The Stash Week 11: Top 10 Pitcher Prospects to Stash in 2022

Welcome to The Stash List, Pitcher Edition!

The Stash List will highlight the top-10 starting pitcher prospects who are most likely to make an impact this season.

Effective in-season management will propel your team into contention, and understanding the outlook and ETA for some of baseball’s top prospects will give you an advantage over your league mates. As managers, we are looking forward to reaping the rewards of our offseason research and draft strategies, but for most of us, the fun is only just beginning.

Previous Week’s Stash List: The Stash List, Pitcher Edition: Week 10

 

Ground Rules

 

• The Stash List is for your redraft leagues and does not consider impact beyond 2022
• 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 shown are through June 19 (generally, the most recent three appearances and season total)

 

Graduates and Notable Call-ups

 

Shane Baz, RHP, TBR

 

 

Baz made his return to the big leagues this past week after missing the start of the season following elbow surgery in March. As should be expected, it took him a start to get reacclimated to the Majors but he was dominant in his second start against Baltimore.

He worked six strong innings and compiling a 32% CSW while averaging a cool 96.2 mph on his fastball (t-98.5 mph). Reminiscent of his 2021 breakout.

Baz looks fully healthy and is easily a top-40 starting pitcher the rest of the season. It’s quite surprising he’s not rostered in 100% of leagues. If Baz is available in your redraft league you should add him immediately.

 

Shane Baz twirls his best MLB start thus far for @RaysBaseball:
6 IP
2 H
0 R
0 BB
7 K pic.twitter.com/HMUrD6lIgo

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 18, 2022

 

Top 10 SP Prospects to Stash

 

 

1. Brayan Bello, RHP, BOS – ETA July

 

 

Bello looks like a future stud. The righty continues to dominate in Triple-A, piling up strikeouts, limiting walks, and getting ground balls at absurd rates. Over his six starts, he’s compiled a 36.0% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, and 65.3% groundball rate—an insane performance considering his lack of experience in the upper minors.

Bello has become a priority stash in redraft leagues in short order. His early success in Triple-A and the fact that he’s already on the 40-man roster make him a perfect option to fill the next void in Boston. It helps that the Red Sox rotation is in dire need of help and stability, though Chris Sale is near a return as well.

Bello is just a call away, and he’s worth a speculative stash now in anticipation of a near-term call up. Bello’s next scheduled start in Triple-A is on Tuesday, June 21.

 

2. DL Hall, LHP, BAL – ETA July

 

 

Hall has progressed to Triple-A and is now getting all of Orioles fans attention as an impending call-up. He has a long injury history and persistent command issues, but when it all comes together, he is lights out.

Hall’s last three starts have been lit, working 14.0 innings, allowing just four earned runs, while striking out 28, and only walking four. Over his eight starts in Triple-A, he has a 3.82 ERA, 40.3% strikeout rate, and a 13.4% walk rate.

Hall has taken noticeable steps towards earning a chance in the Orioles rotation. The organization will probably want to see him work consistently a bit deeper into games and improve his walk rate before considering a promotion but everything else appears trending in the right direction.

If things continue to go right for Hall, a second-half call-up is certainly in the cards, but there is still some work to do. A call up is not imminent, but he’s worth a stash in deeper leagues right now due to his immense upside.

 

3. Max Meyer, RHP, MIA – ETA July

 

 

Meyer is currently on the minor league injured list with ulnar nerve (elbow) irritation. He made a rehab start in Single-A on Sunday, working three innings, allowing just one run, and striking out four. It appears likely he’ll get another rehab start before potentially being activated.

When (if) Meyer is fully healthy and returns to Triple-A, he’ll likely sit atop this list again. Until then we’ll need to exercise patience and understand that any potential call up is most likely in the second half.

Outside of the deepest redraft leagues, Meyer probably found his way back to the waiver wire by now but it’s worth monitoring to see if he can return to pre-injury form.

 

4. Hunter Brown, RHP, HOU – ETA July

 

 

Brown worked two outings this past week, with one coming in relief where he actually earned a three-inning save. He’s now made four multi-inning relief appearances this season as the organization appears to be preparing him for a hybrid role upon his call up.

Even with a handful of relief appearances, Brown still leads the PCL in strikeouts with 80. On the year, he has a 34.5% strikeout rate, 12.5% walk rate, and 49.2% ground ball rate.

He’s a name to know right now, but he’s not on the 40-man roster, and there is no clear path to a rotation opportunity with the Astros. Either way, it’s very likely he see Brown in Houston by the second half, just with a highly uncertain role and impact for fantasy.

 

5. Cade Cavalli, RHP, WAS – ETA August

 

 

Well, we’ve played with fire before but we keep coming back. After plummeting off of redraft radars, it’s time we start monitoring Cavalli again. Over his last five starts, he’s 2-0, with a 2.17 ERA over 29.0 innings with 29 strikeouts and 11 walks.

The last place Nationals will be in no hurry to get Cavalli to the Majors, but it looks like he may have turned a corner and could be a rotation option in the second half. Though, his command is still a work in progress and his prospect shine has worn off a little, his upside is still enticing enough to monitor his progress.

 

6. Kyle Muller, LHP, ATL – ETA June

 

 

Speaking of fire, take a look at Kyle Muller. He should be a familiar name having made his MLB debut in 2021 and already logged one start with the Braves this year. In that lone start on May 1, Muller allowed seven earned runs while issuing six walks and failing to complete three innings. He was quickly sent back to Triple-A. Ouch.

Since his demotion, Muller has a 2.74 ERA over 49.1 innings pitched, with 64 strikeouts, and only 14 walks. During this time, he has a 32.5% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate. He looks ready at a moments notice to rejoin the Braves.

Muller currently aligns with Ian Anderson on start-days, who coincidentally is struggling the most of the Braves starters. The Braves also have only one scheduled off-day between now and the All-Star break, so chances are they will need another starter and it will probably be Muller. Given the improvements from Muller he could be worth the speculative add when called.

 

7. Bobby Miller, RHP, LAD – ETA August

 

 

Miller dazzled against big league hitters this spring and garnered some attention as a future rotation piece for the Dodgers. Despite his incredible stuff, he had very limited professional experience and was destined for some additional seasoning in the minors.

Though he’s still in Double-A and not on the 40-man roster, the organization appears finally ready to unleash Miller, having allowed him to work into the fifth inning or later in six of his last seven starts

Over his 11 Double-A starts this season, he has a 25.3% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, and 50.8% groundball rate. A potential call up is unlikely before the second half or anytime soon really, but Miller has big stuff and could be a significant contributor down the stretch. Outside of the deepest of leagues, lets just monitor Miller’s progress for now.

 

8. Gavin Stone, RHP, LAD – ETA August

 

 

Stone has been downright incredible. After starting the season in High-A and registering a 1.44 ERA over 25.0 innings with 28:6 K:BB ratio, he earned a promotion to Double-A Tulsa.

Since his call up on May 15, Stone has pitched 31.0 innings, with 51 strikeouts, and only seven walks with 1.45 ERA. This includes five of six games with seven or more strikeouts, four of which he allowed zero runs.

Stone is building quite the case for another promotion, but it’s likely not going to be anytime soon. Until this promotion, he hadn’t pitched above High-A, so he will need some additional work in the upper minors before the Dodgers come calling. Still, his performance and breakout are worth noting and monitoring. He’s only worth stashing in the deepest of redraft leagues due to his upside.

 

Not one… not two… not three…@Dodgers' No. 18 prospect Gavin Stone fanned 1️⃣1️⃣ batters for the @TulsaDrillers! pic.twitter.com/3IZ4fysYA2

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 19, 2022

 

9. Ken Waldichuk, LHP, NYY – ETA August

 

 

Waldichuk is slowly making a name for himself in Triple-A. The lefty earned a promotion in May and has largely impressed since, managing a 2.88 ERA over five starts with a 31.8% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate.

The Yankees have a handful of names who could be plugged in here including Hayden Wesneski and JP Sears. Waldichuk is firmly on the fantasy radar too, showcasing his potential at each stop along the way. He’s not worth stashing in any redraft leagues at the moment, but is a name to know once we get down the stretch.

 

10. Chase Silseth, RHP, LAA – ETA July

 

 

Silseth drew rave reviews after making his big league debut earlier this year, making the jump straight from Double-A and working six shutout innings against Oakland. The book was out on him quickly though, and his next few outings didn’t go so well and he was relegated to the minors.

While in the minors this season, Silseth quietly has a 1.75 ERA, 34.3% strikeout rate, and 8.0% walk rate. At only 22-years-old, his demotion should be taken with a grain of salt, and he is undoubtedly going to be back with the Angels at some point this season. While he’s probably not worth stashing, don’t lose track of him as he could be a contributor down the stretch.

 

Others considered (in no particular order): Ethan Small, Ryan Pepiot, Tommy Henry, JP Sears, Jay Groome, Hayden Wesneski, Matthew Liberatore, Cole Winn, Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson, Jack Leiter, Brandon Williamson,

 

Photos by Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)