The Stash List Week 2: 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 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 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

 

Pitching prospects who have been promoted to the Major League roster in the past week include Jose Butto of the Mets and Ben Brown of the Cubs. Butto made a strong first start filling in for injured Tylor Megill in the back of the Mets rotation, allowing just one earned run in six innings with six strikeouts on Thursday against the Tigers. It may wind up being just a spot start as the Mets signed veteran Julio Teheran to take a few turns while Megill and Kodai Senga are on the shelf. Brown could be more interesting if he gets to make some starts while Justin Steele is out for a month with a strained hamstring. He has big strikeout stuff with three plus pitches but has shaky command, as evidenced in his MLB debut on Sunday in relief at Texas, allowing six runs in 1.2 innings with two walks. Brown bounced back on Wednesday with four solid innings as the bulk reliever behind an opener, allowing one run with five Ks and just one walk against Colorado. Brown is worth an add in deep leagues in case he can make some noise in the Cubs rotation.

 

Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash

 

1. Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Previous Ranking: 1

2024 MiLB (AAA) stat line: 3 IP/0.00 ERA/55.6 K%/0.0 BB%

Paul Skenes wasted no time showing why he’s the top pitcher to stash with a dominant season debut for Triple-A Indianapolis. The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft averaged 100.1 mph on his four-seam fastball while dominating Louisville over three perfect innings. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound right-hander struck out five batters, generating whiffs on 12 of his 46 pitches. It should just be a case of the big man building up his pitch count, which could be just a few more starts in the minors before arriving in Pittsburgh. This could be a rookie season like what Spencer Strider did in 2022 when the Braves’ Quadzilla posted a 3.86 ERA with 1.09 WHIP and a whopping 38.3 K%. If you’re in a league with Skenes still available, run do not walk to pick him up!

Skenes dominated again on Friday night including striking out a rehabbing Lars Nootbaar. If you didn’t think Skenes was ready for the limelight before, you should now.

Paul Skenes punches the side including Lars Nootbaar. Sitting above triple digits.

📽️: @indyindians pic.twitter.com/jfNVlLd3Av

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) April 5, 2024

 

We said last week that if the Tigers are contending come June that Jackson Jobe could possibly get a look. With Detroit off to a hot start, the likelihood of such a scenario is on the rise. Jobe is beginning the season with Double-A Erie, but he has the polish and deep arsenal to shred minor-league hitters and force his way to Detroit sooner rather than later. Any pitcher with the kind of stuff to have struck out 84 against just 6 walks in 64 innings over four levels like Jobe did last year is one to have on your radar. The Tigers have a crowded rotation, but it’s filled with health risks that could lead to an opening in Detroit by the time Jobe could be ready in June. If you can afford a longer stash, Jobe offers a huge ceiling as a high-strikeout, low-WHIP hurler in a pitcher’s park.

 

3. Christian Scott, RHP, New York Mets

 

Previous Ranking: 5

2024 MiLB (A/A+/AA) Stat line: 87.2 IP/2.57 ERA/31.9 K%/3.6 BB%

Christian Scott was electric in his season debut on Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse, racking up seven strikeouts over the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth frame. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander allowed homers to Everson Pereira and Jeter Downs before finishing the inning with two more strikeouts. Scott followed suit on the 107-12 K-BB he put up in 87.2 IP last year with nine strikeouts against no walks on Thursday. With the Mets already down to using Butto as a spot starter and signing journeyman Teheran to patch up a rotation already springing leaks, Scott could work his way to New York in quick order. The chance for solid strikeouts with low-walk totals in the friendly confines of Citi Field has Scott on the rise on our stash list.

 

4. AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP, Atlanta Braves

 

Previous Ranking: 3

2023 MiLB (A+/AA/AAA) Stat line: 62 IP/2.76 ERA/31.3 K%/13.1 BB%

2023 MLB Stat line: 25.1 IP/4.26 ERA/19.0 K%/10.5 BB%

AJ Smith-Shawver is yet to make a start for Triple-A Durham after losing out to Reynaldo Lopez for the fifth spot in the Atlanta rotation. Lopez looked excellent in his season debut, allowing just one run in six innings, but the 30-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched more than 66 innings or made more than nine starts in a season since 2019. We’re anxious to see how AJSS looks coming out of the gate this season as the 21-year-old right-hander was just getting his feet wet last year. The chance to emerge with a spot in the Atlanta rotation by the end of May is enticing.

 

5. Mick Abel, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

 

Previous Ranking: 4

2023 MiLB (AA/AAA) Stat line: 113.1 IP/4.13 ERA/27.4 K%/13.5 BB%

Mick Abel is yet to make his season debut for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so we’re left to wonder what the Phillies are up to. Abel was showing an even more explosive fastball in spring training, which would help his already impressive five-pitch arsenal play up. Spencer Turnbull turned in an impressive first start in the fifth spot in the Philadelphia rotation while Taijuan Walker tries to work his way back from a sore shoulder. If things turn south there, Abel could quickly become an option in Philadelphia as long as he starts pitching in games again soon after turning in just 2.2 innings in spring training.

 

6. Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs

 

Previous Ranking: 7

2023 MiLB (A/A+/AA) Stat line: 88.1 IP/2.65 ERA/33.5 K%/7.7 BB%

Cade Horton should be making his season debut with Double-A Tennessee this weekend. The 22-year-old right-hander has the type of top-of-the-rotation stuff that the Cubs are lacking outside of Shota Imanaga, so if the Wrigley faithful are to have dreams of a postseason run then they could use a quick ascent from Horton. With Steele and Jameson Taillon on the IL, the Cubs rotation is already stretched thin, so an opportunity could present itself for a call-up as early as June for the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft.

 

7. Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays

 

Previous Ranking: 6

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 4.1 IP/6.23 ERA/12.5 K%/25.0 BB%

Ricky Tiedemann looked good in Friday’s start in Triple-A … for one inning. The 21-year-old left-hander needed just seven pitches to get the first three outs but then racked up 37 pitches including four walks in the second frame. It was already Tiedemann’s second start for Buffalo this season, both coming in sub-40-degree weather. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder was better in his first start, allowing one run with three strikeouts and two walks in 2.2 innings. If cold weather is the culprit, hopefully, Tiedemann will get some warmer temperatures soon. There’s still an incredibly high ceiling for the strikeout artist, as evidenced by his 44.1 K% last year over four levels, but we’ll need to see some better signs soon to think he can reach Toronto early enough in the season to keep stashing.

 

8. Jack Leiter, RHP, Texas Rangers

 

Previous Ranking: N/R

2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 5 IP/3.60 ERA/52.9 K%/0.0 BB%

The second overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Vanderbilt, Jack Leiter had struggled so much since turning pro that there were whispers that he may wind up in the bullpen soon. Leiter took a 5.37 ERA in his minors career into his 2024 debut, but the 23-year-old right-hander looked a lot like his old Vandy self for Round Rock on March 30. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder entered the game in the fourth inning and put up nine strikeouts in five innings with no walks, giving up a two-run homer to Joey Loperfido as the lone blemish on his outing. Leiter’s fastball sat 96.9 mph and touched 22.7 inches of IVB. Let’s see if he can keep this going because there could be an opportunity in the Texas rotation in the first half of the season before Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle return from surgeries.

 

9. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

 

Previous Ranking: 8

2024 MiLB (A/A+/AA) Stat line: 71.1 IP/3.41 ERA/35.0 K%/13.4 BB%

Skenes’ top competition for best pure stuff in the minors will likely come from Jacob Misiorowski. The 6-foot-7, 190-pound right-hander can sit 100 mph and has a slider with 70-grade potential. Misiorowski made his season debut for Double-A Biloxi on Friday. He looked strong for the start of his season debut before surrendering two walks in the fifth inning and only lasting 4.1. The good was striking out seven, the bad was walking three. If Misiorowski can make strikes with his control and build up his innings early on, then he could rocket his way into the Milwaukee rotation by June. Keep in mind that he could also wind up in the Brewers bullpen in September, so this is a stash for those who like to swing for the fences.

 

10. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta Braves

 

Previous Ranking: 10

2023 MiLB (A/A+/AA/AAA) Stat line: 29.1 IP/1.53 ERA/33.3 K%/13.0 BB%

Hurston Waldrep is another young arm with knockout stuff but a lot of reliever risk.  The 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander features a devastating upper-80s splitter, but was selected 24th overall in last year’s draft out of Florida and ripped through four levels by September. Waldrep’s best pitch is a devastating upper-80s splitter, but he will need to show improved control to stay a starter and in play as a possible mid-season addition to the Atlanta rotation. Waldrep should make his season debut for Double-A Mississippi this weekend, so check to see what his strikeout-to-walk totals look like.

 

On The Bubble

Here are the next five pitchers that were in consideration for inclusion on this week’s list: Chase Hampton, NYY; David Festa, MIN; Carson Whisenhunt, SF; Chayce McDermott, BAL; Yariel Rodriguez, TOR