It’s another great week coming back to the fantasy baseball prospects stash article. We have three more guys who were on the list last week come off due to being called up (including Mason Black who was on the watchlist).
For obvious reasons, the strength of the prospects that are actually worth stashing is weakening. It looks as if there are, at best, four prospects that warrant stashing, and only the top two I could make the case for. I didn’t want to force 10 on the watch list, so I left it to players that would bring the most excitement to pick up if called, but I added quite a few more names to the players to watch.
I view the watchlist players as guys who aren’t must-pickups or are even more situational but are worth knowing there is interest if they make it to the majors. So, with that, let’s dig in.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash
OFF THE LIST
Paul Skenes (SP – PIT)
The day is here. Skenes is set to make his major league debut against the Cubs at home on Saturday. Expectations may run wild here. The Cubs can limit strikeouts and force walks (unless it’s Dylan Cease on the mound). I do think Skenes is going to put up some strikeout numbers, but I’m not sure he makes it to the fifth. I’ll guess a four-inning, eight-strikeout, and two-earned run performance.
Kyle Manzardo (1B – CLE)
Manzo’s first two games were bad, and they had the worst of the worst out there crying and complaining. He was able to pick up his first major league hit in game three as a pinch hitter. The team has said they will also experiment with him in the outfield, which helps his long-term cause. He will have to start hitting, though.
Christian Scott (SP – NYM)
I loved everything about Scott’s debut. I’ve said this on podcasts, but it reminded me of everything we wanted out of Pfaadt last year. Scott looks in control, commands well, and uses most of the zone. There is a tough matchup coming up, but I want Scott on my roster.
PROSPECTS TO STASH
Junior Caminero (3B – TB)
There is a lot of chatter around the Rays holding Caminero down longer than most expected. He’s had two stints of times missed, which hasn’t helped the cause. He has a hit in every game in May, including a two-home run game on the first. He’s hitting .315 with six home runs in the minors, so your guess as to what the Rays are waiting for is as good as mine. I’ll throw out a prediction on his debut date, May 24th, versus the Royals at home after an off-day. Even though we are a few weeks out, he’s the biggest impact bat out there. That is worth it if that’s the game you want to play. Just know the Rays could do anything wild.
James Wood (OF – WAS)
Wood seems to be in a similar situation as Caminero. He’s a prospect who has little more to prove in AAA, but the team is slow-rolling his debut. He’s hitting .339 on the season with four home runs and eight stolen bases. On May 8th he put up a two-home run night and is hitting .385 on the month. If Jacob Young wasn’t playing as well, Wood might be up now. He is the top five-tool prospect to be called up in the near future. Very few of these guys are really worth stashing. Wood is one.
Coby Mayo (3B – BAL)
We’ve seen consistent power and contact throughout the start of the year. Mayo is hitting .301 with 11 home runs, which is third in the minors. A slight wrinkle is the May struggles Mayo is undergoing. He’s hitting under .200, and four of his six games have included a multi-strikeout performance with just one walk. Even with his currently small struggle, Mayo should be first up if the Orioles suffer any non-outfield injury.
Orelvis Martinez (SS – TOR)
The bat hasn’t slowed down for Martinez. He’s hitting .294 with nine home runs on the year and a .292 average in May with two home runs. He’s doing a great job of consistently hitting for contact, which wasn’t the case for most of his minor-league career. The lower strikeout rate helps push up his timeline, but the Jays have to move a few things to make it work. They don’t seem willing to do it just yet, but I believe the clock is ticking over the next few weeks.
Cade Povich (SP – BAL)
Povich is now the top pitcher to watch for in the minors with Paul Skenes up. He has a 1.69 ERA over seven starts and a 23.4% K-BB%, which is second in AAA. The only problem here is finding a spot. I think it will have to come at the expense of an injury, so he borders between stashing and having an eagle eye on the Orioles rotation situation to make the first pickup.
Connor Norby (2B/OF – BAL)
Norby has seven home runs, four stolen bases, and a .270 average in AAA. He is having a poor May to go with some power strikeout skills early on in the year. Not that this is killing him versus availability on the Orioles roster. An injury to the Orioles outfield might activate a call-up for Norby. Otherwise, he is that border between stash and watch.
PUT ON YOUR WATCHLIST
- Will Warren (SP – NYY)
- Niko Kavadas (1B – BOS)
- Drew Thorpe (SP – CHW)
- Owen Caissie (OF – CHC)
- Max Muncy (SS – OAK)
- Colson Montgomery (SS – CWS)
- Carson Whisenhunt (SP – SF)
- Adrian Del Castillo (C – ARI)
- Sem Robberse (SP – STL)
- Cristian Mena (SP – ARI)
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Looking for more fantasy prospects? Follow me on Twitter @isitthewelsh and check out my fantasy prospect show, “Prospect One.”