The Stash 4/22: Ranking The Top 10 Pitching Prospects To Stash

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. Prospects are a great way to stay ahead of everyone else rather you are in a dynasty league or a 10-team league. With the minor league season going we can start seeing some movement with this list. I have the same 10 guys but with more and more games to evaluate, new players will jump onto the list, while others could fall off entirely.

This week we saw Joe Jimenez get called back up. I believe he is here to stay. Id watch him over the next two weeks. If he pitches well, you might want to add him. He could be the Tigers closer before the end of June.

Anyway, let us get down to business.

Note: Players like Julio Urias are not on this list as they most likely not available in your league. Also Jose Berrios isn’t on the list either as he is no longer a prospect and therefore cant be listed.

1) Josh Hader (Milwaukee Brewers, AAA) ETA: May

Since the last weeks rankings Josh Hader had two starts, pitching twelve innings, striking out nine, walking seven and allowing four Earned. He has been good not great. He is effectively wild and while he walks many batters, he does not get derailed. Even last year when he was walking nearly four batters per nine, he was not shelled often. Only in four of his twenty-five starts, he allowed four or more Earned Runs. If he can reign in the command, he could be a top 20 SP in his prime.

2) Francis Martes (Houston Astros, AAA) ETA: May

He is walking 8.7 batters per nine, which is not helping him in the WHIP stat; however, Martes is one of the best pitchers on this list. Last year he walked 3.4 batters per nine, and the year before he walked 2.5. Maybe its early season yips but he is still being quite effective with a 0.00 ERA through two starts. I do not think his timeline has changed at all. We are still looking at the super two timeline but his impact in 2017 could be YUUUGGGEEE.

3) Chad Green (New York Yankees, AAA) ETA: May

Chad Green continues to rise and is sitting #3 on my list. He has done well in his 22 IP getting 28 strikeouts and only walking four. He has a 2.05 ERA and should be the next up for the Yankees. With the team winning (10-6), he could get more wins after he is called up then I initially thought. Green is good, not great, but he should be getting a call sooner rather than later.

4) Jeff Hoffman (Colorado Rockies, AAA) ETA: May

Hoffman fell from #1 to the fourth spot this week. He has competition in German Marquez for the next up label for the Rockies. What is concerning me with Hoffman is his career 8.6 H/9. For Comparison, Hader is a career 6.8 H/9 and Martes is at 7.8. I do not think he is at the same level as those guys but the high H/9 does not bode well with a home park of Coors. I like Hoffman a lot, the talent is immense but he needs to start performing like a future #2 and not like a #4.

5) Yohander Mendez (Texas Rangers, AA) ETA: June

Mendez did not have a very good start this week giving up four earned over six innings. He is on the 40-man roster and I believe he is one of the first options for the Rangers if they need a person. He is still developing and can still add a tick or two on his fastball. He is a big person at 6’5 and 200 LBs that means has room for more strength on that frame.

6) Taylor Guerrieri (Tampa Bay Rays, AAA) ETA: June

Brent Honeywell made his AAA debut this week. He struck out one in six innings and gave up three earned. Another player in the Durham rotation is Taylor Guerrieri. Guerrieri has good command of his pitches and has been very successful in his minor league career. He is also on the 40-man roster, which Honeywell is not. He has 36 starts in AA or AAA while Honeywell only has 13. These are the main reasons why I believe Guerrieri will be up before Honeywell and with his talent, he can stick.

7) Nick Pivetta (Philadelphia Phillies, AAA) ETA: May

You maybe be asking yourself, who is Nick Pivetta? He is the Phillies 12th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He has slowly come along. Every year he has been lowing his ERA while also upping his K per nine. Nick Pivetta is 4-2 in his eight Triple-A starts from the end of 2016 until now with a 1.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 51 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 43 2/3 innings. He is in the AL East and if he’s called up, could be a player to watch.

8) Dinelson Lamet (San Diego Padres, AAA) ETA: May

A career minor league ERA of 2.84 through 272.1 IP and has 305 strikeouts. Lamet is the Padres 12th ranked prospect and is off to a good start in 2017. With 13 IP, he has 19 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.69. He has a good fastball sitting in the mid-nineties to go along with an above average slider. Lamet is an under the radar prospect that could be a decent fantasy guy thanks to Petco.

9) Reynaldo Lopez,(Chicago White Sox, AAA) ETA: July

Like nearly every player on this list, Lopez has some work to do with his command. He has a 5.00 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 14.1 IP. He has walked nine batters in the three starts. I do not think the ETA has been impacted because of three starts but he could quickly go from a post-Super Two-deadline call up to something in August or September. Therefore, he is falling on the list and could soon be off.

10) German Marquez (Colorado Rockies, AAA) ETA: June

I had Jeff Hoffman number one and possibly the first call up if the Rockies need a guy but German Marquez could skip over him. Through Ten innings, Marquez has eighteen strikeouts and no walks. He is not going to be a strikeout machine; he is a good control guy with a decent mix of pitches. Coors always has me a little hesitant but he is a person to pay attention too.

Players to watch: Brandon Woodruff, MIL, Brian Johnson, BOS, and Lucas Sims, ATL