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
Caden Dana got the call-up to the Angels from Double-A and did not disappoint, allowing just two hits and two runs in six innings against the Mariners on Sunday to earn the victory in his MLB debut. The 20-year-old right-hander was coming off a dominant August for Rocket City, going 3-0 with a 0.57 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is up to a combined 141.2 innings between Double-A and the majors, already a big jump from the 68.1 innings he pitched in the minors last year.
It’s hard to tell how many more starts Dana will get for the Angels, who need to be more concerned about next season and keeping their prized pitching prospect healthy. He is scheduled to start Sunday at Texas, so use him while you can but don’t expect to have many more chances to play him this season.
Landon Knack came through with a solid start for the Dodgers on Friday when he stepped into the rotation for Gavin Stone, who could be shelved by shoulder inflammation for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander struck out eight in six innings, allowing two runs and one walk against the Guardians. Knack has had an excellent season as a steaming stash whenever he gets starts for L.A., posting a 3.00 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP and 52-13 K-BB in 54 innings. Knack shows how you can even score from stashing prospects from near the bottom of our list, even in the honorable mentions.
Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Stash
1. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Ranking: 1
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 28 IP | 1.93 ERA | 32.1 K% | 9.8 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 80.1 IP | 3.70 ERA | 29.4 K% | 8.1 BB%
Bubba Chandler struggled to throw strikes on Wednesday in Triple-A, issuing five walks and allowing four runs (three earned) in five innings at Toledo. The 21-year-old righty did get the win to improve to 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA over five starts for Indianapolis. Chandler racked up eight strikeouts and has 36 Ks in 28 innings in Triple-A.
Chandler is at 108.1 innings this season after 111 frames last year, so there could be about 30 innings left in his arm this season. The Pirates could give their fans something to spend the offseason getting excited about if they could see Chandler, Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones fronting their rotation down the stretch.
2. Jackson Jobe, RHP, Detroit Tigers
Previous Ranking: 2
2024 MiLB (AA) stat line: 73.2 IP | 1.95 ERA | 27.1 K% | 12.7 BB%
2024 MiLB (A+) stat line: 9 IP | 2.00 ERA | 24.2 K% | 6.1 BB%
Coming off his shortest outing of the season due to reaching his single-inning pitch count with 32 offerings, Jackson Jobe put together his most complete start in months by striking out eight in seven innings at hitter-friendly Reading. The 22-year-old righty allowed just three hits and a run while walking two. Jobe had been having control issues over his previous seven starts with 20 walks in 34 innings.
This could be the nudge the Tigers needed to at least push Jobe up to Triple-A if not Detroit for his next start. Jobe is at 82.2 innings after compiling 79.2 IP last year between the minors and the Arizona Fall League, so there still could be around 30 innings left in his right arm. The Tigers may want some of those to come in Detroit, so Jobe is still a top stash if you can stand the chance that he doesn’t even touch the majors this season. There’s Paul Skenes-type upside here, so Jobe is still worth stashing as a possible difference-maker down the stretch.
3. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Texas Rangers
Previous Ranking: 5
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 10 IP | 1.80 ERA | 52.5 K% | 2.9 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 19.2 IP | 0.46 ERA | 40.8 K% | 4.2 BB%
2024 MiLB (Complex) Stat line: 7 IP | 6.43 ERA | 24.2 K% | 3.0 BB%
Kumar Rocker used a fastball up to 99.3 mph and a devastating slider to get 12 whiffs on 29 offerings on Friday, striking out eight in five innings at Las Vegas. Rocker has been tearing through the minors since returning in July from Tommy John surgery, terrorizing Double-A with a 29-3 K-BB in 19.2 IP before striking out 10 in five scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut last week. After spending three years battling through injuries and surgeries on his pitching shoulder and elbow, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound righty finally looks like the guy who was dominating college baseball from 2019-21 for Vanderbilt.
The Rangers don’t want to push Rocker too hard, so with 65 and 67 pitches in his last two starts, respectively, a promotion could come late if at all. Rocker looks about ready, so he’ll probably just bully his way to Texas in the next week or two. Rocker could have the same bang-up finish that fantasy managers have been planning on all season for deGrom.
4. Yilber Diaz, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Ranking: 4
2024 MLB Stat line: 20 IP | 4.05 ERA | 16.9 K% | 9.6 BB%
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 48.1 IP | 3.35 ERA | 30.3 K% | 8.5 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 54 IP | 4.33 ERA | 34.2 K% | 12.9 BB%
Yilber Diaz came back to earth in a second straight start at Albuquerque’s Isotopes Park (the PCL’s version of Coors Field), allowing four walks and run runs (three earned) in four innings. The 24-year-old was coming off his second 13-strikeout gem of the season. Diaz made four starts for the D’backs with one stinker (3 IP, 7 ER) stuck in between three solid outings (17 IP, 2 ER) before getting sent back to Triple-A Reno.
Arizona’s five-man rotation is currently full since the return of veterans Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly from IL stints, but neither have been particularly effective of late. With the D’backs currently clinging to one of the three NL wild-card spots, they can’t afford to wait on their veterans to get it going in the rotation when they have a dynamic arm ready to step up from down on the farm. Diaz is worth stashing for the chance that he makes some big starts for the D’backs down the stretch.
5. Quinn Mathews, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Previous Ranking: 6
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 8 IP | 5.63 ERA | 32.4 K% | 19.6 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 52.1 IP | 2.41 ERA | 32.9 K% | 7.3 BB%
2024 MiLB (A+) Stat line: 43.2 IP | 2.68 ERA | 34.7 K% | 5.4 BB%
2024 MiLB (A) Stat line: 30.2 IP | 1.47 ERA | 44.4 K% | 9.4 BB%
Quinn Mathews struggled even more in his second Triple-A start on Friday than his first, walking five in four innings against Omaha. The 6-foot-5 southpaw was rolling at Double-A in August, posting a 40-4 K-BB with a 0.70 ERA in 25.2 innings over four starts. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2023 out of Stanford, where he made a name for himself by striking out 16 in throwing a 156-pitch complete game in a super regional win over Texas.
Mathews needs to put together a good start or two in Triple-A before getting a call. The Cardinals could really use more juice at the back of their rotation, where Miles Mikolas and Andre Pallante are just serviceable. Mathews is up to 134.2 innings after going 124.2 innings last year, so he could have around 25 innings left in the tank depending on how much the Cardinals want to push it. The strikeout upside is so high that he still makes for an interesting lottery-ticket stash just in case St. Louis wants to get him a taste of the majors sometime in September.
6. Ian Seymour, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Ranking: 7
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 43 IP | 2.30 ERA | 28.7 K% | 8.3 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 91.1 IP | 2.36 ERA | 28.3 K% | 6.3 BB%
Ian Seymour continued with his consistent ways in his last start on Tuesday, allowing just one run in five innings at Triple-A Columbus. He has allowed more than three runs in a start just once, all the way back on May 7 in Montgomery. The 25-year-old southpaw gets by with a lot of funk and deception, so he has flown under the radar. But we’ve all seen plenty of middling talents have success in Tampa Bay, à la Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen.
The Rays have room in the back of their rotation with Zack Littell returning from the IL to take the fifth spot, but the 28-year-old journeyman looked rusty allowing four runs and three walks in four innings. Tampa Bay’s wild-card chances continue to fade, so the Rays may want to see what they have in Seymour. The crafty soft-tossing lefty could be a sneaky stash for September.
7. Thomas Harrington, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Ranking: 8
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 34.1 IP | 3.67 ERA | 22.3 K% | 3.1 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 68.1 IP | 2.24 ERA | 27.4 K% | 3.7 BB%
2024 MiLB (A) Stat line: 3 IP | 0.00 ERA | 27.1 K% | 10.5 BB%
After struggling in his first two starts in Triple-A, Thomas Harrington has settled in with a 2.63 ERA and a 20-1 K-BB in 24 innings for Indianapolis. The 23-year-old right-hander was spotting his low-90s fastball on Thursday, getting eight whiffs on 34 offerings at Toledo and getting five whiffs on 30 offerings with his changeup. Harrington could get a shot to test his five-pitch arsenal in Pittsburgh in the season’s final weeks.
Harrington has stellar command as evidenced by his 106-15 K-BB in 105.2 innings. After throwing 127.1 innings last year, the Pirates will likely keep Harrington going in Pittsburgh after the Triple-A season ends if he doesn’t get the call sooner.
8. AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Previous Ranking: 9
2024 MLB Stat line: 4.1 IP | 0.00 ERA | 22.2 K% | 11.1 BB%
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 68 IP | 4.90 ERA | 26.4 K% | 12.0 BB%
2024 MiLB (A+) Stat line: 2 IP | 4.50 ERA | 57.1 K% | 0.0 BB%
AJ Smith-Shawver bounced back from a bad previous start with five scoreless innings on Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hander now has 11 scoreless innings sandwiched around five walks and four runs in 5.2 innings against Columbus. AJSS got a chance for redemption against Columbus on Sunday, this time getting five whiffs on his four-seam fastball and throwing strikes on 52 of 75 offerings. His fastball ticked up to averaging 95 mph from 93.9 in his previous start.
The Braves currently have a full rotation, but it has long been expected that they would back off Reynaldo López in his first season as a full-time starter since 2019. Lopez is up to 127.2 innings after not going past 66 innings in a season in five years, so the Braves could look to move him to the bullpen to preserve his arm. Smith-Shawver is competing with fellow prospects Hurston Waldrep and Drue Hackenberg, as well as youngsters Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder, for who could get starts for Atlanta in September. AJSS has the best pure stuff and the highest ceiling of the bunch, so he could be a lottery ticket to take a shot on down the stretch.
9. Brandon Sproat, RHP, New York Mets
Previous Ranking: 10
2024 MiLB (AAA) Stat line: 22.2 IP | 6.75 ERA | 17.2 K% | 8.1 BB%
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 62.1 IP | 2.45 ERA | 33.2 K% | 6.5 BB%
2024 MiLB (A+) Stat line: 25.1 IP | 1.07 ERA | 32.4 K% | 15.7 BB%
After looking like he was running out of gas in Triple-A, Brandon Sproat fired 5.1 scoreless innings at Lehigh Valley on Sunday. The 23-year-old righty came into the start with an unsightly 8.83 ERA in four outings for Syracuse, but he showed the needle isn’t on empty quite yet with six strikeouts against two walks. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is up to 110.1 innings in his pro debut after going in the second round out of Florida in last year’s draft.
The Mets could use an upgrade at the back of the rotation where Tylor Megill and Jose Quintana reside. Battling the Braves for the final NL wild-card spot, Sproat could get a shot to make a name for himself in September.
10. Logan Evans, RHP, Seattle Mariners
Previous Ranking: 10
2024 MiLB (AA) Stat line: 99.1 IP | 2.99 ERA | 21.5 K% | 8.5 BB%
Logan Evans is coming off two straight starts at Amarillo’s Hodgetown Stadium, arguably the most hitter-friendly environment in the minor leagues, and he survived the test with a combined 2.93 ERA and nine strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Evans started the season with a 1.23 ERA in 10 starts before an ill-advised move to the bullpen failed (6.10 ERA in 10 relief outings). Since returning to starting for Double-A Arkansas, Evans has posted a 4.54 ERA.
Considering that the Mariners like to skip their top pitching prospects over Triple-A, Evans could be an option for a stint in Seattle in September to build up his workload. It would likely take an injury or the Mariners falling out of contention in the AL wild-card race, but considering the success rate of starting pitchers in Seattle, there could be a big reward with a stash of Evans. The M’s finish the season with 12 of their last 18 games coming in Seattle, making for potentially excellent matchups.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five pitchers that were in consideration for inclusion on this week’s list: Hurston Waldrep, ATL; Doug Nikhazy, CLE; Richard Fitts, BOS; Jake Bloss, TOR; Drue Hackenberg, ATL