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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Bubba Chandler, Sal Stewart, Brandon Sproat - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Stashing the right prospect can provide a much-needed boost to your fantasy baseball. Managers who were willing to stake prospects like Roman Anthony and Nick Kurtz in the first half are likely to reap the rewards right now.
In this piece, we will look at two of the top pitchers at Triple-A and one of the emerging bats and determine if they should be stashed on our bench during Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season.
Should those players be left on the waiver wire, or should fantasy managers add them before their breakout? Let's dive in!
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Bubba Chandler, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 15% rostered
2025 AAA Stats:100 IP, 4.05 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 121 SO, 53 BB
While fellow top pitching prospect Andrew Painter was able to bounce back this weekend, the Pittsburgh budding ace did not have the same results. In his most recent outing on August 16, Bubba Chandler allowed six hits and four earned runs across 3 1/3 innings against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In this outing, he allowed five walks and struck out five hitters.
Since July 18 (26 2/3 IP), Chandler has been in a rough skid, posting a 7.42 ERA and a 1.99 WHIP. Throughout these six outings, the right-hander has walked 16 batters and struck out only 28 hitters.
While this skid has tanked his short-term value, fantasy managers should still consider holding onto Chandler in deeper 12+ team leagues. Before this skid, Chandler held a stellar 0.59 ERA over his last three outings. During his first two months of the regular season at Triple-A, the top pitching prospect in the Steel City looked like the next budding ace, as he held a 2.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 69:21 K:BB through 48 2/3 innings.
The 22-year-old made his Triple-A debut last season and flashed impressive upside as such, posting a 1.83 ERA and a strong 1.04 WHIP across 39 1/3 innings.
While his recent production may make it look difficult for him to reach the majors this season, given his previous success, he is still worthy of a spot on your bench in 12+ team leagues.
Bubba Chandler has been fairly inconsistent this year, but having your top pitching prospect make THIRTY starts in Triple-A spanning 53 calendar weeks is just insane...
He made his Triple-A debut on 8/9/24. https://t.co/VFMVyjK2t6
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) August 16, 2025
-Written by Andy Smith
Sal Stewart, 2B/3B, Cincinnati Reds
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 27 G, .324/.397/.627, 13 2B, 6 HR, 3 SB
Stewart left the Futures Game and All-Star break a member of Triple-A Louisville. He has done nothing but hit and showcase newfound power as well, hitting a homer at 112.6 mph.
The Reds find themselves in playoff contention, just two games out of a wild-card spot at the time of this writing, and there is a need for a bat like Stewart's in the lineup. McLain has been bad offensively, having a 73 wRC+ and a .632 OPS over his last 148 plate appearances. Enter Sal Stewart, who is getting more reps at second base.
Seeing Stewart live for the first time at the Futures Game, I came away very impressed by the physicality. There is power in the tank to pair with a very impressive feel to hit. From a contact standpoint, Stewart has posted a mark of 80 percent or better overall at every stop throughout his minor league career. This year, he has continued to make contact against more advanced pitching and has not missed a beat.
Stewart is not a power-hitting data darling, but don't tell him that, as the numbers look better than ever in Triple-A. Rocking a 91.5 mph average exit velocity there and a 113.7 mph max, the numbers look good. Stewart is running a 90th-percentile exit velocity near 108 mph, all while maintaining strong contact rates and a good approach. He hits the ball at ideal angles, which has led to a 15 percent barrel, and Stewart is getting the ball in the air and to the pull side often.
Given his 6’3” frame, Stewart looks the part and is coming into his own. The contact and approach have been a steady part of his game his entire career. Now, the power breaking through completes the profile and shows he is major league ready. Stewart is up to 15 home runs this year with a .308/.372/.504 slash line between Double-A and Triple-A. Don't be shocked if the Reds call him up soon.
Anyway.
Sal Stewart is slashing .326 / .393 / .642 in 107 PAs with a 49.4% Hard Hit Rate and a 113.7 MaxEV.
10.3 BB% / 14.0 K% / 10.4 SwStr%
Anyone telling you he's not ready for the big leagues by any stretch of the imagination is lying to your face.
I just don't get it.
— Reds in Four (@RedsInFour) August 17, 2025
- Written by Chris Clegg
Brandon Sproat, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 104 1/3 IP, 4.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 92 SO, 48 BB
With Nolan McLean getting the call first, the path for Sproat to reach the majors has become much less clear. In addition, his most recent outing does not suggest the Mets will look to give him a taste soon.
On August 14, Sproat allowed three hits and six runs (five earned) to Rochester. However, before this rough outing, Sproat looked like one of the most dominant pitchers at the Triple-A level.
Over his last 39 innings of work before this recent game (seven starts), the Florida product posted an elite 1.15 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 43:13 K:BB. During this dominant run, Sproat allowed runs in just two of the games.
Overall, Sproat has held a 4.40 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP through 104 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A this season. However, his first-half struggles have vastly inflated his ratios.
With McLean getting the call first, Sproat is best to leave you our waiver wire overview of deep NL-only formats. If Clay Holmes were to continue to struggle, Sproat could eventually take his spot in the organization or serve as a long-term relief option to Holmes.
Stash List Watch
Brandon Sproat
AAA Syracuse NYM8.7 v Charlotte
6 IP 3H 3ER 1HR 2BB 4K
8whiffs/84pitchesNext man up as Montas goes to bullpen? Overall line not as good as McLean but better lately.
Last 6: 33 IP 37K 10BB 1HR 65%strikes 1.36ERA
FF 97
CH 15”break
ST 34%whiff pic.twitter.com/JCFCfsTkYA— YGM Fantasy Baseball (@YGMfantasy) August 13, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
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