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The Stash List Week 22: Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash in 2025

Top 10 pitching prospects to stash in redraft league

John Villavicencio
Dynasty 8/23/2025

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:

Nolan McLean (NYM) had a strong debut with eight strikeouts over five innings to earn his first major league victory. As expected, he blended five pitches, but was able to get the fastball over 95 mph. Stuff+ gave four of his pitches a rating over 100. He puts the wide arsenal to the test against the Braves on the road on Friday night.

Luis Morales (ATH) went five innings and may not be stuck in a relief role after all. He got five strikeouts against two walks using a heavy dose of his 96 mph fastball and slider. He goes against the Mariners on Friday.

To the delight of everyone holding onto shares of Bubba Chandler (PIT) all season, he is being called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend. The downside is that he will likely arrive in the bullpen in long relief, but you never know, he may pitch so well that a starter’s spot opens up. It’s been months of turbulence for his value, so we hope to see a high-performing fastball and changeup combination in his major league debut.

Parker Messick (CLE) put up a quality start with a 1-2 punch of the fastball and changeup. Stuff+ gives the changeup a 125 mark for its 9 inches of break and command. Messick looks locked into a rotation spot.

 

Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash

 

1. Mick Abel, RHP, Minnesota Twins

2025 AAA Stat line: 86.1 IP | 2.22 ERA | 28.8 K% | 10.5 BB% 

2025 MLB Stat line: 25.0 IP | 5.04 ERA | 19.4 K% | 8.3 BB%

 

There is no fooling around with colorful commentary this week. Mick Abel is the number one stash for his ability to put together solid efforts like his recent eleven-strikeout performance using a deep five-pitch mix against any opposing lineup. Including this last game, his splits do not show a wide margin between the handedness of the batter, but having more options will serve him well upon his next call-up. Righties have hit three home runs and a .591 OPS against him, while lefties have hit ten home runs and a .677 OPS off him. After struggling in June with seven home runs allowed and a .934 OPS, Abel has called forth the sinker and sweeper to challenge righties, while dialing up more changeups to confront lefties.

On August 26 versus Omaha, Abel compiled those eleven strikeouts over six innings to go along with two earned runs on two hits and zero walks. The one hit was another home run allowed to lefty Carter Jensen on a 3-2 fastball, so that is mildly concerning given the above splits. Yet, he mainly uses the changeup with seven inches of break against lefties, and it generated four whiffs. The sinker and sweeper may not produce the biggest number of whiffs, two in this game, but they serve the purpose of keeping hitters off balance. He releases them at a similar point, but they travel in opposite directions with an 11 mph difference in velocity. Although the fastball did get five whiffs with 16 inches of IVB, it did also get smacked over the fence. The curveball is the star pitch with 48 inches of drop and 9 inches of break. He is spinning into the zone at over 2700 rpm, and it elicited nine whiffs. Assuming Abel can sequence his pitches to keep the ball on the ground like he has done well historically (45%), then Minnesota should be calling upon his services soon.

Over the last three games, Abel has 23 strikeouts, six walks, a 62% strike rate, a 15% swinging strike rate, a 44% groundball rate, one home run, and three earned runs allowed in 15.1 innings.

 

2. Robby Snelling, LHP, Miami Marlins

2025 AA, AAA Stat line: 112.0 IP | 2.73 ERA | 29.9 K% | 7.0 BB% 

2024 MiLB Stat line: 115.2 IP | 5.15 ERA | 22.6 K% | 8.9 BB%

 

Robby Snelling is off to a smashing start with Triple-A Jacksonville after just over a month’s worth of starts. His prospect stock had taken a tumble with San Diego in Double-A during the first half of 2024. Yet, something clicked when he was sent over to Miami in the Tanner Scott trade, and he has been posting near 20% K-BB% rates each stop along his minor league journey. To repeat what was stated last article, his walk rate (7% to 5%), strikeout rate (28% to 33%), strike rate (65% to 69%), swinging-strike rate (13% to 15%), and ground-ball rate (52% to 42%) have all held their ground or improved from Double-A to Triple-A. Part of his success has come with a much-improved arsenal. The fastball, in particular, has evolved from an average offering to one that now receives an elite 5.87 PLV score, thanks to its velocity, 65% xZone rate, 16 inches of IVB, and 1.1 degree approach angle. Since July 26, the pitch has a 32% whiff rate, .177 wOBA against, and zero home runs allowed. This is a great outcome for his most-used pitch. His second most-used pitch, the curveball, also receives an above-average 5.21 PLV mark for a solid zone rate and above-average movement. Since July 26, the curveball has a 43% whiff rate, a moderate .296 wOBA, and has allowed only one walk. This one-two combination has allowed him to toggle between his slider and changeup as the third offering. Snelling is putting his audition package together for a stretch run push with Miami.

The momentum keeps building for a Snelling call-up after he turned in his fifth consecutive start of over six innings. Over those five starts, he has 46 punch outs, five walks, a 0.88 ERA, a 69% strike rate, and a 16% swinging-strike rate over 30.2 innings. Against Worcester on August 21, he only posted nine whiffs, but an elite 38% CSW overall. The star pitch was the curveball with eight whiffs on its 10 inches of break and 52 inches of drop. The 94 mph fastball was not effective with its 7% whiff rate, 16 inches of IVB, and .315 wOBA in the game. Fortunately, he was breaking off changeups with 14 inches of arm-side break to support the curveball. In the end, Snelling threw 99 pitches with four hits, three walks, and eight strikeouts, as he is an immediate stash where available.

 

3. Andrew Painter, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

2025 A, AAA Stat line: 92.2 IP | 5.15 ERA | 23.3 K% | 8.7 BB%

2024 AFL Stat line: 15.2 IP | 2.30 ERA | 30.5 K% | 6.7 BB%

 

Over the last three games, Andrew Painter has had a poor average Game Score of 35. Game Score, a quick scoring tool developed by Bill James, is best used when comparing a pitcher to themselves. (See notes below for the Baseball Reference formula.) On the season, he has managed a 48 average, while topping out at 69 when he had a scoreless, six-strikeout start on June 15. This digression on Game Score is a long-winded way of pointing out how mediocre Painter has been this season. There are no double-digit strikeout games, no streaks of games without allowing a run, and no games with over twenty whiffs. Game Score is in no way predictive of future outcomes, but it is a quick way to compare different permutations of starts. And Painter shows that he has not been the high-ceiling pitcher that we imagined he would be this season.

For the recent three-game stretch, Painter has accumulated 15 strikeouts to nine walks over 13.1 innings while giving up 14 earned runs on 18 hits. Two of those hits were home runs, which brings his season total to 16 at a rate of 1.55 home runs per nine innings. Not good. To combat his woes, he has shifted his use of the changeup the most over the season, as he tends to throw it only to left-handed batters. Over the last three games, the change, with its 11 inches of armside run, has a 43% whiff rate and .126 wOBA. The 96 mph four-seamer should be a nice complement to the 88 mph change, but the fastball only has a 20% whiff rate and a .420 wOBA against. It has also been down a few inches of vertical break and allowed six walks. Painter has also faded the use of the cutter as it has a .399 wOBA on the season and modest 28% whiff rate. Whatever is holding back the full potential of Painter will need an offseason of development to fix. He is still a top-five minor league talent, but now some warts on his resume will require him to make more adjustments to solidify his standing amongst other rising stars. He goes again on Friday home against Durham.

 

GSc — Game Score Baseball Reference Formula
Developed by Bill James
1. Start with 50 points.
2. Add 1 point for each out recorded, so 3 points for every complete inning pitched.
3. Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th.
4. Add 1 point for each strikeout.
5. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed.
6. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed.
7. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed.
8. Subtract 1 point for each walk.

 

4. Brandon Sproat, RHP, New York Mets

2025 AAA Stat line: 110.1 IP | 4.24 ERA | 21.5 K% | 10.5 BB% 

2024 MiLB Stat line: 116.1 IP | 3.40 ERA | 28.3 K% | 9.1 BB%

 

Brandon Sproat was close to being vanquished from this list, but then went on to have a great performance against Indianapolis on August 19. His final line of eight strikeouts on 12 whiffs helped him limit the opponent to one earned run on two hits and one walk. His sweeper isn’t as infamous as that of Nolan McLean, but it generated five whiffs, with 13.7 inches of break and 2400+ rpm of spin. The fastball has uplifted his entire arsenal all season as the velocity has surged to 97 and 98 mph each game. Since June 28, Sproat has averaged 97.1 mph on the four-seamer with 2070+ rpm, a 32% whiff rate, .191 average, and a .256 wOBA on the pitch. Before June 28, the fastball was sitting below 96 mph with 1940 rpm, an 18% whiff rate, a .300 average, and a .412 wOBA. He is now throwing the pitch with a few inches less extension, which signals an improvement in mechanics that has helped him harness more power out of the pitch.

Over his last three games, Sproat has 18 strikeouts against six walks, eight hits, and nine earned runs. The slider and sweeper have been star pitches, generating whiffs over 40% of the time. Sproat deserves credit similar to McLean for the wide variety of weapons in his arsenal. Although he doesn’t have extreme outliers on any single pitch, he does have more velocity than McLean, giving him options to succeed in the major leagues when the opportunity appears.

 

5. Quinn Mathews, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals

2025 CPX, A, AAA Stat line: 75.0 IP | 3.60 ERA | 27.7 K% | 16.3 BB% 

2024 MiLB Stat line: 143.1 IP | 2.76 ERA | 35.4 K% | 8.6 BB%

 

I can throw strikes. I will throw strikes. Quinn Mathews needs to repeat this mantra over and over as his outcomes hinge on his ability to command his changeup and fastball. The fastball velocity has dipped over the season, but as we pointed out last week, that decrease isn’t a total dealbreaker for his performances. Since his mini-turnaround began on August 1, Mathews has 30 strikeouts to six walks over 21.2 innings with a 63% strike rate. He also posted a 19% swinging-strike rate, a 48% ground-ball rate, and a 2.91 ERA during that time frame. The fastball velocity is averaging 92 mph with 15 inches of IVB. The slider and curveball each have greater than a 40% whiff rate, but the changeup is his most crucial weapon. The change is averaging 13 inches of armside break over the last four games with a 60% whiff rate and a .171 wOBA against. That one pitch is responsible for 53% of his strikeouts, 17 total, as his number one putaway pitch.

In his latest game, Mathews went five innings with a poor 60% strike rate. One would expect a worse outcome, but he survived a rough first inning when he allowed a long home run. The Stripers only managed one more earned run and three total hits. Mathews generated five strikeouts on ten whiffs, as the changeup led the way with five whiffs. For all of his effort, Mathews battled to allow only one free pass despite the low strike rate. Although the prospect shine has come off, Mathews is still worthy of your attention. Once he regains velocity on his fastball, we could see gains that align with all of the preseason expectations. I will throw strikes. I can throw strikes.

 

6. Payton Tolle, LHP, Boston Red Sox

2025 A+, AA, AAA Stat line: 86.2 IP | 3.21 ERA | 35.6 K% | 6.6 BB% 

2024 NCAA Stat line: 81.1 IP | 3.12 ERA | 37.1 K% | 11.0 BB%

 

Welcome to the stash list, Payton Tolle! He joins as a plausible call-up in a long relief role to boost the playoff aspirations of the Red Sox down the stretch. The 6’6″ lefty comes in with a power delivery, gaining an elite extension around 7.4 feet on his entire six-pitch arsenal. While the 95 mph four-seamer is given a 70-grade on FanGraphs for solid 15 inches of IVB and 5 inches of run, PLV gives his slider an above-average 5.2 mark (albeit in a small sample of 25 pitches). It earns this score likely due to its tight gyro spin at around 2100 rpm and consistent location. No hits on those 25 sliders, but 12 swings, three whiffs, two strikeouts, and a .189 xwOBA. Tolle also throws a 90 mph cutter, an average curveball, and a 96 mph sinker. He was promoted to Triple-A in early August after posting ridiculous numbers, such as a 37% strikeout and 7% walk rate. Although he is at the right age level at 22 years old, we are talking about a pitcher one year removed from their draft year.

Through two Triple-A starts, his outcomes have not been glorious. Tolle has produced eight strikeouts and a 13% swinging-strike rate, while giving up five earned runs on ten hits, two home runs, and two walks. All of the home runs and earned runs were in his debut, so he gets a lot of credit for a solid bounce back in that second outing. He also needs a lot of credit for keeping the walk rate down. He finished his college career with an 11% walk rate, but has since managed a walk rate no higher than 7.1%. Tolle has corrected whatever the issue was at TCU by throwing strikes to the tune of no lower than 66% strikes at any level in his minor league career. With only 81.1 innings under his belt in 2024, there is a risk of a slowdown here, but that is why folks are forecasting a relief role in Boston in September. Tolle will face the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at home on Friday night.

 

7. Trey Yesavage, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

2025 AA, AAA Stat line: 87.0 IP | 3.31 ERA | 41.9 K% | 10.4 BB% 

2024 NCAA Stat line: 93.1 IP | 2.03 ERA | 40.4 K% | 8.9 BB%

 

Trey Yesavage had a much better second Triple-A outing on August 21 against Scranton. He went 4.2 innings with 62% of his 89 pitches generating a strike. The whiffs were present in the game, and helped him get eight strikeouts, but the Rail Riders were able to put a lot of wood on the ball to put up three earned runs. His fastball was particularly hittable with a .566 wOBA. In his eight Double-A games, the fly ball rate ballooned to over 60%, something to be cognizant of if he cannot make adjustments to the pitch mix in Triple-A. Yesavage served up two walks in this game after taming the issue in Double-A. If he continues to lack command with his most used pitch, the fastball, then throwing a poor 60% strike rate will become a bigger and bigger problem.

The flip side of the hittable fastball is that it has ridiculous metrics. The pitch has an average of 20.4 inches of IVB from a 7.2-foot release point. The changeup was his best pitch on the night with five whiffs. He is releasing that pitch from a 7.4-foot release point and generating 12.8 inches of armside break with a slight dip down. He was listed as throwing a cutter and no splitters, which is likely a strategy against certain handedness in the opposing lineup. Yesavage is working towards a call-up this fall, likely in a bulk relief role, especially if he isn’t able to improve the strike rate.

 

The Next Wave of Prospect Arms

 

The next three players represent more risk as they will not see any major league action before the 2027 season. They each have different skills, but have shown them in a small sample of games this season. Although you may not play in a dynasty league, fantasy managers in redraft leagues should familiarize themselves with the next big wave of pitching prospects who could start the season on their big league club.

 

8. Ryan Sloan, RHP, Seattle Mariners

2025 A Stat line: 74.2 IP | 3.38 ERA | 26.4 K% | 5.0 BB% 

 

At 19 years old, Ryan Sloan is the veteran of this week’s featured trio. As a 2024 draft pick straight out of high school with a $3,000,000 bonus, Sloan is already viewed as a top-tier starter with an average fastball, above-average slider, and possible elite splitter. At 6’5″, throwing diving split-fingered fastballs paired with hard-breaking sliders will be a difficult challenge for hitters to line up. He uses a three-quarters arm angle through a smooth delivery with a powerful finish. He doesn’t get full extension, but rather, he utilizes a strong, snappy action at the end for extra zip on his throws. For all of his early-season success in Single-A, Sloan was promoted to Everett for his High-A debut on August 16.

The Mariners brought up Sloan after he maneuvered through 70.2 Single-A innings with a 27.1% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. In his first AquaSox start, Sloan gave up one earned run on four hits and zero walks, with two strikeouts. He threw 80% of his 52 pitches for strikes, yet generated only four whiffs. We can expect those rates to normalize closer to his season marks as he was achieving a 66% strike rate in Single-A with a 14% swinging-strike rate. He also has an excellent batted ball profile with a 49% ground-ball rate on the season and a 61% ground-ball rate in this one start.

The excitement over Sloan will be akin to wanting to see how much better George Kirby can get if he were to add strikeout stuff. Sloan’s fastball is reportedly up to 98 mph at times, so he doesn’t need to work to improve velocity. He will see improvement in his strong secondaries by honing them through competition and experience over the next levels of the minor leagues.

 

9. Kendry Chourio, RHP, Kansas City Royals

2025  DSL, CPX, A Stat line: 44.1 IP | 2.84 ERA | 31.6 K% | 2.3 BB% 

 

Although these pitching prospects are dominating at a young age, dynasty managers can envision the potential if they make continuous gains from such a high starting point. Kendry Chourio appears to have an extraordinary feel for his pitches, having only two walks in 44 innings over three levels of ball. Through three starts in Single-A, he has built upon his strong performance in the Complex league and Dominican Summer League, with a 70% strike rate and 11 strikeouts to one walk. Chourio did have one stumble when the Hickory Crawdads put a lot of balls in the air, touching him up for two home runs and six earned runs. Chourio didn’t get his dobber in the dirt, as he bounced back with a perfect five innings in his next start. He saw 15 up and sat 15 down with four strikeouts on only four whiffs. He has managed a solid 47% ground-ball rate, something we hope to see continue instead of the poor batted ball game against Hickory.

Here is the part of the analysis that is subjective, as we forecast what is next. With Chourio of a slight build at 6’0″ and 180+ pounds, we can only project minor gains in size and strength. Yet, we can easily imagine that his repertoire and strategy leap forward in maturity. We could see 1-2 more ticks in his 94 mph fastball. The changeup is coming in at 86 mph with average to above-average break. Finally, the curveball can be elite at times with his deceptive release and quick-arcing break. Chourio could improve or add to those pitches, but the main reason why we are here is for the pinpoint control. He maintains a quick pace on the mound as he works from a three-quarter slot and short stride. We imagine that he can keep a consistent delivery while developing, but we will need to see more data. He will likely start in High-A in 2026, with a great chance to be in Double-A by the end of 2026 and in Triple-A in 2027. That would bring him to his age-19 season with a decent chance of major league action before being 20…okay, that’s probably too aggressive, but his current performance has fantasy managers dreaming big.

 

10. Esteban Mejia, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

2025 CPX, A Stat line: 52.0 IP | 2.94 ERA | 29.5 K% | 13.7 BB% 

2024 MiLB Stat line: 27.2 IP | 3.25 ERA | 36.4 K% | 12.4 BB%

 

With so many pitching prospects hitting triple digits in 2025, you can hear them yell out “light weight, baby”,  a la Ronnie Coleman, after every pitch. Esteban Mejia is a 6’3″ righty who is crossing over to stateside ball after gaining a lot of hype in the 2024 Dominican Summer League and 2025 Rookie ball. He has wicked stuff when he knows where it’s going. The lack of control will be his kryptonite until he can consistently command his stuff in the zone. Through three Single-A games, he has a well below-average 59% strike rate and 11.7% walk rate to counter a 27.5% strikeout rate. The fastball is hitting 100 and sitting 98 mph most days. He achieves an extreme amount of ride on the four-seamer due to his lengthened arm action and cross-body finish. It is a fairly violent or aggressive delivery. He also has a slider that is flying in at an insane 92 mph. Add a changeup to those above-average pitches, and we have a strong foundation for an ace. Except there is that pesky issue with control.

On August 17, Mejia finished 3.1 innings with 5 strikeouts, but also with three earned runs allowed on four hits and three walks. This game was an example of what happens when a pitcher has poor command, as he had to locate the fastball in the zone more than he would have liked to get strikes. It was a horrible 55% strike rate on the day. The next steps for him will be to reach the fifth inning and complete it, which he has only accomplished once in 2025. If Mejia can complete the task, it likely means he had a closer to a 65% strike rate, which would make his swing-and-miss abilities much more meaningful.

 

On The Bubble

 

Here are the next several pitchers that were in consideration for inclusion on this week’s list:

Henry Baez (ATH), JR Ritchie (ATL), Miguel Ullola (HOU), Jonah Tong (NYM), Blade Tidwell (SFG), & Forrest Whitley (TBR).

 

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