Last week, the Arizona Diamondbacks made do with their lowest 1st-round pick since 2016. They began by selecting Slade Caldwell, Arkansas state high school player of the year, at No. 29, and then picked Ryan Waldschmidt from Kentucky with the No. 31 pick.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!MLB.com’s Jim Callis ranked the Diamondbacks in the top five teams that performed best in the draft, alongside many other positive reviews of their draft haul. Notably, the only teams ranked higher than Arizona had top-10 picks.
Callis wrote, “The D-backs’ first three selections came earlier than anyone else’s — at Nos. 29, 31, and 35 — and they scored with all of them. Two-time Gatorade Arkansas state high school player of the year Slade Caldwell is a sparkplug with hitting ability, well-above-average speed, and center-field chops. Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt impresses scouts with his tools and analysts with his metrics, and he brings 20/20 potential. Wisconsin prep shortstop J.D. Dix is a switch-hitter who has been likened to a more athletic version of DJ LeMahieu. Puerto Rican catcher Ivan Luciano (second round) and Missouri shortstop Tytus Cissell (fourth) are raw high schoolers who will need time to develop. Righties Daniel Eagen (Presbyterian, third) and Connor Foley (Indiana, fifth) stood out in 2024’s thin college pitching group and should have gone earlier in the Draft.”
The Athletics, Reds, Pirates, and Guardians ranked ahead of the Diamondbacks on the list.
