Diamondbacks farm system falls in ESPN rankings
ESPN MLB draft and prospects analyst Kiley McDaniel dropped the Arizona Diamondbacks back to 23rd place in his updated farm system rankings after the trade deadline.
He had Arizona ranked 21st at the start of the year, and since then the D-backs have traded top-30 talents Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar for relief pitcher AJ Puk. Injuries have also plagued the system at virtually every level this season.
Top talent Jordan Lawlar was only able to play four games at Triple-A Reno due to thumb and thigh injuries and is therefore only able to help the major league club to a limited extent.
Tommy Troy, Arizona’s 2023 first-round pick, spent more than two months on the injured list (hamstring) at High-A Hillsboro. Top pitching prospect Yu-Min Lin was sidelined for a month after being hit in the face by a foul ball in the dugout at Double-A Amarillo.
Lawlar has had bad luck with injuries in the pro game, missing much of this season with a hamstring injury. It looks like 2025 will be his chance to break through in the major leagues. I really liked Arizona’s first two draft picks, Slade Caldwell and Ryan Waldschmidt. The third pick, JD Dix, can hit and play infield, but his draft position was a bit of a surprise. Last year’s top pick, Tommy Troy, has had a rough season so far, while right-hander Yilber Diaz has taken a step forward. Arizona lost two big-name young players at the deadline, trading Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar for AJ Puk.
Going into the season, opinions on Arizona’s farm system were divided: MLB Pipeline ranked it 16th, while Keith Law of The Athletic ranked it 4th.
McDaniel’s preseason statement had to do with the number of departures the previous year, such as Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno and Brandon Pfaadt.
This year, Blaze Alexander, Justin Martinez and Slade Cecconi have all made the leap from up-and-coming talents to rookies.
Diaz showed some impressive traits in his four MLB starts and catcher Adrian Del Castillo was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on Tuesday.
McDaniel’s best farm system in baseball belongs to the Baltimore Orioles, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
