Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jakob Marsee - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Targeting the right prospect on the waiver wire can provide your fantasy baseball team with a much-needed impact. If we're falling behind in the pitching categories, stashing Jacob Misiorowski and Chase Burns likely provided you with a substantial boost.
In this piece, we will look at two of the top pitchers at Triple-A and an outfielder who recently earned the call to the majors and determine if they should hold a spot on our bench.
Should those players be left on the waiver wire, or should fantasy managers add them before their breakout? Let's dive in!
McLean opened the season at Double-A but quickly moved up to Triple-A Syracuse after tossing 26 1/3 innings to the tune of a 1.37 ERA and a 1,22 WHIP. During this stretch, he struck out 30 hitters while allowing only 12 walks.
Since moving up to the top ranks of the Mets' system, McLean has shown the ability to find success, suggesting his development is near complete. Through his first 60 2/3 innings at Syracuse, McLean posted an impressive 2.67 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 60 2/3 innings. During this stretch, he racked up 65 punchouts.
After allowing a high six runs on July 18, McLean bounced back, tossing 13 1/3 innings over his last two starts with just four earned runs and a stellar 0.75 WHIP. Given the Mets' rotation is currently full, he is only worth stashing in deeper formats for now.
Sproat had a rough start to the season but has quietly been one of the best pitchers at the Triple-A level over the past month. Since June 28, Sproat has logged an incredible 33 innings to the tune of a near-perfect 0.55 ERA with a 0.82 WHIP. He has struck out 39 hitters over this stretch while allowing only 11 walks.
During his first 63 innings of the season, Sproat posted a hefty 6.29 ERA and was not even viewed as a potential call-up candidate at the time.
Similar to McLean above, the Mets have a full rotation at the moment, which will limit Sproat's short-term upside. However, despite Clay Holmes' recent struggles, the Mets could opt to shift him ot a long relief role, which could open a spot for Sproat. While McLean has had more sustained usage this season, Sproat has made the necessary adjustments to turn the corner.
He is worth stashing in deep leagues for the time being. However, if a Mets starting pitcher were to suffer an injury, both McLean and Sproat would emerge as must-stash candidates like Andrew Painter and Bubba Chandler.