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The Stash List Week 20: Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash in 2024

The top 10 hitting prospects to stash in redraft leagues.

Jack Mueller
Dynasty 8/11/2024

The Hitter Edition of the Stash List is back for the 2024 season.

This Stash List highlights the 10 best-hitting 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 prospects debut than ever, and there is no reason we should expect to see anything change in 2024. Read to discover the top 10 hitters 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 will be updated weekly.
  • Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Thursday’s games.

 

The Stash List

 

Graduates/Call Ups

Adrian Del Castillo debuted in the major leagues after Gabriel Moreno went on the injured list with a groin issue. He made his mark known immediately, smashing a walk-off home run for his first round-tripper in the major leagues against the Phillies. Del Castillo has been one of the biggest breakout stars of the minor leagues this season, leading qualified hitters in doubles and ranking fifth with 24 home runs. He will have to battle with Jose Herrera for playing time, but his upside as a hitter should land him in the lineup on most days. With Moreno expected to miss several games, Del Castillo can lay claim to the second catcher spot going forward.

 

Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash

 

1. Junior Caminero, SS – Tampa Bay Rays

 

It’s ludicrous that Junior Caminero is still in AAA. Yes, he missed significant time due to injury but came back stronger and proved he’s back to 100%. There’s no one threatening to block him on the major league roster either. Isaac Paredes is out of the picture with the Cubs, and while José Caballero started the season well, his production has tailed off. An 87 wRC+ and a 6% walk rate should not keep Tampa Bay from giving their top prospect another run in the major leagues. At this point, the most logical reason for keeping him in the minors would be for service time reasons. If that is the case, he should be called up by the end of this month.

For now, though he will have to keep doing what he’s doing in AAA, and what he’s done has been impressive. He’s demonstrated an ability to spray the ball to all fields while improving his walk rate and keeping his strikeouts in check. At 22%, his strikeout rate is slightly higher than what Tampa would like out of him, but it shouldn’t prevent him from getting a chance in the majors. Caminero’s time is coming, and the Rays will hope that he proves to be the franchise cornerstone that they need as they prepare for the future.

 

2. Jace Jung, 2B/3B – Detroit Tigers

 

Jace Jung, like Caminero, has shown he is ready for the major leagues, but he hasn’t been given an opportunity. His 121 wRC+ is eighth highest among AAA third basemen, and sixth among second basemen. While he hasn’t set the world on fire like some of his competitors, he’s proven that he can handle the level and is ready to make the jump to the next. The Tigers have some exciting young bats at the top of their lineup, but the latter half is much less inspiring. Colt Keith has laid claim to second base going forward, so Jung will have to move to the hot corner full-time.

Gio Urshela has held down that spot this season, but his play hasn’t inspired hope that he will be there long-term. His 68 wRC+ is the fifth lowest among third basemen (>200 PAs) and his .320 SLG is among the worst at the position. The time should be now for the Tigers to see what they have with Jung and give him an extended run in the lineup. The Tigers have fallen out of playoff contention, so all of their focus should be getting ready for next season.

 

3. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B – Miami Marlins

 

Deyvison De Los Santos has emerged as one of minor league baseball’s biggest stars this season. His 31 home runs still lead MiLB, and he ranks first and second in OPS and wRC+ among hitters with more than 400 plate appearances this season. He has been special with the bat this season. De Los Santos’ spray chart is a thing of beauty, demonstrating his ability to drive the baseball to all fields. When he gets a hold of one, they rarely stay in the field of play. His longest home run was off of a Mason Black slider that he turned around at 114 miles per hour. The ball landed more than 460 feet from home plate.

His power will play in the majors, there is no doubt about that. What has been more impressive is the improvements he’s made in his short time with his new organization. Since joining the Marlins, both his strikeout and walk rates have drastically improved. While this eight-game stretch is a very small sample size, it demonstrates that he’s been able to adapt to his new environment very quickly. He should start preparing to change teams again, as his promotion to the major leagues should come soon.

 

4. Connor Norby, 2B – Miami Marlins

 

Many thought Norby would skip AAA entirely with the Marlins organization and go straight into their everyday lineup. That was not the case and the 24-year-old continues to wait for his opportunity in the minor leagues. Norby has spent some time in the majors this year already with the Orioles and struggled to assert himself (.188 AVG / 61 wRC+). Whether that was due to inconsistent playing time or inability to adjust to major league pitching remains to be seen, but a change of scenery could result in a different outcome.

The competition for playing time in Miami’s infield is not as strong as it was in Baltimore, so Norby should be afforded a chance to play every day when he gets the call. Otto Lopez and Emmanuel Rivera do not have the upside that Norby provides. He’s been a pull-power guy consistently but has hit a couple of balls that resulted in outs that would have been home runs at Marlins Park. If he can continue to tap into that power in the majors, Norby could grow into a legitimate long-term fantasy asset due to the help he’ll get from his new home ballpark.

 

5. Jasson Domínguez, OF – New York Yankees

 

“The Martian” has come down to earth in recent games after his red-hot start after returning from injury. Over his past three games, he’s hitting just .154 with six strikeouts in 13 plate appearances. The Yankees are in the midst of a heated battle for sole possession of the AL East and will need all hands on deck performing to a high level. New York has plenty of depth in the outfield to cover any holes with Dominguez returning to top form.

It’s only a matter of time before he does. In 15 games between June 1st and July 31st, he hit .327 with three home runs and three steals. Despite the fact he missed most of the games with injury, that is an impressive run. Injuries have been an Achilles heel for Dominguez so far in his professional career and may continue to haunt him in the future. If Dominguez can stay healthy and recover from a tough stretch, he will play a role in pinstripes down the stretch this season. Once he is back in the majors, the tools that have made him one of baseball’s most exciting prospects will be on full display.

 

6. Nick Yorke, 2B – Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Yorke has hit the ground running with his new club. Since joining the Pirates, he’s hitting .381 with a wRC+ of 142. In that time, he’s also cut his strikeout rate by 7%. He’s not walking as much as he was with the Red Sox, but like all of these stats, they must be taken with a grain of salt due to the sample size. He’s only been with his new squad for six games, and while they have been impressive, it does not tell the full story. An interesting storyline to keep an eye on is how the Pirates utilize him defensively. He played his first career game in center field on Wednesday for the AAA Indianapolis Indians.

With Nick Gonzales on the shelf for the time being, there is close to nothing standing between Nick Yorke and a major-league audition. The obstacles as things stand are Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and Jared Triolo. The former is having a very solid season. His 115 wRC+, solid defense, and veteran presence should keep him in the lineup every day. He does have the positional versatility to move around though, opening the door for Yorke. Triolo has not been good this year. His 58 wRC+ is 60 points lower than his 2023 total. His batting average currently sits at .199, far from being considered beneficial to a team. Yorke provides an immediate upgrade in offensive production and should get the chance to prove it soon.

 

7. Edgar Quero, C – Chicago White Sox

 

Edgar Quero makes his Stash List debut this season in place of another catcher. Moises Ballesteros drops off of the list after hitting just .228 since the start of July. After a red-hot start that had Cubs fans clamoring for a call-up, it looks like he will have to wait for 2025 for his shot. Quero likely will not. Among minor league catchers with more than 250 plate appearances, his 147 wRC+ ranks 5th. Since being promoted to AAA, the 21-year-old backstop is hitting .333 with four home runs. His defense isn’t going to win him any Gold Gloves, but it’s good enough to keep him behind the plate for now. Quero wasn’t expected to reach the majors this season, but a combination of great individual play and the dismal state of the White Sox has changed his ETA.

The Sox finally snapped their losing streak after 21 games on Tuesday night, beating the Athletics 5-1. At the time of writing, they are 28-88 and are 41 games out of the division lead. This White Sox team will go down in history as one of the worst rosters ever put together, and there isn’t a surplus of talent waiting in the wings. Colson Montgomery is considered the organization’s top prospect, but a .703 OPS in AAA hasn’t filled fans with confidence. Brooks Baldwin has also struggled since being called up (.220 AVG / 65 wRC+). Let’s not mince words, it cannot possibly get worse for the White Sox. Why not call up a hot-hitting prospect and see if he can build on his success in the minors? The absolute worst-case scenario (barring injury) is that Quero returns to AAA after a rough stretch. On the other hand, he could succeed and lock down the catcher spot for the foreseeable future.

 

8. Matt Shaw, INF – Chicago Cubs

 

Finally! Matt Shaw was promoted to AAA hours after last week’s Stash List went live. Shaw thoroughly deserved the promotion, fighting back from an underwhelming start to reaffirm himself as one of the top-hitting prospects in the Cubs’ minor league system. He made his debut with Iowa on Tuesday, going 1-4 with a strikeout against the Omaha Storm Chasers. His first knock was a solid single the other way, indicative of his ability to hit the ball to all fields. Shaw should be a major part of the Cubs’ future, and he may be a September call-up candidate if he hits the ground running in AAA.

The acquisition of Isaac Paredes muddies the waters around a major league debut for Shaw. Before the trade, it seemed that Shaw was the answer to the question fans had been asking all season: who is the long-term option at third base? With Paredes under team control until 2028, Shaw’s defensive home is now a question mark. Dansby Swanson’s locked in long-term and Nico Hoerner isn’t a free agent until 2026. Jed Hoyer now has a good problem to solve in trying to get all of these impact players into the lineup. Shaw’s bat warrants significant playing time when he comes to Wrigley Field, but he has some competition to fight off.

 

9. Christian Moore, 2B – Los Angeles Angels

 

Christian Moore is on fire. Since arriving in professional baseball, Moore has 17 hits in seven games. He has five home runs and went four-for-four in his seventh career game. These are things you’d expect to see from an MLB the Show player on rookie difficulty, not a player that was drafted mere weeks ago.

The Angels have employed a clear strategy when it comes to recent drafts. Select advanced collegiate hitters and fast-track them to the big leagues. Nolan Schanuel made his major league debut just months after being drafted at pick #11 from Florida Atlantic. Zach Neto was promoted to the Angels after just 11 games in his second professional season. Now, both players are looking like cornerstones in the Angels’ plans for the future. There were some growing pains for both, but they have proved they can handle it this season. Neto’s 112 wRC+ ranks eighth among MLB shortstops, and Schanuel isn’t far behind him with a 105. Christian Moore has already been promoted to AA, and if he continues to dominate in the manner that he has, he could find himself making his debut soon. He looked like he fit right in, smashing his first professional walk-off home run for the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Wednesday night.

Outside of Neto, Schanuel, and Logan O’Hoppe, there isn’t much young talent in the Angels’ lineup. Jo Adell has struggled this year, hitting below .200. His power stroke has improved, but a batting average below .200 isn’t something to build around. Mike Trout is not getting any younger, and if the Angels want to send their superstar back to the playoffs before the end of his career, they need their draftees to come through. Luis Rengifo is done for the season, and Brandon Drury’s 20 wRC+ isn’t going to be enough to keep him in the lineup. If the Angels repeat the process they put Schanuel through, Moore could be a solid upside add for the latter part of the season.

 

10. Shay Whitcomb, INF/OF – Houston Astros

 

Shay Whitcomb deserves to be on a major league roster. His 2024 campaign has been arguably the most impressive in the minor leagues. Whitcomb is one of two players in minor league baseball to have more than 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Chris Newell (AA, LAD) is the other player who has reached that feat this year, but his batting average is nearly 100 points lower than Whitcomb’s. 24 home runs is impressive enough on its own, but when you factor in the home ballpark he could soon be playing in, it’s downright scary.

There are at least four instances that one of Whitcomb’s long flyouts would become home runs due to the short porch in Minute Maid Park’s left field wall. The Crawford Boxes have earned a reputation for snatching would-be outs and turning them into home runs. Whitcomb’s pull side power would benefit greatly from this and could make him an undervalued asset in fantasy. He has the positional versatility to play all over the infield, as well as in the outfield corners. With the Astros deep in a divisional fight with the Mariners, they need all the power bats they can find. Adding Whitcomb to this lineup should scare the rest of the AL West.

 

On The Bubble

 

Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.

Dalton Rushing

Niko Kavadas

Owen Caissie

Moises Ballesteros

Colby Thomas

 

Stash List

Jack Mueller

Jack Mueller is a graduate student at Miami University studying Sport Management. Before joining PitcherList, Jack worked for the Orleans Firebirds (Cape Cod Baseball League) and the Chicago Dogs (American Association) as an advance scout and data analyst.

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