Top-5 MLB Pitching Prospects To Stash For Week 20 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Leagues (2024)

Andy's top-5 MLB pitching prospects in fantasy baseball who can be stashed on your bench for Week 20 (2024) in fantasy baseball redraft leagues.

Welcome back to our top starting pitcher fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 20 of the 2024 MLB season. Today, we'll be taking a look at top MLB pitching prospects, including two top prospects from the Braves system and budding superstar Jackson Jobe.

Several of the sport's top pitching prospects who have been recurring members of this column, such as Spencer Schwellenbach, Max Meyer, and River Ryan, 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 20. 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

Zebby Matthews - Minnesota Twins (Currently At Triple-A, 2% rostered)

Starting off this list is a familiar friend of ours, Zebby Matthews. While his fellow Twin prospect, David Festa, is now in the driver’s seat for the final spot in the Twins rotation after striking out nine Cubs on Monday evening, Matthews could still have a shot at reaching the big leagues this season.

While his latest start at Triple-A on August 2 was not great, as he allowed nine hits and five earned runs, he is still showcasing elite control and high upside strikeout potential.

Through his first three starts at Triple-A, the right-hander carries a perfect 0:18 BB:K ratio, although it carries an uninspiring 7.07 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. His results at Double-A were much better, as he boasted a 1.95 ERA and 0.76 WHIP.

If he can get himself on track at Triple-A, he should get the call in the coming weeks.

AJ Smith-Shawver - Atlanta Braves (Currently At Triple-A, 3% rostered)

The next two names on this list are teammates who are both considered the top two prospects in their system on MLB.com.

First, Smith-Shawver is the top prospect in Atlanta and got only a brief taste of the majors this season. He tossed 4.1 shutout frames with four punchouts.

At Triple-A, he currently has a 5.40 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and a 25:56 BB:K ratio through 46 innings of work. 

Now that he is healthy and back at Triple-A after battling an oblique injury in June and July, he is a strong candidate for a promotion. In his most recent start at Gwinnett, he logged 4.1 innings with six punchouts. He allowed two runs and four hits.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Nasty 84mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/xkKLq2sgw3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 10, 2023

Reynaldo Lopez (forearm) recently hit the 15-day IL which opens a spot in the rotation. The Braves promoted Bryce Elder to fill the void for now, but they may look to one of their top prospects down the line.

Hurston Waldrep - Atlanta Braves (Currently At Triple-A, 2% rostered)

The other candidate to replace Lopez is the No. 2 prospect in the Atlanta system, Hurston Waldrep.

Waldrep made two starts in the majors this season but surrendered 13 runs in them. Following this, he hit the 15-day IL and was recently activated and optioned to Triple-A.

FIRST major league strikeout for Hurston Waldrep!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/xfa4c86WMF

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 9, 2024

In his most recent start at Triple-A on August 2, he had a strict pitch count as he logged just 2.2 innings. He struck out five but allowed four runs. 

While Smith-Shawver may be closer to the big leagues than Waldrep, both are strong candidates for a promotion, given Lopez's injury.

Brandon Sproat - New York Mets (Currently At Triple-A, 1% rostered)

One of the budding stars in the Mets pipeline recently got the call to Triple-A.

Sproat made his minor league debut this season after being drafted in the second round of last year’s draft.

He debuted this summer at High-A and needed only 25 innings of work to move up to Double-A. There he logged a 2.45 ERA and 0.87 WHIP through 62 innings.

In his final outing at Double-A, he struck out a season-high 13 batters across five shutout frames while allowing only two hits.

Brandon Sproat has hit another level tonight.

He has 13 strikeouts through 5 innings, 11 of them have been in a row!

pic.twitter.com/BXLBTbFMjj

— MetsMinors.Net (@Mets_Minors) August 3, 2024

The Mets find themselves in the heat of the Wild Card race. Sproat may only need a brief tune-up at Triple-A like Hayden Birdsong needed before joining the big leagues. Christian Scott (elbow) and Kodai Senga (calf) both remain sidelined, which could open the door for Sproat, especially during the stretch run if the Mets need reinforcements.

Jackson Jobe - Detroit Tigers (Currently At Double-A, 10% rostered)

Rounding out this week’s piece is the top pitching prospect in the sport, Jackson Jobe.

The No. 11 ranked prospect in the sport on MLB.com currently sits with a stellar 1.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 25:53 BB:K ratio across his first 42 frames at Double-A.

Since recovering from a hamstring injury on July 5, Jobe has posted a 1.75 ERA but has seen his walk rate climb slightly. In three of his past four starts, he has served up at least three free passes, which is something to monitor.

Through his time in the minor leagues, Jobe has never struggled to this extent with his command, so it could just be a brief slump.

Fantasy managers should closely monitor his next few starts as they could decide if he gets a chance in the big leagues this summer.

With the Tigers shipping off Jack Flaherty to LA, Jobe could get a taste of the majors, but first, he may have to clean up the walk rate.

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