D-backs take INF Tommy Troy with 12th overall pick

PHOENIX -- When he was younger and playing in travel tournaments, Stanford infielder Tommy Troy enjoyed getting to spend time in the Phoenix area.

And after the D-backs made Troy their first-round pick with the No. 12 overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft on Sunday night, he hopes that he plays a lot more games in the Valley of the Sun.

“I would always love going to Diamondbacks games and watching them play,” Troy said. “And then they’re obviously having an awesome season this year, so I really love the program and I'm so excited to be a part of this.”

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According to a number of scouting reports, the D-backs are getting a polished college hitter who has a good feel for the strike zone, has good bat-to-ball skills and can really impact the baseball.

Troy spent most of last season playing third base for the Cardinal, but he can also play short and second while some think he has to speed the play center field.

The D-backs, though, see Troy as a shortstop and had plenty of looks at him dating back to his high school days.

“We're really excited about the bat,” D-backs scouting director Ian Rebhan said. “He's had a lot of success in the Cape and the wood-bat leagues. We think he profiles really well as a hit and power defender up the middle player. He's super athletic, I think he's a plus runner and there's just a lot of conviction from both our scouting group and our analysts group on that bat.”

This past season for Stanford, Troy took his game to yet another level offensively, slashing .394/.478/.699 with 17 home runs and 17 doubles. He even showed off a bit of speed, stealing 17 bases.

“I feel like myself as a player, I have a lot of strengths,” Troy said. “I feel like I impact the game in many different ways, and I definitely bring guys up around me.”

As a standout high school player in Los Gatos, Calif., Troy set his sights early on attending Stanford, which was less than an hour away from his home. His desire to attend school there, as well as the pandemic-shortened 2020 MLB Draft, led to him not being selected.

That proved to be a good thing for Stanford, as Troy showed his ability to raise the play of those around him by leading the Cardinal to three straight College World Series berths.

“I've played on the biggest stage in college baseball, and I've definitely performed,” Troy said. “I love those playoff moments and I love playoff baseball, and I feel like my one of my strengths is that pressure doesn't get to me. I excel with the more pressure I have.”

Troy has continued to improve his eye at the plate while at Stanford, compiling a career-high walk rate of 11.5 percent and a career-low strikeout rate of 14.2 percent last season.

Troy’s ability to hit high-velocity fastballs is something that scouts have marveled at. MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd said on Sunday’s Draft broadcast that Troy saw 48 pitches at 95 mph or high last season and did not swing and miss at any of them.

“I feel like that's just a product of my approach,” Troy said. “I like to be aggressive to the fastball and adjust otherwise. I feel like I'm not really affected by high velocities very much, so I think that's what makes me confident in the adjustment into pro ball -- that I'll be able to handle velocity just fine.”

Troy was the first of three Day 1 picks for the D-backs. Arizona selected NC State third baseman Gino Groover at No. 48 overall and Clemson left-hander Caden Grice with the 64th overall pick.

The slot value for the No. 12 overall pick is $5,043,800, and Troy did not make it sound like it was going to be hard for him to reach an agreement with the D-backs.

“I'm hungry,” Troy said. “I'm ready to go start playing baseball as soon as possible. So as soon I can get the deal done and start getting ready for the short season, I'm going to do it.”