This article is part of our Farm Futures series.
This will be my final article on pro prospects until after the draft (which begins June 4). I profiled hitters to stash last week, and two hitters from that piece are already up (Dustin Fowler and Franmil Reyes). This week I'm profiling the best pitchers to stash. They are ranked in order of preference for 2018.
Not all of these guys should be stashed, but all of them could be stashed in certain leagues.
Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals -- He should be universally owned, and could stick in the big-league rotation for the rest of the season. I just listed him to make it clear that he is preferable to the rest of these guys.
Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals -- Please don't freak out over the strikeouts Reyes is racking up while rehabbing against Low-A and High-A hitters. Those poor hitters have never seen a pitcher as good as Reyes, and he should be dominating. The one takeaway is that his velocity is all the way back, so he could have immediate success when he comes off the disabled list. He threw 80 pitches in his last appearance (five innings), so they are clearly stretching him all the way out. I don't think that means he is definitely going into the rotation when he is activated, but it means that is a very real possibility. If Carlos Martinez (lat strain) is still sidelined when Reyes is ready -- likely around the end of the month
This will be my final article on pro prospects until after the draft (which begins June 4). I profiled hitters to stash last week, and two hitters from that piece are already up (Dustin Fowler and Franmil Reyes). This week I'm profiling the best pitchers to stash. They are ranked in order of preference for 2018.
Not all of these guys should be stashed, but all of them could be stashed in certain leagues.
Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals -- He should be universally owned, and could stick in the big-league rotation for the rest of the season. I just listed him to make it clear that he is preferable to the rest of these guys.
Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals -- Please don't freak out over the strikeouts Reyes is racking up while rehabbing against Low-A and High-A hitters. Those poor hitters have never seen a pitcher as good as Reyes, and he should be dominating. The one takeaway is that his velocity is all the way back, so he could have immediate success when he comes off the disabled list. He threw 80 pitches in his last appearance (five innings), so they are clearly stretching him all the way out. I don't think that means he is definitely going into the rotation when he is activated, but it means that is a very real possibility. If Carlos Martinez (lat strain) is still sidelined when Reyes is ready -- likely around the end of the month -- then there will be an opening. I expect Adam Wainwright (elbow) to be out for at least a couple months. Even if Reyes goes to the bullpen, he would be in that very top tier of multi-inning relievers to own in redraft leagues.
Freddy Peralta, RHP, Brewers -- Peralta should already be owned in many formats after his electric debut start in Coors Field. So much has already been written about him following that outing, but there are a few key points that need to be stressed. I was higher on Peralta from a fantasy perspective prior to his big-league debut than I was on Joey Lucchesi prior to his debut, and much higher on Peralta than I have ever been on Yonny Chirinos, so this is not an instance of a guy coming out of nowhere. His pitch mix, delivery and style is very unique, but it works for him. It always has. While his fastball only has average velocity (93 mph), he misses a ton of bats with it because his delivery and extension allows the pitch to play way up. He can also cut the fastball to give hitters different looks. What is important to remember is that while he primarily relied on his fastball in his first start, it almost plays like two or three different pitches, depending on where he chooses to locate it and whether or not he cuts it. If the hitter is looking middle, and Peralta targets the top of the zone, the hitter isn't going to have much chance. If the hitter is looking up in the zone and Peralta throws it middle or low, the hitter has almost no chance. The amount of fastballs he throws allows his slider and changeup to play up as well. No hitter is going to be sitting on the changeup or slider, so when he throws them, it typically leads to a whiff or a strike looking, assuming he hits his spot. The biggest concern I have with Peralta is that I don't think he'll be allowed to face lineups a third time very often, which is good for his ratios but bad for his chances of racking up wins, and could lead to him ending up in the bullpen down the road if the Brewers can acquire and develop more traditional, quality starting pitchers. I firmly believe he is going to miss bats at a high clip in any role. Not every owner in a 12-team league is going to have someone they should cut for Peralta, but there should be a handful of owners in every 12-team league who can look at him as an upgrade over someone on their roster.
Anthony Banda, LHP, Rays -- Banda started Tuesday in Kansas City, as soft a landing for his Rays debut as you'll find in the American League. Acquired as part of the Steven Souza deal with the Diamondbacks, Banda features a plus mid-90s fastball along with a curveball and changeup that that each can be above-average offerings. The top concern is his control -- he has walked 16 batters in 36 innings at Triple-A. If he struggles, I'm guessing walks will be his undoing. If he pitches well, I see no reason he can't stick in the rotation all season. He is better than Yonny Chirinos and Nathan Eovaldi, who are both on the disabled list, and he has more upside than Jacob Faria.
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Pirates -- Musgrove is progressing well from a shoulder injury and could slot into the Pirates' rotation next week. He has very good control of a decent four-pitch repertoire and could be a steady SP5 or SP6 in 15-team leagues once healthy.
Nick Kingham, RHP, Pirates -- Kingham being great through his first two big-league starts could end up spelling trouble for fantasy owners, as it may have built up a false sense of security in deploying him going forward. I still think he's best used as a matchup play in shallower leagues, whenever he returns to the majors, which could be this weekend against the Padres. His fastball command in his first two outings was outstanding, which allowed his newfound slider to serve as an out pitch. However, if his command isn't there, he'll be very susceptible to a blow-up outing.
Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, Phillies -- There's a good chance the first six pitchers I touched on are owned in your league, so this is where we start getting to the truly fun stashes. Even though Zach Eflin was excellent in his first two big-league starts of the season against the Giants and the Marlins, I'd prefer De Los Santos in any format the rest of the way, unless the only thing I cared about was getting an active pitcher into my lineup. While Eflin posted an 11.8 K-BB percent in four starts at Triple-A, De Los Santos has a 19.4 K-BB percent and has allowed just three earned runs in 32.1 innings (six starts). He was the return from San Diego in the Freddy Galvis trade, and something seems to have clicked for him in a big way since switching organizations. De Los Santos has three quality pitches, but everything plays off his 91-94 mph fastball. He won't dominate big-league hitters in the manner he has dominated Triple-A hitters, but he could very easily gain relevancy in all formats before the All-Star break.
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers -- Peralta was uniquely equipped to deal with the high altitude of Colorado Springs, as he is less reliant on his pitches breaking. Burnes, on the other hand, has a 10.22 ERA in three home starts. Don't worry about that. The only thing to look at with Burnes are his road numbers in the Pacific Coast League. They are pristine. He has a 2.22 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 32:4 K:BB in 24.1 innings away from Colorado Springs. I expect him to be a part of Milwaukee's rotation at some point before the All-Star break, and when he gets the call, he should be up for good.
Michael Kopech, RHP, White Sox -- I have yet to speak to someone who has seen Kopech this year and thinks he's ready for the majors. He has walked 17 batters and hit six in just 33.1 innings at Triple-A. His stuff is so nasty that he doesn't need great command or control to be successful, but it needs to be better than it is right now if he wants to have start-to-start success against big-league hitters. I also think the White Sox are keeping him down as a bit of a "we know you think you're ready, but you're not ready" type of message. They could have summoned him already to make a spot start if they just wanted to give him a taste, but human beings respond to incentives, and Kopech not being on the 40-man roster is a pretty big incentive to listen to the coaches at Triple-A and work overtime to improve his command. Whenever he gets the call, he's a must add in most formats because of his strikeout upside, but he's not a must stash right now, as we have no idea when he'll be up and he's not a lock to be a net positive, given the control issues.
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins -- Alcantara might actually have better control than Kopech right now. He has the edge in walk rate (10.2 percent for Alcantara, 11.6 percent for Kopech) and has only hit two batters, compared to Kopech's six hit batsmen. While they both have electric upper-90s fastballs, Kopech's stuff is a bit more overpowering, and I think he is the better bet to have initial success in the majors. Alcantara may get the call first, however, and he has plenty of strikeout upside too.
Luiz Gohara, LHP, Braves -- Gohara is available in some 15-team leagues right now, and that's probably a mistake. That's not to say he would be an upgrade for every team, but there is undoubtedly a few teams in each 15-team league that should scoop him up. Gohara and Kolby Allard are the two young Braves pitchers who could supplant Brandon McCarthy (5.58 ERA) in the rotation, and I'd rather own the guy currently pitching in a long-relief role in a big-league bullpen (Gohara). The big Brazilian also has more upside than Allard, which is an important characteristic in any stash. It could be a telling sign if the Braves piggyback McCarthy and Gohara in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Kolby Allard, LHP, Braves -- Triple-A hitters are hitting just .208 against Allard through seven starts. He's not as refined as Mike Soroka, and contrary to some scouting reports from other services this past offseason, I think Soroka has more long-term upside. That said, Allard will join the big-league rotation sometime this summer, basically whenever they can find room. As a lefty with a low-90s fastball and a plus bender, he could have success against big-league hitters in 2018. Allard's last start on May 13 was his best of the season, logging eight shutout, two-hit innings while striking out eight and walking one, although granted, it was against a pathetic New Orleans lineup.
Shelby Miller, RHP, Diamondbacks -- Miller has only been rehabbing in extended spring training thus far, but he should head out on a rehab assignment with an affiliate soon. He could be back in mid-to-late June, and should slot into the Diamondbacks' rotation. An ERA anywhere from 3.50 to 6.00 wouldn't surprise me once he gets back, but there's certainly a chance he becomes useful in most formats.
Carlos Rodon, RHP, White Sox -- Rodon is slightly further along than Miller in his rehab, and could be back in early June, but I'm less optimistic about him becoming a good fantasy starter this year than I am with Miller. Both guys are lottery tickets who should immediately join their team's rotations when activated. One pitches in the National League with a humidor in his home park, the other pitches in the American League on one of the worst teams in baseball.
Luis Perdomo, RHP, Padres -- Everyone knows about this guy, but it's probably been a while since anyone has seen him touted as anything more than a guy to stack against in DFS. Since going to Triple-A, Perdomo has a 3.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 18.3 K-BB percent. With Lucchesi hitting the disabled list, I wouldn't be surprised to see Perdomo join the big-league rotation in a week or two. There's plenty of risk, but he will miss bats, and if he can throw more strikes this time around, he could end up being a useful streaming option in 15-team mixers.
Forrest Whitley, RHP, Astros -- May 29 is the first game when Whitley can pitch in a game for Double-A Corpus Christi, but I'm guessing he'll look ready for the majors in fewer than 10 starts at Double-A and Triple-A. He is unlikely to reach the majors until the second half, but he could be fantastic on a per-start basis. A lot of people seem perplexed as to how the Astros would make room for Whitley in the big-league rotation. While it's certainly no lock that he'll get big-league starts this year, it's not hard to see how it could happen. Lance McCullers has averaged under 100 big-league innings over the past two seasons and would be utterly devastating as a multi-inning reliever. Charlie Morton has averaged under 100 MLB innings over the past three seasons, and is already at 48.2 innings on the year. Maybe everyone will stay healthy, but I'm guessing they will have room for a starter of Whitley's caliber in July or August.
Stephen Gonsalves, RHP, Twins -- I'm not buying into Gonsalves until he proves me wrong against big-league hitters. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors going with him at Triple-A right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if his ERA were above 5.00 in a couple weeks. That said, he could certainly prove me wrong and be up in the majors in June or July. Either way, he's much more of an AL-only guy than a 15-team mixed league option.
Duane Underwood, RHP, Cubs -- Here's a blast from the past. I had all but written Underwood (a former top 100 prospect) off as a guy who may never reach the big leagues as anything more than a low-end reliever, but he has been better than ever this year in his first taste of Triple-A. He is on the 40-man roster and has better stuff than Jen-Ho Tseng, so the next time the Cubs need someone to come up for a spot starter, it could be Underwood.
