The Stash List – Swiping Bags and Bringing the Heat

Hey y’all!  Happy Cavan Biggio, Josh Naylor and Kevin Cron Day!  I wrote about Biggo in this Stash List. In deeper leagues, I would take a flyer on Cron over Naylor.  Cron has a better path to playing time and is absolutely smashing the ball. This week’s Stash List, though,  should be an interesting one.

I’ve brought two pitchers and two hitters. One of the pitchers brings the fire from the bullpen and might see some big league time in San Diego soon.  The other pitcher is a starter with the Mets that is making his return from surgery and putting together a really great season.  The two hitters could not be more different.  One is a defense wizard behind the dish that is starting to show some promise with the bat.  The other hitter is a true speedster and leads his league in stolen bases.

Andres Muñoz – (SDP AAA) RHP ETA 2019

The 20-year-old Muñoz was recently promoted to AAA after dominating batters in AA.  Mainly serving as the closer, Muñoz had 32 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. He struggled with his command to begin the season, with seven walks in his first five appearances.  

However, in his last 10 appearances in AA, he had only four walks to 24 strikeouts. His 70-grade fastball has been clocked up to 104 MPH but mainly sits in the high nineties.  He is also throwing a mid-eighties slider recently, which has been lights out. If Muñoz is able to keep this up, we should seem him in the San Diego bullpen soon. While he will not see save opportunities, has Kirby Yates has been amazing, Muñoz has closer stuff and should replace Yates in the next couple of years.

Anthony Kay – (NYM AA) LHP ETA 2020

The Mets picked Anthony Kay with the 31st overall pick, a compensatory pick they received when Daniel Murphy signed with the Nationals, in 2016.  Kay did not pitch in games after being drafted and had Tommy John surgery in the Fall of 2016, which caused him to miss the entire 2017 season.  In 2018, he pitched in two levels, A and A+, with a 4.54 and 3.88 ERA respectively.

Kay has been even better in AA, a pretty aggressive assignment by the Mets.  In 50.2 innings, Kay has 52 strikeouts to only 17 walks. He SwStk% is back up to double digits as well. As of the post, his 1.07 ERA is second only to Zach Plesac, who I wrote about last week, and has been promoted to AAA.  Kay has an average fastball and a plus changeup and curveball. I would take a flyer on Kay in most dynasty leagues. Hopefully, he can be healthier than another Mets pitcher that went to the same high school, Steven Matz.

Jake Rogers – (DET AAA) C ETA 2020

The Astros drafted Rogers in the third round of the 2016 draft.  He was performing well in 2017 and then was a part of Detroit’s return for Justin Verlander.  Rogers has been known more for his work behind the plate than at it. That is until this year.  He began the season in AA, which is where he played a majority of his 2018 season.

In 27 games, Rogers hit .302 with five home runs and three doubles.  What is more encouraging is Rogers has reduced his K% from 27.5% to 23.2% and increased his walk rate from 10% to 17%. He has been promoted to AAA and in his first 5 games, he has blasted 2 more home runs and 2 more doubles.  Rogers should be picked up in most dynasty leagues as his defense will make him an everyday catcher and the improvement with the bat is very encouraging.

Jose Caballero – (ARI A+) 2B ETA 2021

The Diamondbacks drafted Caballero in the seventh round of the 2017 draft out of Chipola College, a Junior College in Florida.  In the two years in JuCo, he never hit below .337 or stole less than 22 bases. He also knocked 12 and 15 balls out of the park.  After being drafted, he went to the Pioneer League, where he hit .319/.377/.467. He split his time in 2018 between A- and A ball, where he hit .292/.378/.468 and swiped 17 bags with 8 caught stealing.  A 68% success rate in the lower minors is horrible.

However, the Diamondbacks have not asked him to stop running. So far in 2019, Caballero has stolen 24 bags in 37 games and only has been caught 5 times, which is an 83% success rate. It is not surprising those 24 steals leads the California League.  The steals are nice to see but the increase in strikeouts is a bit concerning. His swinging strikes have increased from 6.4% to 10.8% It might not be time to roster Caballero yet but keep your eye on this speedster. If he is able to stick, he would be a valuable asset to your fantasy roster.