D-backs go for balance on Day 2

PHOENIX -- The Draft board set up the way the D-backs hoped it would during Sunday’s first round, as highly regarded prep shortstop Jordan Lawlar was there for them with the No. 6 overall pick.

The D-backs opened Day 2 by picking another shortstop, Auburn’s Ryan Bliss. The Draft's second day included picks from Rounds 2-10, with the remainder of the event taking place on Tuesday (Rounds 11-20) starting at 10 a.m. MT.

“I've always said Day 2 is always more stressful for me because there's so many moving parts, and it's happening at a much more rapid pace,” D-backs scouting director Deric Ladnier said. “But it was good. I mean, we obviously got a blend of different types of players and felt comfortable with the selections. The players we were able to get provided some depth in various areas and upside in some areas. We just thought it was very well balanced today for us.”

Here’s a breakdown of the D-backs' Day 2 selections:

• Draft Tracker: Complete pick-by-pick coverage

Round 2, 42nd overall: Ryan Bliss, SS, Auburn University
Notable skill: Bliss can flat-out hit. This past season at Auburn, he hit .365 with 15 homers and 45 RBIs in 211 at-bats. He is able to control the strike zone as evidenced by his 30 strikeouts and 23 walks. While he is just 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, Bliss has good strength, and his bat speed is elite. While it's not always a pretty swing, he does make a lot of hard contact. Defensively, he will likely need to move to second base at some point, but the D-backs will give him a chance to first play shortstop.

Fun fact: At Troup County (Ga.) High School, Bliss was senior class president and a member of the National Honor Society.

Quotable: "I look back and I'm just hoping I was able to be a great role model to any kid watching the game of baseball, watching me play. I want to be a great role model and be able to give back. Hopefully wherever I go in baseball, I'll be able to continue to do that." -- Bliss to The LaGrange Daily News

Round CB-B, 67th overall: Adrian Del Castillo, C, University of Miami
Notable skill: Del Castillo showed his ability to hit almost as soon as he set foot on Miami's campus. As a freshman, he had a .995 OPS, and he posted even better numbers through 16 games in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down college baseball. He did not have quite the same success at the plate this past season, but Miami coach Gino DiMare told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that it was due to a mechanical flaw, which has been corrected. In a draft that is deeper in high school bats than college bats, Del Castillo's offense sticks out. The D-backs like the way he controls the strike zone at the plate and believe he can handle catching in pro ball.

Fun fact: Del Castillo trained with a group that included Royals catcher Salvador Perez during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Quotable: “It was awesome. I connected with him really well and really quickly. He’s basically a friend now. He’s not just like a guy that you see in the Major Leagues. He doesn’t look down at anybody. He helps anybody who asks, and he doesn’t care who it is. He’s there to get his work done and to help others and get better. That’s all he’s there for.” -- Del Castillo on Perez

• Draft Central

Round 3, 77th overall: Jacob Steinmetz, RHP, ELEV8 Baseball Academy (Fla.)
Notable skill: Steinmetz made the most of his time at the Draft Combine with an impressive live batting practice session in which he clocked 93-96 mph on the radar gun. While he hasn't always been able to maintain that velocity, scouts believe that he will get better at that as he fills in his 6-foot-5 frame. His curveball is also potentially a plus pitch, with a high spin rate. He is still a raw high school pitcher from the Northeast, but the potential is clearly there.

Fun fact: Steinmetz could become the first Orthodox Jew to make it to the big leagues. During the Combine, he explained to teams how he would balance observing the Sabbath and keeping Kosher with playing professional baseball.

Quotable: “We're going to respect that. He follows that strictly. So as an organization, we'll have to work with his schedule to make sure that he can maintain his schedule with his religion. We felt like ... the ability for us to make the adjustments for his schedule will be something that will be probably unique to this organization. We just felt like it's somebody we want in the organization.” -- Ladnier, on Steinmetz's religion

Round 4, 107th overall: Chad Patrick, RHP, Purdue University Northwest
Notable skill: Patrick has a fastball that can reach 97 mph with good carry up in the zone. Combine that kind of fastball with the fact that he has three secondary pitches -- slider, curve and changeup -- that have the potential to become at least average pitches, and you can see why he's an intriguing pick. He doesn't have the traditional starter build, but he has been able to maintain his velocity deep into games. He could easily transition to a bullpen role if need be.

Fun fact: Patrick became the first player out of Purdue Northwest, which started as Purdue Calumet in 2014, to be drafted.

Quotable: “This guy has plus stuff across the board. I know he comes from a smaller school, but this guy has dominated the competition.” -- Ladnier

Round 5, 138th overall: Caleb Roberts, C, University of North Carolina
Notable skill: Roberts did not have particularly good years at the plate in his freshman and COVID-abbreviated sophomore seasons, but he showed his willingness to accept coaching and a determination to get better. Roberts sought advice from a hitting instructor in Florida between his sophomore and junior seasons, and the results were notable as he compiled a .918 OPS in 2021. Roberts was a right fielder for most of his college career, but some scouts were intrigued with the idea of putting him behind the plate. The D-backs plan on starting him in the outfield but will take a look at him behind the plate at some point.

Fun fact: After not homering in his first two seasons at North Carolina, Roberts hit two homers in his first three at-bats last year.

Quotable: “He tapped into some power this year to be a solid left handed bat. He’s a super athletic kid.” -- Ladnier

Round 6, 168th overall: Luke Albright, RHP, Kent State University
Notable skill: Scouts agree that Albright's best offering is his breaking pitch, although they differ as to which one is better. Some like his curve, which generates high spin rates and sits in the upper 70s. Others prefer the sharper low-80s slider that he can also use as a mid-80s cutter. Those pitches go with his low-90s fastball that plays up because he uses his 6-foot-4 frame and high three-quarters arm slot to create a downhill plane.

Fun fact: Kent State is also where the D-backs selected left-hander Andrew Chafin out of in the 2011 MLB Draft (43rd overall).

Quotable: “You could go find someone who throws a better fastball than me. You could go find someone who probably throws a better curveball, slider or whatever pitch it is. But I think I am the best competitor around. I don’t think anyone can outcompete me in anything.” -- Albright, to the Baseball Prospect Journal

Round 7, 198th overall: Scott Randall, RHP, Cal State Sacramento
Notable skill: Randall quite simply misses bats. The right-hander had the nation's best strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.44) and the best walks per nine (0.93). Twice, he matched a Sac State record by striking out 14 in a game, and he finished the year with an average of 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Fun fact: Randall appeared in 52 games for the Hornets, including 49 starts, which is the third-most starts in school history.

Quotable: “He’s an elite strike-thrower, and this guy’s got good stuff. And we think that with his body and biomechanically, we think he’s going to tap into some extra velocity down the road.” -- Ladnier

Round 8, 228th overall: Gavin Conticello, 3B, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Fla.)
Notable skill: Conticello's power potential is his carrying tool. At 6-foot-4, he is lean and athletic and has serious raw power that he can tap into. As with any prep bat, he has work to do to refine his swing, but the bat speed and loft are there. If he can harness that power, his bat can play at third or a corner outfield position.

Fun fact: Conticello has committed to play at the University of South Florida.

Quotable: “We just felt like this was a unique opportunity to get an upside high school kid in this round, which doesn't happen very often. We certainly feel like that, at the end of the day, he's going to go out and start his professional career.” -- Ladnier

Round 9, 258th overall: Jake Rice, LHP, Kennesaw State University
Notable skill: Rice reaches 96-97 mph with his fastball, and while the D-backs will send him out initially as a starter, his stuff could easily translate into a power left-hander out of the bullpen.

Fun fact: Rice will turn 24 next week.

Quotable: "He's an older guy, but we've had him up to 96-97 mph. He's going to be a guy that we're going to push through the system [quickly] just for his age sake, just to let his stuff play up, and then put him in a position where he can be pitching at a higher level sooner than later." --Ladnier

Round 10, 288th overall: Hugh Fisher, LHP, Vanderbilt University
Notable skill: A fourth-year senior, Fisher threw just 55 innings for Vanderbilt because of Tommy John surgery. But his fastball was intriguing to the D-backs, who saw him up to 97 mph with a power slider. His low three-quarters arm slot makes him a tough at-bat for left-handers.

Fun fact: Fisher's grandfather played football at West Virginia University.

Quotable: "We just felt like there's some upside from a guy that's probably on the come, because in 2019 he had the Tommy John [surgery] and we just felt like, he's kind of tapping into what his potential could be more so later than earlier." -- Ladnier