Prospect News: Stash List 9: Soup Season or Rushing The Outfield

Graduated from Stash List Volume 8: Crews Control or Hubba Bubba: Dylan Crews, Jasson Dominguez.

1. Red Sox OF Kristian Campbell | 22 | AAA 

He’s only been in Triple-A for eight games, but Campbell is slashing .303/.410/.606 with three home runs, two steals, five strikeouts and six walks. On defense, he’s played third base, shortstop and center field in those eight games. He played second base and both corner outfield spots in other stops along the way. The Red Sox are three games out of the final wild card spot, and here they’ve got this lightning-hot hitter who can play all over the field. Nick Sogard is playing second base in Boston and has a 47 wRC+ through 14 games. Might as well see if Campbell can do better than that. Should also note here that Trevor Story began a rehab assignment Friday night, but I’d take Campbell over Story in a heartbeat if I were captaining a playoff push.

2. Dodgers OF Dalton Rushing | 23 | AAA 

In 23 Triple-A games, Rushing has slashed .308/.439/.551 with five home runs and a 19.4 percent strikeout rate. A sturdy left-handed hitter at 6’1” 220 lbs, he’s been playing left field with Oklahoma City and looks like an option call-up for Los Angeles heading into the postseason. He had never played out there before arriving in OKC, which is kind of shocking, but it’s not the trickiest place on the diamond to fake it until you make it.

3. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony | 20 | AAA 

Anthony is playing a solid center field and slashing .344/.429/.590 with three home runs and just ten strikeouts against 9 walks through 15 Triple-A games. He won’t turn 21 until May 13 next year and will probably be in the majors before then. At the moment, Boston doesn’t have an easy fit for him. Wilyer Abreu, Tyler O’Neill or Masataka Yoshida would have to sit for Anthony to play, but things can change in a hurry.

4. White Sox C Edgar Quero | 21 | AAA 

Here’s what I wrote about Quero in the last stash list:

“The Sox have little incentive to promote Quero right now, but we’re pretty close to that point of the season when a team could call someone up without burning their rookie eligibility and then have them on the opening day roster for 2025 to make a run at those incentives. I’m leaning toward the White Sox will just leave Quero in Triple-A until next year, but they’re tried to keep him linked up with their pitching prospects since acquiring him, and I think there’s probably some debate in that office about how to handle his development over the final month-plus. He’s helping force the issue by slashing .313/.408/.506 with four home runs and a 17.3 percent strikeout rate in 23 Triple-A games.”

I kept all that because it’s relevant to everyone on the list, really. Teams have different math problems to solve now than they did a month ago, and some teams love to crunch and exploit the roster-manipulation and player-control numbers more than others. Front offices also tend to change a little year to year in their approach to these problems. All that is to say we’ll know a lot more next week about how they’ll handle the September roster expansion than we do today. Huge news, I know, that we’ll know more tomorrow than we do today, but it’s especially true right now.  

5. Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler | 21 | AAA 

I feel a little foolish leaning into this one because why wouldn’t Pittsburgh just run out the clock and keep Chandler under control for as long as possible? That would be the Pirate way to play out this string. Yarrr. My bet here is that they should be looking at 2025 as their best chance in a long, long time. I think that’s why they moved Oneil Cruz. It’s fun to have a huge shortstop. It’s even more fun to have a plus defender there, especially if pitching is the strength of your organization. I suspect they’ll go looking under every nook and cranny for a great defensive six, possibly trading from the strength of their pitching development pipeline, possibly seeking a Jose Iglesias type cheapy. Anywho, if you line up Skenes, Jones, Keller, Chandler and Ortiz, you have the best rotation in the division, and if you add in Thomas Harrington, Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco and Bailey Falter, it’s a rotation that can weather a bad break or two along the way. Endy Rodriguez should be back next year behind the plate as well. Why not get Chandler up with the big boys so he’s good to go from the jump in 2025? (The answer “money” came whispering unbidden from the East, carried by a river wind.)

6. Angels 2B Christian Moore | 21 | AA 

Pulled from Friday’s game with an injury. If he’s healthy, he could provide some power over the final few weeks.

7. Marlins 1B Deyvison De Los Santos | 21 | AAA 

Have to imagine De Los Santos is part of the early-season picture in Chicago next season. Makes sense to get his feet wet in Miami while the weather is warm everywhere.

8. Padres OF Tirso Ornelas | 24 | AAA

The club actually selected his contract in July but optioned him without playing him. As a left-handed bat with patience and power, he’d make the team a little better even in a bench role. Should give him an inside lane on one of the two extra September spots, especially because teams can only have 14 total pitchers among the 28 roster spots.

9. Braves C Drake Baldwin | 23 | AAA

Marcell Ozuna has the DH spot in a chokehold, and Atlanta already has two catchers, but Baldwin is a tough out with all-fields power, and the team is clinging to playoff life with a three-game lead over the Mets. They need all the help they can get.

10. Guardians OF Chase DeLauter | 24 | AAA 

DeLauter got hurt again this week, straining a hamstring and landing on the injured list. Starting to feel like he might not hold up to the daily grind. Health is an underrated skill. Balance, athleticism, soft-tissue strength and the ability to stay within yourself are not fluky things. At 6’4” 235, DeLauter has a lot of manpower to manage. Might just take him some time. Maybe an off-season focused on sustainability over/alongside strength and explosiveness will help.

Thanks for reading!