The Diamondbacks are in a weird position entering the month of July. They’re very much in a position to make a run for a Wild Card spot, sitting just 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, but their hopes of catching up are fading very fast. They still have four weeks to make a good enough run to stay within striking distance, then hope they can close quickly once their starting rotation gets healthy.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the event they decide to be buyers at the trade deadline, these are the six prospects the Diamondbacks should avoid dealing in order to upgrade their roster.
SS Jordan Lawlar
Lawlar has missed all but four games for Triple-A Reno this season. The Diamondbacks top prospect endured thumb surgery, shelving him for over two months, then suffered a hamstring strain in his first week back with Reno. Best case scenario he’s able to play out the final month of the year in Reno, then try to make up for as much lost time as possible in the Arizona Fall League.
While the Diamondbacks have a controllable option at shortstop with Geraldo Perdomo, Lawlar offers more upside. He has 20 home run and 30 stolen base potential while playing above-average defense at one of the game’s hardest positions. While his injury-plagued season has set back his arrival by essentially a year, he still has the tools to take over at short for Arizona eventually.
Perdomo’s injury earlier this year proved that major league quality shortstop depth is hard to find. While the team was able to ham and egg it with Kevin Newman, they may not have an easily available option to step up.
CF Druw Jones
Jones is finally healthy and getting the necessary reps he missed out on last year with Low-A Visalia, slashing .264/.380/.396 with four home runs and a 115 wRC+. The 20-year-old center fielder offers arguably the best defensive tool set in the organization. However, there are concerns with how his swing will play at the major league level.
The biggest quirk in his swing is the tendency for his back leg to wildly fire midswing. Additionally, he has a habit of occasionally stepping in the bucket, opening up with his front leg when striding into the pitch. Those two things serve to make it more difficult for him to drive the ball to his pull field and make him vulnerable to quality-breaking stuff away.
Even with warts in his offensive game, Jones has the best chance in Arizona’s system of developing an impact similar to Corbin Carroll. The type of player who can win multiple Gold Gloves in center field plus 20+ home run power is hard for the team to find, so they need to gamble on that talent when they have it in the system.
3B Tommy Troy
Troy has missed over two months with a left hamstring strain but is getting close to returning with High-A Hillsboro. Drafted mainly for his ability to hit velocity and progress quickly through the system as a third baseman, the injury has slowed down his arrival somewhat. Like Lawlar, Troy is a candidate to get an extended look in the Arizona Fall League.
His strengths are being able to barrel up elevated fastballs gap-to-gap, although that approach can make him somewhat vulnerable to sliders. His strikeout rate has been slightly elevated in pro ball, as pitchers have figured out that hole in his swing. He’s been playing mostly shortstop, but given the superior talent ahead of him at the position, he’s more likely to settle in somewhere else. He has the range and hands to play anywhere else on the infield.
His best pathway to consistent major league playing time will be at third base. Lawlar and Perdomo have shortstop figured out for a while and Ketel Marte is entrenched at second base. However, the team’s third base situation remains an issue long term. Until the team has the position figured out for more than a stopgap option, they should hold onto any prospect who can develop into a regular there.
2B Jansel Luis
Luis is one of those hidden gems that will eventually rise into a future Top 100 prospect. His ability to put the bat on the ball is impressive, although he’ll need to iron out his approach. He’s slashing .261/.316/.395 with Visalia, good for a 91 wRC+.
He has the potential to be an impact hitter, with 20+ home runs at a middle infield position, but has some chase issues. Luis turned 19 in March, so he’s very young for the level. He’s got a lot of growing left, both physically and as a baseball player. Expect him to pop up in a couple years.
1B Gino Groover
Groover offers the best combination of power and contact ability in the Diamondbacks’ farm system. He’ll miss three months with a broken wrist suffered while playing first base, although the team is developing him more at third base. It’s likely the Diamondbacks will send him to the Arizona Fall League to get reps.
Groover can get the barrel on any part of the strike zone, although he’ll need more reps in order to turn his exit velocity numbers into more consistent power. That will be up to the Diamondbacks’ player development staff to try to
Defensively, he better profiles for first base, especially if Troy ends up sticking at third base. There’s also the possibility of becoming a full-time DH, but he has more to offer defensively than Deyvison De Los Santos.
RHP Yilber Diaz
Diaz may have the best arsenal in the entire Diamondbacks system. While his long term role has yet to be figured out, the combination of an explosive mid-90s fastball, a plus curve, and a plus slider playing on a major league roster in some capacity. While he’s still being developed as a starter, his stuff also profiles for a back-of-the-bullpen role.
The biggest development this season has been his improved strike-throwing ability. More confident in his stuff, Diaz’s walk rate has dropped from 13.2% last season to 12.2% this season. He’ll need to continue to drop his walk rate to stick as a starting pitcher. He has the stuff, the question is the command and control.
Diaz will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, which means the Diamondbacks will put him on their 40-man roster after the season. It’s possible the team could try to move him to the bullpen to close out the year in order to get his high-octane stuff into the big leagues late in the season. They did the same with Bryce Jarvis last season, although Jarvis has since become a full-time reliever.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
