Every weekend, I will be posting about the minor leaguers that you should be stashing on your team. Unlike dynasty content focusing on who to own for their production years down the road, these rankings will be done solely for the 2018 season (there will be discrepancies). 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 — we want to give you an edge. Prospects are a great way to stay ahead of everyone else rather you are in a dynasty league or a 10-team league.
1. Michael Kopech (Chicago White Sox) – ETA Early June
Michael Kopech has been back to performing as the White Sox want him to perform. He struck out 7 over six innings in his most recent start, letting up one earned run and only two walks. Kopech’s control may cause problems when is called up in the coming week or two, but his ceiling makes him a worthy add in most leagues.
2. Jalen Beeks (Boston Red Sox) – ETA Mid June
Jalen Beeks’s most recent start saw him go seven innings letting up only one run and striking out seven. Beeks is probably the most ready starting pitchers in the minors, but has a tough rotation to crack. Drew Pomeranz has been the clearest weak link to the Red Sox rotation this year, still sporting an ghastly 6.81 ERA. With only one year left on his deal, it wouldn’t be incredibly surprising to see Beeks take his place – the Red Sox want to win and Beeks will make them that much better of a team.
3. Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee Brewers) – ETA Late June
In a bit of an oversight last week – I failed to put Freddy Peralta back on the Stash after a mildly successful stint in the Majors. It confirmed that Peralta’s fastball will overpower MLB level batters and that he has the potential to dominate. Walks soured his second start against the Twins (6) and with Chase Anderson coming back from the disabled list, ended Peralta’s first stint. Peralta is a clear upgrade for the contending Brewers and it should not be long until the Brewers bring him back up, even with Jimmy Nelson’s return on the horizon.
4. Josh Rogers (New York Yankees) – ETA Mid June
Domingo German has looked generally terrible since taking over for Jordan Montgomery last month. A lack of control has plagued him in most starts resulting in a 9.42 ERA over his past three starts. Montgomery is getting closer it looks as though the Yankees may stick it out with German, who is in line for another start against the Orioles on Sunday. Josh Rogers has been performing well enough for a call-up at some point this summer.
5. Shane Bieber (Cleveland Indians) – ETA Late June
Shane Bieber had his first MLB start this past week and for most of his debut he looked like he could stick around. Those thoughts did not stick around for too long as he went on to let up a total of four runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Bieber will not be a high strikeout guy, but the surgeon-like precision he demonstrated in the minors should cross over and keep him in games longer. He won’t be back again for a few weeks – but is worth a streaming start for now depending on who his draw ends up being.
6. Yefry Ramirez (Baltimore Orioles) – ETA Mid June
Yefry Ramirez was seemingly back on track in his most recent start, although he set a season-high walk count for himself (4). This kept him from going deeper into the game (5.0 innings) or getting more strikeouts (3), but he only let up one run – bouncing back after his previous 8 run game. Ramirez has a place in the Orioles rotation (as the Orioles don’t have much of a rotation) and would benefit from an extended look in the Majors this season. He generally has solid control and flashes high strikeout brilliance. He should be up some time this season.
7. Austin Voth (Washington Nationals) – ETA Late Summer
Austin Voth is speculatively back on track with two back-to-back quality starts since his disastrous two-game slide in the middle of May. He remains on the cusp of the MLB more than most prospects and certainly at the top of the Nationals’ call sheet. If the opportunity arises, he will be called up, which is what gives him enough value to stick on this list despite such a stacked Nationals rotation.
8. Enyel De Los Santos (Philadelphia Phillies) – ETA Late Summer
In 2018 the next three players are in incredibly similar situations. They plan in the competitive NL East, both teams have stacked rotations, and have not clear path to promotion as a result despite outperforming the minor leagues. At the top of this list is Enyel De Los Santos whose best bet into the majors is through injury (a given for him and the next two guys) or through Vincent Velasquez getting moved to the bullpen (might not be the worst move). De Los Santos has been one of the top performing Triple-A pitchers this year and has earned a spot in the majors – just how is the remaining question. I have Voth over De Los Santos for now as the Nationals have clearly indicated a desire to call up Voth when possible.
9. Kolby Allard (Atlanta Braves) – ETA Late Summer
Kolby Allard has demonstrated at every level that he is ready for the MLB. Unfortunately, he was last on the call sheet after the Braves turned their rotation from a position of need to a position of strength. He, like Shane Bieber, is not a high strikeout pitcher, but has the control to make it as a successful MLB pitcher. If another injury occurs to the Braves’ rotation, Allard could get the call – but at the moment he’s stuck between no place to play and doing too well to stay in the minors.
10. Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota Twins) – ETA Mid June
Frankly, Stephen Gonsalves has not done nearly enough to get a call-up this season. He has been inconsistent and even his good games haven’t been stellar the way some of the other players on this list have been stellar. The Twins are on the cusp of competing in the AL Central, but have fallen 5.5 games behind the Indians. It is unlikely that the Twins find themselves him a competitive spot come the trade deadline and opt to keep Gonsalves down – for now, he’ll stick on the list for at the very least his ceiling as a top pitching prospect.
Graduated
Alex Reyes – Reyes made it four glorious innings before going to the disabled list with a lat strain. Hey, he’s up in the Majors and should be for his career – he should be owned and on your bench or disabled list.
Nick Kingham – Kingham is getting a second start on Sunday as a replacement for Ivan Nova. Roll with him while he’s up against a beatable Cardinal’s offense.
Jumped-In
Freddy Peralta
Enyel De Los Santos
Fell Out
Should I drop Jose Martinez for Brett Gardner?
Hey, fellow MI attorney here. What happened to Mitch Keller? Just not close enough to The Show?
In essence, yea — with the Pirates fading fast, I don’t think they’ll be competitive at the trade deadline and Nick Kingham has pretty well usurped the 5th man when available. Keller is still in Double-A and even if the Pirates move him up to AAA they won’t have much a reason to rush him in 2018. Things could change, but I’m thinking less and less that he’ll make an impact in 2018.
Great content. This article really needs an editor though, as there are typos and grammatical errors throughout.
Yeah – that’s on me. I use an editing app for my articles, but I didn’t draft this article on my computer this time around. I was able to get to my computer today and make some changes. Thanks for the heads up!