Welcome to the D-backs Beat Newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. In today’s edition we’re focusing on the Minor League system. Let’s get right to it… |
The Diamondbacks suffered a blow when No. 4 prospect Demetrio Crisantes suffered a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder on May 14. The injury will require season-ending surgery.
With the bad news out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the players who are excelling in the system with commentary from farm director Chris Slivka:
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Triple-A Reno RHP Cristian Mena (No. 13): “I think [Mena] is continuing to show why he's such an exciting young prospect. His stuff is has been awesome. His slider shape has been a little more consistent. He's been attacking the zone, generating strikeouts. He's just building on that strong Major League performance he had when like he pitched against the Dodgers earlier this month.” LHP Yu-Min Lin (No. 11): “He just started pitching in May after a delayed start to Spring Training and he’s managing himself really well at Triple-A. It's a really tough environment to pitch at, and he's effectively mixing and matching his stuff, keeping hitters off balance and throwing his stuff in the zone. So he's been exciting. It's good to see such a young player handle that challenge so well, especially his first month out.” |
Double-A Amarillo INF LuJames Groover (No. 10): “He just continues to hit. He's starting use the opposite field a little more, taking what pitchers are giving to him, managing his at-bats well. He's cut down the strikeout rate, which is a little high to start the season. We're starting to see that come back to his career norms. He's done a really good job there.” OF Kristian Robinson: “This year has been awesome for him. I mean, everything's starting to come together. If you think about it, he's really 22 years old in baseball years after missing a couple of seasons. He's doing a good job controlling the strike zone, which he always has. He's cut down on the swing-and-miss a little bit, which is awesome to see, staying committed to the fastball. His approach has been great. And then his defense is something that has also started to really take off. He's been playing some center field and going and getting it out there. So the tools are all there, he's just continuing to fine-tune fundamentals on both sides of the ball.” • 'If anybody can do it, he can': Robinson's road back to baseball RHP Dylan Ray (No. 20): “He made some mechanical changes towards the end of April, and they've paid dividends. His velocity has ticked up two to three mph. He's in the 94-95 mph range consistently and he's having an unbelievable May. He’s barely walking anybody, striking out over 30 percent of hitters. His stuff is just coming out a lot crisper. He's really turned the corner this last month, and the performance and stuff ticking up speaks for itself.” |
High-A Hillsboro RHP Daniel Eagen (No. 16): “Just saw him pitch last night. His stuff's been great. His breaking stuff is above average, he's been 93-95 mph and doing a really good job of missing bats at this level and the compete factor is off the charts.” OF Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 3): “He continues to hit. He's doing a great job managing his at-bats. He's just incredibly consistent at the plate and really impressive. His defense in left field is coming along well as well. It's really impressive to see what he's been doing through the first couple months of the season, more walks than strikeouts, getting on base in a really high clip.” |
Single-A Visalia OF Slade Caldwell (No. 2): “He just keeps impressing. At age 19, almost holding a 1.000 OPS at that level two months into the season is a really impressive feat. He's controlling the strike zone like he always has, his defense is getting better. We're just trying to get him to pick and choose spots to do damage as well, because there's some power there at the tank, and there's some danger in the bat that we feel like he can take advantage of a little bit more when he's in hitter friendly counts.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST
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Twelve local students visited Chase Field to see a baseball game last Saturday but instead saw their college dreams come true as they each received a share of $200,000 in scholarships through the D-backs Avnet STEM Scholars Program. Diamondbacks president/CEO/general partner Derrick Hall and Avnet CEO Phil Gallagher hosted the surprise ceremony. The third graduating class of STEM Scholars received a personalized D-backs jersey, laptop, backpack, headphones and a $500 gift card for school supplies. “These first-generation college goers should be extremely proud of their educational achievements and scholarship selection,” Hall said. “This program would not be possible without two incredible partners in Avnet and St. Vincent de Paul. Avnet’s generosity and community-minded partnership with the D-backs is once again impacting lives and making a difference.” The STEM Scholar program has dedicated over $1 million to provide opportunities for high-potential and/or first-generation Arizona students to pursue a college degree in STEM-related fields. The scholars are selected through St. Vincent de Paul’s One at a Time Scholars program, which has been driving systemic change through comprehensive support for college students for over 20 years. To date, 33 students have benefited from the program. |
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