The two Pennsylvania franchises in MLB employ arguably the two best starting pitching prospects still toiling in the minor leagues, but it shouldn’t be too much longer before Philadelphia Phillies RHP Andrew Painter and Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler earn their final promotions. Eager fantasy managers know all about these fellows in dynasty/keeper formats, but even in ESPN’s redraft leagues, investing has begun.

Chandler is the more popular option in ESPN leagues, rostered in 6.4% of leagues, but the 2021 third-round selection from a Georgia high school struggled for Triple-A Indianapolis in June. Chandler entered the month boasting a 2.03 ERA through 11 starts, striking out 35% of hitters. Fantasy managers wondered why he wasn’t already in Pittsburgh’s rotation. For the month of June, however, Chandler permitted 13 runs, 17 hits and 12 walks in only 12 2/3 innings, covering five starts (8.53 ERA, 2.28 WHIP). Oh, maybe that’s why?

While Chandler has made 23 starts at the highest minor league level, including 2024, Painter (also 22 but seven months Chandler’s junior) has made nine starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Painter, who went No. 13 in the 2021 draft from a Florida high school, had a consistent, if underwhelming June, occasionally struggling to throw strikes, but his numbers were hardly atrocious (5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP). The Phillies want Painter to focus on efficiency and going deeper into outings.

Fantasy managers in redraft formats should not pay too much attention to the recent numbers, because chances are their organizations are not. Promotions are pending. As with other recent big-league call-ups such as Milwaukee Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski and Cincinnati Reds RHP Chase Burns, Chandler and Painter throw hard and will accumulate many strikeouts in the majors. But, as we saw with Burns at Fenway Park on Monday (seven first inning runs), rookie pitchers can be dangerous to rely on in fantasy — even the ones who flourish initially.

Veteran hurlers lacking the upside of exciting, potential aces often land on the waiver wire at their overreactive expense, and often, in retrospect, incorrectly. Are Misiorowski or Burns safer than New York Mets LHP David Peterson, Chicago Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon or Toronto Blue Jays RHP Chris Bassitt? These three are among the most-dropped pitchers in ESPN standard formats over the past seven days, but they have pitched well this season and in past years.

Chandler and Painter feel much like Misiorowski and Burns in this respect. Anything is possible, nothing is guaranteed. Perhaps each debuts this month, one for the non-contending Pirates and the other for the NL East-leading Phillies, to great initial success. They may overpower hitters, but then the hitters will adjust and then the young pitchers must do the same. It is a tale as old as baseball time. If you decide to ride the rookie pitcher roller coaster in fantasy, good luck, but be realistic, too.

Checking in on the hitters

This sure seems like a rough season for MLB hitting prospects — and not just with Boston Red Sox youngsters 2B/SS/OF Kristian Campbell, SS/3B Marcelo Mayer and OF Roman Anthony, each of whom is rostered in fewer ESPN standard leagues than last week. Campbell, after a strong opening month in which he hit .301/.407/.495 with four home runs, hit just .134/.184/.171 in May, then .205/.340/.318 in June and now he is back in Triple-A. Mayer and Anthony are hardly thriving, but the Red Sox should be patient.

Meanwhile, Kansas City Royals 1B/OF Jac Caglianone is hitting a sad .157 with a 55% ground ball rate through 94 plate appearances, and he may return to Triple-A soon, too. Los Angeles Dodgers C/OF Dalton Rushing, playing inconsistently with the defending World Series champions, is hitting .212 with a 47% strikeout rate. Arizona Diamondbacks SS/3B Jordan Lawlar, who went hitless in 19 at-bats for the big club in May, isn’t even playing. He is back on the IL due to a hamstring strain.

One hitting prospect still in the minors worth investing in for 2025 is Baltimore Orioles C/1B Sam Basallo. Adley Rutschman’s lengthy IL stint should have provided Basallo, who has 16 home runs and a 16.5% walk rate at Triple-A Norfolk, with his ultimate promotion, but the organization seems content relying on veteran Gary Sanchez, at least for now.

Basallo, 20, offers clear and immediate top-10 catcher upside for fantasy investors, provided he gets the opportunity to show it in the big leagues. This should happen this season and hopefully this month. Basallo isn’t quite like Dodgers rookie Rushing. The Orioles can utilize Basallo at first base and DH, unlike the Dodgers, with pending Hall of Famers producing in those spots. It seems ill-advised that the Orioles are not already doing so.

Other prospects to watch

Yanquiel Fernandez, OF, Colorado Rockies: The Cuban-born Fernandez is expected to debut for the Rockies on Tuesday, after slashing .284/.347/.502 for Triple-A Albuquerque. Fernandez homered three times in the past week, and the lefty slugger was destroying right-handed pitching this season. He is far less productive versus lefties, so he may be platooned. Fernandez, 22, gets to play in the high altitude of Coors Field and that must pique our collective interest. Then again, only the Royals feature a lower wRC+ in home games. He is not a must-add in ESPN’s three-outfielder formats.

Colson Montgomery, SS, Chicago White Sox: The overall numbers hardly look great for Montgomery, the 22nd pick in the 2021 draft, but his recent hot streak may earn him a promotion anyway. Montgomery is hitting .217/.294/.425 with a high strikeout rate across two minor league levels, but he recently snapped a 5-for-35 slump with a monster week at Toledo, going 11-for-22 with four homers across five games. OK, so one week cannot alter a year-plus of underachieving, but the White Sox (and fantasy managers) must be intrigued, nevertheless.

Chase DeLauter, OF, Cleveland Guardians: DeLauter, 23, has slipped in prospect rankings because he has struggled to stay healthy. He has played in just 130 games over three minor league seasons since being drafted in the 2022 first round out of James Madison, though he has hit well in the minors. DeLauter is healthy now and thriving, as he posted a .965 OPS in June at Triple-A Columbus, with three home runs and more walks than strikeouts. Cleveland’s big-league outfield, even with Steven Kwan, is hitting only .227/.285/.335. DeLauter could join them soon.

Trey Yesavage, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays: Yesavage, 21 and a first-round pick in 2024, has made three starts at Double-A New Hampshire, and in two of them he permitted only one hit while striking out 12 hitters (over nine innings). He ranks second in the minor leagues in strikeouts. It may seem unlikely the Blue Jays push Yesavage into their MLB rotation before 2026, but contending organizations tend to make aggressive decisions when they haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Yesavage boasts a 2.45 ERA and a 43% strikeout rate across three minor league levels this season and every current member of the Toronto rotation is older than 30.