Archie, the Reno Aces mascot. Image curtesy of Ken Lund. The following are prospect notes based on live looks from the Arizona Fall League and the Arizona Complex League from Fall 2021: Slade Cecconi, RHP: Cecconi was a breath of fresh air among the Fall League. The league’s pitching is never quite as refined as … Continue reading Fall Prospect Notes
Prospects
2019 Minor League Preview
Thanks in part to a front office that has held most of the farm together, the Diamondbacks' system has naturally begun working its way back towards to top of the league. Without international restrictions, the Dbacks have succeeded recently in the international markets, with the team particularly thriving in the Bahamas. In the states, the team's lower-level depth is beginning to graduate to the upper-minors, bringing long-awaited MLB graduations to the doorstep. While they have continued to struggle with the last two first-round draft picks, a heavy 2019 draft should bring this farm close to the top of the league, an incredible accomplishment for Mike Hazen.
2018 Mid-season Top-15 Prospect List
The future and the present often contradict each other. Mike Hazen is tasked with giving the team the best possible shot to compete for the hardware this season, but he also must build towards a murky future. At the deadline, trying to balance these two extremes, Hazen chose to sacrifice whatever resemblance of depth the organization had in order to acquire "win-now players," but he held onto the top of the system, which is slowly but surely recovering from the Stewart Days. The draft ended up more disappointing than we had hoped for, with Matt McLain opting to honor his commitment to UCLA, but the team did ink several high-upside plays, like Alek Thomas, Blaze Alexander, and Tyler Holton, to go along with Competitive-Balance Pick Jake McCarthy. For this system—still lacking in every category—the brightest light may be yet to come: six new Day 1 picks could be coming next June. If so, one day next June will shape the organization for the next decade.
2018 Draft Day 2: All the Pitchers
After going with solely hitters on Day 1, the Dbacks turned the tables on Day 2 and drafted seven pitchers to begin the day before finishing off with a catcher. The strategy is that if you are committed to hitters on day one, then the best way to get quality pitchers is to get as … Continue reading 2018 Draft Day 2: All the Pitchers
2018 Draft: Bats Early, Bats Often
The first day of the second draft with Hazen as the leader was quite similar to the that of the first. The team emphasized hitters, but they did not exclusively pick collegiate hitters as they did last year. Through the regime's first six day one picks, they have yet to draft a pitcher, and the organization has not drafted an arm in the first or second round since Alex Young in 2015. Pitchers are risks in the first round (the highest-drafted hitters tend to reach the MLB more often and perform better overall than their pitching counterparts), a trend partially caused by their tendency to break.
Farm Report: Pre-Draft Update
It's June 1st and that means that the June Amateur Draft is right around the corner. Monday marks the first day, where the first two rounds of players are selected, and the following thirty-eight rounds are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. We will have plenty of Draft-related coverage this weekend and next week, but before we focus on that, let's take a look at how our farm system has done to begin the 2018 season.
2018 Top 30 Prospects: The Top 10
The Diamondback's top 10 is a relatively young and inexperienced group; seven of them have yet to play above Single-A for the regular season. This comes with the chance that some of the prospects will surprise and outgrow their current projections, but it also means they have more risk of busting, and they will be unable to help the team in 2018.
2018 Top 30 Prospects: 11-20
The next group of prospects is where things start to get more exciting. While there are still a few safe bench roles, the upside in these players is more tangible and often greater than in the last set. I wouldn't be surprised if several of these players were in the top-10 next year or on … Continue reading 2018 Top 30 Prospects: 11-20
2018 Top 30 Prospects: 21-30
The bottom third of my top 30 prospect list features three categories of players: those who struggled but are finding their footing, those that are new to the organization but have the potential to rise up these lists, and those who are on the decline but still have the ability to make it to the top.
2018 Top 30 Prospects: State of the Farm and Honorable Mentions
Dansby Swanson. Touki Toussaint. Isan Diaz. Aaron Blair. Dave Stewart trade after Dave Stewart trade, the Diamondbacks gave up elite prospects with the hopes of making the playoffs quickly. Sustainability was sacrificed at the hands of opportunity. When it all fell apart, the organization appeared to be in a dire position. The new regime, lead by GM Mike Hazen, seized power with a pair of goals: win and build. The system is nowhere near repaired. It remains a bottom-third, perhaps even bottom-five system. The depth in the upper-minors is hard to detect if it exists at all, and a philosophy of drafting college bats early has left few exciting lower-level arms. But hope is back. Jon Duplantier emerged as a top-100 prospect, and Pavin Smith was drafted and not traded. Marcus Wilson took a step forward, Daulton Varsho impressed, and Kristian Robinson was signed. The organization enters their second July 2nd (J2) signing period for international players without the Yoan Lopez penalty, and the team will get three more day one draft picks in June. The system may be thin, but it is recovering. Things are looking up.
Roof and Panels Open 