The Hitter Edition of the Stash List is back for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
This Stash List highlights the 10 best-hitting prospects likely to make an impact during the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
Prospects are often thought of as only holding value in dynasty formats. However, redraft leagues, especially those that are keeper leagues, can benefit from finding the right hitter to stash at the right time on the waiver wire. Several have a 2026 ETA, and getting ahead of the curve on rostering these prospects is a key part of roster management. So let\u2019s break down the Top 10 prospects to start off the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
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Ground Rules<\/p>\n
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The Stash List is for your\u00a0redraft leagues and does not consider impact beyond 2026.
\nOnly current minor league players who are expected to make an impact this season are included.
\nUpside, proximity, health, and opportunity are all weighed for each player.
\nThe focus is on 12-team leagues with standard categories.
\nRankings will be updated weekly.
\nStats will be updated weekly for all players through Saturday\u2019s games.<\/p>\n
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The Stash List<\/p>\n
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Graduates\/Call Ups<\/p>\n
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Not too often does a player become ineligible on this list just a week into the season, but that\u2019s the case for the number hitter to stash entering the 2026 season in Konnor Griffin<\/a>. If you had him on the list before his graduation, you made a good call. Griffin was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI double in his MLB debut with the Pirates on Friday afternoon, and left a strong first impression with his swing as it produced a 105.8 MPH exit velocity on his double.<\/p>\n Aside from Griffin\u2019s absence, the list mainly remains the same, given the small sample size a full week of Triple-A baseball has provided, and very few of the other affiliate levels have had more than two or three games yet.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Top 10 Hitting Prospects to Stash<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Colt Emerson<\/a>, SS \u2013 Seattle Mariners<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n With Griffin\u2019s graduation, the Mariners\u2019 Colt Emerson<\/a> has now moved up as the top hitter for fantasy owners to stash going into the second full week of the Triple-A season. Emerson moves into the top slot not because of his performance, but for the contract extension the Mariners offered him before he even makes his MLB debut.<\/p>\n The Mariners signed their top prospect to an eight-year, $95 million contract on Tuesday, which includes a team option for the 2034 season. It\u2019s a big gamble for the Mariners, as they already have plenty of veteran depth up the middle infield with J.P. Crawford<\/a> at short and the recently graduated Cole Young<\/a> and newly acquired Brendan Donovan<\/a> at second base.<\/p>\n Emerson has shown plenty of good contact early in the season, but has yet to record a walk in 27 plate appearances. While Crawford has dealt with a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for most of spring training, his performance could still keep Emerson from appearing in the majors for a couple more months. But if you\u2019re a fantasy manager that shares the same confidence in Emerson that the Mariners have, then he is the top bat to stash in for the long haul.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Max Clark<\/a>, OF \u2013 Detroit Tigers<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n Max Clark<\/a> is off to a hot start in 2026, not because he\u2019s crushing home runs left and right, but because of his highly touted plate discipline. Clark has drawn seven walks and struck out only twice over his first 34 plate appearances, good for a 20.6% walk rate on the year.<\/p>\n Now, will Clark\u2019s 20.6% walk rate, equal to the career walk rate of Ted Williams, maintain all year? Unlikely. However, if it\u2019s anywhere from 10-15% once he reaches the majors, then it will be one of the best in the league. The next question in Clark\u2019s development before he reaches the majors will be how his power plays against Triple-A pitching.<\/p>\n Clark is on an earlier ETA in the majors than Emerson, so if you\u2019re a believer in his talent, then he should be someone stashed on your roster.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 3. Leo De Vries<\/a>, SS \u2013 Oakland Athletics<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2025 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n The newest name on this list is the prized prospect the Athletics<\/a> received in return for Mason Miller<\/a> from the Padres, Leo De Vries<\/a>. De Vries had a great year for an 18-year-old, going from High-A to Double-A, putting up a .255\/.355\/.451, 15 home runs, 74 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a .374 wOBA.<\/p>\n The A\u2019s have sent him back to Double-A Midland, and he\u2019s hit well with 2-for-6 with two runs and an RBI. De Vries has plenty of strong speed and power, especially for his age at Double-A, but De Vries cracks the list over the other 18-year-old phenom prospect, Jes\u00fas Made<\/a> of the Brewers, because there are fewer players in the upper levels of the Minors blocking him from being called up sooner.<\/p>\n Made has to compete with Jett Williams<\/a> to even make it up to the majors, but when Williams gets the call for the Brewers, Made will get his opportunity at Triple-A Nashville. De Vries, on the other hand, is unlikely to remain at shortstop long-term and could find himself moving to either third or second base because he doesn\u2019t have the strongest throwing arm. If he moves around the infield and performs well at the plate, then he will find himself with an opportunity to be the second teenager in the majors this season, behind Griffin.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Travis Bazzana<\/a>, 2B \u2013 Cleveland Guardians<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n Travis Bazzana<\/a> is having another slow start out of the gate to begin 2026 with Triple-A Columbus. He is just 7-for-29 with five walks, six strikeouts, and two triples. The two triples are the most exciting parts of Bazzana\u2019s early-season performance, but he is still coming up short on the power development.<\/p>\n Bazzana remains high on the list given his start potential, but he will need to produce much more at the plate before the Guardians give him a call-up. But the early-season sample size is nothing to judge him on completely. If you\u2019re a believer in his talent, he\u2019s worth the stash spot, especially if you need middle-infield help.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 5. Walker Jenkins<\/a>, OF \u2013 Minnesota Twins<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2025 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n Walker Jenkins<\/a> has been limited in his playing time to start 2026 as he heals from a hamstring injury in spring training. The St. Paul Saints have also been hit with another run of bad luck with weather conditions, already having two of their home games postponed, and another canceled for the year. Jenkins has had strong plate discipline early, but the inconsistency in playing time has resulted in him going 4-for-17 to start the year.<\/p>\n The Twins outfield in the majors is still holding together well, but Jenkins has Alan Roden<\/a> and Emmanuel Rodriguez<\/a> still ahead of him on the depth chart. So he will still be a hitter who won\u2019t be seeing playing time in the majors until the summer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 6. Bryce Eldridge<\/a>, 1B \u2013 San Fransico Giants<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n It\u2019s been two out of three true outcomes for Bryce Eldridge<\/a> early this season. He\u2019s drawing walks and striking out, but the power has yet to show over 39 plate appearances. But when his on-base percentage is at .462 to start the season, the power not showing in the first week of the season isn\u2019t all too alarming.<\/p>\n Eldridge didn\u2019t hit any homers in his 37 plate appearances in the majors last season, but the power will be sure to show itself again before the Giants recall him to be at first base alongside Casey Schmitt<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 7. Kaelen Culpepper<\/a>, SS \u2013 Minnesota Twins<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n The hottest bat in the Saints lineup over their first full week of the season has been Kaelen Culpepper<\/a>. The Twins\u2019 number two prospect has been consistent with his power and contact, but is still racking up strikeouts at a consistent rate.<\/p>\n If Culpepper can cut down on his strikeouts and continue swinging the bat as he has over the next three to four weeks, then he could make some serious noise to be on the Twins roster once the calendar flips to May, especially if Brooks Lee<\/a> continues to struggle at the plate and defensively.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 8. Jett Williams<\/a>, UTL INF \u2013 Milwaukee Brewers<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n The Brewers may have traded away their 5\u20197\u2033 star from last season, Caleb Durbin<\/a>, but they have another in the making with Jett Williams<\/a>, who came over to their farm system in the trade that sent their ace, Freddy Peralta<\/a>, to the Mets. Williams had a solid year between Double-A and Triple-A last season, putting up a .261\/.363\/.465 slash line, 17 home runs, 52 RBI, 34 stolen bases, 58 extra base hits, and scored 91 runs over 130 games.<\/p>\n If you value prospects who you can plug into almost any position, then Williams is the cream of the crop for fantasy teams looking for a guy they can have at every infield position aside from first base. He has strong defense at second, short, and third base, but his versatility on the base paths and strong plate discipline will be an asset for any team wanting utility depth.<\/p>\n David Hamilton<\/a> (who came back from the Red Sox for Durbin) and Luis Rengifo<\/a> both blocked an opportunity for Williams to debut early this season. Both of those players have the same skills to play all around the infield, with Rengifo even having some outfield experience as well. The Brewers, like some fantasy team owners, like to have their guys they can put in the lineup at any position, but if Williams has a strong start at Triple-A Nashville, then they will have to find a way to make room for him on the roster.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 9. Ryan Waldschmidt<\/a>, OF \u2013 Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n With the Diamondbacks roster being hit with countless injuries, there\u2019s a good chance that Ryan Waldschmidt<\/a> could find himself in their lineup within the next week or two. Waldschmidt is yet to show any power, but has had a hot start, going 9-for-31, with 8 walks, and 11 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Having lost Jordan Lawlar<\/a> just this past week, the opportunity may be there for Waldschmidt to make the major league roster sooner than other prospects on this list, given the fragile status of the Diamondbacks\u2019 lineup.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 10. Charlie Condon<\/a>, 1B \u2013 Colorado Rockies<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 MiLB numbers<\/p>\n Charlie Condon<\/a> is doing exactly what the Rockies needed him to do to start the year. He\u2019s hitting a hot ball, showing plenty of power and maintaining solid contact over his first five games, going 7-for-19 in that stretch.<\/p>\n As great as that\u2019s been, he is still striking out at an alarming rate, 31.8% of the time. The next thing for him to do will be to cut down on that strikeout rate and draw more walks, to help make his case for an earlier call up than later to the majors.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On The Bubble<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Here are the next five hitters considered for inclusion on this week\u2019s list in no particular order.<\/p>\n Cooper Pratt<\/a>, SS \u2013 MIL<\/p>\n Joe Mack<\/a>, C \u2013 MIA<\/p>\n Harry Ford<\/a>, C \u2013 WSH<\/p>\n