The Stash List Week 3: Top 10 Hitter Prospects to Stash in 2023

The Hitter Edition of The Stash List is back and updated for week two.

This stash list highlights the ten 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 owning 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 ownership percentages will be updated weekly.
• Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Friday’s games

 

The Stash List

Graduates/Call-Ups

We are starting to get to the point in the season where teams are calling up their prospects. Injuries are piling up and more prospects are getting a chance to prove they belong at the Major League level. Two notable names to receive a promotion in the past week were Lenyn Sosa and Edouard Julien.

Julien is the most notable name and was ranked as the ninth-best prospect to stash in week one. Julien is an on-base machine and has a chance to be a significant fantasy asset in OBP leagues. He has done nothing but mash throughout the Minor Leagues and with all the injuries the Twins have had so far he could get an extended look with the Major League club.

Sosa was off to one of the fastest starts in all of Minor League baseball this year. After breaking out in 2022, Sosa has demonstrated a superb hit tool so far in 2023. The reason he was not ranked on this stash list is the limited upside he possesses. Sosa lacks both power and speed, which will prevent him from being an impactful fantasy asset. If you are in a deep league and need OBP/average help, Sosa is worth a look. Other than that I would not be rushing to pick him up.

Wow, big late news on Saturday. The Angels called up Zach Neto from Double-A. He was their first round pick from last season and has done nothing but hit since joining the organization. Neto is an instant add for 12-team mixed leagues based on upside. He has demonstrated power, contact, and some speed to be a significant fantasy asset.

 

Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash

 

1. Brett Baty, 3B, New York Mets

 

 

The move has been made. Brett Baty is officially the number-one-hitting prospect to stash on your redraft teams. He has not missed a beat since missing a few games with a thumb injury. His batting average is up to .400 with five home runs already. The biggest concern with Baty over the years has been a high ground ball percentage. Baty is putting these concerns to rest early on by showing dramatic improvements to his fly ball percentage, resulting in more home runs.

A strong hit tool, plus power, and excellent pitch recognition makes Baty the best prospect stash in baseball. The Mets play in one of the toughest divisions in baseball and are receiving no offensive contributions from their current third basemen. Eduardo Escobar appears to be all but washed up and Luis Guillorme is best served in a utility role.

 

2. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds

 

 

According to Reds’ officials, Elly De La Cruz has resumed baseball activities in the past week. We are still yet to receive a timetable for when we can expect these players to return to game action, but the news is encouraging nonetheless. The sooner Cruz returns to game action, the sooner he can demonstrate all the reasons why the Reds should promote him to the Major Leagues.

Currently at the Major League level the Reds still are lacking consistent production from the shortstop position. Jose Barrero continues to receive most of the playing time. He hit his first home run of 2023 but does not look like an everyday player. Kevin Newman is the other shortstop on the roster and has done nothing to prove he is deserving of more at-bats.

Cruz has a chance to be a top-ten fantasy player if everything clicks. He has a rare combination of power and speed that could turn him into one of the game’s brightest stars instantly. He is the perfect player to stash on your bench until his promotion.

 

3. Endy Rodriguez, C, Pittsburgh Pirates

 

 

No changes to the situation in Pittsburgh. Endy Rodriguez continues to develop in Triple-A while the Pirates struggle to find offensive production from their catchers. With Austin Hedges on the IL, Jason Delay has been handling the primary catcher responsibilities. He has a career 58 wRC+ at the Major League level and is no threat to keep Rodriguez in the Minor Leagues.

Although the slash line still does not jump off the screen, Rodriguez is performing well in Triple-A. He is striking out even less than before while walking over 11% of the time. His BABIP still sits down at .219 which is the primary culprit for his slow start. Rodriguez has a great hit tool and solid power which will get him to the Major Leagues early this season. Stashing Rodriguez could be a big boost to your fantasy team, especially if you are thin at catcher.

 

4. Addison Barger, 3B/SS/2B, Toronto Blue Jays

 

 

Addison Barger continues his ascent up this list moving into fourth for week three. The Blue Jays have a serious hole in their offense at second base. Whit Merrifield, Santiago Espinal, and Cavan Biggio are not getting the job done, and you have to wonder how long they will keep Barger down in the Minor Leagues. Not only are their second basemen struggling, but Brandon Belt is not getting the job done at DH. He is currently striking out over 50% of the time with a batting average well below .200. Barger has not played any games at second base so far this year so the Blue Jays might be more apt to bring him up as a DH. Bo Bichette is a below-average defensive shortstop and could move to second or DH when Barger comes up.

Barger is a great stash because the Blue Jays do not have time to mess around. The Rays are proving they are a World Series contender and the Jays are going to need to win as many games as possible. Barger represents an offensive upgrade to current options in their lineup and will be an impactful player for fantasy baseball upon his promotion.

 

5. Jordan Westburg, 3B/SS/2B, Baltimore Orioles

 

 

Most prospects see their strikeout rate increase when they are promoted to face tougher competition. When Jordan Westburg was promoted to Triple-A last season, he reduced his strikeout rate by nearly six percent. Early on in 2023, he is proving that was no fluke. So far, his strikeout rate is below 13%, representing a nearly eight percent reduction. His hit tool is clearly Major League ready and there is little left for him to prove at the Minor League level. He has hit three home runs already, proving he will contribute to both your fantasy team’s batting average and home run totals.

The Orioles are not getting the production they would like to see out of their middle infielders. Ramón Urías is batting just .242 with a strikeout rate north of 30% and, nobody wants to hear this, but Gunnar Henderson is batting under .200 with a strikeout rate near 40%. Prior to last season, Henderson had a major strikeout problem. We all assumed he solved this, but if he does not show improvements, the Orioles might decide to give Westburg a chance over him. There are plenty of ways for Westburg to break through to the Major League team, making him an excellent stash.

 

6. Casey Schmitt, 3B/SS, San Francisco Giants

 

 

Judging by his ownership percentage, Casey Schmitt continues to be an underrated stash option in fantasy leagues. He is going to have 3B and SS eligibility with a solid hit tool and power that was on display throughout Spring Training. Although the home runs have not shown up yet this year, Schmitt is off to a fast start at the plate with a batting average over .300. He is running a higher strikeout rate than usual, which is a bit alarming, but he has never had a strikeout issue in the past. This is part of the factor leading to Schmitt’s slight drop in this list.

The other factor in his drop is the continued success of David Villar. Villar is playing excellent defense according to outs above average and is demonstrating excellent power at the plate. The longer he performs, the longer Schmitt will be stuck in the Minor Leagues. Once Schmitt is up, his glove will help keep him in the lineup, but we might have to wait a little bit longer than anticipated to see him in San Francisco.

 

7. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays

 

 

The Rays’ early season success has made Kyle Manzardo one of the most difficult players to rank on this list. Teams often prefer to not change things up when the going is good, but when Manzardo hits home runs like this one it is hard to imagine he will be kept in the Minor Leagues for long.

Kyle Manzardo has topped his career high max EVs as a professional on back-to-back days. 108.9 yesterday, 111.9 tonight 👀
pic.twitter.com/sWwX841qbG

— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) April 13, 2023

Manzardo has been red hot over the past week, going deep on back-to-back days. He looks like one of the most polished hitters in the Minor Leagues. Manzardo is hitting even more line drives this year demonstrating his gap-to-gap power. He still is not striking out and could easily hit .280 with 20 home runs over a full season.

 

8. Oswald Peraza, SS, New York Yankees

 

 

Oswald Peraza returned to the Triple-A lineup on Tuesday after missing a few games with hamstring tightness. Peraza is stealing plenty of bases in Triple-A, highlighting the fantasy upside in his profile. The issue is how soon will the Yankees be willing to give up on Anthony Volpe. Volpe is struggling at the plate but the Yankees would not have been willing to give him an Opening Day roster spot if they were unwilling to tough things out through an adjustment period.

Peraza, meanwhile, could force the Yankees hand if he continues to perform well in Triple-A. There is also a realistic possibility of Peraza coming up and playing in the same lineup as Volpe. DJ LeMahieu has been batting injuries the past two seasons and was feeling banged up earlier this week. Gleyber Torres has not played more than 140 games since 2019 and Josh Donaldson is already hurt. Peraza is going to find himself in the Major Leagues soon and the off-season breakout talk surrounding him should not be forgotten. Continue stashing Peraza as your patience will be rewarded soon.

 

9. Justyn-Henry Malloy, 3B/OF Detroit Tigers

 

 

Anytime a prospect is walking more than they strike out, they should be held in high regard. Young players rarely possess the plate discipline and zone understanding required to achieve such a feat. Now, consider the fact that Justyn-Henry Malloy is walking nearly ten percent more than he is striking out, and you would think he would be the talk of Minor League baseball. Henry-Malloy has always demonstrated a mature approach at the plate, but it just keeps on improving. When you are batting over .350 while walking in a quarter of your plate appearances, there is clearly nothing left for you to prove at Triple-A.

In last week’s article, I brought up the struggles of the current Tigers’ third basemen Nick Maton and Ryan Kreidler. Maton has started to show some signs of life at the plate, homering twice in the past week, but he is still striking out at an incredibly high rate. On the other side, Kreidler has not had any success at the plate and has still only hit safely in one game this season. The Tigers can move Maton to second base and platoon him with Jonathan Schoop in order to get Henry-Malloy into the lineup. Henry-Malloy has a chance to be an on-base machine and should be stashed now before it is too late.

 

10. Sal Frelick, OF Milwaukee Brewers

 

 

Sal Frelick manages to hang on to the final spot on this list. He remains a valuable prospect to stash thanks to a strong track record of success throughout his professional career. Frelick’s hit tool is reminiscent of Steven Kwan. He is striking out under 10% of the time with a strong walk rate and three stolen bases already. A high ground ball rate caps any power potential and limits the ceiling here. That being said, he can be a valuable source of average and speed to your fantasy teams once he receives his promotion to the Major Leagues.

The biggest reason for Frelick’s drop on this list is the continued success of Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell is showing no signs of giving up the starting center field job. He is swinging the bat extremely well while being an above-average defender. Frelick’s best chance at promotion is in place of Joey Wiemer. Wiemer has looked good but not great so far at the Major League level. He has posted poor quality of contact numbers but has been an elite defender since joining the team. Frelick is knocking on the Major League door, but the other outfielders are doing their best to keep the door shut.

 

On The Bubble

In no particular order, the top five hitters that were in consideration for inclusion to this list were: Curtis Mead (8th Week 1), Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Bo Naylor, Tyler Gentry, and Mark Vientos.