The Stash List Week 18: Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash in 2024

The Pitcher Edition of the Stash List highlights the 10 best pitching 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 pitching prospects make their debut than ever before and there is no reason we should expect to see anything change in 2024. 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 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 and rostership percentages will be updated weekly.
• Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Thursday’s games.

 

The Stash List

 

Graduates/Call-Ups

 

River Ryan had a strong MLB debut for the Dodgers on Monday, limiting the Giants to four hits and one unearned run in 5.1 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander only managed two strikeouts getting just one whiff on his four-seam fastball and slider combined. Ryan might want to use his cutter more next time out as he got three whiffs out of six he threw. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder averaged 96.1 mph on his fastball, topping out at 98.4, so there’s plenty of juice there to stick in the L.A. rotation in the second half.

DJ Herz returned to the Nationals rotation after taking a two-week detour to Triple-A over the All-Star Break. The 23-year-old southpaw held the Padres to two runs in five innings with four strikeouts and two walks on Tuesday. Herz showed flashes of brilliance in the first half, so if he continues to keep his walks down then he could be an interesting strikeout weapon to deploy in the right matchups over the next two months.

David Festa also used the All-Star break to rest his arm while making just one abbreviated start in Triple-A, returning to the Twins rotation after three weeks away. The 24-year-old struck out seven against the Phillies on Wednesday, allowing one run in 4.1 innings. It was an encouraging outing for the 6-foot-6 right-hander, who had struggled to a 10.80 ERA over his first two starts for Minnesota.

Dodgers right-hander Bobby Miller doesn’t qualify for this list since he is no longer a prospect, but it’s worth noting that the 25-year-old should be stashed in any leagues where he got cut after the Dodgers sent him down to Triple-A on July 10. Miller struggled to an 8.07 ERA in seven starts after returning from shoulder inflammation, but he is coming off five scoreless innings for Oklahoma City last Saturday. Miller did issue four walks for OKC, so he still has some work to do before possibly returning to the Dodgers rotation in early-August.

 

Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash

 

1. Jackson Jobe, RHP, Detroit Tigers

 

Previous Ranking: 1

2024 MiLB (AA) stat line: 38.1 IP | 1.41 ERA | 34.1 K% | 14.8 BB%

2024 MiLB (A+) stat line: 9 IP | 2.00 ERA | 24.2 K% | 6.1 BB%

 

Jackson Jobe tossed the first six innings of a combined no-hitter last Saturday for Double-A Erie. The 21-year-old has had four hitless outings over his 12 starts this season. The righty struggled with his control against Altoona on Friday, issuing five walks in 5.2 innings. Jobe also surrendered a home run, but that was the only run he gave up.

The Tigers don’t seem to be in any rush to get Jobe up to Detroit. They will likely want to challenge him in Triple-A first, so hopefully we will see him in Toledo soon. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is the No. 1 pitching prospect (in my rankings on RotoProspects.com) and he could be a dynamic weapon in the second half for fantasy owners if Detroit doesn’t slow-roll him to save his rookie eligibility for next year.

 

2. Max Meyer, RHP, Miami Marlins

 

Previous Ranking: 3

2024 MLB Stat line: 17 IP | 2.12 ERA | 21.5 K% | 4.6 BB%

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 58 IP | 4.34 ERA | 27.1 K% | 9.4 BB%

 

Max Meyer is finally returning to the Marlins rotation to start Saturday at Milwaukee after being exiled to Triple-A since April 15. After struggling results-wise in Triple-A with a 6.00 ERA over his first 11 starts since getting sent down in April, Meyer turned it on in July with a 0.95 ERA and a 23-6 K-BB in 19 innings. The 25-year-old righty may have given us all overinflated expectations with his hot start back in April when he posted a 0.82 WHIP over three solid outings for Miami.

Now that he’s 75 innings into his return from Tommy John surgery, we’ll see if Meyer can get his fastball and changeup to tick up to go with his dynamic slider. Miami is a great place to pitch, so Meyer has the potential to be a valuable asset over the next two months.

 

3. Zebby Matthews, RHP, Minnesota Twins

 

Previous Ranking: N/R

2024 MiLB (AAA) stat line: 5 IP | 3.60 ERA | 31.6 K% | 0.0 BB%

2024 MiLB (AA) stat line: 55.1 IP | 1.95 ERA | 30.1 K% | 2.9 BB%

2024 MiLB (A+) stat line: 22.2 IP | 1.59 ERA | 33.3 K% | 0.0 BB%

 

What an incredible breakout season for a pop-up prospect like Zebby Matthews. Just an eighth-round pick out of Western Carolina in 2022, he posted a 4.59 ERA in High-A last year. The 24-year-old righty returned to High-A Cedar Rapids this season and has been light out, combining for a 1.95 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP and an amazing 97-6 K-BB in 83 innings over three levels as he has reached Triple-A.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder has 80-grade command with a six-pitch mix featuring a plus mid-90s fastball and a tremendous slider. Matthews gave up a two-run homer to Dillon Dingler in the first inning of his Triple-A debut before settling down to strike out six with no walks in five innings, allowing just those two runs. Matthews is now knocking on the door and could be up in early August if Festa struggles in Minnesota or if there’s any injuries in the Twins rotation.

 

4. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

 

Previous Ranking: 4

2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 76 IP | 3.67 ERA | 30.8 K% | 14.2 BB%

 

Jacob Misiorowski took a big step back in his last start on Tuesday, when his control unraveled with six walks and a hit batsman in 3.1 innings. The 6-foot-7 flamethrower was coming off back-to-back 10-strikeout gems and had issued a combined five walks over his previous three starts. Look for Misiorowski to bounce back in his next start just like he has after his two other worst starts when he combined for a 15-2 K-BB in 12.1 innings with just three hits and one run allowed while striking out 15 with just two walks.

The Brewers could still use the type of dynamic arm that Misiorowski possesses in the back of their rotation for the stretch drive. If Misiorowski can string together a few more strong starts, he could get a chance in the Milwaukee rotation, otherwise he may wind up instead bolstering the Brewers bullpen in September.

 

5. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Previous Ranking: 8

2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 63.2 IP | 3.67 ERA | 29.2 K% | 9.1 BB%

 

Bubba Chandler wasn’t as sharp in his first outing after closing out the NL’s 6-1 victory in the MLB Futures Game, giving up three runs, three walks and a homer in five innings of relief on Sunday. Saturday with a scoreless seventh inning. The 21-year-old flamethrower was coming off a hot stretch where he posted a 0.77 ERA with a 30-2 K-BB in 23.2 innings over four outings for Double-A Altoona.

Chandler is at 68.2 innings this season after 111 frames last year, so there could about 65 innings left in his arm this season. We’ll see if the Pirates opt to protect one of their prized arms and save him for next season, but it could be worth stashing Chandler just in case he can get to Pittsburgh by early August.

 

6. Chayce McDermott, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

 

Previous Ranking: 6

2024 MLB Stat line: 4 IP | 6.75 ERA | 16.7 K% | 11.1 BB%

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 91 IP | 3.96 ERA | 32.5 K% | 13.7 BB%

 

Chayce McDermott came up for his MLB debut at Miami on Wednesday and was sent back down to Triple-A on Thursday, but he could be back on Monday to make a start in a doubleheader against Toronto. The 25-year-old righty cruised through three scoreless innings against the Marlins before running into trouble in the fourth, giving up three runs including a solo homer to Josh Bell.

McDermott leads all Triple-A pitchers with 129 strikeouts on the season, but he also has the most walks with 54. Come next week after the trade deadline, the 6-foot-3, 197-pounder could be anywhere from Triple-A to the majors, starting to relieving, pitching for the Orioles or any of the other 29 organizations. With strikeout stuff and an MLB job oh so close, McDermott should be stashed to see where he winds up.

 

7. Cade Povich, LHP, Baltimore Orioles

 

Previous Ranking: 10

2024 MLB Stat line: 33 IP | 6.27 ERA | 16.1 K% | 12.1 BB%

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 63.2 IP | 3.39 ERA | 30.0vK% | 8.8 BB%

 

Cade Povich is in a similar predicament to McDermott, possibly getting another chance in Baltimore or maybe being included in a trade before the deadline. Povich struggled in his seven-start stint for Baltimore, getting sent down two weeks ago after looking nothing like the pitcher that had dominated for 11 starts with Triple-A Norfolk to start the season.

The 24-year-old southpaw went six innings in his first start for Norfolk since his demotion and gave up five runs (four earned) with just two strikeouts on Wednesday. Povich is worth stashing to see where he stands after the dust settles from the trade deadline.

 

8. Brandon Sproat, RHP, New York Mets

 

Previous Ranking: N/R

2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 52.1 IP | 2.41 ERA | 29.7 K% | 7.2 BB%

2024 MiLB (A+) Stat line: 25.1 IP | 1.07 ERA | 32.4 K% | 7.2 BB%

 

Brandon Sproat is another of the biggest breakout pitching prospects of 2024, going from a second-round pick out of Florida last year to combining for a 1.97 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 77.2 innings over two levels. The 23-year-old flamethrower made his first start in three weeks on Sunday, striking out six in four innings but giving up three runs.

The Mets may not want to push for much more in Sproat’s pro debut, but there’s still a chance that he could give the rotation a boost in a postseason push down the stretch.

 

9. Joey Cantillo, LHP, Cleveland Guardians

 

Previous Ranking: N/R

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 29 IP | 2.79 ERA | 30.2 K% | 14.7 BB%

2024 MiLB (Complex) Stat line: 1.1 IP | 33.75 ERA | 22.2 K% | 22.2 BB%

 

Joey Cantillo is rounding into form after missing the first two months with a hamstring strain. The 24-year-old southpaw has a 0.90 ERA with a 12-1 K-BB in 10 innings over his last two starts for Triple-A Columbus. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder walked 14.4% of batters in Double-A and 12.9% in Triple-A last year, so his last two outings have been a great sign. Cantillo had issued 12 walks in 10.1 innings over his previous three starts, so he likely needs at least one more strong outing to strengthen his case for a call-up to Cleveland. The Guardians will likely add to their starting rotation at the trade deadline, but Cantillo could get a shot too.

 

10. Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs

 

Previous Ranking: 9

2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 16.1 IP | 1.10 ERA | 29.0 K% | 3.2 BB%

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 18 IP | 7.50 ERA | 27.2% | 13.6 BB%

 

Cade Horton left his May 29 start in Triple-A after just one inning with lat soreness, which was then diagnosed as a subscapular strain that shut him down from throwing for just over a month. The 22-year-old right-hander is throwing from flat ground but is still early in the build-up process. Updates have been few and far between, so it’s getting discouraging waiting to see if Horton might get a chance in Chicago in the second half. With the Cubs possibly waving the white flag at the trade deadline, Horton could still get a look in Chicago down the stretch.

 

On The Bubble

 

Here are the next five pitchers that were in consideration for inclusion on this week’s list:  Caden Dana, LAA; Carson Whisenhunt, SF;