The Stash 6/17: Ranking The Top 10 Pitching Prospects To Stash

Hello everyone. We have had a two-week break from the prospects articles while I was on vacation in Spain but we are back with a brand new edition. There have been a number of calls ups in our absence as we have seen Josh Hader, Jacob Faria, and Jeff Hoffman all get the call. Hoffman and Faria are off to very good starts in the bigs while the Brewers are easing Hader in as a relief pitcher. They could be building his confidence while also limiting his innings so don’t fret too much, however he isn’t a rosterable bullpen player if that is his future.

One Guy I want to point out that is not a prospect anymore but should be stashed and would be #1 on this list if he were a prospect, Blake Snell. Since being sent down to AAA, Blake Snell has been superb and has shown much better control. He current has a 2.84 ERA through six starts and has struck out 53 in 38 innings. You should keep an eye on him because he is an immediate add. Anyways, Lets get to it:

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. With more and more games to evaluate, new players will jump onto the list, while others could fall off entirely.

1) Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox AAA, ETA: July

The prize of the Adam Eaton trade, Lucas Giolito got off to a rocking start with his new organization with a 7.33 ERA through his first five outings. He has regained his confidence and has delivered a 2.28 ERA over his last four starts with 22 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. He has attributed his progress to the rehabbing James Shields. “He noticed a thing in my delivery about the way I’m using my legs, and so he actually showed me some stuff to work on in the gym, so I can better utilize my legs when I’m pitching, and I feel like it will really help to increase consistency, maybe extension, maybe velocity,” Giolito said.

2) Chance Adams  NYY, New York Yankees AAA, ETA: July

Chance Adams was a Juco transfer to Dallas Baptist, a school that has produced Vic Black, Ben Zobrist, Ryan Goins and Freddy Sanchez in recent years. DBU has one Division one sport, which is baseball, where Chance Adams pitched in relief his Junior Year. He never made a start for the Patriots but ended the year third in innings pitches. The Yankees took him in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft and converted him into a starter. He has accelerated through the minors and has already climbed to AAA. The first pitcher taken in the 2015 MLB Draft, now with the Yankees, Dillon Tate is still in Single A. Chance Adams has 2 plus pitches with his Fastball and Slider, and two average to above average pitches in his Change Up and curveball. He has good but not superb control but can locate his pitches quite well. I do not think he is going to be called up this month, maybe July, August, or September, but he is an impact pitcher that warrants a high ranking.

3) Reynaldo Lopez, Chicago White Sox AAA, ETA: August

On May 26th, Reynaldo Lopez gave up eight earned through 4 innings. That is the one eye sore on his last ten game log as he has nine other starts, delivering a 2.27 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings pitched. He is a little more polished then Giolito right now, but Giolito is the prize, which is why he is a little lower on the list.

4) Nick Burdi, Minnesota Twins AA, ETA: July

When your catcher had five appearances in a relief role, you know your bullpen is in trouble. Nick Burdi, a 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft, has been wonderful this year in Double A. He has 14 appearances with 17 innings pitched, a 0.53 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Nick Burdi can hit 100 mph and has shown much better control in 2017 than previous years. Brandon Kintzler has the closer role locked down for now but Burdi could eventually challenge him if he struggles. Editor’s note: Burdi just got Tommy John Surgery and this one slipped past us. Sorry for the confusion.

5) Luke Weaver, St. Louis Cardinals AAA, ETA: July

Weaver left his start last Sunday for Memphis in the third with an undisclosed injury, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. He has been spectacular this year in his nine starts giving up four earned once and is rocking a 2.33 ERA with 6 wins and 51 strikeouts through 46.1 IP. Luke Weaver is not a high strikeout guy, he has good stuff and can hit the high 90s when he wants, but he is a control guy that will be a high floor decent ceiling player in the bigs.

6) Andrew Moore, Seattle Mariners AAA, ETA: July

Recently Andrew Moore had a Q&A with scouts.com, you can find the interview here, but here is him describing stuff:
http://www.scout.com/mlb/rumors/story/1781006-exclusive-q-a-with-andrew-moore

“A lot of strikes, fast tempo and trying to keep the game moving quick. And yeah usually throwing three pitches a fastball, changeup and either a slider or curve whichever feels better that day and try to get the ball to go. Lot of fastballs to try and get the guys off balance and then a lot of breaking balls after that. But yeah, just try to have a fast, aggressive approach on the mound.”

Andrew Moore has a funky delivering, see the video below, but does a good job locating his pitches. He has 77 strikeouts to 17 walks, a 4.53 K/BB Ratio in 82.2 IP between AA and AAA. He has made eight starts in AAA thus far, and has a 3.19 ERA through 48 Innings. I like Andrew Moore, he is not a top 100 prospect on any list, but could be a sneaky player to make a contribution. He could make a leap into the top 100 by the end of the year.

7) Yohander Mendez, Texas Rangers AA, ETA: July

Yohander Mendez is among seven Frisco Roughrider players selected to this year’s Texas League All Star Game. He has been roughed up a bit in the past month, but he has a couple good games between the rough outings. He is consistent though and has hit 6 innings or more in each of his last ten stats. I like Mendez, but he is likely a No.4 in the bigs so his ceiling will be limited. His floor is high though and will be a very good streaming option when he does get the call.

8) Steven Brault, Pittsburgh Pirates AAA, ETA: July

Mitch Keller is the more talked about prospect but Steven Brault is having quite the year. He took home the Pirates Minor League pitcher of the month award for May and continues to dominate AAA into June. He now has a 2.11 ERA through 68.1 IP with 66 strikeouts to 26 walks. He should be next in line for a call up and might be good streaming option vs weaker line-ups.

9) Lucas Sims, Atlanta Braves AAA, ETA: July

Lucas Sims has had a bit of a rough patch lately and has seen his ERA jump from 2.16 to 3.89 on the year. He is striking out a number of batters in that stretch, 45 of them to be exact in 39 innings. The Braves seem to be patient with the former first rounder’s development and are using this stretch as a learning lesson. It does not appear they want to promote him during a bad stretch; therefore, he hopefully turns it around in the second half of June.

10) Jose De Leon, Tampa Bay Rays AAA, ETA: Uncertain with injury.

I have dropped Jose De Leon a bit on the board. It’s not a knock on his pitching abilities, it’s mainly to do with the circumstance that he is currently hurt and the Rays have a number of options besides him should they need a body. His back injury does not seem to be too bad, but the Rays have Snell and Honeywell in AAA.