D-backs’ pitching prospects provide hope
CARLSBAD, Calif. — The Diamondbacks expect to be active this winter in hopes of adding pitching. They will target bullpen help primarily, club officials said, but finding rotation help is a possibility, as well.
But perhaps the reasons to feel most confident about the club’s chances at an improved pitching staff already reside in the organization. Many of them feature fastballs in the mid-90s or better. Many have what scouts regard as “plus” secondary pitches. And most reached the Double-A level or above, putting them on the cusp of the big leagues.
As the major league team floundered through a miserable season, a collection of Diamondbacks pitching prospects began to emerge throughout the system. Evaluators inside and outside the organization see as many as a half-dozen pitchers with a legitimate chance to become major league starters. It is perhaps the best collection of young pitching the franchise has had in a decade.
“There is a lot of excitement and optimism to see what a lot of these guys can do next year,” Diamondbacks Assistant General Manager Amiel Sawdaye said.
Right-handers Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, Drey Jameson and Bryce Jarvis each pitched as high as Double-A this season — and all had varying degrees of success. Left-hander Blake Walston and right-hander Slade Cecconi were in High-A, with Cecconi finishing his year in the Arizona Fall League.
Beyond them are even more interesting arms, many of whom come with more questions about their command, stuff or future role but who nevertheless remain fascinating prospects.
Even General Manager Mike Hazen, who normally is loath to use prospects to tout his club’s future, seems excited by what occurred this season, calling it the best year of pitching development the organization has had during his fiveyear tenure.
“I’m not going to sit here and sell prospects in the minors as this never ending, just keep squinting harder kind of thing,” he said. “But I think what we saw in the performances of some of our pitchers, relative to their peers, and their stuff — and the progressions they all made through the system, most of whom are migrating to the upper levels — I do think we are on a narrow timeframe over the next 12 months where we’re going to see them start to matriculate onto the team.”
Nelson and Jameson have the most explosive stuff, both possessing power fastballs. Pfaadt rocketed through three levels, impressing with his repertoire and pitching acumen. Walston is the youngest and probably the farthest from the majors but might have the highest ceiling.
It has been 10 years since the Diamondbacks had a wave a pitching talent in their minor league system that rivals this one. Back then, the group was led by Patrick Corbin, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs and Jarrod Parker. Wade Miley was slightly ahead of them, Archie Bradley and Chase Anderson a bit behind.
“What stood out was their physical talent,” said Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto, who oversaw the Diamondbacks’ scouting and player development departments a decade ago. “More than anything else, (almost) every one of them could spin a breaking ball — and that’s not universally true of pitching prospects.
“It’s so rare in today’s game: You see a lot of guys who bring velocity or have a pitch and a half, but to have that many guys who could just naturally spin the ball, I think it was exceptional. It was a really good group.”
Dipoto noted how unusual it was not just that the majority of them panned out, but that most came from the highest rounds of the draft. Highly drafted arms tend to flop at a higher rate than position players, and frontline pitching can often come from all areas of the draft.
Like that last group, the Diamondbacks’ current crop is composed primarily of high draft picks. Five were taken within the top 56 picks of their respective draft classes: Jarvis (No. 18 overall, 2020), Walston (No. 26, 2019), Cecconi (No. 33, 2022), Jameson (No. 34, 2019) and Nelson (No. 56, 2019). Pfaadt, a fifth rounder in 2020, is the exception.
In that sense, it would be something of a disappointment if the club didn’t have a number of high-upside pitchers working their way through the system.
“We did spend a lot of capital in that area,” Sawdaye said. “It was a focus. And, obviously, player development has done a great job making sure these guys are refined the way they are.”
Last month, baseball’s postseason was partly defined by teams’ pitching depth. Both the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros lost key starters to injury during the playoffs and both turned to wave after wave of power-armed relievers to help navigate their way into and through the World Series.
This year’s Diamondbacks team did not have the requisite relief depth to hold down leads in the final few innings of games, let alone the number of arms needed to excel in the postseason. The hope is that the next wave gets them closer to that level of talent.
Hazen said the club is open to the idea of some of those pitchers breaking into the majors in relief roles, but the Diamondbacks also expect to scour the free-agent and trade markets for help, too. Sawdaye suggested the front office might be more aggressive on that front than it has been in previous offseasons.
“In years past, we have slow-played it to some degree,” Sawdaye said, “but we’ve been able to sign guys but maybe a little later. Hopefully (we can) just try to get guys (this year), whether it’s through trade or free agency.”