Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Nick Kurtz, Bubba Chandler, Zebby Matthews

Below you will find a list of fantasy baseball prospects you need to stash now.

Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash Now

Nick Kurtz (1B – OAK)

No one is hotter than Nick Kurtz right now. The 2024 first-round pick is hitting .410 with five homers in just under 40 at-bats in Triple-A. Ten of his 16 hits are already of the extra-base variety. His approach is advanced, with no crazy strikeout risk.

The number one thing holding Kurtz back is being blocked at the Major League level. Tyler Soderstrom is as hot a bat in the Majors as there is at first base, and they have Brent Rooker at designated hitter. Kurtz is a first base/designated hitter type of guy, so unless they move Soderstrom or Rooker, or we see an injury, it’s hard to figure out what Kurtz’s timeline is. Whatever it is, he will be a must-pickup off the waiver wire once he is called up.

Bubba Chandler (SP – PIT)

Bubba Chandler didn’t make the Opening Day roster. We see now that they want to build his pitch count up. He went 52 pitches in his first start. His command wasn’t there, but he got his whiffs and strikeouts. In start number two, he got up to 60 pitches, going four innings, walking two and striking out eight.

Based on the team building his pitch count up, I would imagine his next start is right at or around 70 pitches. I expect they want one more start after that, which would push 75 pitches. That creates a timeline of around two weeks where we could see Chandler receive a call up to the Majors. He will be a must-add off the waiver wire once he’s up.

Zebby Matthews (SP – MIN)

Zebby Matthews’ Major League debut last year was not great. He followed that up by having a great spring, but it wasn’t enough for a rotation spot. Early indications in Triple-A are that he is carrying over his dominance.

Through two starts, Matthews has pitched 10 innings, recording a 1.80 ERA, 13 strikeouts and just one walk. The Twins have another option in David Festa, who could get the look, but Matthews should be up first, and it looks like it could happen very soon.

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