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 11
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 24 (generally, the most recent three appearances and season total)
Top 10 SP Prospects to Stash
1. Brayan Bello, RHP, BOS – ETA July
Bello continues to shine and had the best performance of his young career this week. He logged seven shutout innings, routinely hitting the upper-90s into the eighth inning and striking out Eloy Jimenez twice in dominant fashion.
Over his seven appearances, he’s compiled a 34.5% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate, and 66.7% groundball rate. Insane.
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.
7⃣ K’s over 7⃣ scoreless.
No. 4 @RedSox prospect Brayan Bello had another strong outing for the @WooSox. pic.twitter.com/QjJ9zE80Vw
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 22, 2022
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 had a rough start this week, though he worked up to 92 pitches (52% strike rate), he allowed five walks and registered only three strikeouts. Starts like these are scary for fantasy managers because it just screams future reliever. Over his nine starts in Triple-A, he has a 3.86 ERA, 40.3% strikeout rate, and a 14.7% 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. A second-half call-up is certainly in the cards, but there is still some work to do. Hall is worth a stash in deeper leagues right now due to his immense upside.
3. Max Meyer, RHP, MIA – ETA July
Meyer returned from the injured list this week after missing just over a month with ulnar nerve (elbow) irritation. He worked an efficient four innings, 53 pitches (33 strikes), and faced just one batter over the minimum. Notably, he struck out Wander Franco twice (on rehab assignment with Durham).
Seeing Meyer back on a Triple-A mound and looking like himself was a welcomed sight. If all continues to go well, Meyer will likely get stretched back out in the minors before being considered for a second-half promotion.
It’s worth monitoring, but trade rumors are starting to swirl for the fourth-place Marlins, and it’s quite possible a pitcher (Lopez or Cabrera) could be on the move. If a deal happens, Meyer will probably slide up the short list of pitchers ready for a spot in the rotation. With another solid outing from Meyer, he’s going to be a must-stash all over again.
Four innings.
Five strikeouts.
Two against Wander Franco.No. 2 @Marlins prospect Max Meyer looked like himself in his return to the @JaxShrimp rotation. pic.twitter.com/8fXapSHbLZ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 22, 2022
4. 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 moment’s 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.
5. Hunter Brown, RHP, HOU – ETA July
Brown picked up his fourth win of the season on Friday night, working 67 pitches (44 strikes) over five shutout innings with five strikeouts and zero walks. He did this all in relief, though, now having made five 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 85. On the year, he has a 34.3% strikeout rate, 13.6% 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.
Touched 99 mph ✅
5 strikeouts over 5 scoreless IP ✅@astros top prospect Hunter Brown was electric for the @SLSpaceCowboys: https://t.co/hUqnjPsTgE pic.twitter.com/uHh7ANmbB8— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 25, 2022
6. Cade Cavalli, RHP, WAS – ETA August
Cavalli had his start skipped this week in an abundance of caution after possibly tweaking something in his last outing. Details are unclear, but we’ll keep an eye on it. 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.
7. Ryan Pepiot, RHP, LAD – ETA July
Pepiot returns to the top-10; he’s on quite a run. Over his last five starts, Pepiot has four wins, 25.1 innings pitched, 1.42 ERA, 34 strikeouts, 10 walks, and hasn’t allowed more than one run in any single start.
He’s already made his MLB debut and is certainly top of the list to receive the next opportunity in Los Angeles. His command issues (21.2% walk rate) and limited strikeout upside made him unappealing for fantasy purposes, but he’s quietly now up to a 33.5% strikeout rate in Triple-A.
Stash Pepiot only in deeper leagues where you’re looking for innings, but if he continues his run, he may get another chance sooner than later.
8. Ken Waldichuk, LHP, NYY – ETA August
Waldichuk had arguably his best outing of the year this week, logging five innings, allowing just one run, zero walks, and eight strikeouts. Over his six starts in Triple-A, Waldichuk has a 2.70 ERA, 33.1% strikeout rate, and 9.4% 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.
9. 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. The Dodgers’ top pitching prospect worked one of his best outings of the year on Wednesday, finishing five innings (92 pitches, 67 strikes), allowing only one run, one walk, and striking out eight.
Over his 12 Double-A starts this season, he has a 26.6% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate, and 50.78% 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, let’s just monitor Miller’s progress for now.
10. 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 where the success has continued.
He logged his second straight scoreless outing on Friday, working five solid innings and picking up the win. Over his seven starts in Triple-A, Stone has a 1.25 ERA, 41.5% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate, and 46.2% groundball rate.
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.
11. 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, Tommy Henry, JP Sears, Jay Groome, Hayden Wesneski, Matthew Liberatore, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Williamson, Michael Burrows, Cole Raggans, Peyton Battenfield
Photos by Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)