Gino Groover¡¯s first full regular season probably couldn¡¯t have started any worse, and it probably couldn¡¯t have ended any better.

Drafted in the second round last year out of NC State, the D-backs¡¯ No. 9 prospect was playing his fourth game of the year for High-A Hillsboro -- and his first at first base -- on April 9 when an eighth-inning collision at the cold corner broke his left wrist. Surgery done by Dr. Donald Sheridan back in Arizona required a plate and 11 screws in the area to correct the issue. It kept Groover away from Minor League play until he started an Arizona Complex League assignment on July 6.

¡°I think when it first happened, I probably had a whirlwind of 100 different emotions going on,¡± Groover said. ¡°Once I got the surgery ¡­ I was out for three months, which is half the season essentially, but it could have been way worse. I came back [to Hillsboro] after the All-Star break. Even now still, sometimes it gets stiff. It¡¯ll probably take a year to fully heal. But it¡¯s definitely way better than what it was, thanks to Dr. Sheridan.¡±

That lost time led to Groover¡¯s placement on the Salt River roster in the Arizona Fall League, where he¡¯ll make up for the missed at-bats, but the former Wolf Pack star gave himself ample momentum before returning to the desert. Groover posted a .278/.383/.533 slash line with six homers, 14 walks and only 11 strikeouts in 25 games in August for Hillsboro, leading to a September promotion to Double-A Amarillo where he was even better. The right-handed slugger went 17-for-50 (.340) with three homers and four doubles in his 13-game stay with the Sod Poodles.

Groover credited some adjustments to his swing and load to become more efficient but noted that, coming off the injury, a big part of his surge stemmed from the mental side too.

¡°Going out there, obviously it¡¯s hard,¡± Groover said of playing after the broken wrist. ¡°You¡¯re scared to use it sometimes and let it be free. I got to a point where I got that out of my mind. I just went out there and played and whatever happened, happened. I knew essentially they wouldn¡¯t have let me back out there if they weren¡¯t sure I was ready. But I think as a human yourself who actually went through the injury, trusting it is the hardest part of doing it.¡±

That momentum generated through trust and performance could be huge for Groover in the prospect-heavy AFL. He¡¯s expected to get reps at third base, second and first, but the big focus remains on his bat, as has been the case dating back to his days as an amateur. Groover typically makes a healthy amount of contact due to his ability to manipulate the barrel around the zone, and as he proved at both full-season stops in 2024, power could be coming too.

Unlike the injury, that part is by design.

¡°At the end of the day as a young kid, I think you should be hit first and let the power come later as you get older,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, home runs are nice, but at the end of the day, just try to be a hitter. There¡¯s more to hitting than just hitting home runs. Getting on base, hitting a lot of doubles, stuff like that. That¡¯s always been my game.¡±

D-backs hitters in the Fall League

Tommy Troy, SS (No. 5): Taken 12th overall last year out of Stanford, Troy endured a left foot fracture in 2023 and a left hamstring strain this summer that have hindered his ability to take off so far in pro ball. He slashed just .227/.319/.347 in 65 games with High-A Hillsboro this season but was better in August (.310 average, .859 OPS). D-backs officials have praised his work ethic for moving past the injuries, and the Fall League will provide a solid test of his solid across-the-board tools heading into his second offseason.

Kristian Robinson, OF: Robinson ranked as high as No. 43 on a preseason Top 100 list in 2020 but missed out on nearly four years of playing experience due to a long legal process and visa troubles after being charged with assaulting a police officer during mental health struggles in March 2020. He returned to the Minors in May 2023 and spent the majority of this season with Double-A Amarillo, where he hit .214/.337/.350 with 11 homers and a 35.8 percent strikeout rate. Still only 23, Robinson needs at-bats and reps to reach his considerable ceiling as a powerful corner outfielder.

D-backs pitchers in the Fall League

Yu-Min Lin, LHP (No. 7): Standing at just 5-foot-11, Lin makes up for his size with one of the most expansive arsenals in the Minor Leagues. His 79-82 mph changeup is his best pitch with 14 inches of arm-side run, while his mid-70s curveball, upper-70s mph slider and mid-80s cutter keep things moving and hitters guessing. His fastball only averaged 90.6 mph at Triple-A, but it can still catch hitters off-guard if they¡¯re sitting on the soft stuff. Lin posted a 4.05 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A and will make up for innings lost to facial fractures suffered from a foul ball in the Amarillo dugout in late April.

Dylan Ray, RHP (No. 16): The 2022 fourth-rounder, who already has Tommy John during his days at Alabama, missed the first two months of the season with a forearm flexor strain. His 5.22 ERA in 70 2/3 innings for Double-A Amarillo may look rough, but he did much better on the road (3.23 ERA in seven starts) compared to hitter-friendly HODGETOWN (6.75 in nine starts). Ray averaged 93.1 mph with his fastball in the Texas League, per Synergy Sports, and used a mid-80s slider and low-80s changeup to generate whiffs.

Philip Abner, LHP: Pitching in his first full season, the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Florida led D-backs pitchers (min. 30 IP) with his 1.85 ERA and ranked second with a 0.94 WHIP across three levels (primarily Single-A and High-A). The former Gators southpaw doesn¡¯t flash huge velo with his low-90s fastball but relies on deception to get whiffs up while working in a low-80s slider that also keeps hitters off.

Kyle Amendt, RHP: Another member of the 2023 Draft class, the ninth-rounder of Dallas Baptist reached Triple-A in his first full season as a professional reliever, thanks to huge K numbers (75 in 44 innings). His 40.3 percent strikeout rate was fifth-best among the 1,852 Minor Leaguers with at least 40 frames this summer. The 6-foot-5 righty throws over the top to generate ride on his 89-92 mph fastball but was heavier on his upper-80s cutter and 78-80 mph curveball during his 13-game run with Reno.

Alfred Morillo, RHP: The 22-year-old right-hander served as Hillsboro¡¯s closer, notching 13 saves and finishing out games in 21 of his 34 appearances. He posted a 2.41 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 45 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings during that span. Morillo can run his fastball to the upper-90s with explosive movement up in the zone but will need to improve his control to take his relief profile to the Majors.