Arizona Diamondbacks Top 44 Prospects

Top Prospects Series

Below is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scouting stories had been compiled with data offered by trade sources in addition to my very own observations. This is the third yr we’re delineating between two anticipated reduction roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “position” column under: MIRP for multi-inning reduction pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning reduction pitchers. The ETAs listed typically correspond to the yr a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however I exploit that as a rule of thumb.

A fast overview of what FV (Future Value) means might be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview might be discovered right here.

All of the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the positioning presents that includes sortable scouting data for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from numerous sources) than this text and integrates each staff’s listing so readers can examine prospects throughout farm programs. It might be discovered right here.

Other Prospects of Note

Grouped by kind and listed so as of choice inside every class.

Catching Depth
Kenny Castillo, C
Ali Sánchez, C
Caleb Roberts, C
Alberto Barriga, C

Castillo, 19, has a plus arm and is a good receiver, and he has a fairly good early-career bat-to-ball observe file. He’s repeating the Complex League. Sánchez, 26, may in all probability be a 3rd catcher on somebody’s 40-man. He’s a well-rounded defender and an incredible upper-level depth choice behind Jose Herrera, Arizona’s present catching Koy Detmer. Roberts is a lefty stick who’s a 30 defender as a catcher, however can even play the nook outfield spots and first base. Barriga is a speedy little try-hard on the advanced who has some bat-to-ball ability.

Toolsy Dev Projects
Pedro Catuy, CF
Abdias De La Cruz, SS
Modeifi Marte, 3B/1B
Johan Benitez, 3B/OF
Alvin Guzman, CF
Kristian Robinson, LF
Gavin Conticello, 1B

Catuy is an uber-projectable Panamanian outfielder within the DSL who remains to be rising into his physique and levers, flashing energy every so often. De La Cruz was Arizona’s prime worldwide signee in 2022, a projectable shortstop prospect who had a middling 2022 DSL debut and is again there once more in 2023. Marte is enjoying each nook infield spots in Arizona. He’s a projectionless 20-year-old with above-average energy. Benitez, 19, is a switch-hitting multi-positional participant who’s a really skinny 6-foot-3. He’s enjoying third base and the outfield at Visalia, but additionally performed another positions in prolonged spring coaching. It doesn’t seem like Guzman and Robinson are going to hit sufficient. Conticello is a big-framed lefty energy bat who’s extraordinarily uncooked on protection.

Spot Start Types
Adonys Perez, LHP
Chad Patrick, RHP
Jamison Hill, RHP
Joe Elbis, RHP

Perez is essentially the most superior pitching prospect on the advanced, a low-90s lefty with medium projection and changeup. Patrick is pitching nicely at Double-A with a 92 mph fastball and robotic slider command. It regarded like Hill, a changeup-centric righty from Fresno State, was having a significant velo spike through the spring, however he’s again to his regular 92 mph and fighting walks. Elbis is a lanky 20-year-old with a comfortable sinker/slider combo.

Other Potential Relievers
Austin Pope, RHP
Yaifer Perdomo, LHP
Jhosmer Alvarez, RHP
Erick Reynoso, RHP
Abel Fuerte, RHP

Pope throws strikes with a mid-80s slider and a using low-90s fastball that peaks round 96 mph. Perdomo is a low-90s lefty with 30 management, however his fastball’s angle and his breaking ball high quality are presently producing a ton of swings and misses. Alvarez has been as much as 99 and proven a plus changeup prior to now, however he’s as soon as once more injured and presently on the 60-day IL. Reynoso is a complex-level arm who’s as much as 97 with curveball however wandering management. Fuerte can also be a posh righty sitting 93-95 and touching 96; his secondary stuff is uncooked.

Bench Bats
Manuel Pena, 2B
Tim Tawa, UTIL
Riquelmin Cabral, 3B
Anderdson Rojas, UTIL
Neyfy Castillo, 1B/OF

Pena, 19, has thrilling energy for his age thanks partially to a low-ball swing (he’s actually fighting excessive pitches), however he doesn’t actually have a place. Tawa has expertise at many positions courting again 5 years, since he arrived at Stanford. Cabral simply hit his manner off the advanced and to Visalia at age 20. He was extremely popular over the last couple of weeks as I snuck in my final in-person appears at this technique. A switch-hitter with doubles energy in my earlier look, that energy seems to be bettering. Rojas is a speedy little utility man presently at Visalia. He’s going to play the outfield lots there due to who else is on the roster, however he performed the infield in prolonged, too. Castillo is a righty energy bat with out fairly sufficient hit instrument for a constant position.

System Overview

The Diamondbacks have numerous younger expertise, a few of which isn’t technically a part of the farm system, with the likes of Corbin Carroll and others having graduated because the season has gone on. When you take away the younger large leaguers from the equation (a delicate reminder that farm rankings are helpful and attention-grabbing, however flawed for causes comparable to this), this technique appears much less nice, particularly if Druw Jones’ preliminary struggles turn into a long-term challenge. Still, there may be actual potential for progress right here as a result of this technique has numerous thrilling younger Latin American gamers who’ve an opportunity to change into impact-level prospects within the close to future.

Vice president of Latin American Scouting and Player Development César Geronimo and International Scouting Director Peter Wardell have every been of their respective roles for about 4 years, and I believe we’re beginning to see their fingerprints on the system. The Snakes nonetheless signal their fair proportion of compact little speedsters, however the athletes arising via the underside of the system are for much longer and extra projectable now than they had been earlier than Gerónimo and Wardell assumed their respective roles. And keep in mind, a lot of their early tenure befell in opposition to the backdrop of the pandemic. Imagine being elevated to a director place in 2019 after which scouting gamers for the July 2021 class (which might change into the January 2022 class), solely to have your entire course of disrupted by COVID. To come out the opposite aspect with Cristofer Torin, Jansel Luis, and the opposite thrilling complex-level bats within the org is a fairly good approach to begin.

On the home novice aspect, the Snakes have picked fairly excessive within the draft for a lot of the previous couple of years and had been completely happy to take the elite gamers who fell to them. Jordan Lawlar felt just like the final elite participant left in 2021, whereas Druw Jones and Jackson Holliday had been seen in a tier of their very own in 2022. There isn’t a sample of conduct to discern there. Instead, the meaty center rounds of the draft paint a extra attention-grabbing image. Arizona appears to love “tip of the iceberg” sorts, particularly relating to pitching. They’re apt to take gamers whose draft inventory is down due to harm, accessing instruments and upside later than it could usually be obtainable. Small college arms or guys who’re candidates for a bigger position than they performed in faculty are additionally current right here. Chad Patrick, Brandon Pfaadt, Dylan Ray, Luke Albright and Spencer Giesting are all attention-grabbing latest examples of this.

Of course, the NL West-leading D-backs are more likely to be deadline patrons. They want a door-slamming, screw you man in the back of their bullpen, and it may cost a little them an arrow-up participant or two to get a deal accomplished, particularly in the event that they need to compete on the apex of that market.