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Welcome back to our top starting pitcher fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 17 of the 2024 MLB season. Today's we'll be taking a look at top MLB pitching prospects including Tink Hence, Yilber Diaz, Max Meyer and more.
Several of the sport's top pitching prospects who have been a recurring member of this column, such as Shane Baz, Christian Scott, and Drew Thorpe, have settled in the majors and are no longer "stash" options.
As the baseball season progresses, top prospects can have the opportunity to replace an injured player and immediately become valuable in fantasy. Below are five pitching prospects worth stashing in redraft leagues in Week 17. One of these players recently made their major league debut, and a few are nearing the call to the big leagues.
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Top Fantasy Baseball Prospect Stashes
Tink Hence - St. Louis Cardinals (Currently At Double-A, 2% rostered)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect Tink Hence has had the best season of his minor league career this summer. Through 54 frames at Double-A Springfield, the right-hander has held a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 17:73 BB:K ratio. Hence has never averaged over a strikeout per inning over an extended period of time since his time at Single-A in 2021.
In addition, this season, he has posted two double-digit-strikeout performances.
However, he was removed from his most recent start after experiencing cramps in late June and has yet to return to the mound. Prior to this minor setback, Hence was on the fast track to Triple-A as he was clearly proving he was more than superior to his competition at Double-A.
10) Tink Hence
Hence has been back to his dominant self after a rough AA debut in 2023. He throws a mid 90s fastball from a low slot while getting a lot of ride and rise on the pitch. He wields a gyro-slider, N-S curve, and a plus-plus changeup
He looks like a budding ace! pic.twitter.com/95B53fNWYU
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 10, 2024
Given the trend of prospects making a swift transition from Double-A to the majors, there's a strong possibility that Hence could make his debut in August, especially with the Cardinals still in the playoff mix.
Once he joins this rotation, he can easily slot in toward the top behind Sonny Gray.
Yilber Diaz - Arizona Diamondbacks (Currently In The Majors, 6% rostered)
The 23-year-old made his major league debut on Monday, July 8, and looked quite sharp against a strong Atlanta lineup. He tossed six innings of one-run ball with four hits, one free pass, and struck out five. His one mistake came off a solo shot to Austin Riley.
Bravo Yilber Diaz, First Career Start.
6.0 IP
4 Hits 🔥
1 ER
1 Walk
5 Strikeouts
1st Career Quality Start!Now go score runs Dbacks! pic.twitter.com/AeuNu8aavh
— 🌵 Mr. Az (@MrAzSports) July 9, 2024
Diaz opened the season with Double-A but was moved up to Triple-A on June 11 and held a 3.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 9:28 BB:K ratio in 22 frames. At Double-A, he posted a higher 4.33 ERA and 1.24 WHIP but struck out an eye-catching 77 batters in 54 frames.
Diaz's major league debut was nothing short of impressive. His performance is a strong indicator of his possible ability to provide high-upside strikeout potential, making him a worthy addition in all fantasy baseball formats.
Max Meyer - Miami Marlins (Currently At Triple-A, 25% rostered)
A familiar name to readers of this column is still, unfortunately, in the minor leagues. In his most recent start on July 9, Meyer tossed six frames of one-run ball and tallied four punchouts. Through 49 innings at Triple-A Jacksonville, he has held a poor 4.89 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
Despite some inconsistency in Triple-A, Meyer is on the cusp of returning to the big leagues, especially with the Marlins' starting rotation dealing with injuries.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker also expressed in June that he expects Meyer to return to the major leagues “soon,” which is another positive sign. Tuesday’s start could be the final push Meyer needed.
When given the opportunity to pitch in the majors, the 25-year-old has performed very well. He has a 2.12 ERA and 0.82 WHIP, albeit in a small three-start, 17-inning sample size.
Once he returns to the major leagues, he has a pretty safe cushion as there are not many options to take his starting spot away. This makes him not only a safe add, but a smart one in all formats that can help your pitching staff through the remainder of the summer. As your league mates become frustrated with him, you may not get him at a lower FAAB cost this weekend.
Chayce McDermott - Baltimore Orioles (Currently In The Majors, 50% rostered)
Often overshadowed by fellow Baltimore pitching prospect Cade Povich, who made his major league debut earlier this season, McDermott has quietly been productive at Triple-A Norfolk and could reach the majors in the coming weeks.
The Ball State product has spent most of the past two seasons at the Triple-A level. Last summer, McDermott held a 2.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 24:64 BB:K ratio through 50 ⅔ innings.
This season, in 83 ⅓ innings of work at Norfolk, McDermott has posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and a 50:121 BB:K ratio.
Chayce McDermott had his best start ever in AAA last night.
7 IP, 1 R, career-high 12 K, and 23 whiffs on 47 swings (that’s absurd).
He’ll be in Baltimore soon. Just look what he did here to this poor Durham hitter pic.twitter.com/zCmRVYQcnA
— Locked On Orioles (@LockedOnOrioles) July 2, 2024
While his basic statistics look worse, McDermott improved his K rate and maintained a similar ground-ball and fly-ball rate, which could suggest he has been a bit unlucky this season. In addition, he holds a 4.08 FIP compared to the 3.47 FIP he had last summer, which shows that he has not remained quite steady.
Currently, the Baltimore Orioles have a full five-man rotation. However, rookie Cade Povich's recent struggles at the major league level, including allowing eight runs in his last start, could open the door for McDermott to fill the final rotation spot.
Jack Leiter - Texas Rangers (Currently At Triple-A, 5% rostered)
To close things out, a former top pitching prospect could be on his way back to the major leagues after enjoying a bit of a turnaround at Triple-A.
The former second-round pick made his major league debut earlier this season and struggled, posting a 16.39 ERA and 2.57 WHIP in three starts.
Overall, in 58 innings at Triple-A, he has a 3.88 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, which are not exactly eye-catching, either. However, he has continued to flash elite strikeout potential with 80 punchouts.
However, in his past five starts (23 innings), the right-hander has held a much improved 2.74 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 12:33 BB:K ratio.
Despite his recent improvements, the 24-year-old has struggled with consistency during his career, which has made him a difficult player to assess in all formats. However, with the Rangers having a disappointing season and currently out of the playoff picture, they could decide to see their veteran starting pitchers at the deadline. This could present an opportunity for Leiter to earn an extended period at the majors to close out the campaign.
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