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Welcome back to our top starting pitcher fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 18 of the 2024 MLB season. Happy All-Star break! Today, we'll be taking a look at top MLB pitching prospects, including River Ryan, Max Meyer, and some rising starts like Zebby Matthews.
Several of the sport's top pitching prospects who have been a recurring member of this column, such as Shane Baz, Christian Scott, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hayden Birdsong, 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 18. 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
Yilber Diaz - Arizona Diamondbacks (Currently in the Majors, 15% rostered)
The Arizona Diamondbacks prospect has looked quite comfortable in his first two major league starts and is quickly surpassing “stash” territory. In his most recent start on July 13, the 23-year-old tossed six innings of one-run ball and allowed just four hits and two walks. He struck out two.
First of many.
Congrats to Yilber Diaz on getting his first W in The Show! pic.twitter.com/urCodqqt9q
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 14, 2024
In his first start, he also logged six innings and allowed just one run with four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts.
At Double-A and Triple-A this season, the right-hander struck out an impressive 97 batters across 70 innings. While his elite strikeout potential has yet to show in the majors, he has shown excellent command and has posted two straight quality starts, which are a great sign going forward.
In addition, with Merrill Kelly (shoulder) and Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) still both on the 60-day injured list, Diaz may continue to earn several opportunities in the rotation. With how well he is currently pitching, it is hard to see him being sent down.
River Ryan - Los Angeles Dodgers (Currently at Triple-A, 5% rostered)
According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Dodgers are promoting one of their top pitching prospects, River Ryan, after the mid-summer classic break. Ryan could stick in the rotation as the Dodgers have been decimated by injuries this season.
The UNC Pembroke product opened the season on the 60-day injured list due to shoulder fatigue, but began his 2024 season in early June. After logging two short stints in the Rookie League and Single-A, where the right-hander did not allow a run with a 1:8 BB:K ratio, he then moved up to Triple-A. Then, in 16 innings at Oklahoma City, Ryan posted a 2.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 6:19 BB:K ratio.
River Ryan strikes out Ryan Noda (who had a 118 OPS+ in the 2023 MLB season) with a nasty 90 mph slider that got right under his bat pic.twitter.com/CI8FWvthhx
— ∞ The Infinite Dodger ∞ (@InfiniteDodger) July 4, 2024
He spent most of last summer at Double-A Tulsa and held a solid 3.33 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 44:98 BB:K ratio across 97 frames.
At 25, Ryan is a high-upside stash candidate. With key players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list and Tyler Glasnow (back) and Walker Buehler (hip) both on the 15-day IL, Ryan could potentially secure a starting role in the second half of the season and stick around going forward.
Zebby Matthews - Minnesota Twins (Currently at Triple-A, 1% rostered)
Since being promoted to Double-A Wichita on June 6, the Western Carolina product has been one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues.
Across 55 ⅓ innings at Double-A this season, Matthews has held a stellar 1.95 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and a near-perfect 6:63 BB:K ratio. Earlier this season at High-A, he did not serve up one free pass across a 22-inning stint and struck out 28 with a 1.59 ERA and 0.75 WHIP.
Zebby Matthews to Triple-A and I would not be shocked if we are a month away from his MLB debut. https://t.co/CTceaQgDT7
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) July 16, 2024
In addition, Matthews was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, July 16, which further shows that the right-hander has a path to reaching the majors this season. Several starters, like Hayden Birdsong, only needed a brief taste of Triple-A before moving up to the big leagues.
Max Meyer - Miami Marlins (Currently at Triple-A, 25% rostered)
A recurring name in this column has yet to return to the major leagues despite his dominance at the Triple-A level and the current state of the Miami rotation. Max Meyer logged five shutout frames in his latest start and allowed only three hits and three walks. He struck out six.
Over his past three starts, he has held a dominant 0.57 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 5:16 BB:K ratio. The right-hander performed well in his brief three-game stint in the majors this season, posting a 2.12 ERA and 0.82 WHIP across 17 innings.
While I have reported many times that manager Skip Schumaker expressed that he expects Meyer back in the majors “soon,” it is becoming a bit more frustrating. However, knowing that Meyer performed well in the majors earlier this season, he is still worth holding onto as he is probably the safest bet on this list.
The Miami rotation recently welcomed back Edward Cabrera but still has an open spot that is due to Braxton Garrett (forearm), Jesus Luzardo (back), and Ryan Weathers (finger), who remain on the injured list.
Chayce McDermott - Baltimore Orioles (Currently at Triple-A, 1% rostered)
Rounding out this list is Baltimore right-hander, Chayce McDermott. McDermott made this column last week, but with the recent news of Cade Povich being sent down to Triple-A, McDermott’s major league debut could be right around the corner.
In his latest start on July 12, the right-hander tossed 6 ⅔ shutout frames. He allowed just one hit and four free passes. He struck out seven. While he has struggled at times in Triple-A, he has showcased elite strikeout production with 128 punchouts across 90 frames.
Chayce McDermott piles up a career-high 12 strikeouts!
The @Orioles' No. 8 prospect sports a 13.12 K/9 in 83 innings this season for the Triple-A @NorfolkTides. pic.twitter.com/K8dZp2umhD
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 2, 2024
The Orioles rotation only has four starters coming out of the All-Star break. Povich may need a few starts at Triple-A to regain his confidence, but given how well McDermott has pitched this season, his name could be called upon sooner rather than later.
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