As regular readers are probably aware, I play almost exclusively in keeper and dynasty leagues. And, not surprisingly, there is a huge benefit in identifying and acquiring excellent pitching talent just before they arrive in the major leagues. My top pitching prospect – Paul Skenes – is up, so we need to dig deeper.

This is typically my last column of the season, and it will be again this year. However, I felt it might be interesting to do an "Early Edition" to update shifts in the food chain (it's a very fluid list with pitchers constantly moving higher and lower). It's actually becoming more of a challenge maintaining this list because every pitcher with a heartbeat gets the call – often way before they are ready.

Over the past few years there has been an unprecedented rush of young pitchers to the major leagues. And, with the push for more offense, lack of minor league seasoning can be very problematic. I'll remind you that the pitchers below are primarily guys who will likely arrive (if they haven't already) in the next year, or two at the most, regardless of their status this season. Let's get started:

Put These Guys at the Top of Your Watch List …

Christian Scott (NYM) – I had to hurry and write this capsule since the Mets were kind enough to send him back down to help manage his innings. He could very easily be back by the time you read this (he could be up and down the rest of the season), but with Skenes up, I want to write about one of my top kids.  Scott made five starts for the Mets, giving a pretty decent accounting of himself. He posted a 3.90 ERA and a sparkling 25/6 K/BB ratio. About the only things that could have been better would be him allowing fewer homeruns (he gave up three), and I anticipated a better strikeout rate (his 25 in 27 innings isn't bad, but he'll improve on that). I can't imagine anyone cutting him loose, but if they do, you know the drill, "full speed ahead, and damn the torpedoes!"

Jackson Jobe (DET) – The top spots aren't really well populated, but Jobe isn't too far behind Scott. He's just 21 years old but he pitches older with an advanced mound demeanor when he pitches. There's the rub. He pitched High-A and briefly in Double-A last season and looked pretty good. He then opened 2024 back at Erie and looked even better, but a hamstring strain early May again put the brakes on his progress. Granted it's a very small sample but he allowed just seven hits across 17 innings before the hamstring injury. The unfortunate downside is he walked 10. Like what seems to be an issue for many kid pitchers, his command has been erratic, but he has kept the damage to a minimum, and he's piled up a lot of strikeouts (24). He boasts a five-pitch mix highlighted by a very lively upper 90s fastball, but what stands out to me is his maturity on the mound. I don't think the Tigers are in as huge hurry to see him in Detroit, preferring to see improved command. Then, you can move him up a notch.

Cade Povich (BAL) – There's probably a little gap before we get to Povich. He's already had his debut, and while the numbers weren't very pretty (six runs on five hits and four walks over five innings), he tossed plenty of hints for later. He temporarily lost the strike zone, walked a couple, then aimed a pitch Vladimir Guerrero was waiting for. An inning later, two bloops fell in (they both should have been caught) – stuff like that. Not too surprisingly, major league hitters quickly learned to be patient and wait for something to tickle the middle of the plate, but for the most part he was able to keep them off balance. I would say he isn't quite ready for the show, but he's close. He was pitching well at Triple-A Norfolk, including 75 strikeouts in just 56 innings. He's a lefty with a nice four-pitch repertoire. None of those pitches is great, but they're all good, and he'll throw them in any count, as his command is steadily improving. I fully expect to see him up and down as needed during the season, with a decent chance of him being a fantasy asset.

Ricky Tiedemann (TOR) – Tiedemann's left arm is what General Managers dream of, and the Jays had him on the fast track. At least he would be on the fast track if he could stay healthy. He began 2022 at High-A Dunedin (talk about a mismatch, 11 hits and 13 walks with 49 strikeouts over 30 innings), stopped off for a bit at Vancouver, before finishing the year at Double-A New Hampshire. All told, he worked 79 innings, and most importantly, began building up arm strength and stamina. Since then, unfortunately, shoulder and elbow injuries have sidelined him. When he's on the mound, it's all about domination. He fairly easily sits mid-90s with his fastball and compliments that with a sharp breaking slider, but it's his change-up that sets him apart. It might be the best in the minors. That means he has the potential to be a dominating starter if he can get past the nagging injuries he has dealt with. He's close to a rehab assignment that could lead to Toronto later this season. If he gets healthy, he'll be there soon.

Andrew Painter (PHI) – The Phillies were being patient with their prized pitching prospect who hit the injured list prior to the opening of the minor league season last year with a partially torn UCL. He tried to avoid the knife, but he underwent Tommy John surgery last July and now has a long way to go, and the team isn't likely to take any chances. They have already announced he isn't expected to pitch until 2025. He just turned 21-years-old in April after being taken with the 13th overall pick out of high school in 2021. High school pitching talent is pretty risky, so when a team uses an early first round pick, it's best to pay attention. He zipped through three levels of minor league ball in 2022 with a 1.56 ERA over 104 innings, piling up 155 strikeouts with only 25 walks. He starts with a high 90s fastball that touches triple digits and then compliments that with a nasty slider, a change-up, and a curveball. The change and curve are just "very good" but they are improving. If he can get past this UCL hurdle, he has the maturity, and the tools to jump up close to the top of this list.

Noah Schultz (CWS) – Now we're getting into a couple blue chip youngsters who may be a little further away. The White Sox have gutted their roster to an extent I have literally never seen before. What's more, they may not be done. You can play at the MLB level? You're on the block. The latest flashy name we have heard is Garrett Crochet. Reportedly, the plan is to acquire high upside kids who should all be MLB ready at the same time; maybe 2026? Schultz fits that program. He pretty much dominated in A-ball last year and handled High-A this year, earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham just a couple weeks ago. The big lefty was drafted out of high school where his featured pitch was a wipe-out slider. The Sox are letting him face a challenging level of hitters, but they are being very conservative with his workload. In 19 pro starts to date, he has worked just 62 innings. The Sox are clearly not in any hurry.

Tink Hence (STL) – The first couple times I saw Hence back in 2022 I really wasn't all that excited, but he's growing on me; so much so, he makes his debut here on my Kid's List. In his earlier seasons, opponents really didn't hit him much, but he didn't seem to really have a plan in my eyes. Of course, he was just 19-years-old at the time, so he can probably be excused. He reached Double-A last year, and it proved to be a bit of a challenge. He struggled a bit with his command, even on his legendary curveball (if you haven't seen it, that pitch alone is worth the price of admission). Hence ended up posting a lackluster 5.47 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP. That said, I was anxious to see if he could adjust this year. Back at Double-A Springfield, he has done a lot of things right, bringing his ERA and WHIP down to much more acceptable levels (3.19 and 1.11 respectively). He's still just 21 years old so there is no pressure to bring him up, but he could get a look late this season, and potentially look for a rotation spot sometime in 2025.

Franco Aleman (CLE) –The Guardians are quickly building a reputation for being a source of quality young pitching, and apparently that includes relief pitchers. It's still fairly rare for me to include a pure reliever on my Kid's List, but sometimes one comes along I can't pass up. Aleman falls into that category. He relies on a high 90s fastball with movement, and his go to pitch: a slider from hell. And, did I mention he could be untouchable? Case in point: Aleman pitched in 19 games for Double-A Akron last year (24 innings) logging seven saves. He did not allow a single run. With Emmanuel Clase, one of the best closers around, in the barn, it may be hard to find save chances initially, but I think that will be his ultimate role. He does currently have a strained lat so he needs to get healthy before a trip to Cleveland could be considered.

There are more names that could be added to this list, and I apologize if your guy isn't here – but I want to keep the Parade as pristine and pure as possible. Here are a just few honorable mentions who received consideration (in no special order) for inclusion in the current Parade: Forrest Whitley (HOU), Cade Cavalli (WAS), Cooper Hjerpe (STL), Jordan Balazovic (MIN), Drew Thorpe (CWS) and Jarlin Susana (WAS).

Endgame Odyssey:

The Rays activated Colin Poche earlier this week. He has a couple saves, but as long as Pete Fairbanks is healthy, he will see the majority of save chances, but Poche could serve in a primary set-up role. Kansas City has played surprisingly well, and part of their success can be attributed to closer James McArthur with 12 saves. His 5.27 ERA and 1.36 WHIP are a little misleading as he tends to pitch pretty well, or melt down, with no in-between. They really don't have many options. Personally, I would prefer to avoid the Rockies bullpen altogether, but if you are desperate for saves there are a couple options. I would lean to Tyler Kinley (how's that for horrible), but Jalen Beeks is also in the picture. The Mariners have one of the best closers in the game in Andres Munoz. After missing a few games with a sore back, he returned to the mound last weekend. Inexplicably, he (successfully) pitched the eighth inning. Okay, the strongest part of the Royals lineup did bat in the eighth. End result: Ryne Stanek and Mike Baumann post ugly blown saves on back-to-back days. If they are trying to quash the spirit of an exciting young team, this will eventually get the job done.

That's a wrap for the Kids update. Amazingly, we're approaching the halfway point in the 2024 season, so we're going to look at bullpens the next two weeks.