The D-backs have four of MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100 prospects, tied for sixth-most in the game with seven other systems, but it isn¡¯t just about quantity. The quality of their big names is massive, too.
Arizona is one of only two organizations with three prospects within MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 15 prospects, Baltimore being the other, and one of only four groups with four prospects within the Top 59, joining the O¡¯s, Dodgers and Nationals.
Corbin Carroll (No. 2), Jordan Lawlar (No. 11), Druw Jones (No. 15) and Brandon Pfaadt (No. 59) put them in that position and provide interesting layering throughout the organization. Carroll is the favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year after playing 32 games with the big club in 2022, and Pfaadt shouldn¡¯t be far from helping him in Phoenix after he led the Minors with 218 strikeouts last season. Lawlar seems like a candidate to start back at Double-A, which he already reached during his age-19 season, while Jones -- last year¡¯s second overall pick -- is about to get his professional career going at the lower levels after missing out on a debut last year due to a shoulder injury.
That interesting mix of near-MLB-ready prospects continues throughout Arizona¡¯s Top 30. Right-handers Ryne Nelson (No. 6) and Drey Jameson (No. 7) are competing for an open No. 5 rotation spot this spring. Cristofer Torin (No. 18) joined the Top 30 for the first time after hitting .333 with a 20/37 K/BB ratio in the Dominican Summer League.
Arizona enters 2023 as a darkhorse to take a National League playoff spot as Carroll gets a full season of at-bats and the upper-level arms come flooding into the Valley. But the best systems aren¡¯t just built for immediate Major League impact but sustained contributions, too. In that way, there is no desert in the D-backs¡¯ pipeline.
Here¡¯s a look at the D-backs' top prospects:
1. Corbin Carroll, OF (MLB No. 2)
2. Jordan Lawlar, SS (MLB No. 11)
3. Druw Jones, OF (MLB No. 15)
4. Brandon Pfaadt, RHP (MLB No. 59)
5. Deyvison De Los Santos, 3B/1B
Complete Top 30 list ?
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2022 preseason list to the 2023 preseason list.
Jump: Yu-Min Lin, LHP (2022: NR | 2023: No. 13)
Lin had some name recognition as a $525,000 signing after competing for Chinese Taipei in the 2021 U-23 World Cup at just 18 years old, but he took off even more than expected in his first full season. The 5-foot-11 southpaw fanned 91 batters in 56 1/3 innings between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Visalia, showing off a plus changeup and above-average curveball and slider. His fastball is only at 89-92 mph at this early stage of his career, and if he can pick up even a little more velocity, he¡¯ll become an even more prominent name in the years ahead.
Fall: Bryce Jarvis, RHP (2022: No. 7 | 2023: No. 27)
Pitching in Double-A Amarillo can be a cruel game, and no one will tell you that more than Jarvis, who spent all of 2022 there and finished with an 8.27 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 27 homers allowed in 106 2/3 innings. That said, everything can¡¯t be blamed on the conditions. Jarvis¡¯ fastball isn¡¯t very deceptive and can be hittable, leading to the dingers. His above-average slider and plus changeup still get whiffs and provide hope he can still be a starter, but it¡¯ll take a lot of work for him to get back into Arizona¡¯s Top 10.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 65 -- Corbin Carroll
Power: 65 -- Deyvison De Los Santos
Run: 80 -- Corbin Carroll
Arm: 70 -- Blaze Alexander
Fielding: 70 -- Druw Jones (Corbin Carroll)
Fastball: 70 -- Justin Martinez (Conor Grammes)
Curveball: 55 -- Grammes (Yu-Min Lin, Yilber Diaz)
Slider: 70 -- Drey Jameson (Landon Sims)
Changeup: 60 -- Yu-Min Lin (Justin Martinez, Bryce Jarvis)
Control: 55 -- Brandon Pfaadt (Ryne Nelson, Slade Cecconi, Joe Elbis)
How they were built
Draft: 19 | International: 10 | Trade: 1
Breakdown by ETA
2023: 13 | 2024: 6 | 2025: 6 | 2026: 3 | 2027: 2
Breakdown by position
C: 0 | 1B: 1 | 2B: 0 | 3B: 3 | SS: 5 | OF: 6 | RHP: 12 | LHP: 3