Beneath is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scouting stories had been compiled with data supplied by trade sources in addition to our personal observations. That is the fifth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column under: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid 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. Handbook changes are made the place they appear applicable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means may be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview may be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location gives that includes sortable scouting data for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan knowledge from numerous sources) than this text and integrates each crew’s record so readers can examine prospects throughout farm programs. It may be discovered right here.
Diamondbacks High Prospects
Different Prospects of Be aware
Grouped by sort and listed so as of choice inside every class.
Massive Energy, Hit Software Issues
Kristian Robinson, OF
Caleb Roberts, C
Ivan Melendez, 1B
Ruben Santana, 3B/1B
A.J. Vukovich, OF
Robinson is a former prime 100 prospect whose profession was derailed by an incident through which he used high-potency marijuana, started wandering alongside the freeway on the outskirts of the Phoenix metro space, after which fought a police officer responding to his presence. He was given 18 months probation for assaulting a police officer, which difficult the Bahamian’s visa state of affairs; mixed with the pandemic, it stored him from taking part in in affiliated minor league video games for 3 seasons. Kristian is now 23 and produced a really spectacular 50% hard-hit fee in 2024, however he struck out in about 36% of his Double-A plate appearances, and that’s an excessive amount of. He’s in-built such a approach that he might play professional ball eternally and perhaps have a viable peak in his late-20s that enables him to play within the large leagues.
Roberts has spent the final two years at Double-A, the place he’s hit 37 mixed homers. He’s been a developmental undertaking as a catcher as a result of he didn’t play there very a lot in faculty and noticed time at numerous different positions till 2024, when Roberts actually started to concentrate on catching. He has outstanding arm accuracy however nicely below-average arms and ball-blocking chops. He surrendered 21 handed balls in 2024 and doesn’t have the hit/energy combo to profile on the nook positions. If he can enhance his protection, he’ll be a 3rd catcher. Melendez gained the 2022 Golden Spikes Award at Texas. He has plus-plus energy, however a mix of chase and points with in-zone contact have sunk his output. Santana, quickly to be 20, actually struggled in opposition to full-season pitching in 2024. He regarded like a power-hitting 1B/3B within the J.D. Davis mould the prior yr. Vukovich has hit 41 mixed homers the final two years, however he’s additionally fallen down the defensive spectrum and struck out round 29% of the time.
Thrilling Younger Pitchers
Kelvin Rosario, LHP
Daury Vasquez, RHP
Anderson Cardenas, RHP
Jeury Espinal, RHP
Rosario is a projectable, 6-foot-2 Dominican lefty with the most effective wanting supply in the complete org. He solely scraped 90 mph this yr, and the truth that the 18-year-old headlines this chunk of gamers regardless of this could let you know how attractive and athletic his mechanics are. We actually hope he will get stronger and begins throwing tougher. Vasquez, an 18-year-old Dominican righty, has higher current arm power. He’ll present you 93-95 early in begins earlier than truly fizzling out considerably as they draw on. He’s a lanky 6-foot-2 and can flash low-80s sweeper, however he’s tightly wound and has below-average management. Cardenas is an 18-year-old Venezuelan righty who pitched on the home advanced in 2024, the place he posted a 1.01 WHIP in 34.2 innings. He sits within the low 90s at current, however he ought to throw at the very least somewhat tougher as he matures and he has an honest curveball. He’s 6-foot-2, however slight of construct. Espinal is a 5-foot-11 Dominican righty who put up online game numbers throughout 40.1 innings within the 2024 DSL, with 58 strikeouts and simply eight walks. The 17-year-old has a vertical fastball/curveball (plus spin charges) combo and executes each persistently. He’s presently sitting 89-92 and lacks bodily projection.
Spot Starter Varieties
Adonys Perez, LHP
Daniel Nunez, RHP
Teofilo Mendez, RHP
Perez is a sophisticated, bodily mature 20-year-old lefty with a low arm slot and a sinker/changeup/slurve combo. He led Visalia in innings pitched in 2024 and is a possible backend starter. Nunez is a 21-year-old Mexican righty who pitched nicely sufficient all through 2024 to maneuver from the bullpen into Visalia’s rotation. He generates 19 inches of vertical break on his fastball and has a fantastic changeup. A stocky, smaller man and below-average athlete, Nunez requires a ton of effort to throw the best way he does, and we’re comparatively skeptical of its sustainability. An athletic little transformed infielder, the 23-year-old Mendez had success as a protracted reliever at Visalia in 2024 and bought a late bump to Hillsboro. He has 30-grade velocity, however his fastball’s different traits assist it play up. He’s athletic sufficient that he might need a velo spike in him.
Aid Depth
Austin Pope, RHP
Jose Cabrera, RHP
Jamison Hill, RHP
Alfred Morillo, RHP
Zane Russell, RHP
Landon Sims, RHP
Carlos Rey, LHP
Pope is a big-bodied reliever with a 93-96 mph fastball (it was down late within the yr), an above-average slider, and 30 command. He has reached Triple-A. Cabrera is a 22-year-old Dominican righty who made 11 begins through the again half of the 2024 season, together with a number of seven-plus inning dandies through the closing month. He sits 92-95 with sink and has a plus slider. If he has a velo spike within the bullpen, he may get away and climb rapidly. Hill is a 25-year-old undrafted former starter from Fresno State. He’s an athletic, high-waisted man with a stunning supply that produces a hittable 92 mph fastball and two good breaking balls. A possible center reliever, Morillo sits 93-96 and can flash an above-average slider.
One of some Dallas Baptist pitchers Arizona took within the 2023 draft, Russell is a high-slot, fastball-heavy righty with funky pitch aircraft. He sits 92-95 and posted a 29.4% Okay% and 16.6% BB% in 2024. As soon as a primary spherical prospect, Sims’ arm power hasn’t returned since his Tommy John. At peak, he was within the 94-98 mph vary; now he’s within the 92-93 vary and has added a cutter to his fastball/energy curveball combine. He nonetheless generated above-average whiff charges at these velocities, albeit within the decrease minors. Rey was a 2023 Day Three choose from Nova Southeastern and appears like a possible low-slot lefty specialist with a extremely good slider. He’s sitting within the low 90s proper now, and his arm swing is so lengthy and difficult to repeat that he walked 51 batters in 59 innings in 2024.
Excessive-Variance Guys
Alfredo Benzan, UTIL
Belfi Rivera, CF
Jakey Josepha, OF
Yerald Nin, 2B
Benzan is an uber-projectable multi-positional 17-year-old who noticed time at many alternative positions in 2024, most frequently middle area. He has an upright setup on the dish and exhibits common bat pace, with a path that options loft and aggressive intent. Benzan appears to be like to have below-average really feel for contact; he’s a high-variance sort to observe for hit instrument development. Rivera signed for $1.8 million in January 2024 and performed 49 video games between the D-backs’ two DSL golf equipment in his first style of professional ball. He’s nonetheless actually quick, however he struggled badly with contact. A brilliant skinny, projectable 20-year-old outfielder from Curaçao, Josepha has plus pace and arm power and can often take a fantastic swing, however he’s struggled to outmuscle (actually) the opposite gamers at Arizona’s decrease ranges and get precise reps. He’s a really uncooked prospect; if there have been nonetheless quick season leagues, he’d have a greater probability of growing. Nin, who signed for $900,000 a number of years in the past, is a compact center infielder who slid off the primary part of the record resulting from below-average contact charges and his fringe have a look at quick.
System Overview
Whereas it has a mean variety of premium gamers up prime, Arizona’s system is among the many deepest in baseball when it comes to the sheer variety of attention-grabbing or related guys. It’s particularly dense with nice defensive gamers (additionally a signature of the D-backs’ latest large league groups), gigantic pitching prospects who typically had nomadic or injury-riddled novice careers, and big-framed, super-projectable prospects from Latin America.
The D-backs’ draft strategy has helped facilitate their depth. They typically have an early comp choose or two, and so they additionally are inclined to get inventive with the best way they distribute their pool. As an illustration, Arizona had six picks within the first 4 rounds of the 2024 Draft, and it’s within the fourth spherical that the slot quantities cross the $500,000 threshold. The best way the D-backs distributed their bonuses in 2024 enabled them to signal eight gamers to bonuses of $500,000 or extra, so you might say they drafted eight gamers who had been fourth-round or higher skills though they solely had six picks in that vary. Not each choose of this kind pans out (there are some examples of that within the Others of Be aware part), however there are eight gamers presently on this record who had been drafted through this technique.
A brand new characteristic of this yr’s Diamondbacks record: They abruptly have a bunch of random, late-round faculty arms popping up. Except for the developmental dwelling run hit with Brandon Pfaadt (who each large league crew probably would have improved — he was drafted out of Bellarmine, for god’s sake), the final half decade or so of Arizona’s faculty pitcher draftees have both met or fallen wanting expectations and infrequently exceeded them. One might argue that this was an indication that elements of participant dev weren’t working. Now there are a number of guys throwing tougher than earlier than, or who’ve a brand new pitch, scattered across the backside half of of their record. Some of these gamers don’t typically have big ceiling, however they supply homegrown pitching depth that Arizona has at occasions lacked.
Arizona has some large time impending free brokers. Christian Walker, Josh Bell, and Paul Sewald are all free brokers now, whereas Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Eugenio Suárez are all getting into the ultimate yr of their offers. Although at occasions they’ve made patrons trades or dealt from a impartial place, it’s been some time for the reason that Diamondbacks have been outright sellers with large identify items to deal. If (Massive Unit forbid) they fall to date behind the Dodgers and Padres early in 2025 that they’re compelled to maneuver Gallen or others, we’ll get to study extra concerning the professional scouting portion of the org.
