike Rate through July 8, 2026 (minimum 10 games started, 250 batters faced, and 20% strikeout rate)

 

The Stash List

Graduates/Call-Ups

The following prospects joined the big league clubs over the last week:

Owen Murphy ATL was called up after a series of transactions saw the Braves remove two pitchers from the active roster. Murphy was then called into duty in a very tough spot to keep the game tied. Unfortunately, he gave up a two-run double and earned the loss. Although it was not a soft landing, Murphy threw 75% strikes and showed off good stuff on the four-seamer and curveball. He threw only one changeup as his third pitch, despite having a solid five-pitch mix. It would be great to see him earn a spot start after the All-Star break, when the Braves have a stretch of 17 days with games.

Gabriel Hughes COL is a Rockies pitcher who could beat Coors Field. Maybe? Naw? Maybe? Hughes utilized his six-pitch mix on July 3 to earn a 3 inning save. He followed up that relief appearance with a six-inning quality start with seven strikeouts against the Dodgers. He features a backwards fastball with lower spin and lower vertical break that generated eight whiffs and seven strikeouts. He supports that 93 mph fastball with a slider and sweeper, as well as a changeup, curveball, and sinker. The fact that he throws a bunch of strikes is a pro and con when he finally gets a home start in Denver.

Carson Whisenhunt SFG fell one out short of a quality start against the road Rockies. The tatted lefty had a strong 66% strike rate, but still walked four hitters and served up a home run. The four-seamer velocity is still middling, but he pairs it with a gyro slider and a solid changeup. He likely gets optioned back to Sacramento over the break, but could be back up when the Giants have a stretch of 13 straight games in late July.

Also, check out the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday at noon ET. The initial rosters feature seven pitchers who have been on the stash list at least once this season.

 

Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash

 

1. Kade Anderson, LHP, Seattle Mariners

2026 AAA Stat line: 72.1 IP | 1.36 ERA | 41.4 K% | 3.8 BB%

2025 NCAA Stat line: 119.0 IP | 3.43 ERA | 37.4 K% | 7.3 BB%

 

We are reaching a point with analyzing Kade Anderson at the Double-A, where we are searching for new things to talk about. And unfortunately, a closer examination tends to find things that are going poorly rather than the positive attributes. Before we scratch away at his greatness, we have to admire the beauty of his placement on the leaderboard. Anderson ranks in the 95th percentile in K%-BB%, K%, BB%, swinging strike %, strike %, zone %, zone-contact %, wOBA, and FIP. Bright red! He has also earned the victory in eight of the ten games he completed five innings.

The principal argument made against Anderson in the stash context is that there is no current or projected role for him in the Seattle rotation. The Mariners have surged into first place of the Western Division with a healthy six-man rotation. They will need to distance themselves from the Astros, so every game is crucial to maintaining their lead in the standings. Anderson is really the only viable pitcher in their system (Dane Dunning, Jhonathan Díaz, and Gabe Mosser won’t cut it) who appears prepared to be a contributor down the stretch. This isn’t a knock against his skill set, but it does greatly limit the number of innings that he is likely to contribute to your fantasy roster. (Disclosure: I did select him in an early 2026 draft and hold league with the expectation that he would get a month, if not more.)

The other knock against his profile is that he does not have elite velocity. Better stated, he has not displayed consistent fastball velocity above 93 mph in games more than a handful of times. This heavy reliance on the breaking balls could be what is giving him a small issue with left-handed hitters. Fantasy managers expecting zip from the best pitcher in Minor League baseball may not be impressed with the finesse approach that Anderson utilizes. Furthermore, the lack of velocity may be why his OPS is worse against lefties. This feels so ridiculous to write, but he ONLY has a 34% strikeout rate (ha!) against them while posting a 44% strikeout rate against righties. The two home runs hit in his start last weekend were by lefties, one on a fastball and one on a high curveball. If you buy into this line of thinking, then you will want to see him keep the groundball rate high to signal that his breaking stuff is messing with the timing of the opposition. If the flyballs start increasing as they have a bit in June, then you may buy into the argument that he is in the zone too much with his stuff.

For now, Anderson remains the number one Minor League pitcher to stash because of the impact he could have in your roster if he were to be called up this week. He flashed elite swing-and-miss stuff against Springfield, setting a new career high in whiffs with 20 to go along with the nine strikeouts. His final line also had two earned runs allowed on three hits, including those two home runs. Despite the quality start, he suffered his first professional loss.

 

2.  Ty Johnson, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

2026 AAA Stat line: 49.1 IP | 2.74 ERA | 33.0 K% | 9.6 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 110.1 IP | 2.61 ERA | 34.7 K% | 8.8 BB%

 

Slider, fastball, slider, fastball. The 1-2 punch from Ty Johnson continues to do damage to opposing Triple-A lineups. The interesting part is that his swinging strike and strikeout rates are at their lowest points since 2024. So, he could be performing even better? Well, that’s difficult to argue for a pitcher with a limited arsenal, but he has certainly turned up the volume on his stuff over the last three starts. Johnson has three consecutive games with nine strikeouts and over 15 whiffs. As the International League is getting more accustomed to the 6’6″ righty, he is also getting more comfortable with the opposition.

Johnson has been incredibly consistent with his mechanics. The short arm action from his long limbs has been deceptive enough to play up his lack of a deep pitch mix. This was likely an intentional decision to simplify his delivery, and it is working…until it doesn’t. This start against Gwinnett saw many more waste pitches than usual as the ball sailed on him. Despite all of the non-competitive throws and four walks, he still had a 67% strike rate. He seems able to remediate whatever control issues pop up to make sure they don’t spin into a complete disaster.

 

The one area he will need to work on is limiting the impact of his increasing fly ball rate. The home runs are creeping up as the warmer summer months approach. This game’s home run makes it four of the last five games with a long ball. In 2025, Johnson only allowed five home runs in 110 innings, so the six home runs allowed already this year could be a sign of worse things to come. Yet, Triple-A batters only have a 4.5% barrel rate and 30% hard-hit rate in 110 batted ball events. He will get his next chance on Friday in Jacksonville.

 

3.  Jaxon Wiggins, RHP, Chicago Cubs

2026 AAA Stat line: 17.1 IP | 4.15 ERA | 26.8 K% | 11.3 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 78 IP | 2.19 ERA | 31.0 K% | 11.5 BB%

 

At the time of submitting this article for review, Jaxon Wiggins was just announced for a Friday night start at home for the Iowa Cubs against the St. Paul Saints. It had been seven days since he last appeared in a single inning of work for the High-A South Bend Cubs. There is no easily available video for the game since it was a weather-impacted game, and the available feed starts in the second inning. See the write-up from last week.

At this early stage of his rehab assignment, Jaxon Wiggins has taken a more controlled, almost casual approach to his delivery. The follow-through features more bend than the aggressive drive toward home plate we typically expect from him. For a 6’6″ right-hander who normally creates around 6.7 feet of extension, the conservative approach makes sense after elbow inflammation sidelined him for two months. The priority is clearly building back strength and consistency rather than chasing maximum effort. So far, High-A hitters have not been able to take advantage of the slightly reduced velocity. Across two appearances, they have managed only one extra-base hit and a .150 batting average against him. Wiggins has also done an excellent job attacking the zone, posting a 62% strike rate while generating a 62% ground-ball rate. The next test awaits in Triple-A, where he can continue sharpening his arsenal while positioning himself to help the Chicago Cubs sooner rather than later.

Wiggins continues to operate with a four-pitch mix highlighted by a high-90s fastball and a power curveball with significant depth. Those two offerings carried the workload in what was likely his final High-A outing, each producing two strikeouts. As he ramps back up, expect the cutter and changeup to become larger parts of the equation.

 

The changeup, despite a limited sample, produced an impressive 80% whiff rate and could become a critical weapon against right-handed hitters. That development matters because Wiggins previously showed minimal platoon splits in 2025, making a reliable third offering even more valuable as he faces higher-level competition.

 

4.  Quinn Mathews, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals

2026 AAA Stat line: 79 IP | 3.53 ERA | 29.8 K% | 14.7 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 99 IP | 3.73 ERA | 26.1 K% | 16.8 BB%

 

Quinn Mathews is on a roll right now. Three straight starts reaching the sixth inning and generating seven strikeouts. He is achieving these feats while barely averaging 60% strikes and limiting the walks. It’s an exciting time as he may be putting together his best profile, and doing so without leaning on the changeup. The slider was the star pitch in this game, posting six whiffs and four strikeouts. With the two walks here, he has still managed to reduce the ugly 21% walk rate by over 6 percentage points in the last two months. The buy-low window is beginning to close, so consider making an offer to fellow league mates.

The velocity was up, and the pitches were landing for strikes in Quinn Mathews‘ start last weekend against Charlotte. The 6’5″ lefty struck out seven batters on a meager seven whiffs. Yet, he was really spinning it into the target as he racked up 29 called strikes. Most notably, he finished with a 72% strike rate, easily the highest rate of the season. And another milestone: zero walks.

Although the slider and changeup are crucial to his success, it is the fastball that should be highlighted first. Mathews was averaging 95 mph on the pitch, hitting 96 a few times, with an induced vertical break over 18 inches. This improved fastball allowed him to establish a high strike with the heat before dropping in the offspeed and breaking stuff. The Knights had more lefties in the lineup, which is the likely cause for a higher number of sinkers than normal. The two-seamer was his second-most used pitch when it is usually his lowest. There is nothing particularly exciting about the sinker, but Charlotte hitters must have been flummoxed to see it as they let eight of them go by for called strikes.

 

If this strike-throwing version of Quinn Mathews is the one we can expect in the next few months, then he becomes a more exciting stash option. Hopefully, the poor control and home run luck can be put behind him, as he should keep the ball on the ground with the quality of his secondaries. Mathews has a history of higher strikeout rates, but he will likely be an average strikeout generator without the higher-end velocity that Major League have become accustomed to in recent years. He can look to contemporaries like Ian Seymour and Parker Messick, though, who have posted solid whiff rates while rarely exceeding 95 mph. It takes more strategic deployment of the arsenal and a consistent execution of mechanics to be in and around the zone each pitch. That command is something that has alluded Mathews over the last year and could be coming back into focus for him with starts like this one.

 

5.  Jack Wenninger, RHP, New York Mets

2026 AAA Stat line: 75 IP | 3.48 ERA | 22.4 K% | 12.9 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 135.2 IP | 2.92 ERA | 26.4 K% | 7.6 BB%

 

Atta boy, Jack! Jack Wenninger posted his best start of the season against Worcester on the Fourth of July. It was only five strikeouts on twelve whiffs, but he was able to do that across seven scoreless innings. In addition, he broke the streak of games with a home run allowed while showing more command with his secondaries. The 6’4″ righty used the slider again to great effect, but it was the changeup and sweeper that really shone. The sweeper had a wider break than usual, while the changeup averaged a lower amount of spin than usual. Those two pitches had three or more whiffs along with the fastball and slider. The gyro slider was the star pitch again, with four whiffs and a 78% strike rate. Overall, the arsenal was sharp enough on a 60% strike rate to keep the Red Sox from putting a rally together.

Wenninger has seen fewer swings and misses from opponents this season. The contact that they are making on his pitches is being put in the air more often in the last two months. This was the first game since mid-May in which there were more ground balls than fly balls. This was likely due to the strong secondary stuff. If his stuff isn’t going to be overpowering, then he will have to remain flawless with the breakers and offspeed stuff. This is especially true since it appears his fastball velocity will not exceed 95 mph. However, velocity growth is within his reach if he chooses to seek it. For now, the strong slider and changeup will have to help him keep the ball on the ground and be in the zone enough to limit free passes.

 

It’s anybody’s guess what the last-place New York Mets will do before and after the upcoming trade deadline. Wenninger is not on the 40-man roster, so any near-term promotion would be injury-related. He was a part of the same draft class that current Major Leaguers Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and A.J. Ewing belong to, so he can’t be far behind. Wennigner will need to have more starts like this one to make it a merit-based call-up.

 

6.  George Klassen, RHP, Los Angeles Angels

2026 AAA Stat line: 61.2 IP | 4.38 ERA | 21.3 K% | 13.0 BB% 

2026 MLB Stat line: 4.2 IP | 11.57 ERA | 18.8 K% | 31.3 BB%

 

George Klassen has been an upside prospect for the last two seasons with a dynamic fastball to go along with a superb curveball and developing slider. The new gyro slider has become his best whiff pitch and has helped him change the pace of an at-bat, while mimicking the release of his four-seamer. Speaking of that fastball, it has the unusual property of such a low induced vertical break that it makes it better with a flat attack angle. This has yet to make it a great pitch, as it is being hit hard and not generating many whiffs. Yet, none of that matters if he cannot improve the poor 60% strike rate.

Klassen has turned in stronger performances over the last three weeks after a slow start. He has shown a 65% while maintaining a much better ratio of 16 strikeouts to 6 walks. That improved control has helped him go longer into each start, averaging 6 innings each outing. During that period, the fastball has been missing the zone less often. In addition, he may be feeling stronger as his extension has moved up to an average of over 6.4 feet. Klassen suffered a concussion on a comebacker in 2025 that caused him to miss a few weeks. This season, he already has two Major League appearances under his belt, so we could see better results after getting the nerves out of the first go-around.

Against a feeble Sacramento lineup on Tuesday, Klassen only had to feature two pitches. The four-seamer racked up 13 whiffs as he sustained 96 mph velocity for all six-plus innings of work. The changeup was his number two, earning five whiffs, a new high of 17 inches of break. He didn’t need much beyond those pitches as Klassen held the Rivercats hitless with only two hard-hit balls. Klassen utilizes all of his pitches against both sets of hitters, but this lineup did have more lefties. Against the left-handed hitters, he has a .765 OPS with slightly better control (12% walks) and strikeout (22% strikeouts) numbers than against right-handed hitters (20K%, 16BB%, .732 OPS). This successful start continues a streak of four consecutive games with at least six innings.

 

After setting a new professional high pitch count (102), Klassen is ready for another chance in the Angels’ rotation. The control is inconsistent, and the strikeouts aren’t arriving in bunches as expected, but his four-pitch arsenal is inducing a high number of groundballs. Klassen has not shown much consistency, so he is among the higher-risk stashes on the list.

 

7.  Nestor German, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

2026 AAA Stat line: 78.1 IP | 4.48 ERA | 26.0 K% | 9.2 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 123.2 IP | 3.93 ERA | 28.0 K% | 9.0 BB%

 

Among the Triple-A strikeout rate leaders is Nestor German. The 24-year-old is posting some of his best ratios and stats since his first professional season in 2024. The command has improved while the strikeouts have flattened out, making him more of a floor play rather than a prospect with high strikeout upside. German has come a long way from his days at Seattle University, especially since he has added velocity after being drafted in the 11th round. Now the 6’3″ righty is sitting 95 mph, while continuing to throw plenty of strikes with his five-pitch arsenal.

German utilizes an over-the-top delivery that provides plenty of vertical attack angles and movement. His pitch movement chart shows most pitch locations as landing along the y-axis. His splitter is the pitch that moves the most horizontally with a gigantic drop. On average, he releases the splitter at 6 and a half feet, only to cross just under two feet above home plate. When he is landing so many pitches for strikes, the splitter will help him post strong strikeout results because he uses it the most when he is ahead in the count. In his most recent game, German posted a 72% strike rate. He was really creating advantageous counts for himself. It was the cutter that had the high whiff count of seven. The four-seamer, cutter, and splitter all had chase rates of 50%. Being ahead in the count by throwing strikes and creating whiffs allowed German to generate a modest four strikeouts with zero walks.

 

The Orioles are in last place, but trailing the equally disappointing Red Sox by a handful of games. There is always the temptation to “go for it” to make the playoffs, but the sensible thing to do would be to solidify the future roster around the young core. This means that Trevor Rogers and his one-year contract are expendable. Thus, for German to get the call, he will need to continue throwing strikes and be slightly better than the other two teammates on the 40-man roster, Cade Povich and Trey Gibson.

 

8.  Brody Hopkins, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

2026 AAA Stat line: 71.2 IP | 4.77 ERA | 26.6 K% | 21.4 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 116 IP | 2.72 ERA | 28.7 K% | 12.2 BB%

 

Brody Hopkins has way too much talent not to be a strong pitcher. He has athletic pitching components, velocity, and a diverse arsenal. However, the 55% strike rate is limiting all of that potential by continually putting him in bad counts and forcing him to rely on the fastball, which he throws 50% of the time. That is why it was interesting to see him with a seemingly more restrained delivery that tamped down the fastball velocity to below 97 mph.

Hopkins has a deep drop and drive motion that helps him get over 6.6 feet of extension on his delivery. Watching the 6’4″ righty get so deep down the mound is an impressive sight. In a recent successful start, he appeared to have a slightly more relaxed approach, limiting the quantity of fastballs over 98 mph. He may have also been throwing from a slightly lower arm angle. Hopkins should also buy into the relaxed fastball strategy as well. The heater served up four strikeouts on two whiffs. The curveball, his pace changer, had six whiffs and five strikeouts on its own. Overall, Hopkins posted three walks to go with the ten strikeouts on twelve whiffs. Whatever the reason for the success here, dynasty managers will gladly accept these results every game.

 

Hopkins will never be out of the stash list periphery until he graduates or is made a full-time reliever. Yet, he needs to maintain this level of control with more consistency to be trusted.

Unfortunately, faith in his status as a starter evaporated very quickly with another six-walk game this past Thursday against Gwinnett. In actuality, the game clip isn’t a horrible watch. He did almost decapitate a batter, but the stuff still looks pretty nasty. However, six walks in a start for the umpteenth time is showing that his inconsistent command is consistent. Despite the ceiling, the roller coaster ride along the way is a hard one to stay on.

 

9. Karson Milbrandt, RHP, Miami Marlins

2026 AAA/AA Stat line: 70 IP | 2.70 ERA | 31.0 K% | 13.4 BB% 

2025 MiLB Stat line: 90 IP | 3.00 ERA | 29.0 K% | 12.3 BB%

 

Cool it with the walks, Karson! Three is less than six from the previous start, but three walks over 2.1 innings is still no bueno. After another game with poor control, Karson Milbrandt is now underwater with a -1% K%-BB%. The 20% walk rate is drowning out the voices who were calling for his rapid promotion over a month ago. It didn’t help that he was also hit hard as Nashville plated two of those runners on via the free pass. Milbrandt stuffed 65 pitches into the 16 batters faced, giving up five earned runs on six hits and those three walks. Strikeouts, you ask? He had none. :(

The four-pitch mix is letting him down. The curveball is the only pitch performing consistently. The breaker generates strikes with its 42-plus inches of drop, with favorable batted ball data against it. His two most used pitches, the four-seamer and slider, have not been earning strikes or even chases. Things weren’t all bad for Milbrandt in this game, as the slider did have six whiffs. However, without his two primary pitches being effective, hitters seem to be preying on whatever scraps do fall in the zone. Batters are putting a bit more loft on his pitches, with his ground ball trending down. Fortunately, that has yet to materialize into any home runs. It would be great if Milbrandt had a few outings with stronger control to see if he has the skillset to limit the long ball or if he has been extremely lucky.

The Marlins are in no hurry to rush Milbrandt to a Major League debut with a “healthy” rotation. Even Janson Junk is getting back to full strength, making for a crowded rotation in Jacksonville. Milbrandt is also building a strong case that he needs a lot more seasoning in Triple-A. The organization even experimented with giving him some time out of the bullpen on Thursday night. That didn’t go well either, with minimal whiffs or strikeouts and many balls in play. The Durham Bulls were all over the fastball, helping them rack up four earned runs on four hits against the four-seamer. It appears we have hit a plateau in his development that can only be mediated by more time in Triple-A.

 

10.  Tanner McDougal, RHP, Chicago White Sox

2026 AAA Stat line: 26 IP | 3.81 ERA | 28.7 K% | 13.0 BB%

2026 MLB Stat line: 113.1 IP | 3.26 ERA | 28.3 K% | 10.2 BB%

 

Tanner McDougal is in full rehabilitation mode as he stacks up healthy innings. This week was no different, as he only threw 16 pitches in one frame of work. The arsenal composition consisted only of fastballs and sliders here. McDougal racked up two strikeouts on only three whiffs.

The 6’5″ righty is battling back from forearm tightness, so it makes sense to limit the arsenal to see how his body responds. Since this recent outing was back in Triple-A, we have Statcast data. The slider and curveball have been his best whiff pitches this season. He didn’t throw any curves in this game, but the slider did generate two strikeouts. It didn’t have high spin like it usually does, and the velo was down a tick. No cause for concern yet. The fastball velocity was also a bit down, but the movement was normal.

Regretably, the Chicago White Sox have decided to move McDougal to a bullpen role for the rest of the season. This makes sense for their playoff hopes, but hopefully doesn’t backfire in stunting his development as a starter. He could be a valuable reliever on your Major League fantasy roster, but we will have to see how his arm handles multiple outings in a week as opposed to one. After appearing like a rising star on the stash list, he is at the backend, poised to fall off next week.

 

On The Bubble

Here are the next several pitchers that were in consideration for inclusion on this week’s list:

Tyson Hardin MIL, Jackson Jobe DET (He threw 1.1 innings with Single-A Lakeland for the first time since May 2025. Not a prospect, but a pitcher to follow, especially since he was hitting 100 mph on the fastball), Carlos Lagrange NYY (7-day IL right shoulder inflammation), Owen Murphy ATL (Briefly graduated for a one-inning relief appearance), Ethan Pecko HOU, David Sandlin CHW, Zach Thornton NYM, Brandon White MIA, Joe Whitman SFG, and Matt Wilkinson SFG.

 

Pitcher Stash List

 

Stash List Key
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Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Bsky/Twitter)

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