Here are the D-backs’ 2024 top 30 prospects
Sam Dykstra
@SamDykstraMiLBCongratulations, you’ve made the World Series for just the second time in franchise history. So what’s next?
The Diamondbacks relied on young talent like Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas and Brandon Pfaadt during their run to the Fall Classic, and of course, no youngster was more famous or important to the club’s success than National League Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll.
The makeup of Arizona’s Top 30 Prospects list -- released Wednesday by MLB Pipeline -- is a little different than when Carroll topped the ranking at this time last year, but there are reasons to believe the club could keep things trucking in the NL West.
No. 11 overall prospect Jordan Lawlar takes his place as the D-backs’ current top prospect. The 21-year-old shortstop is a legitimate five-tool talent with above-average power potential, plus-plus speed and the ability to make plays at the six. That package is a big reason why Arizona kept the 2021 sixth overall pick around for the postseason, and while the organization has been adamant that Geraldo Perdomo will be its starting shortstop to begin 2024, Lawlar has the skills to take over at the six for the long haul soon.
While Lawlar took some nice steps forward last season, 2022 second overall selection Druw Jones has slid down to No. 78 overall on the Top 100 after battling shoulder, quad and hamstring injuries early in his career. No one doubts Jones’ ceiling as a terrific defender in center who can provide ample power too, but hit-tool concerns have arisen that take the shine off his profile for now.
With so many of the recent graduations causing the farm to slip a little -- a positive in the grand scheme of improving the Major League club -- there will be a lot of focus on the 2023 Draft class in the desert this summer. No. 12 overall pick Tommy Troy anchors the group as another shortstop with above-average hit and power tools, while second-rounder Gino Groover could be a quick mover as a right-handed bat who hits everything well, though he lacks a true position.
In terms of more immediate help, left-hander Yu-Min Lin is closing in on Phoenix with the deepest repertoire in the system, right-hander Cristian Mena (acquired from the White Sox this offseason) already has Triple-A experience at 21 and fellow hurlers Slade Cecconi, Andrew Saalfrank and Justin Martinez are all awaiting their next chances to contribute to Arizona’s pitching depth.
With the Dodgers constantly retooling, the D-backs’ internal prospect options could be the deciding factors in the club’s ability to keep pace in the division.
Here’s a look at the Diamondbacks’ top prospects:
1. Jordan Lawlar, SS (MLB No. 11)
2. Tommy Troy, SS (MLB No. 74)
3. Druw Jones, OF (MLB No. 78)
4. Yu-Min Lin, LHP
5. Gino Groover, 3B
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2023 preseason list to the 2024 preseason list:
Jump: Jansel Luis, SS/2B (2023: NR | 2024: No. 6)
After hitting .345 in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, Luis gave the D-backs reasons to push him aggressively once he moved stateside last year, namely when he slashed .297/.381/.495 with three homers and only 15 strikeouts in 25 games in the Arizona Complex League. He moved to Single-A in his age-18 season and relatively held his own, hammering home the belief that he could have five average-or-better tools across the board as a middle infielder.
Fall: Blake Walston, LHP (2023: No. 8 | 2024: No. 25)
The hope that Walston would mature into velocity just hasn’t come to fruition with a fastball that sat just below 91 mph on average in the Pacific Coast League last year. His secondaries graduate out as average at best, and Triple-A batters didn’t have an issue making contact with Walston’s only 104 strikeouts in 149 1/3 innings at the level. The 6-foot-5 southpaw will still only be 22 for the first three months of the season, and the D-backs added him to their 40-man in the offseason out of Rule 5 fear. But Walston has to start missing bats to maintain that roster spot and his place on the Top 30.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools – 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Gino Groover
Power: 60 -- Ivan Melendez (Kristian Robinson)
Run: 70 -- Jordan Lawlar (Druw Jones)
Arm: 65 -- Druw Jones
Defense: 70 -- Druw Jones
Fastball: 70 -- Justin Martinez
Curveball: 60 -- Andrew Saalfrank (Cristian Mena, Yilber Diaz)
Slider: 60 -- Justin Martinez (Ricardo Yan, Landon Sims, Bryce Jarvis)
Changeup: 60 -- Yu-Min Lin
Control: 55 -- Slade Cecconi
How they were built
Draft: 17 | International: 11 | Trade: 2
Breakdown by ETA
2024: 11 | 2025: 7 | 2026: 7 | 2027: 3 | 2028: 1 | 2029: 1
Breakdown by position
C: 1 | 1B: 0 | 2B: 0 | 3B: 3 | SS: 5 | OF: 8 | RHP: 8 | LHP: 5