With the season over and the Winter Meetings wrapping up we have a good look at the current shape of the Diamondbacks farm system. Not sure if everyone will be around in January, but things look good.
Position, Player Name (Sickels Grade, Current MiLB Level)
RHP Jon Gray (Grade : A-, Triple-A Reno)
August call up went well after gutting out a decent season in Reno. Looks like he has nothing left to prove in the minors and should leave 2016 Spring Training with a spot in the Diamondbacks rotation.
OF, Jesse Winker (Grade : A-, Double-A Mobile)
Winker put a cherry on top of his 2015 season with a serious hot streak. He slashed .312/.423/.524 in his final 54 games at Mobile, if he continues hitting like that he should be in the majors soon.
OF, Austin Meadows (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)
Did just about everything you could want aside from hit for power. Made his way through Class-A Advanced to finish the season with six games in Mobile. Hit .310 and swiped 21 bases, but only hit 7HR on his way to a good-not-great season. Still has scouts drooling over him, still just 20, but he's going to be prone to prospect fatigue if he doesn't drive more balls out of the park.
RHP, Braden Shipley (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)
Finished season well after a really rocky start to the season, but failed to get promoted to Reno. Not a deal breaker, but it would have been nice to see him face more advanced hitting. Now behind Aaron Blair as the Diamondbacks #3 pitching prospect.
RHP, Aaron Blair (Grade : B+, Triple-A Reno)
Ended the season with a haymaker in the Blair-Shipley battle, now firmly considered the better of the two. Looked really good at Mobile and Reno, which is quite a feat considering the hitter friendly PCL. Should see the majors in 2016 at some point if not from the start, won't have anyone blocking him on the MLB roster if he shows signs of being ready.
OF, Raimel Tapia (Grade : B, Class-A Advanced Visalia)
Quickly becoming one of Arizona's most exciting players. Really good year at the plate and could develop more power in the coming seasons, an improved approach on defense has also increased his stock.
OF, Billy McKinney (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)
Broken knee, out for the season. Had an amazing season in Class-A Advanced but lost some steam in Mobile. Still very young and a favorite of the organization.
RHP, Jeff Hoffman (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)
Tommy John recovery, pitched 72 inning between Visalia and Mobile. Slowly putting his injury behind him, 2016 will be key to his development.
RHP, Touki Toussaint (Grade : B, Class-A Kane County)
Toussaint is probably the Diamondbacks most exciting pitching prospect. He has had some incredible highs to go with some ugly lows, but his talent is such that scouts can't stop talking about him. He is still young and doesn't have the experience most do, so it's hard to give up on someone like him so quickly. He has the upside of a #2 starter, but he could just as likely flame out before getting to Reno.
RHP, Alex Colome (Grade : B-, MLB)
Colome finished the year by exceeding rookie limits with a mix of starting and relieving. Not sure where he ends up going forward, but he was much better out of the pen. 2016 will be an interesting year for him.
RHP, Matt Barnes (Grade : B-, MLB)
Exceeded rookie limits, looks destined for a role out of the bullpen.
3B, Patrick Kivlehan (Grade : B-, Triple-A Reno)
Kivelehan is looking like one of Arizona's most difficult players. He has the athleticism you look for, a good power / speed combo, but he was just wrecked by Triple-A pitching. He gutted out 17HR and 13SB while batting a disappointing .239, and it's hard to tell where he fits in.
LHP, Cody Reed (Grade : B-, Class-A Short Hillsboro)
Finished with a good not great season, but at 19 he still has room to grow. Showed developing secondary pitches and good command.
RHP, Nick Travieso (Grade : B-, Class-A Advanced Visalia)
Finished the season well, recovered from being hit by a line drive in June. Showing good progress and should start the 2016 season in Mobile.
OF, Justin Williams (Grade : B-, Class-A Kane County)
Good season in Low-A at 19, scouting reports still point to long term potential. Still shows raw power and could end up being a very good OF.
SS, Luis Sardinas (Grade : C+, Triple-A Reno)
Bounced around some more, played enough to exceed rookie limits and will not longer be listed here. Starting to look like a defense-only utility man, unless he starts hitting he's always at risk of being DFA'd.
C, Peter O'Brien (Grade : C+, Triple-A Reno)
Arizona's biggest problem, but hopefully a good one to have. O'Brien spent the vast majority of 2015 in Reno, and in all that time he crushed 26HR and didn't see a pitch he didn't like. The 26HR and 107RBI with a .284BA look really good, but when paired with a whopping 124SO it doesn't look so good. Has moved to the OF, which is probably his path to the majors, but the plate discipline could be an issue.
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