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
Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash
1. Roman Anthony, OF – Boston Red Sox
Although he remains the number one prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony is not succeeding in the expected way. He is heading into the weekend without having hit a home run since April 24. His paltry fly ball rate is down to 22%, which looks even worse next to a 51% ground ball rate. The leadoff role suits Anthony well with his keen eye at the plate, as he is now up to a 17.6% walk rate. This ability or preference to draw walks in the early part of the season is driving a depressed swing rate of 35%. Anthony likely trusts his ability to select the best pitch for his swing and the game situation. Yet when he is making contact, he is hitting the ball hard, as seen by the 58.1% hard-hit rate.
Although the Red Sox have an obvious opening at first base, it would be organizational malpractice to shift Anthony there. On the other hand, their outfielders are performing admirably, and the designated hitter position is taken by Devers. While he waits for the big call-up to an open spot that will surely happen this season, Anthony will toil away in Triple-A Worcester. It would be good for him to hone his approach to offspeed stuff, especially to counter the changeup. He has a 50% whiff rate and .287 xWOBA on the pitch. For context, he has a 101 average exit velocity, a 15% whiff rate, and a .667 xWOBA on the fastball.
2. Matt Shaw, 3B – Chicago Cubs
After all the hype around Matt Shaw in draft season, the 5’10” third baseman flamed out in his initial Major League stint in mid-April. He was optioned to Triple-A Iowa with a big league .172 average, one home run, zero steals, and a 26.7% strikeout rate. He got the cup of coffee, spilled it all over, and now has time to figure out how to make it right for the next call-up. And to no one’s surprise, Shaw is brewing something much better in the 22 games since the demotion, where he has a .284 average and a .519 slugging percentage. He has brought the power back with a 40% hard-hit rate in the Minor Leagues after sitting around 20% with the Cubs. In the second game of a recent double-header against St. Paul, Shaw hit two solo home runs, one of them being the game-winner. Interesting note: The minor leagues still have seven-inning games for double-headers, a relic of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The main obstacle to Shaw’s imminent promotion is…Jon Berti and Nicky Lopez? So what are we waiting for? Are the Cubs expecting him to change the tippy-toe batting stance? Nah, let’s get him on a bus to Chicago for the crosstown series today.
3. Marcelo Mayer, SS – Boston Red Sox
According to FanGraphs, Mayer is a “Mayer is a power-hitting shortstop who struggles to make contact with secondary stuff.” Alright, let’s take a look. Overall in 2025, the 6’3″ left-handed hitter is slugging .486 with a .212 ISO and 48.7% hard-hit rate. He is up to eight home runs and 39 RBI in 37 games, which is nice. So far, so good on the power. His contact rate is up a few percentage points from 2024 to 79%, and his chase rate is not egregious at 25%. On four-seam fastballs, he has an unremarkable 17.5% swing and miss rate and xWOBA of .447. His overall contact checks out on the straight stuff. Taking a look at how he performs against the slider and changeup, we see that the report is still accurate. Mayer has a 30% swing and miss rate on both of those pitches, but it is unclear if this signals that he is “struggling” with secondaries. He has acceptable batting averages: a .200 average against sliders, a .261 versus changeups, and a .444 average on curveballs. Furthermore, his game log doesn’t show wild numbers for the strikeout column as he maintains a walk rate and strikeout rate that are in line with his career stats. It feels safe to say that Mayer is breaking from preconceptions and developing into the power-hitting shortstop we think he can be.
4. Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF – Kansas City Royals
Talk about a fast rise. The 6’5″ left-handed hitter has played so well in 2025 that he is fielding an outfield position, something he never did in college. The Royals are desperate for one of their current outfield prospects to break through, yet have no patience to wait for that to happen, as evidenced by the Mark Canha signing. Canha feels like he is keeping Caglianone’s spot warm as Jac builds up innings in the outfield for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He is still a first baseman, but the outfield eligibility will come in handy once he is likely called up to replace Canha, Hunter Renfroe, or Michael Massey.
Caglianone is putting up similar batter ball data as in 2024, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. His ground ball rate hovers around 50%, and the 30% home run-to-fly ball rate is unsustainable. On the other hand, he is making contact at a similar rate as in 2024 and maintaining a strong plate discipline. Caglianone has held his own against lefties (.860 OPS) versus righties (1.032 OPS). He could also become useful in the stolen base department. This week against the Tulsa Drillers, he has gone 5 for 14 with five runs, three RBIs, three walks, zero strikeouts, and two stolen base attempts (one being successful). Caglianone is moving ahead of the expected timeline but is a solid stash for a 2025 season call-up.
5. Samuel Basallo, C – Baltimore Orioles
After splitting catching and first base duties evenly across 88% of his 2024 Minor League games, Samuel Basallo is now getting accustomed to being a professional hitter in 2025. He has registered six games at first base and 15 games as the designated hitter for the Norfolk Tide. Yet, there he was behind the plate on May 13 in what is his only stint as a catcher this season. Whatever his feelings are about moving off the position, Basallo sent a strong message to Baltimore that he is ready to supplant Maverick Handley as the Orioles’ backup catcher by launching two home runs into the Norfolk sky in the same game.
With Rutschman underperforming and the team slumping, Basallo could be the jolt needed to turn things in the right direction. Basallo has the highest exit velocity of his career and has upped his hard-hit rate to 53%. Although the 29% home run to fly ball rate is unsustainable, he is also making contact on a stellar 88% of pitches in the zone, while putting more balls in the air this season. Checking on the splits data and Basallo is doing solid work against left-handed pitchers (.979 OPS) and righties (.894 OPS), which could force a move on Herston Kjerstad. He is still accumulating a lot of walks and limiting the strikeouts, so now is a great time to stash Basallo, even if he will need a few games to establish catcher eligibility in your league.
6. Colby Thomas, OF – Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics have an amazing set of outfield prospects on the come-up, and none are hotter than Colby Thomas. Over his last seven days, Thomas has three home runs with a 1.370 OPS, while walking three times and only striking out six times. If you played fantasy baseball back in the 2000s, you would have counted doubles as almost home runs. Well, the right-handed hitter delivered 44 “almost” home runs in 2024 and has racked up 11 of them across 39 games. His new 115.9 mph max exit velocity looks great alongside the 41% hard-hit rate and 86% zone contact rate. On the other hand, the strikeouts are piling up this season as his chase rate sits just above 33%. It appears he has little problem hitting the fastball. He is only hitting .194 against the pitch with a 40% whiff rate. Well, it will only be a matter of time before opponents spam him with that pitch. Until his call-up occurs, expect Thomas to plug away like the kindred spirit of Eric Byrnes in waiting for the Tyler Soderstrom outfield experiment to fizzle out.
7. Bryce Eldridge, 1B – San Francisco Giants
A left-handed power hitter hasn’t been seen playing home games in AT&T/Pacbell/Oracle Park since Brandon Belt. No, not that B.B.! And the Giants haven’t developed a prodigious power hitter since Bobby Bonds. I feel like I’m forgetting someone. To the rescue of the front office, here comes the 6’7″ lefty Bryce Eldridge. There is no pressure except to fulfill all the past, current, and future hopes of Giants fans for someone in the orange and black to light up the splash hit counter in right field. Eldridge is seeing time as a designated hitter and at first base with Double-A Richmond. Over the last seven days, he is hitting .294 with a 1.039 OPS on two home runs and 5 RBIs. For someone with huge power expectations, he is not hitting the ball in too often, and not enough to the pull side. Although the walk rate is decent, his tendency to swing and miss is an area to improve.
The Giants have an obvious need for power or a first baseman. A power-hitting first baseman would solve two problems at the same time, conveniently. Jerar Encarnacion is working his way back from a broken bone in his hand and would likely be the first call-up. He has received a few innings at first base, too. Yet, Eldridge appears the obvious in-house choice that will need to be made this summer if they have any desire to maintain pace with the Padres, Diamondbacks, or Dodgers.
8. Kyle Teel, C/DH – Chicago White Sox
Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel have similar hitter profiles, but Quero is getting the first chance to prove his mettle with the White Sox. Playing both first base and catcher in Triple-A Charlotte this season, Teel recently matched the number of games played in Triple-A in 2024. Comparing those stat lines, he is hitting the ball on the ground less often and has almost doubled his hard-hit rate to 42%. On the other hand, he is striking out a touch more with a slightly worse chase rate. He has whiff rates around 40% on the changeup and cutter, so those are areas to improve. Heading into the weekend, Teel is hitting .308 with a .745 OPS and zero home runs over the last seven days. This kind of empty stat line isn’t screaming promotion, especially with Quero offering a similar stat line, but with much less power. Teel will likely need an extended hot streak or an injury to Matt Thaiss to force the organization’s hand.
9. Alex Freeland, SS – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers’ shortstop of the future is blocked by Mookie Betts until the next decade. Well, Betts is signed until 2032, but Alex Freeland will surely make his debut well before then. Right?
Freeland is a switch-hitter from the 2022 draft who is not performing up to snuff as a right-handed hitter. This season, he has a .582 OPS vs left-handed pitchers as a righty and a .935 OPS against right-handed pitchers as a lefty. Whether or not this difference is of concern to the Dodgers is yet to be seen. He has increased his hard-hit rate to 56% with a new max exit velocity of 109.5 mph. On the other hand, his contact rates are down, which is connected to an increased strikeout rate. Freeland is having a particular issue with the slider and changeup, as seen by a 50% whiff rate on both pitches. If the negatives are stacking up, then what can we expect from a potential call-up if he is striking out too much, is blocked at his best position, and possibly being reduced to hitting as a lefty only? You slide to the left! Second base, baby, for him or Mookie could be the likely move. Or he could slide to the right and play third base to take over for an underperforming Max Muncy. He is gaining experience at all three of these positions in Triple-A Oklahoma.
10. Shay Whitcomb, 2B/3B/SS – Houston Astros
Minor League teams face the same opponent six times in a row, which can build a familiarity that works to one’s advantage, whether as a pitcher or a hitter. Well, Shay Whitcomb is building a good relationship with the Reno Aces, as he has hit four home runs over two days against them at the start of their series. And they weren’t even playing in the high altitude of Reno! He is the obvious solution to the nightmare that is Jose Altuve playing in the outfield and Brendan Rodgers occupying a roster spot. In 2025, Whitcomb is playing in right field, left field, shortstop, third base, and a little second base last season.
The perennial 20-20 man, Whitcomb, is on a tremendous hot streak and deserves another shot in the Major Leagues. Looking back to 2024, Houston gave him an 8-game audition before they began sporadically adding him to the lineup card until season’s end. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the strikeouts that spelled his doom. Although his strikeout rate is up to 22.7% over 41 games, he is well under the 30% mark he was posting back in 2023. This is the right time for Houston to bring in new energy as they tread water in a competitive American League Western division.
On The Bubble
Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week’s list in no particular order.
Austin Martin or, gasp, Emmanuel Rodriguez, given the possibility that both Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa could go on the 7-day concussion IL.
Stash List
