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

Kids on Parade 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:

Chase Burns (Reds) – Coming out of Wake Forest, Burns enjoyed success at High-A Dayton and at Double-A Chattanooga. That's a big benefit of pitching at one of the better baseball colleges (I roughly equate that experience to High-A minor league ball). His best pitch is a nasty slider that he uses with a 102-mph fastball and a plus curveball. He has a serviceable change-up, but he still needs to get more comfortable throwing it to reach his true potential. I thought the Reds rushed him a bit bringing him up. He was eye-popping recording his first six outs via strikeout, but then he came back to Earth. In his next start he was shelled for seven runs, and he retired just one hitter. Then, his next start was better. His raw skill set is that of a true ace. He can be that good, but I don't know when to say it will happen. He's pure gold in keeper formats.

Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) – Many might say Misiorowski deserves the top spot here. Fair enough. I thought about both, and gave Burns the tiniest edge based on ultimate ceiling. With Misiorowski, it's all about command. If he's close to the strike zone, opposing batters don't stand much of a chance. So far this season, over 26 innings, he has allowed just 12 hits while walking 11 and striking out 33. His delivery is all legs and arms with extension making it hard to pick him up, but it also contributes to a varied release point. I like him, but unless he can hone his control, his ceiling is limited.

Travis Sykora (Nationals) – With Skenes and Sasaki having graduated, and Burns and Misiorowski already in the majors, the line just keeps moving. Sykora started in high A ball, but what a show he put on at Fredericksburg in 2024. He posted a 2.33 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP while striking out an eye-popping 129 batters in just 85 innings. He is 6'6" and can touch triple digits with his fastball. His repertoire includes a nasty splitter and a solid slider, but a big part of his game is extension. With his height and motion, hitters have to feel like they could shake hands with him when he releases a pitch. He suffered a hip injury this spring that delayed his 2025 debut but he's healthy again, and has made stops at four different levels. I wouldn't expect him to be in the minors long, he's just building back up, but there is no hurry. He's still just 21-years-old, so there is no pressure to bring him up, but he could get a look as early as late this season and be hoping for a rotation spot sometime in 2026.

Bubba Chandler (Pirates) – I had to hurry and write this capsule since top-shelf kid pitchers graduate every day. This could have been Roki Sasaki, Jackson Jobe, or even his teammate Paul Skenes, but they are all in the majors. The Pirates should be giddy having Skenes, arguably the best starting pitcher in the game, and Chandler. To be honest, I do have him a notch behind Skenes, but he is capable of making an impact as soon as he gets the call. I'm just not sure when that will be. Like many of the guys listed here, there is no real reason for the Pirates to start his clock. In 17 2025 Triple-A starts he has a nice 3.07 ERA but a rather alarming 1.31 WHIP. With 35 walks in just 67 innings, Chandler is averaging less than four innings per start.

Noah Schultz (White Sox) – Schultz has been a fairly well-kept secret. 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 plan is (apparently) to acquire high upside kids who should all be MLB ready at roughly the same time; maybe 2027? Schultz fits that program. He dominated in A-ball in 2023 and handled High-A, earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham in 2024. He did a nice job pitching at Double-A, and was recently (mid-June) bumped up to Triple-A. He has struggled at Charlotte (11.91 ERA and 2.34 WHIP in three starts) but it's a small sample, so it's not of real concern. The big lefty was drafted out of high school where his featured pitch was a wipe-out slider. The Sox are clearly not in any hurry.

Andrew Painter (Phillies) – The Phillies are being forced to be patient with their prized pitching prospect who has been injured on and off virtually his entire pro career. He has pitched in a few Triple-A games with Lehigh Valley as he hopes to put a partially torn UCL behind him. He tried to avoid the knife, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2023 and missed the last two seasons. He just turned 22-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 complements 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 display some durability, he has the tools to jump up close to the top of this list.

Quinn Mathews (Cardinals) – Mathews has been quietly moving up on the list despite struggling to begin this season. He suffered from shoulder woes earlier and tried to pitch through them, but it didn't work. He made just three appearances (10 innings) where he walked 15 batters. In fact, he has now walked 41 batters in 40 innings. Mathews was on the injured list in April, and the Cardinals now hope to get him on track. When healthy, he features a very effective change-up to go with a mid-upper 90s fastball and a plus slider. It's all about his health. He was a workhorse in college at Stanford, so injury complications are something new to him. I always like young pitchers coming into pro ball with a solid change-up – it's still pretty rare – so I am hoping he can come back, throw strikes and put the injuries behind him.

Jarlin Susana (Nationals) – I wanted to include a bit of a sleeper, and Susana is my favorite. Unfortunately, he is currently on the IL. The Nats love collecting big power pitchers (okay who doesn't). Susana is just 21-years-old, he's 6'6", and he touches 103 on the radar gun. Add in a slider that misses a lot of bats and a serviceable change-up, and you have a guy who could move close to the top of this list. He quickly moved up to Triple-A Harrisburg despite still struggling with control. In May, he suffered a "mild" UCL sprain (always a caution flag for pitchers who throw as hard as he does), but the team stated it is not a long-term thing. But, he has yet to return to the mound. Obviously, that's a little scary. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

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: Kumar Rocker (TEX), Cade Cavalli (WAS), Jonah Tong (NYM), Jordan Balazovic (MIN), Trey Yesavage (TOR), Gage Jump (SAC), Mick Abel (PHI), Thomas White (MIA), and Ricky Tiedemann (TOR).

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• Having not pitched in the majors since September, 2023, Brandon Woodruff waltzed through six innings against Miami. He allowed just one run on two hits, recording eight strikeouts with no walks. In all fairness, he had pitched in 10 minor league games, so a reasonable level of command was expected.
• Bryan Woo of Seattle continues to impress me as he demonstrates steady performance every outing. Maybe what I like best is his consistency. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his 17 starts. I own him wherever I could get him, and urge you to pursue him, too. His price will only go higher.
• I was encouraged with the first 2025 start of Yu Darvish. He missed the first half with an elbow issue but tossed 63 pitches (41 strikes) in his first outing. His velocity was down, but only slightly, and he did get hitters to swing and miss, so I'll look forward to the 38-year-old's next start, scheduled for this weekend.
• Another favorite of mine, Shane McClanahan of Tampa Bay, is finally ready to compete in game action. He underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and then dealt with some nerve issues in his throwing, arm so he hasn't pitched in nearly two years. Hopefully he'll be ready to go by mid-August.

Endgame Odyssey:

The Red Sox had been fairly predictable until recently. Aroldis Chapman was handling the ninth inning. But, Jordan Hicks recently recorded his first save after Chapman pitched a scoreless eighth. The White Sox have played musical closers all season, but it looks like they may have found their primary closer in Grant Taylor. With a fastball that routinely hits triple digits, he has the best stuff in their bullpen even though his secondary stuff still needs a little work. The Diamondbacks placed Shelby Miller on the IL, further depleting their bullpen. That probably means either Jalen Beeks or Kevin Ginkel will see save chances for a while. Seven different pitchers have recorded at least one save for Miami this season. In other words, take your best guess. I lean ever so slightly to Ronny Henriquez.

Amazingly, we're at the halfway point in the 2025 season, so we're going to look at the Futures Game and the first-year player draft the next two weeks.

Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!