The Hitter Edition of The Stash List is back and updated for Week 20.
This Stash List highlights the 10 best-hitting prospects likely to make an impact during the 2023 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 2023 ETA and getting ahead of the curve on rostering these prospects is a key part of roster management. You can check out last week’s edition of the list here and keep reading to find out the latest updates.
Ground Rules
- The Stash List is for your redraft leagues and does not consider impact beyond 2023.
- 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 Friday’s games.
The Stash List
Graduates/Call-Ups
No prospects were promoted off of last week’s Stash List. However, we did get one notable prospect promotion out in Oakland. The A’s called up first baseman Lawrence Butler who has put together a strong minor league season. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he has 15 home runs and 21 stolen bases. Speed at first base is always an intriguing profile although there are some concerns about his hit-tool. He is not a must-add but is worth a look in 15+ team leagues where you need help at corner infield. Oakland will likely play him on the strong side of a platoon for now.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Ronny Mauricio, SS/2B New York Mets
Right now, Ronny Mauricio’s position is listed as SS/2B. Mauricio has also spent time in the outfield and most recently has moved to third base. Really at this point, Mauricio is just a utility player who the Mets refuse to give a chance to prove himself at the major league level. Mauricio responded to the most recent move to third base by smashing this home run:
Ronny Mauricio goes oppo for his 17th home run of the year 💣 pic.twitter.com/xFyAE7Hhiu
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 8, 2023
Despite the team’s continued reluctance to call Mauricio up, he remains the top stash option in the minor leagues. He has excellent power, plus speed, and is showing a much-improved hit tool this season. Although the Mets are absolutely going to manipulate his service time, we should still expect Mauricio to make his debut at some point this season. Resist the urge to move on and keep him stashed if you have the extra roster spot.
2. Masyn Winn, SS St. Louis Cardinals
There was a brief moment earlier this week when it seemed like Masyn Winn was being promoted by St. Louis to the major Leagues. This hypothesis was quickly disproven as it was revealed Winn was battling a minor ankle injury. Still, the buzz that even the thought of a promotion caused around the fantasy baseball community is a testament as to why Winn needs to be stashed now. He has been one of the best minor league hitters since the All-Star break and assuming this ankle injury truly is minor, he should be in the major leagues very soon.
Winn combines his excellent speed with a smooth swing path allowing him to drive the ball to all fields. The most impressive part of Winn’s profile is the gains he continues to make in the power department. He continues to hit the ball harder and harder and what was originally viewed as his one weakness is turning into yet another strength. There is 20/20 potential here and Winn needs to be stashed now with the anticipation of seeing him before the season is over.
3. Jordan Lawlar, SS Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks continue to slump. What started out as one of the best stories in baseball is quickly turning into an extremely disappointing second half. That being said, Arizona is nowhere close to out of things in the Wild Card race and the longer they stick around, the more likely it is that Jordan Lawlar gets a chance to prove himself at the major league level. He has hit safely in seven straight games and has all the makings of a future star. His power is phenomenal, his hit tool has improved by leaps and bounds over where it was last year, and his 35-steal potential is the icing on the cake.
If Arizona is serious about competing this season, then they cannot waste time keeping Lawlar in the minor leagues. Emmanuel Rivera is getting consistent playing time despite a wRC+ of 87 this year. Another option is replacing Geraldo Perdomo who has a negative wRC+ since July 30. Lawlar gives the Diamondbacks the best chance to win. He also has the highest upside of any player on this list. Stash him now as Lawlar profiles to have a massive fantasy impact once promoted.
4. Austin Wells, C New York Yankees
Although Austin Wells is still searching for that elusive first Triple-A home run, he has picked things up at the plate recently. Wells has at least one extra-base hit in five of his last seven games and is adjusting nicely to Triple-A pitching. Perhaps even more importantly, his strikeout rate has dropped significantly since the start of August. Over that time, he is striking out under 15% of the time with as many walks as strikeouts. The average is never going to be elite, but he has the on-base skills to be relevant even with a low batting average.
Getting Wells to Yankee Stadium should not take a lot. The team is struggling offensively and the production from their catchers has been abysmal. Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt continue to split time evenly, but neither one is deserving of regular at-bats. Wells offers the Yankees an instant offensive upgrade and will be in consideration for a late-season promotion. Stash Wells now if you need help at the catcher position down the stretch.
5. Colt Keith, 3B Detroit Tigers
Do not look now, but the Tigers are quietly hanging around in the AL Central. Although nobody expects the Tigers to erase their current seven-game deficit, they did just take three of four from Minnesota and are not out of things just yet. The longer they hang around, the more likely it is they give their top prospect Colt Keith a chance in the major leagues. Keith has been excellent all season splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A. His numbers have taken a bit of a hit since the promotion, but he has still put together a solid .270/.344/.426 slash. He has the chance to be an excellent points league player and a strong fantasy asset in standard category leagues.
As has been mentioned in previous articles, the Tigers have plenty of room in their major league lineup if they decide to give Keith a chance. The infield roulette of Zach McKinstry, Nick Maton, Zack Short, and Andy Ibáñez will not prevent Keith from breaking through. This is an extremely talented player that is worth stashing on your redraft teams.
6. Everson Pereira, OF New York Yankees
| AVG | HR | SB | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .304 | 16 | 7 | 7.8% | 28.1% |
So, do not look now, but Everson Pereira might be making strides in the strikeout department. Since the start of August, Pereira is striking out less than 21% of the time. His Triple-A chase rate and whiff percentage are still worse than the league average, but any improvements are a wonderful sign. He has some of the best batted-ball quality in Triple-A with an average exit velocity above 93 mph and a barrel rate above 11%. Home runs per fly ball is an extremely sticky stat and Pereira has posted extremely high rates at every level since 2021.
Everson Pereira caps off a 5 RBI night with a three-run homer to right. #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/IktRHi5eCS
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 10, 2023
The Yankees continue to play without a true left fielder. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Billy McKinney are splitting time in the outfield although neither one should be playing every day on a major league team. Pereira would provide a much-needed spark for a team that desperately needs one. There are plenty of caution signs in Pereira’s underlying metrics, but his power upside makes him worth stashing where you need outfield help.
7. Tyler Gentry, OF Kansas City Royals
Tyler Gentry is one of those players that does not do one thing extremely well but is good at a lot of different things. For example, Gentry is never going to be a 30-home-run player. However, he does profile to hit around 20 home runs with tons of doubles. He is never going to hit .300, but his contact skills and plate discipline should propel him to above-average OBP numbers. He is not the fastest player, but expecting 10 stolen bases from him is realistic. Players like this often fly under the radar in fantasy circles, especially when they are a prospect who got off to a sluggish start.
As mentioned last week, Gentry has really turned things around at the plate. The most important thing is that there are clear openings in Kansas City’s outfield. Kyle Isbel is batting under .200 since the start of August. The team could also move Salvador Perez to first base to replace Matt Beaty in the lineup and open up the DH spot if they wish to continue awarding Isbel with regular playing time. The Royals should give Gentry a shot this season and he is a strong stash option.
8. Jackson Chourio, OF Milwaukee Brewers
When you are stashing a prospect, the goal is to gain a competitive advantage over other members of your league. There are times certain prospects are promoted from the major leagues, but that does not mean they are suddenly must-adds. You are not going to miss out if you choose to not stash them. However, if you choose to not stash Jackson Chourio, you will be missing out. He does not have the highest likelihood to be promoted in 2023, but his upside is incredibly high. He has star potential and can be a five-category contributor if Milwaukee gives him a chance this season.
In Double-A, Chourio continues to dominate. His season-long wRC+ does not paint the full picture after his slow start. Since May 26th, Chourio has a 140 wRC+ and has looked like one of the best hitters in the minor leagues. The Brewers are currently trying to hold off both the Cubs and Reds in the NL Central and need as much help as they can get. Mark Canha has a 24 wRC+ since being acquired from the Mets and Joey Wiemer has been underwhelming at the plate. Chourio would provide an instant spark offensively and gives the team their best chance to win. Stashing Chourio is chasing upside which is well worth it if you have an extra bench spot.
9. Justyn-Henry Malloy, 3B/OF Detroit Tigers
| AVG | HR | SB | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .279 | 17 | 4 | 16.7% | 23.7% |
When Justyn-Henry Malloy is going well at the plate, he is walking a ton and limiting his strikeouts. Well, since the start of August, Malloy is walking twice as much as he strikes out leading to some impressive OBP numbers. He is up to 17 home runs this season and has 25+ home run raw power. His value is the highest in OBP leagues, but he should not be forgotten about in standard leagues.
The biggest hurdle for Malloy to conquer is not being on the 40-man roster. Outside of that, there is no reason he should still be in Triple-A. He has been performing well there all season and the Tigers have been searching for offensive production from their third basemen all season. Matt Vierling has been seeing time there recently although he could easily move to the outfield to replace Akil Baddoo. The team also has the DH spot open if they want to take at-bats away from Miguel Cabrera. Malloy deserves a chance in the major leagues this year and is worth stashing, especially in OBP leagues.
10. Kyle Manzardo, 1B Cleveland Guardians
Kyle Manzardo slides back to the 10th spot on this list as he is yet to make his debut for Cleveland’s organization. After he was dealt at the Trade Deadline, reports were that he was nearing a return and many even expected him to suit up that week. Unfortunately, he still has not appeared in a game since July 6th and at this point, it is fair to question whether we will see him in the major leagues this season.
Stashing Manzardo is being aware of how talented he is when healthy. He has some of the best pure bat skills in the minor leagues with excellent power. He drives the ball to all fields and profiles to be a 25-home-run, 40-double player. After trading away Josh Bell, there are openings in Cleveland’s lineup. If Manzardo comes back and looks like the player he was in 2022, I expect we will see him in the major leagues at some point in September.
On The Bubble
In no particular order, the top five hitters that were in consideration for inclusion to this list were: Parker Meadows, Yonathan Perlaza, Heston Kjerstad, Michael Busch, and Dustin Harris.