The Pitcher Edition of the Stash List highlights the 10 best pitching 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. 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 2025. 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 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 and roster percentages will be updated weekly.
- Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Thursday’s games.
The Stash List
Graduates/Call-Ups
The following prospects got the call to the major leagues within the last week:
The 2025 Futures Game took place, featuring a lot of fun pitchers to track for the second half of the season. Trey Yesavage, Gage Jump, Brody Hopkins, Alex Clemmey, Thomas White, JR Ritchie, and Jurrangelo Cijntje are unlikely to be considerations for 2025 Major League debuts. Yet, Noah Schultz, Parker Messick, Jonah Tong, Carson Whisenhunt, and even George Klassen might get the call.
Turns out Davis Daniel was recalled to serve as a spot starter in Atlanta over Hurston Waldrep and Nathan Wiles. Daniel features a fastball that tops out at 92 mph, along with a splitter and slider with minimal movement. He fared well enough with five strikeouts, three walks, and one earned run over four innings.
Ian Seymour was recalled to fill in long relief and finally got two innings against the Red Sox. He topped out at 92 mph and generated one whiff on the fastball. His only strikeout came on a changeup painted on the inside edge.
Travis Adams is filling a pitching vacancy left by Bailey Ober and Zebby Matthews. Adams offers a six-pitch mix with a 94 mph fastball that generates minimal swinging strikes. He does have a minor league history of limiting free passes, so he could be a viable fantasy baseball add if he continues to appear in the follower role.
Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash
1. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2025 AAA Stat line: 73.1 IP | 2.82 ERA | 29.9 K% | 11.9 BB%
2024 MiLB Stat line: 119.2 IP | 3.08 ERA | 30.9 K% | 8.6 BB%
All signs point to a second-half call-up for Bubba Chandler…ha! That’s because we have reached the All-Star break, and there has not been a public announcement about a timetable for Chandler, but he has been performing much better as of late. His mechanics are cleaner with the return of the swinging strike, propping up his strikeout rate. He will remain a player who expresses more emotion on the field, so balancing the noise of body language with the data will be important to assessing his outcomes. Chandler pirouettes in frustration on some pitches, exhorting a different set of expectations for the outcome, a higher level that fantasy managers share. With 13 strikeouts against four walks over his last two starts, the belief is that Chandler is peaking toward the number one prospect pitcher that we all anticipated he would be.
Stash List Watch
Bubba Chandler
AAA Indy PIT7.10 v Gwinnett
6 IP 5H 0R 2BB 7K
15 whiffs/100 pitchesAlmost derailed in 1st w 2 on.
Gyro SL taking over as 2nd pitch.
CH 15” break, 57% whiffs but .600 AVG.
FF 97-100It gon get ugly in here if Bubba sparxxx in the 2nd half! pic.twitter.com/VmSKbPutFc
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 11, 2025
The 2024 Bubba Chandler was throwing more strikes and giving up fewer walks. There isn’t one huge reason why his strike rate has slipped because it’s more of a degradation across his entire arsenal. Yet, Chandler is not throwing his most frequently thrown pitch, the four-seam fastball, in the zone about five percentage points as often as he did in 2024. Apply a slightly smaller percentage decrease in zone rate to each pitch, and voila, he has worse control and more walks. Thankfully, Chandler had a 68% strike rate over the previous two starts after posting a 58% strike rate from June 5 to June 28.
The other notable mark is a higher xFIP this year, a potential sign that his outcomes should have been worse based on his batted ball data. In spite of the ominous difference between FIP and xFIP, he has only allowed three home runs in 2025, and about half as many of his fly balls are going out for home runs. Looking at the pitch level data, the slider and curveball are dropping for hits more often than in 2024. So if he has able to turn the slider into a more reliable secondary and land his fastball in the zone more often, than he should continue to outperform that xFIP number.
2. Zebby Matthews, RHP, Minnesota Twins
2025 AAA Stat line: 63.1 IP | 1.85 ERA | 31.9 K% | 11.0 BB%
2025 MLB Stat line: 19.0 IP | 5.21 ERA | 30.1 K% | 9.6 BB%
We had this pitcher on the stash list earlier in the season, so why stop now when he is such an obvious pickup? After blazing onto the major league scene in 2024 as a control artist, Zebby Matthews was gaining some buzz as a prospect with strikeout upside as his velocity bumped up in spring training. Further, the Minnesota rotation was in question as there was some potential that he could replace Simeon Woods Richardson or even Chris Paddack. That sunny scenario didn’t pan out, and he began the season with Triple-A St. Paul. Over 32.2 innings, his reputation for control eroded as his strike rate hovered around 60% and the increased velocity evaporated. He toiled away for seven starts for St. Paul until he made his 2025 debut in mid-May.
For the next four major league starts, he threw a four-pitch mix of fastball, slider, cutter, and changeup, with an occasional curveball. The slider was his most effective pitch with a 43% whiff rate and a .171 average against. Unfortunately, his most-used pitches, the four-seamer and the cutter, were put into play often. Both pitches have a .416 wOBA or higher. More frustrating for fantasy managers buying into his 2024 stats was that the walks were creeping up. Even when Zebby did succeed, it left a sour taste. He had seven strikeouts against Seattle on May 30, but those all came after he was blitzed for two home runs and four earned runs in the first inning. Then, after his June 4 start, he complained of shoulder discomfort and was placed on the injured list for a shoulder strain. Over six weeks of rehab, Matthews finally made his way into a professional game.
Stash List Add?
Zebby Matthews
AAA St Paul MIN7.13 v Iowa
4 IP 1H 0R 0BB 9K
15 whiffs/56 pitchesFinally back from shoulder strain. Assume he’s back up once he reach 80+ pitches but you never know.
Velo was solid 97 FF
SL use upOne hard hit ball!
Excellent rehab start! pic.twitter.com/uEsJx3ruKX
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 14, 2025
Matthews showed more of his preseason talents as the velocity was up and the whiffs followed. He generated eight swinging strikes on the slider alone, which he used more often than usual with great effect. The fastball had four whiffs itself, touching 99 mph and sitting at 97 mph. The cutter also performed well as it was a tick up in speed with the usual movement. Overall, he only allowed one hard-hit ball while throwing 68% of his 56 pitches for strikes. The zero walks are encouraging, and we hope to see another clean slate in the next rehab start.
Matthews was the definition of control with consistent mechanics entering the 2025 season. Early on, the walk rate went up, but not dramatically enough that he couldn’t demonstrate a sub-5% walk rate again. There is a chance that with more velocity and movement on his pitches, his error margin for control has diminished. Nevertheless, Matthews is a high upside arm that has the potential to lower your ratios while putting up above-average strikeouts.
3. Mick Abel, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 AAA Stat line: 63.0 IP | 2.00 ERA | 27.5 K% | 10.5 BB%
2025 MLB Stat line: 25.0 IP | 5.04 ERA | 19.4 K% | 8.3 BB%
Mick Abel came into 2025 as an afterthought, mainly due to the poor control demonstrated over 375 minor league innings. He finished 2024 with a 15% walk rate that heavily weighed down the 22% strikeout rate. Yet, this first-round draft pick persisted enough to bring the walks to a more respectable 10.5% while increasing his strikeouts. This culminated in a seven-inning, nine-strikeout performance against the hot-hitting Worcester Red Sox. He was promoted for his next start, where he tantalized fantasy managers with nine strikeouts and zero walks. That spot start brought him a lot of attention and set higher-level expectations than he may not have been prepared to meet. In his second go-around with Philadelphia, the walk rate still subsided, but a new obstacle appeared.
Abel has not switched up the pitch mix too much between the major leagues and Triple-A. The one exception is that he threw his best whiff pitch, the curveball, more often with Philadelphia. Currently, his gyro slider is his main secondary pitch. The breaker is not a big swing and miss pitch for him, so he likely intends it to change eye level and speeds. Abel has earned solid marks by maintaining consistent mechanics and throwing one tick harder this season. His fastball will be the pitch to watch as he perfects its location in Lehigh Valley. The four-seamer has some rise and run, so he may have games where it is harder to control.
Stash List Add?
Mick Abel
AAA Bacon USA PHI7.10 v Syracuse
6 IP 1H 0R 1BB 4K
9 whiffs/64 pitchesGood version of Abel here.
96-7 FF w rise & run
CU w 50” dropImproved control got debut. Next challenge is to avoid fly balls turning into HR.
Earning next shot before Painter pic.twitter.com/BA10IDDClA— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 15, 2025
Abel dramatically improved his forecast by throwing more strikes. Strikeouts and swinging strikes are up while the free passes are down. The next issue to control is the booming major league 2.52 home runs per nine innings. However, most of the damage came in two games where he allowed a total of seven home runs. Assuming he can harness his fastball movement, I would expect that ratio to decrease as he limits the long ball over a large sample size. Abel gave us a demonstration of this ability as he finished six scoreless innings on July 10 with only one hit and one walk. Given the lack of injury and previous major league success, no matter how small it was, Abel should earn another chance for innings with the Phillies before Painter.
4. Andrew Painter, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 A, AAA Stat line: 67.0 IP | 4.84 ERA | 24.7 K% | 7.3 BB%
2024 AFL Stat line: 15.2 IP | 2.30 ERA | 30.5 K% | 6.7 BB%
The hits keep coming for Andrew Painter, who is entering month four of pitching in professional baseball games after the 2023 Tommy John surgery sidelined him for over a year. On July 13, Syracuse drilled two more home runs off Painter, as his home runs allowed per nine innings have doubled previous rates to 1.8 on the season. He was able to complete five innings in an efficient 76 pitches on 67% strikes, but hitters had five extra-base hits against him, raising the slugging percentage to .500 in Triple-A. His 2025 game log during that time doesn’t show any sustained periods of success. If he isn’t walking anyone, he allows home runs. If he isn’t allowing home runs, he isn’t getting many strikeouts.
Stash List Watch
Andrew Painter
AAA Bacon City PHI7.13 v Syracuse
5 IP 6H 3ER 2HR 0BB 4K
10 whiffs/76 pitchesYay!
SL use up, 3 whiffs
FF velo solid 96-99, 4 whiffsBoo!
CH use way down
FC justifiably down as it has not been a good pitch.
9 hard hit balls
5.01 ERA in AAA pic.twitter.com/Q5c6240GUC— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 15, 2025
Early in 2025, it felt like Painter was gingerly managing his pitch mix to test how his healing arm would react. After all of these blowups, it feels like he is tinkering to find the right balance. In this latest game against Syracuse, he used the slider as the main secondary pitch for the first time, with the cutter, curveball, sinker, and changeup sprinkled in here and there.
The breaking pitch did its job, limiting hard contact with three whiffs. He justifiably reduced his reliance on the cutter as it has not been a good pitch. The fastball was within its normal velocity range of 96-99 mph, yet with a few inches less of vertical break. There was a game where he threw his changeup, his best whiff pitch, more often, but that experiment didn’t reappear in this game. All of the data looks fairly good on paper, except for the results columns that show hitters are not being fooled on much he has to offer.
For a pitcher with such high expectations, these results are extremely disappointing. Yet, it is hard to lose complete faith in someone with 60 grades by their name until they flame out on the main stage of Major League Baseball. Until then, the possible outcomes for Painter’s future need to be recalibrated. He may be more of a middle-of-the-rotation arm that gets above-average strikeouts every once in a while.
5. Logan Henderson, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
2025 AAA Stat line: 68.2 IP | 3.01 ERA | 29.4 K% | 7.4 BB%
2025 MLB Stat line: 21.0 IP | 1.71 ERA | 35.8 K% | 7.4 BB%
Logan Henderson is not settling for acceptance of his current situation in the minor leagues. On July 12, Henderson carried a perfect game for 4.2 innings against Durham as he was efficient, but also put extra effort into his game. The fastball velocity was up a tick to 94 mph, a pitch that earned him 11 of his 17 whiffs. His changeup had a few more inches of fade to earn him four whiffs. On the negative side, the changeup was also responsible for his only run allowed, as Tanner Murray banged a middle-middle pitch off the scoreboard. That’s six home runs allowed over the last four games, supporting the homer-prone argument from his major league small sample.
Stash List Watch
Logan Henderson
AAA Nashville MIL7.12 v Durham
6 IP 2H 1ER 1HR 0BB 7K
17 whiffs/73Extra effort on pitches made for a lower release pt & quick innings.
FF velo up a tick 94 – 11 whiffs
Was perfect through 4 2/3
Keeps making the MLB case.. pic.twitter.com/z4HHnTYeUA
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 13, 2025
Fortunately, over the same stretch of games, he has maintained a low 4.9% walk rate and a 0.90 WHIP to keep he bases clear ahead of any big blasts. Henderson was able to get 71% of his efficient 73 pitches for strikes as he finished his tenth Triple-A victory with seven strikeouts over six innings.
The pitch mix has been relatively stable all season, with the fastball and changeup being his 1-2 punch. The changeup carries elite movement that is translating into poor contact and a solid whiff rate. Fans will want to observe how that third pitch develops as the cutter has been poor and the slider has been solid, yet seldom thrown. The slider is a newer pitch this season, with virtually no horizontal break, but a 40-inch drop. He used it three times as much as the cutter on July 12, which seems like a good ratio to maintain.
The All-Star break will allow Milwaukee to reorder its rotation, with the hope that Henderson fits in there somewhere soon. They have an 18-game stretch without a day off beginning August 15th, which could naturally lend itself to more pitching depth.
6. Nolan McLean, RHP, New York Mets
2025 AA, AAA Stat line: 87.0 IP | 2.17 ERA | 26.6 K% | 10.6 BB%
2024 MiLB Stat line: 109.2 IP | 3.78 ERA | 25.1 K% | 9.1 BB%
What is the role of fantasy baseball analysis? I believe it is to review the data and film to make an educated guess about the future outcomes of any individual player. The data may comprise statistics, market research (average draft position, rankings, etc.), and projections. Well, throw all that reasoned understanding out the window around the trade deadline because the market starts to act irrationally. As July 31 approaches, wild rumors swirl and unsubstantiated trades get posted. The Mets will likely be involved in a deal, but exactly how or who is unknown.
Nolan McLean can be considered the top Mets prospect pitcher to stash, given his proximity and performance over the first half of the season. Jonah Tong gets the headline for the ridiculous strikeout numbers (125 strikeouts in 78.2 innings), but McLean is maintaining his strikeout (27.8% to 26.1% in Triple-A) and walk rates (11.1% to 10.4% in Triple-A) after the early-season promotion to Triple-A. Recently, McLean turned up the dial to elevate the strikeouts to 34% and improve the walk rate to 10% over the last three games. In those starts, he has a 2.12 ERA, 64% strike rate, 40 whiffs, 24 strikeouts, and seven walks. In addition to already faring well in Triple-A, McLean is seen as more of a workhorse ready to take on a heavier load in the major leagues, especially with his vast six-pitch arsenal.
Ok, I ended that last paragraph with my opinion on the future role of McLean based on his first half performance, Statcast data, and a FanGraphs scouting report about his ability to handle “six or more innings on four days of rest like a big league starter.” McLean is ranked 92nd on the preseason big board. Well, this morning I read on Twitter that “McLean could play a ‘key role’ in upcoming pennant race for Mets.” Seems fine and dandy until you click the link to see that the fantasy website takes that quote from Anthony DiComo, Mets beat writer, and turns it into the statement that McLean is “likely” to play a role as a reliever. Digging into DiComo’s MLB article demonstrates that there is no team connection for his supposition about McLean joining the team in the second half. DiComo merely comes to a similar conclusion as to what most observers would state. McLean had such a great first half that he put himself in a more favorable position to be a second-half call-up. There is evidence, however, if it had been mentioned, that McLean could be a bulk reliever role since he did just that in two Frankie Montas Jr. rehab starts in June. As a fantasy baseball manager, you not only have to sort through the overwhelming girth of numbers, but you have to sift through often contradicting bits of information to determine what is accurate and what may merely be opinion.
Although six pitches are listed in the table above, McLean rarely throws the changeup. He seems to prefer the sinker for attacking same-handed hitters with tailing action, as the pitch gets 16 inches of break at a much higher velocity. Over the last three starts, his best pitch has been the curveball with its 57 inches of drop and 18-plus inches of gloveside break. He has almost doubled its use to 15% now that it is achieving a 50% whiff rate on the season. Early in the count, he tends to rely on the sinker, four-seamer, and sweeper. With two strikes, he leads with the sweeper and four-seamer. When he is behind in the count, he throws the sweeper almost twice as often as the next pitch. The reliance on the sweeper highlights the significant role it plays in his strategy to get ahead of hitters and to put them away.
Stash List Add!
Nolan McLean
AAA Syracuse NYM7.9 v Lehigh Valley
6 IP 3H 0R 3BB 10K
17 whiffs/97 pitchesOk ok ok
He is the top Mets prospect to stash right now given performance & proximity.Now he needs to whittle down the walk rate. pic.twitter.com/5JQLg1POOt
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 10, 2025
The next area for him to improve is his walk rate. Since the promotion, he is at a 63% strike rate in Triple-A after being at 65% strikes in Double-A. His walk rates have fluctuated by month from 11.9% in April, 10.1% in May 11.1%, in June, and 8.7% to start July. Counterintuitively, the sweeper is not missing the zone. Rather, McLean could improve his walk rate by throwing more strikes with his fastball. Even if Mclean maintains his current pace for walks, he is showing himself capable of replicating Clay Holmes or Frankie Montas Jr.‘ numbers, if the Mets do choose to give him that opportunity in the second half.
7. Troy Melton, RHP, Detroit Tigers
2025 AA, AAA Stat line: 71.1 IP | 3.15 ERA | 31.6 K% | 6.5 BB%
2024 MiLB Stat line: 100.2 IP | 3.27 ERA | 27.7 K% | 7.0 BB%
With his surging performances, Troy Melton is the number one starting pitcher in the minor leagues over the last 21 days. The 6’4″ righty has 32 strikeouts and four walks over the last 21.2 innings with a 0.93 ERA and .495 OPS. He has elite extension around seven feet that gives him a low release height for his entire five-pitch arsenal. The velocity is up a tick, but it is the slider that is fueling his hot streak.
His slider has a greater than 46% whiff rate over the last four games with a paltry xwOBA of .153. The pitch is averaging 30 inches of drop as it cuts seven inches to the glove side. The cutter has been the toughest pitch for Melton to control as it doesn’t always find the zone. The good news is that hitters are tempted to swing, and a good amount of the time, they miss (38% whiff rate on the season). On the downside, hitters sometimes spit on the cutter for a walk (26% walk rate over the last four games) or smack it for a base hit (.455 average over the last four games). Melton is certainly dealing at this time, and it could earn him a late-season promotion.
Stash List Watch
Troy Melton
AAA Toledo DET7.11 v Omaha
5.2 IP 2H 0R 2BB 8K
9 whiffs/89 pitchesHeating up!
#1 MiLB SP Over last 4 starts:
21.2 IP 32K 4BB .93ERA .495OPSElite extension, low release, 5-pitch mix.
His comp is Keider Montero & Manning so he’s got a chance! pic.twitter.com/Rc25nomHTc
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 12, 2025
Melton has taken a big step forward in the strikeout department while holding the line on his walk rate. There is a consistency in his delivery that is carrying over to his results, as hitters are hitting him roughly the same as they did in 2024. His line drive rate is up a touch, and although he has been touched up for home runs at a much higher rate than in Double-A last year, he is suppressing fly balls. With the fluctuating results by Keider Montero and Matt Manning as his main competition for a spot, there is little reason to hold him down much longer. That is especially true if he maintains this high level of domination in Triple-A for a few more starts.
8. Brandon Sproat, RHP, New York Mets
2025 AAA Stat line: 80.0 IP | 4.61 ERA | 17.9 K% | 10.9 BB%
2024 MiLB Stat line: 116.1 IP | 3.40 ERA | 28.3 K% | 9.1 BB%
The New York Mets are in the thick of the playoff race as they compete with Philadelphia for the top spot in the National League East division. The good news is that they are getting back a few top arms in Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea to bolster the rotation. Those guys are certainly a major upgrade after trial balloons from Blade Tidwell, Jonathan Pintaro, and Justin Hageman all popped. Although those three are on the 40-man roster, a playoff contender must consider help from all sources, and they have two other intriguing options in Triple-A Syracuse. Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat are each surging in performance over the last few weeks, enough to make them viable stashes for the remaining months. Sproat has now thrown 18 scoreless innings over the last three games with 18 strikeouts and five walks. He has a healthy 65% ground-ball rate and one extra base hit over that stretch. The ugly season numbers belie the fact that Sproat is pitching in his best version at the moment.
Stash List Watch
Brandon Sproat
AAA Syracuse NYM7.10 v Lehigh Valley
7 IP 3H 0R 1BB 1HBP 4K
11 whiffs/87 pitchesDialed velo back a notch but still had great results.
FF/SI 96 & 4 whiffs
CU is start pitch w 50% whiffs in the game. 51” drop 13” horMets staying flush w SPs pic.twitter.com/BrOWgxlNVA
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 11, 2025
Over the last three starts, Sproat is up on everything: velocity, spin, and movement. The fastball velocity is now sitting at 98 mph, with his curveball coming in at 81 mph as his slowest pitch. The curveball and changeup each have a 44% whiff rate over the last three games, with neither an average or wOBA above .154. In addition, he has adjusted his pitch-mix to feature his best pitch, the curveball, more often, while barely throwing a more traditional slider. These are steps in the right direction for a pitcher who is being surpassed by higher voltage arms like McLean and Tong. Sproat may not have the same strikeout upside as those guys, but he is demonstrating his versatility by making the most effective use of his six-pitch arsenal.
Once again, the season numbers paint a dark, dooming picture of Sproat. The poor K-BB% signals that he may not have strikeout upside. He was able to correct some of those issues by changing up the pitch mix in recent games. His batted ball profile has remained stable over time, except for the better ground ball numbers lately. The interesting thing is to watch how his fastball performs with its sustained high velocity. Increased fastball velocity and extension haven’t translated into immediate success, but it is doing better than 2024’s marks of a 14% whiff rate and .377 average. Any tweak to improve the performance of his most thrown pitch could nudge those strikeout numbers even higher.
9. Hunter Barco, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2025 AA, AAA Stat line: 68.2 IP | 2.10 ERA | 30.7 K% | 11.6 BB%
2024 MiLB Stat line: 66.0 IP | 3.27 ERA | 31.2 K% | 8.3 BB%
Hunter Barco earned a quick promotion from Double-A Altoona after dominating with a 36.2% strikeout rate, a 7.4% walk rate, and zero runs allowed over 25.2 innings. Things have cooled off after the hot start, but he is still showing great potential as the best lefty option in the upper minor leagues for Pittsburgh. Runs have been allowed to the tune of a 3.35 ERA, while the strikeouts have slowed to a 27.9% rate, and walks have increased to 13.7% over his 43.0 Triple-A innings.
Stash List Watch
Hunter Barco
AAA Indy PIT7.11 v Gwinnett
5.1 IP 4H 3ER 1HR 4BB 4K
6 whiffs/87 pitchesSI is mixed w 2-plane movement 28K% & 15BB%
SL main secondary.
Can he up FS use?Throw more strikes, 60% rate now.
Better location, update mix.Only LHP in upper MiLB PIT pic.twitter.com/K2Kc3X4lEA
— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 16, 2025
After a slow buildup, Barco has pitched into the sixth inning for four consecutive games. During that time, he had a 1.54 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 8 walks, and a .514 OPS. Although he has done a great job at run prevention, he has not done so well with avoiding the free pass. With a measly 60% strike rate, he can aim to throw more strikes, something he was doing at a higher rate in 2024.
Barco primarily uses two pitches, with the sinker and slider leading the way for over 80% of his throws. The sinker has strong vertical movement and decent horizontal break, making it a pitch that may be hard to locate in the zone. That’s probably why there are mixed results from its solid strikeout rate and high walk rate. It’s also a likely outcome for a pitch thrown 60% of the time. The curious pitch is the splitter that has a 35% whiff rate, 42% strikeout, and zero walks allowed. He may only throw it when he is ahead in the count, but its effectiveness means that he could benefit from increasing its usage. Barco will have to be very intentional about his location and mix since hitters are more likely to be able to get the bat around on his 93 mph fastball.
For the second half, Barco would do well to throw more strikes. Although the line drive rate has doubled in his Triple-A outings, he may benefit by challenging hitters more since he has shown an ability to limit hard contact. Maybe with an increased splitter usage, he could also miss bats that are pulling a higher number of his pitches this season, which could be a contributing factor to his increased home run to fly ball ratio. The dueling issue appeared in his July 11 start as a sixth inning walk was followed by an Eddys Leonard home run pulled into the left field bleachers.
10. Parker Messick, LHP, Cleveland Guardians
2025 AAA Stat line: 75.0 IP | 3.36 ERA | 28.8 K% | 11.6 BB%
2024 MiLB Stat line: 133.2 IP | 2.83 ERA | 30.2 K% | 8.0 BB%
The top pitching prospect in the Cleveland Guardians organization is doing his best to make a strong impression for a second-half debut. Parker Messick is a 6’0″ lefty drafted out of college in 2022. In 2024, he put in a solid season in High-A and Double-A, amassing 165 strikeouts against 44 walks. Messick has mostly met the challenge of his Triple-A promotion, yet he is coming off his worst month, where he only completed five innings once out of five starts. July began much better for him with a scoreless seven-inning and nine-strikeout performance.
Stash List Add?
Parker Messick
AAA Columbus CLE
6’0” LHP7.5 v Toledo
7 IP 3H 0R 1BB 9KBounced back after disaster 7ER outing.
CH is star pitch w 47% whiff rate, 14” break.
FF Velo up a tad 93.5Futures Game Opener
1 IP 1H 0R 1BB 1K
1 whiff/16 pitches pic.twitter.com/bKV2h5wY2R— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) July 12, 2025
This was a crucial outcome for his fantasy value as Cleveland could be a seller at the July 31 trade deadline. Shane Bieber is approaching major league readiness, but could be a trade candidate if the Guardians fall further back in the wild card race. Joey Cantillo has done an admirable job eating innings over his last three starts, but could always return to the relief role he had for his first 28.1 innings of the season. Messick could supplant one of those pitchers with an above-average changeup like Cantillo, yet more velocity on his pitches.
Messick is coming at hitters with strong command and a great changeup that breaks over 14 inches to the arm side at 84 mph. Cantillo’s changeup is breaking around 11 inches and coming at a slower 78 mph. Nevertheless, Cantillo is earning a 48% whiff rate on the pitch, so one would anticipate Messick to replicate that success with his version. With a power delivery from the 3/4 arm angle, undulations in his walk rate can be expected. The fastball is the main culprit for his demise over the last three starts, but that isn’t too surprising on a pitch he throws more than 50% of the time. If he has the feel for the fastball, then we can expect stronger strikeout numbers.
Messick has now thrown over 300 Minor League innings, so refining his command of his stuff is the principal goal. However, he has demonstrated a solid grasp of how to get 93 velo past Triple-A hitters, and it is time that he gets the chance to prove he can do it in the major leagues.
On The Bubble
Here are the next several pitchers that were in consideration for inclusion on this week’s list:
Hurston Waldrep ATL, Ben Brown CHC (Technically he graduated, but was demoted to Triple-A to work on a third pitch & he is throwing a changeup. Only 7 through two games), Noah Schultz CHW (Disaster Future Game performance of 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 home run, and one strikeout supports shaky 2025 stats), Miguel Ullola HOU, Ryan Johnson LAA, Robby Snelling MIA, Marco Raya MIN, Jonah Tong NYM (Still believe in talent, but becoming less believable that he makes debut in 2025), Henry Baez SDP, Carson Whisenhunt SFG, Kai-Wei Teng SFG, Michael McGreevy STL, Tekoah Roby STL (Placed on 7-day IL with undisclosed injury), & Cade Cavalli WSN.
Pitcher Stash List
