D-backs dump the tape measure in Draft evaluations
PHOENIX -- The D-backs wrapped up the 2024 MLB Draft on Tuesday by selecting 10 players to bring their total to 22 picks, which matches the biggest Draft class in the Majors, thanks to a pair of extra picks.
“I think coming into this we had the opportunity to make an impact on the organization and be able to do a good amount of damage and get a ton of players we like,” D-backs scouting director Ian Rebhan said. “I'm excited about this class.”
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Now that it’s over, let’s take a look at some things we learned from the past three days:
The D-backs had a chance to get some top-end talent
With the D-backs picking 29th overall based on their run to the World Series last year, you would think they would have had a difficult time getting some of the elite talent in the Draft.
However, because they got a Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick (No. 31 overall) due to Corbin Carroll winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award and a Competitive Balance Round A pick (No. 35 overall), the D-backs were able to make three selections in the first 35 picks.
The D-backs selected high school outfielder Slade Caldwell with the No. 29 pick, and he was ranked by MLB Pipeline as No. 27 on the Top 250 Draft prospect list. They got University of Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt with the No. 31 pick (ranked No. 23 by Pipeline) and used the No. 35 pick on prep shortstop JD Dix (ranked No. 75). Pipeline’s Jim Callis says Dix can really hit.
On paper, it was quite a haul.
“In any Draft, if we get three in the top 35, you can send me up,” Rebhan said. “It's fun. You get to fish in a pond with some really good players. Walking out of there on Day 1 after those picks, I mean, super pleased. It makes it enjoyable because there’s some really good players.”
The D-backs don’t shy away from undersized players
Whether it was Daulton Varsho in 2017, Alek Thomas in 2018 or Carroll in 2019, the D-backs have not shied away from taking undersized players. In those three instances, they were rewarded.
Obviously, the jury is still out on Caldwell, who is listed at 5-foot-9 but might actually be a bit shorter. The D-backs are betting that the left-handed-hitting outfielder will play bigger than his size.
Caldwell is a dynamic, high energy player and an amazing athlete, who the D-backs think can stick in center field. They saw some power from him and believe he will also be a factor on the basepaths.
“I think the thing about Slade, and even the guys that we've taken in the past -- they play a little bit bigger than their size,” Rebhan said.
They have a particular type of player they tend to go after
While it’s true that the D-backs, like most teams, follow their Draft board and go with the best available when their turn rolls around, there’s a clear player type they gravitate toward.
With position players, it’s athletic players who play up the middle. The D-backs believe if those players are athletic enough to play center field, they can play the corners. And if they can play shortstop, they can also play other infield positions.
You can see that from Caldwell to Dix all the way down to 11th-round pick Bo Walker, a high school outfielder. All are dynamic athletes at premium positions.
On the pitching front, the D-backs tend to go for bigger, stronger types who are also good athletes.
Their fifth-round pick, right-hander Connor Foley out of Indiana University, is an example of that. He was up to 99 mph this year. And as a former high school football player, he’s athletic, which gives the D-backs the belief that he will only continue to get better.
They do a nice job of blending scouting with analytics
The D-backs have had some hits over the years with players championed by scouts and some championed by their analytics folks, but a player moves up their board when both camps are in agreement.
Waldschmidt checked both of those boxes, as did prep shortstop Tytus Cissell, who tested “off the charts,” according to Rebhan, at the Draft Combine.