The Hitter Edition of the Stash List is back for the 2025 season.
This Stash List highlights the 10 best-hitting 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. 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 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 will be updated weekly.
- Stats will be updated weekly for all players through Thursday’s games.
The Stash List
Graduates/Call Ups
The Cincinnati Reds recalled Rece Hinds this week after an eight-homer, 133 wRC+ start to the season. The 24-year-old performed admirably (.261 AVG, 5 HR) in his 23-game audition with the Reds to end 2024. However, a 62% AAA contact rate does not suggest that he’s going to have the same luck this time around. In his first appearance in the Majors this year, he went 0-3 with 2 K’s. Even if Hinds plays every day (which he won’t), there are too many concerns in his profile to be worth an add.
The Angels selected the contract of Matthew Lugo, allowing him to make his Major League debut. As is the case with Hinds, there isn’t a ton of fantasy value here. Lugo likely won’t see consistent playing time, and even if he does, the 66 wRC+ in AAA shouldn’t fill fantasy managers with confidence.
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Roman Anthony, OF – Boston Red Sox
Shocker. By his standards, it was a quiet week for Anthony, but he still went 5-15 with four walks. There isn’t much else to say about Anthony that hasn’t already been said. His hard hit rate (59.1%) and average exit velocity (95.9) are among some of the elite names at the MLB level, and he’s the youngest AAA hitter with a wRC+ above 140. Anthony projects as an elite prospect who has all the tools necessary to hit the ground running in the Majors with a minimal learning curve.
The one blemish that you could point to as a reason to keep him in AAA is his 7% drop in contact rate (70.2% in ’25). There’s also been a significant jump between his 2024 whiff rate (23.4%) to his mark this season (31.6%). Even with those numbers, he’s still making contact with over 82% of his swings in the zone. If he can find a way to normalize the contact rate and cut some of the swings and misses, he should find himself at Fenway before the dog days of summer come around.
2. Jordan Lawlar, SS – Arizona Diamondbacks
Lawlar may have slowed down slightly this week, but his season-long numbers still put him among the elite. A 2-17 slump in his last four games dropped his average by almost 50 points to .338, and he struck out six times with no walks in that span. That’s not the level of production you want your top prospect entering the highest level of the game with, so his recent performance likely pushed back his timeline. That said, his 1.022 OPS ranks 7th in AAA, and is the second-best mark among second basemen at levels higher than rookie ball.
He may be listed as a second baseman (16 games), but he’s played at least eight games at both shortstop and third base this year. The Diamondbacks are clearly trying to give Lawlar some versatility on defense so he can maximize his time on the field when he arrives. With Ketel Marte back from injury, the more likely path is on the left side of the infield. That said, Geraldo Perdomo (141 wRC+) is still producing at a high level, and Eugenio Suárez leads the team in homers with ten. There’s no easy way into Arizona’s lineup, but Lawlar has the talent to make a case.
3. Marcelo Mayer, SS – Boston Red Sox
It’s been a fruitful week for the Red Sox #2 prospect. Saturday’s game marked the start of a five-game hit streak that is ongoing at the time of writing. That streak includes a 2-5 performance on Wednesday, which included a 98-MPH triple and a 101-MPH double. Both of those knocks contributed to his 52% hard hit rate, which puts him just outside the top-25 among MLB hitters.
The one issue I’ve talked about all season with Mayer is his struggles with hitting sweepers (.111 AVG) and sliders (.125 AVG). His whiff rate on these pitches sits at 33.9%, but his hard hit rate (43.8%) and average exit velocity (91.8) suggest he’s capable of causing damage if he gets the bat to the ball. Mayer’s also sporting a 42.5% whiff rate against changeups, a number that will have to come down before he gets a shot against MLB pitching. The #3 shortstop prospect in baseball will make his debut with Boston this season, it just may be a little later than expected due to the swing-and-miss numbers.
4. Matt Shaw, 3B – Chicago Cubs
You could make the case that four Cubs prospects deserve a spot on this list. Moisés Ballesteros has been one of the best hitters in AAA this year, plus Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara have shown flashes of promise as well. However, at 22-16, Chicago isn’t hard pressed to change an offense that has been one of the best in baseball (.780 OPS, 3rd in MLB). Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya have exceeded expectations, and no one in the outfield is going anywhere anytime soon, so that trio misses out for now. The one Cubs prospect that does feature is one that slides into the one weakness in the lineup, third base.
Matt Shaw’s MLB career didn’t get off to a flying start, and he was unceremoniously demoted after 17 games with the MLB team. Almost a month later, he’s on the cusp of a return to Wrigley Field. Shaw’s in the midst of a 1-17 slump right now, which dropped his average from .333 to .250, but his strikeout and walk rates are much closer to the expected production out of him than his MLB rates. His zone contact rate (85%) is eight points higher than his mark in the Majors, and his average exit velocity (while still below the ideal mark) has jumped three miles per hour to 85. A return to normal form will likely get the 23-year-old back to Wrigley before the summer rolls around. The Cubs’ lineup has been really good so far. Add in Shaw’s upside, and it looks even better.
5. Colby Thomas, OF – Oakland Athletics
Since the start of May, Colby Thomas has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. The 24-year-old has hit three home runs in six games, and has a .346 AVG and 168 wRC+ since the beginning of the month. He’s cooled down a little in the past few days. Thomas followed a 3-6, 2 HR performance with a 1-9 slump and four strikeouts. An 8% boost in zone contact rate is even more reason to be excited, even if he’s striking out 3% more than he did last season.
Thomas has the potential to be a solid producer in the A’s lineup, provided he can find a spot to get into it. You can’t take Soderstrom or Butler out of the lineup, and moving either to DH would result in Brent Rooker going to the bench. That’s not happening either for obvious reasons. That said, if a path emerges for Thomas to get consistent at-bats with the big league club, he could prove to be excellent value as a “buy-low” option.
6. Dalton Rushing, C/OF – Los Angeles Dodgers
I feel like writing about Dalton Rushing is similar to the movie “Groundhog Day.” It’s the same story every week: he performs at a high level in AAA and makes an excellent case for a promotion, but there’s just not a spot for him in Los Angeles. This week is no different. Rushing’s gone 5-13 with a home run, two RBIs, and five walks since Sunday. That home run was smacked over 108 miles an hour to dead center and cleared the wall by about 20 feet.
So, how does he get into the Dodgers’ lineup? So far this season, he’s primarily operated as a catcher (15 games) and first baseman (eight games). Rushing also made two appearances in left field, so the corner outfield spots could be an option. However, L.A. already has established All-Star players in those positions, and it’s not like moving to DH is an option either. The baseball season is a grind, and there’s a chance that at least one of the Dodgers’ superstars succumbs to an injury of some kind at some point. If that does occur, expect Rushing to step in and produce value in L.A.’s machine of a lineup.
7. Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF – Kansas City Royals
Bear with me. I know that Caglianone only has 58 professional games under his belt, but what he’s done in the 29-game sample this season is nothing short of remarkable. 2024’s sixth overall selection is tied for third among AA hitters with eight home runs so far. He also reportedly hit a single over 120 miles per hour, which is another testament to the amount of pop he carries in his bat. He also ranks third in OPS (1.007), and his 174 wRC+ sits comfortably inside the top ten at that level. Simply put, he’s crushing AA pitching and is making a convincing promotion case to Royals’ decision-makers.
The first big question mark around Caglianone is how he will handle pitching at higher levels. The former Florida standout’s contact rate (69.8%) is far from ideal, but it is an improvement from 2024. He may be able to make up for it with hard-hit balls at AA, but will that be the case against AAA or MLB arms? Secondly, his defensive home remains somewhat of a mystery. Caglianone’s seen four games in right field, which would leave Drew Waters (106 wRC+) as his MLB competition. With the Royals in dire need of offensive production (84 team wRC+, 27th in MLB), they may opt to fast-track Caglianone to the Major Leagues.
8. Kyle Teel, C/DH – Chicago White Sox
The White Sox may not be as bad as they were last season, but they’re about as far from being a contender as possible. The rebuild is ongoing, but there are signs of life from the organization for the first time in a couple of years. Edgar Quero has been stellar since coming up, and their pitching staff has been surprisingly decent. Quero’s former battery mate should be the next young White Sox prospect to get the call to the majors, adding some upside to an otherwise dormant lineup. As of Thursday, Teel is on a nine-game hit streak, but outside of that, the numbers aren’t super impressive. A 99 wRC+ and .254 AVG are far from “bad,” but they’re not exactly top prospect material.
So then why is he on the list? Simply put, because the Chicago White Sox are bad. I know I started this segment off with some positivity around that team, but they’re still 10-28 with a .616 OPS as a team. Their current DH situation consists of Lenyn Sosa (67 wRC+) and Joshua Palacios (64 wRC+). At some point, the Sox are going to have to fully commit to the youth movement and get their prospects exposure to big league pitching. Teel doesn’t come close to the ceiling that Anthony or Lawlar possess, but the offensive upside at the catcher position makes him a valuable asset that managers should keep an eye on.
9. Brady House, 3B – Washington Nationals
Washington’s #3 prospect is the epitome of a “high-risk, high-upside” stash. Brady House was very impressive in April, hitting .299 with five homers and an .887 OPS. Those numbers are a far cry from his first stint in AAA, in which he put up a .655 OPS and 67 wRC+. House’s start to 2025 indicates that he’s made plenty of progress and can now comfortably compete with AAA pitching. His walk rate is up by almost 3%, and his average exit velocity (89.6) and hard hit rate (44%) both noticeably jumped between 2024 and now.
There’s the upside, now for the risk. House’s strikeout rate currently sits around 30%, way higher than where the Nationals will want it to be in order to call him up. His BABIP (.384) is also almost 100 points higher than his mark last season, while having a barrel rate that would put him outside the top 100 in the MLB. José Tena (52 wRC+) has not been good enough to lock down third base long-term, so Washington may be forced to give House a shot with multiple other options injured. That said, there’s no guarantee that he’ll thrive if given the role.
10. Alex Freeland, SS – Los Angeles Dodgers
Don’t read too much into Freeland’s two-spot descent this week. That drop is largely due to factors outside of his control, and not because of his performance. That said, it’s been a rough offensive week for Freeland. Since Sunday, he’s 1-16 with three walks and five strikeouts. That, in tandem with the high strikeout rate and low zone contact rate (78.8%), is likely Freeland’s biggest barrier to a promotion. Additionally, similar to Rushing, there just isn’t a spot for him in the lineup unless an injury pops up.
All of those negatives aside, there’s still a lot to like about the 23-year-old shortstop. Freeland’s 94 MPH average exit velocity ranks 5th among AAA hitters (min. 300 pitches) would land him next to Yordan Alvarez and Corbin Carroll on the MLB leaderboard, and his 59.8% barrel rate puts him above Kyle Schwarber in the fifth spot. That’s impressive company for a player yet to make their Major League debut. Expecting Freeland to make that level of impact when he does get called up is likely wishful thinking, but those numbers give an idea of how impressive his 2025 season has been so far.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.
C.J. Kayfus
Stash List
