The Arizona Diamondbacks farm system has been written off by a lot of outlets and prospect evaluators. This has led GM Mike Hazen to have to pay an inceased cost in trades. It's also led to the team having a lower ranking and just three prospects in MLB Pipeline's Top 100. However, it's far from true that this system is at a lack for potential or high upside prospects.
The D-backs system is experiencing a surge of talented youth playing across all levels of it's system. There's been a multitude of breakout performances from hitters and pitchers alike, especially in the month of May and early June. This has all happened despite the absence of three of the team's top four prospects in Lawlar, Troy, and Lin due to injury.
The stats are from May and the first couple of days into June. The players are in no particular order.
De Los Santos continued his hot streak into May. It catapulted him from Double-A to Triple-A where he is continuing to lace hits all over the field with impressive exit velocities. In his time at Double-A, De Los Santos hit .365 with a 1.135 OPS and seven homers, 19 RBI, five walks, and 14 strikeouts.
His numbers have come down a bit in Reno, but still quite impressive for a 20-year-old. His hard-hit rate is 47.2%. Over his 12 games, he has hit .292 with a .813 OPS with four doubles, a triple, a homer, 10 RBI, and three walks to 11 strikeouts. De Los Santos is playing his way into being a pivotal part of the D-backs future.
Spencer Giesting, RHP, Hillsboro Hops
Giesting is pitching his way into being considered a top prospect for the D-backs. His results in his second year in High-A have been outstanding. He's been nearly unhittable during May. He leads all of the Minor Leagues and the Northwest League in ERA. His FIP matches the results for the season at 2.18, while his ERA is 0.94. He's been the most improved pitcher in the organization.
In May, Giesting has pitched fives games and thrown 32 innings. Three times, he went seven innings. Over this span, he has a 1.41 ERA with 19 hits given up, five earned runs, seven walks, and 40 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .167 against him. He's proving that he has the potential to be a front-line starter if he can keep this up as he moves up the D-backs system.
Del Castillo has played his way into becoming a potential backup catcher option with his improved defense and outstanding hitting. He had six multi-hit games in May, all while learning how to become a better catcher.
He leads the Pacific Coast League in slugging percentage while cutting his strikeout rate in almost half. In May, over 28 games, the left-handed batting catcher hit .342 with a 1.016 OPS. He had 11 doubles, two triples, five homers, 18 RBI, 10 walks, and just 21 strikeouts while utilizing his line drive gap power instead of pulling for more homers.
Joe Elbis, RHP, Hillsboro Hops
Elbis has been a prospect worth watching for a while and he's now putting it all together in High-A. His FIP for the season being 3.38 is still quite good and backs up his 1.91 ERA. And in May, he has been unhittable. Over his four starts and 25.2 innings, he has a 0.35 ERA.
He's given up one run over his last four starts and allowed just 17 hits and three walks against 23 strikeouts. Opponents have just a .417 OPS against him over that span. Elbis high strikeout rate while cutting his walk rate in half indicate that he's reached a new level in his play and might soon be ready for a promotion.
The hype for Jones has finally come to realization after Jones dominated Single-A during the month of May. Starting in April, Jones had a 21-game on-base streak that was carried by his contact ability and his eye at the plate. Over 24 games in May and June, Jones hit .306/.418/.435/.853 with 16 walks to 26 strikeouts.
Jones had 26 hits, six doubles, one triple, a homer, and 13 RBI to go with two stolen bases. Jones hit mostly to the opposite field but towards the end of the month began pulling the ball more with authority. If he can keep this up, the No.2 prospect should see time in High-A soon.
Yilber Diaz, RHP, Amarillo Sod Poodles
Diaz is getting to the point that he doesn't have much left to prove in Double-A. The 23-year-old flamethrower had a terrific May and season so far. His FIP of 3.27 nearly matches his ERA of 3.10 and he's doing this in a vastly hitter-friendly league and ballpark. Diaz has overwhelmed his opponents completely.
Over his six games in May and June, and 34.1 innings, Diaz went 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA and .133 opponent batting average. He allowed only 15 hits, seven runs, and 12 walks while striking out an eye-popping 44 batters. Expect a call-up to Reno soon.
The Hops have been a bad offensive team, but that's not because of Pintar. Over 25 games in May and June, Pintar has hit .283 with an .880 OPS. He has been slugging of late with five doubles, two triples, and five homers during that span to go with 13 runs, 28 hits, 14 RBI, 11 walks, and just 19 strikeouts. He's showcased his speed too with four stolen bases.
Billy Corcoran, RHP, Hillsboro Hops - Amarillo Sod Poodles
In his final start at High-A, Corcoran spun a beauty, going seven innings and allowing just three hits, a run, two walks, and striking out eight. That was enough to move him to Double-A. His 2.78 FIP in High-A was close enough to his 2.22 ERA that he wasn't getting lucky. He even won Player of the Month for the D-backs in April.
After he got shelled in his first Double-A start, 2.1 innings with nine hits and seven runs, Corcoran settled down and once again dominated his opponents. Over his next three starts and 19 innings, he had a 0.47 ERA with just six hits, one run, three walks, and 14 strikeouts given up. Batters hit .098 against him and his FIP in Double-A of 3.28 isn't far behind his 2.95 ERA. Keep your eye on him.
Roberts is a versatile player capable of being a Swiss Army Knife in the field. At the plate, he has showcased an elite eye while hitting for plenty of power. Over his 26 games in May and June, Roberts has walked 16 times to just 23 walks.
He had five doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 12 RBI to go with five stolen bases. While he is doing this in a hitter-friendly league, he still had a .844 OPS as a catcher. However, he's blocked from Reno by Del Castillo and Jose Herrera.
Honorable Mentions: Tim Tawa .815 OPS in 28 games, Junior Franco .896 OPS in 20 games.
Avery Short, LHP, Hillsboro Hops
Short, like the rest of the Hops rotation, was nearly unhittable during the month of May. He pitched seven or more innings three times. Over his five starts, he pitched 34.1 innings and had a 1.31 ERA. He allowed 29 hits, seven runs, seven walks, and struck out 24.
Opponents had just a .575 OPS against him. Short has a 1.69 ERA on the season and his FIP is a solid 3.49. While it's almost twice his ERA, it's still low enough to confirm that Short is having an excellent season. Short might make it to Amarillo sooner than later.
Honorable Mention: Cole Percival, 3.41 ERA in 34.1 innings
