Consider Stashing Logan Allen Before Tanner Bibee

Cleveland has a ton of young pitching talent ready to come up, but which of these top Guardians prospects should you try to grab first?

The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a rash of injuries in their major-league rotation, but pitching help is on the way.

Tanner Bibee has become one of the hottest pitching names in fantasy prospect circles, and for good reason. Through three Triple-A starts, the 24-year-old Bibee is sporting a 1.76 ERA, with 19 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings. He has an uncharacteristic eight walks to this point, but Bibee typically displays excellent control alongside a fastball that can touch 99 mph. His slider, changeup, and curveball give him a complete repertoire that appears major-league ready.

That being said, Bibee has only made three starts at Triple-A, and it’s possible the Guardians will want to give him more time there; they aren’t typically in the business of rushing pitchers to the majors.

There is, however, another pitcher whose time in the minors is likely coming to an end, and he presents just as intriguing a profile for fantasy teams in all formats.

I’m of course talking about Logan Allen - well, he used to be Logan T. Allen to avoid confusion with the other Logan Allen Cleveland once had, but he’s no longer with the team, allowing the former to drop the T and become the true Logan Allen in the organization.

Anyway, Allen is dominating Triple-A hitting to start 2023, sporting a 1.26 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in three starts, with 20 strikeouts and five walks in 14 1/3 innings. Allen, also 24, spent time with Columbus in 2022 as well, starting 14 games for the Clippers and working his way to a 6.79 ERA in 59 2/3 innings. He initially struggled with his command, issuing 29 walks in Columbus, but came on quite strong to end the season and ultimately struck out 73 batters.

Allen is another top pitching prospect for Cleveland, though his name sometimes get lost in the bright lights of Bibee and Gavin Williams. However, he’s got a low-to-mid 90s fastball, complemented by a dynamite changeup and slider/sweeper, which has become the hot pitching trend of late.

Cleveland’s rotation is no doubt in a state of flux, and it’s likely that Allen and Bibee both make an appearance in the majors this season. But given his previous experience in Triple-A, Allen is likely the first in line to get a chance. It certainly doesn’t hurt Allen’s cause that he’s a lefty, because the Guardians just can’t seem to find reliable left-handing pitching for their rotation. Cleveland hasn’t had a left-handed starter make more than 12 starts since T.J. House’s 18 in 2014.

If you’re stashing pitching prospects and the FAAB dollars have gotten steep on guys like Bibee and Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt, see if you can snag Allen. He might be pitching in the majors before either of those two anyway.