The Stash 6/18: Ranking The Top 10 Hitting Prospects To Stash

This weekend was the Franconian Beerfestival in Nuremberg Germany, which I blame for the Nick Burdi lapse on the pitching prospect list, but I’ve double checked all these players and we are good to go. We have some new additions after my two week absence, Spain was awesome and I have enough Instagram photos for the next year. Well in the two weeks since my last post, two players were added to their respective big league clubs, Lewis Brinson, and Derek Fisher. Brinson is off to a slow start with a .422 OPS in 18 at bats, but hold fast. He is a streaky guy, which is why I had him ranked lower than some players, but when he is on, he is a beast.

Anyways, let us begin. Every weekend, I will be posting about the minor leaguers you should be stashing on your team. This list will be arranged by impact for this year only. Players that will be called up sooner will be ahead of players with more talent who might only be called up late in the year.

1) Yoan Moncada, 2B, Chicago White Sox AAA, ETA: July

The wait is almost over. We have about one more month before he is called up to the majors so if he is available at this moment, then add him. I am putting my money where my mouth is and just added him in the pitcher list writer’s league. Yoan Moncada can contribute in every category and will likely be a dual position player with 3B and eventually 2B eligibility.

2) Franklin Barreto, Oakland Athletics AAA, ETA: June

I expect Franklin Barreto to be called up and off this list in the next two weeks. The Super Two Deadline is here, but Franklin is in the middle of a slump. Maybe he is just getting bored in AAA, but he has a .521 OPS in June and the Athletics might wait for him to bust out before they promote him. This is what you can expect from Franklin though. He is going to be a streaky bat that will strikeout 20 times in a week and then the next week hit four home runs.

3) Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds AAA, ETA: June

Jesse Winker will be one of the more consistent players on this list. He had very good plate discipline and when he is not hitting, he can work a walk. Winker is 6’3 and weighs 215 pounds but has not shown the power you would think someone of his size would display. He has two homeruns this year, and only five last year. I think he will do much better in the hitter friendly confines of the Great American Ball Park. He should be up soon and if you need an OF, then add him.

4) Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies AAA, ETA: August

After destroying the cover off the ball in April and May, Rhys Hoskins has had some struggles this month. He is hitting .214 but has 7 XBH in the 16 games this month. I am adamant when I say that he is the future first base man of the Phillies and Tommy Joseph is just a placeholder. Joseph is one of the worst defensive first basemen in MLB right now, 3rd to last in UZR, but he does have a .796 career OPS. We might approach a Jim Thome/Ryan Howard situation with no room for two first basemen on the MLB Roster the Phillies will eventually have to make a move with one of these guys.

5) Amed Rosario, SS, New York Mets AAA, ETA: July

Asdrubal Cabrera went down, and Amed Rosario remained in AAA. The Mets do not seem to be in a hurry to call Amed up but the Media in New York are all calling for the move. He is hitting .332 with 7 HR and 12 SB in AAA. He does not have anything else to prove in AAA and should be on the big league roster but the cost conscious Mets are trying to be conservative with their 21-year-old prospect. I prefer Torres to Rosario, but I think Rosario is up sooner.

6) Gleyer Torres, SS, New York Yankees AAA, ETA: July

Torres has been placed on the DL with a hyper extended elbow. He will get re-evaluated tomorrow but it does not seem to be worrisome. Chase Headley’s days are numbered in New York and with Torres hitting .350 in the last 10 games, he is in line for a promotion. The Yankees are already grooming him for the hot corner as they are working him at 3B in Scranton. I like Torres a lot and think he is worth an add if the diagnosis is not serious.

7) Clint Frazier, OF, New York Yankees AAA, ETA: July

The Yankees are getting a career year from Aaron Hicks, Aaron Jude is a Triple Crown candidate and Brett Gardner is hitting pretty well with a .822 OPS. There is not room for Frazier but injuries happen and he is doing everything he needs to do to be next up. He leads Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in Homeruns, RBIs, Doubles, and walks. He does not have a great avg, .260, but he is not a high average guy to begin with. He will contribute across the other categories, including stolen bases where he has nine with only one caught stealing.

8) Dominic Smith, 1B, New York Mets AAA, ETA: August

The Mets have a top prospect in Amed Rosario that is doing everything he needs to do to be promoted and they even need a guy at the position but refuse to call him up. Dominic Smith is doing everything he needs to do as well but Lucas Duda and his .878 OPS actually block him. Duda is in the last year of his contract and could be shipped out for controllable relief pitchers as they are ranked 25th in bullpen ERA. Smith is hitting .315 in AAA with seven Homeruns, 18 doubles and 41 RBIs.

9) Rafeal Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox AA, ETA: July/August

Devers is making his debut on the list. He is the only AA player on this list and earns the recognition he is garnering. He only has 59 game in Double A but he is destroying the ball with a .306/.365/.568 slash line with 13 Homeruns, 42 RBIs and 21 walks to 46 strikeouts. The Red Sox need a 3B as Pablo Sandoval has a .621 OPS. Dave Dombrowski is a guy that will move a player from AA to the bigs, he did it with Avisail Garcia and Jacob Turner when he was the Tigers GM. Dave wants to win now and has a major league ready third baseman in AA that can help him.

10) Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates AAA, ETA: August

I am not going to sugar coat my man crush on Austin Meadows. I have owned Meadows in a dynasty league since he was a senior in High School and have watch him develop into a future first or second round player in fantasy. He is off to a terrible start in AAA, and with Adam Frazier hitting well for Pittsburgh, his ETA is likely going to be effected. I believe he is a future .300/30 HR/ 20 SB guy that will hit in the middle of the Pirates line up. I would not dismiss him entirely from your watch list, he can defiantly contribute when he does get the call but it is looking more like September than July right now.