2015-2016 Diamondbacks Off-Season

PHOENIX - After a disappointing 2015 season the Diamondbacks have prepared themselves for a rebuild with some major changes to their roster. Paul Goldschmidt is still around holding the team up with the shear magnitude of his skills, but he's going to need to be patient if he wants to have a shot at the World Series in a Diamondbacks uniform.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST OUTLOOK

This won't surprise anyone who follows baseball, but the NL West might need to be renamed the NL Giants. San Francisco is loaded for another run at the title with probably the best roster in baseball. The Diamondbacks and Padres are probably going to duke it out for worst in the division, with the Rockies and Dodgers looking like sub .500 teams.

WINTER MEETINGS

The Diamondbacks basically lit a fire to their roster and gutted the MLB squad, even more than previous seasons, to make way for the future. By the time pitchers and catchers were due to report the Diamondbacks had completed ten different trades that mostly sent MLB regulars packing for prospects. The biggest surprises were the trades of SP Patrick Corbin, OF Yasmany Tomas, OF Ender Inciarte, and SS Chris Owings. Arizona's management clearly lost their patience with Tomas and Owings, loaded up on expiring contracts, and turned toward the future.

 Will Gonzalez be around to pitch the Diamondbacks' opener?

ARIZONA FREE AGENCY PREVIEW

The influx of expiring contracts and prospects left the Diamondbacks maxed out as far as their budget goes. The team might have a little over $1 million left to sign someone, but they are more likely to let a fan fill if a roster spot opens up due to injury. Things are going to get ugly in the desert for 2016.

PROJECTED 2016 ROSTER (WINTER)

The Diamondbacks are definitely at a crossroads when it comes to their roster, and this team could either be bad or terrible. Either way, it's all building up to the next few seasons. The projected roster has a gaping hole at SS and major issues in the rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks Depth Chart - 2016

• Catcher
• Y. Gomes

• First Base
• P. Goldschmidt

• Second Base
• D. Uggla
• M. Izturis

• Third Base
• J. Lamb

• Shortstop

• Left Field
• A. Marte
• M. Krauss

• Center Field
• M. Taylor

• Right Field
• E. Rosario
• T. Campana

• Starting Pitcher
• G. Gonzalez
• J. Weaver
• K. Lobstein
• M. Lorenzen
• R. Detwiler
• B. Penny

• Relief Pitcher
• E. Marshall
• C. Thielbar
• A. Torres
• M. Reynolds
• T. Cahill
• D. Holmberg

• Closer
• A. Colome
• R. Belisario

• Designated Hitter
• G. Jones

2015 Down On The Farm (August-September)

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.

2015 Season Report (End of Season)

PHOENIX - The regular season has finally come to a close, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have not made the playoffs. It isn't a surprise to anyone, especially management, but what is a surprise is that they finished just about where they did in 2014. It's hard to understand why a team that was trying to make the playoffs did as well as one being stripped for parts, but that's just baseball. Finishing 18th at 79-83 isn't all that bad, but ownership was probably shooting for a higher draft slot.


The Arizona Goldschmidts

Goldschmidt hits the market after the 2016 season.

Surprise, Paul Goldschmidt is really good. Offensively the Diamondbacks were plagued with surprisingly bad seasons (Chris Owings, Jake Lamb, J.J. Hardy) and blessed by surprisingly good ones (David Peralta, Eddie Rosario, Ender Inciarte) and befuddled by ones in the middle (Yasmany Tomas). The one constant was Goldschmidt, who put up MVP numbers but is likely to be overshadowed by the Nationals' Bryce Harper. If not for the efforts of Goldschmidt, this team could have been in contention for a Top 5 draft pick.


Corbin's Return

The silver lining for this season on the mound was the return of Patrick Corbin. After missing 2014 to Tommy John surgery and sitting out nearly half of 2015, Corbin appears to have returned to his pre-injury level of performance. With the avalanche of injuries and trades that hit the rotation, it's amazing that the Diamondbacks had anyone to throw out on the mound by the end of the season.


Hello, Prospects

Tapia joins a loaded OF class.

If you ignore Goldschmidt's awesomeness and Corbin's return from injury the biggest 2015 story line was the influx of high end prospects. The addition of Jesse Winker, Jon Gray, Austin Meadows, and Raimel Tapia give Diamondbacks fans something to look forward to. A number of their best prospects made it to the majors (Eddie Rosario, Michael Taylor, Michael Lorenzen) so the future is already starting to take shape.

2015 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS AWARDS

MVP

1B Paul Goldschmidt (103R, 33HR, 110RBI, 21SB, .321BA)

This one is pretty easy, and as long as he's manning 1B it probably won't change. Even an injury shortened 2014 had him firmly in the MVP chair. Goldschmidt led the team in all offensive categories.


ROY

Taylor might be the future of CF.

CF Michael Taylor (49R, 14HR, 63RBI, 16SB, .0229BA)

Taylor muscled his way into a crowded outfield situation and trumped the Diamondbacks big money "rookie" signing (Yasmany Tomas) while looking like a solid piece of the team's future. While he didn't hit for average the team is hoping he can improve with more major league experience.

Randy Johnson Award (Best Pitcher)

Corbin's return was promising for 2016.

SP Patrick Corbin (6W, 78K, 3.60ERA, 1.27WHIP)

Really low bar on this one, so low that someone who basically missed half the season took this one home without too much competition. Gio Gonzalez completely melted down and passed the 'Ace' moniker on to Corbin. A few bad late season outings hurt Corbin's ERA/WHIP, but overall he looked good coming back from Tommy John surgery.

2015 Season Report (100 Games)

PHOENIX -The Diamondbacks continue to limp toward a kind of baseball limbo, finishing 100 games just a hair below the middle of the league (16th) and firmly hovering around .500 baseball (50-50). An explanation is simple, just two words encompass how a team that has been mostly stripped for parts can stay close to .500; Paul. Goldschmidt.

Arizona's offense, which will henceforth just be called "Paul Goldshmidt", is essentially made up of Goldschmidt wrecking the league for his pleasure. Goldschmidt currently leads the Diamondbacks in... well, everything. He's hitting .339, with 67R, 22HR, 77RBI, and 17SB, which is far beyond anyone else on the team. He's also in the Top 5 for NL players in BA, HR, and RBI. Is there anything he can't do?

Ender Inciarte recently returned from the DL, so the Diamondbacks are going to have a bit of an OF log jam. Inciarte, David Peralta, Eddie Rosario, and Michael Taylor have all played well and look to have the OF covered. Jake Lamb, who isn't showing any power, is swapping DH and 3B duties with Yasmany Tomas (who also isn't showing any power).

Is Gray a future ace?

The biggest story in Phoenix was the calling up of top pitching prospect Jon Gray. Gray would see his first big league action, but it wouldn't turn out all that well. Gray only lasted four inning, though he did strike out four hitters while allowing 2BB and 2ER. Patrick Corbin started his return well, winning twice and racking up 29K with a 3.21ERA and 1.00WHIP but he finished the period by getting rocked and failing to finish 2IP. Gio Gonzalez, who finds himself on the waiver wire, has righted his season a little. Some of his numbers look good (8W, 98K, 3.75ERA), but he 1.43WHIP really tells the tale of his season. With Jered Weaver still on a very expensive DL stint, this staff isn't going anywhere.

2015 Season - Down On The Farm (June-July)

The previous deluge of prospects has recently been topped off with a smaller deluge of highly ranked prospects. The biggest name on the list was Jon Gray, a former #3 overall pick, and fans of the Reno Aces will enjoy having him. The MLB Draft has also added some names, most notably first round pick Dansby Swanson, but they will need time to establish themselves.

With the MLB roster slowly turning into warm bodies and expiring contracts, it looks like the future of the franchise is waiting in the minors.

Position, Player Name (Sickels Grade, Current MiLB Level) 

RHP Jon Gray (Grade : A-, Triple-A Reno)

Gray is a unanimous Top 25 prospect, but he hasn't performed like one so far. He was awful to start 2014 in Double-A, but rebounded for a strong finish. He has had similar issue this season, now in Triple-A, but he has started to turn things around. The notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League isn't helping, but a good showing might see him promoted for a cup of coffee this year or perhaps a more permanent move in 2016.

OF, Jesse Winker (Grade : A-, Double-A Mobile)

Winker's second shot at Double-A ball isn't panning out as well as his 2014. He has had a painfully slow start after hitting 15HR in 2014. Hitting .266 with 5HR so far this season has left the Diamondbacks hoping for a serious rebound, if Winker is the future he needs to show more or the Diamondbacks might look to move on.

OF, Austin Meadows (Grade : B+, Class-A Advanced Visalia)

Meadows continues to confound scouts by just being a really good baseball player. Not that it's bad, but the expectations are that he will be great. He rakes, he shows excellent plate discipline, he defends well, but at 6'-3" 200 he should be hitting for more power. The 9th overall pick in the 2013 has everyone waiting to see if he ascends to the next level, at the very least he looks to be an MLB regular in the making.

OF, Michael Taylor (Grade : B+, MLB)

Currently moving back and forth between Reno and Phoenix, but it looks like Taylor is up for good. Has already exceeded rookie limits, so next season (and later this year) he won't find himself on this list. The 24-year old is currently hitting .241 with 6HR, 29RBI, and 8SB in 69 major league games.

RHP, Braden Shipley (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)

The Shipley-Blair debate may come to a close soon as Shipley struggles through his second go at Double-A. He hasn't looked sharp in 2015, and a bloated ERA/WHIP is proof. There might be something wrong, or he might just be working through some issues. His problems seem to stem from a dramatically lower K rate (6.2 compared to 8.1 in 2014) and a spike in hits. Low walk and HR rates are a good sign, but he needs to put it all together.


RHP, Aaron Blair (Grade : B+, Triple-A Reno)

Promoted to Triple-A after ripping through Double-A and leaving Shipley in the dust. Hasn't looked as dominant in Reno, but the Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter friendly. His hit, walk, and HR rates have jumped but his K rate has done the same. Will have to see if Blair can right the ship and complete a season that started off well, has the opportunity to snag "Best Pitching Prospect" title if Shipley and Gray fail to rebound.

OF, Raimel Tapia (Grade : B, Class-A Advanced Visalia)

Tapia, a Top 50 prospect before the season, came over in a trade with the Mariners. The Diamondbacks have been trying to land him for some time, and they finally got him in exchange for a massive salary dump and Matt Cain. Tapia was signed by the Rockies out of the Dominican Republic at 17, and since then he has shown some considerable promise. The speedy OF has spent the entire season in Class-A Advanced hitting 8HR, 51RBI, with 19SB and a solid .331BA. There could be some power upside as he continues to develop, but his hit tool and base running ability are enough to get by right now.

OF, Billy McKinney (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)

Started the year in Class-A Advanced and quickly moved to Double-A, still just 20 years old he could be a real sleeper waiting to break out. McKinney has played well defensively, especially out of RF where he boasts a 1.000 fielding percentage in 56 games, and hit well enough to impress the Diamondbacks. He struggled to hit in 2014 in Visalia, hitting .264, but hit .340 there to start 2015 which helped land his promotion. He won't be a star at the plate, but his approach continues to impress scouts and at 20 he can always get better.

RHP, Jeff Hoffman (Grade : B, Class-A Advanced Visalia)

Hoffman, a Top 100 prospect who came over in the Soria trade, is one of those high-upside risky moves that makes you look like a genius if it pans out and an idiot if it fails. Hoffman had Tommy John surgery prior to the 2014 draft, but that didn't seem to stop the Blue Jays from taking him 9th overall. He's opened his professional career in Class-A Advanced after a year off, and things aren't looking good. The exciting stuff, a fastball with life that cut in on righties, has lost it's excitement. Perhaps he's in a period of recovery, but if he can't regain his previous approach it will be difficult for him to stay on this list.

RHP, Touki Toussaint (Grade : B, Class-A Kane County)

Only an idiot would trade Toussaint for anything less than a King's ransom at this point. That being said, he's in a heated internal battle with fellow 2014 draft pick Cody Reed for the Diamondbacks most promising draft pick. At least for now, he's looking like a solid pick, despite the poor reports on his command, hopefully his curveball continues to be his best pitch with a future 70 grade. A 4-3 record so far with decent numbers isn't wowing anyone, but at 19 he has a lot of time to get better.

OF, Eddie Rosario (Grade : B-, MLB)

Rosario is in the same boat as Taylor as he passes rookie limits. He is having a similar season too, hitting .264 with 4HR, 20RBI, and 6SB from the outfield. Unless something changes, he looks to be an outfielder from now on.

3B, Jake Lamb (Grade : B-, MLB)

The 24-year old 3B has looked lost, injured, and exciting during the season. With Yasmany Tomas clearly unfit to hand the hot corner, it looks like the job is now Lamb's to lose. He has exceeded rookie limits while hitting .302 and showing very little power (2HR in 35 games). Hopefully a return from injury and the All-Star break will help him turn things around.

RHP, Alex Colome (Grade : B-, MLB)

 Colome is at a crossroads this season, and for the most part it looks like he's being run over. Colome has started 13 games, and overall it hasn't been pretty. a 3-4 record with a 4.85ERA isn't encouraging. If Colome doesn't turn things around the 26-year old might find himself being used out of the pen or back in Reno.

RHP, Matt Barnes (Grade : B-, MLB)

The 25-year old has moved between Reno and Phoenix, and he is approaching rookie limits. He probably wishes he was back in Reno as MLB hitters are getting to him regularly. The Diamondbacks have used him exclusively from the pen, but a 5.24ERA and 1.84WHIP might see him sent back to Reno. Still just 25, so room for growth, but he's starting to lose his luster.

3B, Patrick Kivlehan (Grade : B-, Triple-A Reno)

Kivlehan is another Diamondbacks infielder who could be slated for a permanent move to the outfield. He's also hitting well if you only look at HR (15) and RBI (46), but his plate discipline is awful right now. After looking good in a season across Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2014 he's been unimpressive in the hitter friendly PCL. Hitting .237 with 20BB to 72 strikeouts is a little disturbing.

RHP, Michael Lorenzen (Grade : B-, MLB)

 

 The big surprise from this list who has now exceeded rookie limits. Lorenzen was brought up and given the chance to start, going 3-4 with a 3.53ERA in 12 games. Don't let the ERA fool you, his 1.47WHIP points to his 5.71FIP so expect some regression. The 47K in 71.1IP isn't exciting, and the 39BB are alarming. Lorenzen might finish out the year in the majors, hopefully he takes a step forward in 2016. Still just 23.

LHP, Cody Reed (Grade : B-, Class-A Short Hillsboro)

Cody Reed is not going to be in Hillsboro much longer if he keeps things up. The 2014 2nd rounder is looking like the better pick compared to Toissaint, and he's tearing up Class-A Short. In six starts he's struck out 40 in 34.1IP with an eye watering 1.31ERA and 0.76WHIP. His K rate isn't all that special, but he's been striking out more lately. There is a chance he could be moved up to Kane County soon, and will certainly have more scouts drooling over him.

RHP, Nick Travieso (Grade : B-, Class-A Advanced Visalia)

The 14th overall pick in the 2012 Draft is having a decent season, though he's getting hit more than expected. He has improved a career trend in ER, HR/9, BB/9, and K/9, but his H/9 has jumped up back to it's 2012-2013 level. If he can do something about those hits he should finish close to his 2014 season in Class-A.

OF, Justin Williams (Grade : B-, Class-A Kane County)

Williams' second go at Class-A is showing some mixed results. After hitting .351 across Class-A and Rookie ball in 2014 he's only hitting .289. He has hit more HR in a comparable number of plate appearances (7HR vs. 4HR in 2014), but he's also forgotten how to take a walk while still striking out at the same rate. It's hard to know what's going on, and he is still 19 and young for Class-A.

SS, Luis Sardinas (Grade : C+, Triple-A Reno)

Sardinas has bounced between the majors and minors this year, and will no longer be on this list going forward. Sardinas has exceeded rookie limits while hitting rather poorly, his defense continues to win him starts but he bat will probably keep him from a starting position. He is still 22, exceedingly young for Triple-A, so there is still room for improvement.

C, Peter O'Brien (Grade : C+, Triple-A Reno)

The hope that O'Brien stays behind the plate is starting to fade as he logs more games in the outfield. O'Brien has played 61 games in the outfield and 11 as catcher, but it hasn't slowed up his bat. With 15HR and 62RBI in the hitter friendly PCL he could easily make it to a 30-100 season, all while hitting .271 and showing little interest in taking a walk. O'Brien is less interesting as an outfielder, especially with the depth the Diamondbacks have at that position, but he could be a very valuable bat if he works on his plate discipline.

2015 Season Report (All-Star Break)

PHOENIX - With the All-Star game looming, the Diamondbacks are essentially waving the white flag. Nothing is going well, but in a sad twist of fate they aren't doing much worse than they did last year when they were trying to get into the playoffs.

The Diamondbacks can essentially be split into Paul Goldschmidt and Not Paul Goldschmidt at this point. Rookies have shown some promise, especially OF Michael Taylor and Eddie Rosario. J.J. Hardy has finally returned on a regular basis, but now OF Ender Inciarte has taken his spot on the DL. Jake Lamb has been disappointing, and Yasmany Tomas has failed to show much power after righting his batting average to eclipse .300. The team limps into the break, and everyone but Goldschmidt (the only Diamondbacks headed to Cincinnati) will be resting during that time.

Corbin's return was promising.

The rotation, to put it bluntly, has fully transformed into a dumpster fire. The very expensive acquisition of Jered Weaver has turned into an equally expensive DL stint. Kyle Lobstein is hurt as well, and Alex Colome is pitching like he should be hurt. At this point the fans are just looking at their watches and waiting until Braden Shipley or Aaron Blair get called up. The only ray of hope came in the return of Patrick Corbin, who tossed a very Corbin-esque game (5.0IP, 3K, 8H, 2ER) in his first outing. The Diamondbacks aren't really looking for him to turn the entire rotation around, but a healthy Corbin puts them in a good position going forward.

Jim Johnson's second turn in Arizona was a disaster.

The team also completed an odd deal with Toronto in order to land a highly touted IFA in OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (yes, THAT Vladimir Guerrero). The reports on Guerrero are positive, but most think he lacks the ceiling of his father. The ink on Guerrero's contract wasn't even dry before the Blue Jays sent him to Arizona along with Joe Nathan in exchange for Jim Johnson. Nathan represents a hefty increase in salary ($7.3 million) over Johnson ($5.8 million) with both coming off the books after the 2017 season. The price seemed right to land Guerrero, and Diamondbacks management is hoping Nathan can return to form just long enough to be worth something. This has the feel of the Soria trade in 2014, but at least Soria wasn't nearly as expensive as Nathan.

2015 MLB Draft

SECAUCUS - Another year, another draft, and hopes are raised for the future. After finishing 9th in 2014 the Diamondbacks ended up picking toward the end of the round(s), but with the MLB tear down going on in 2015 they need all the new talent they can get. Heading into this draft, and looking at the farm system, it would seem the priority would be bats. Arizona has a number of high end pitching prospects, but you really can't have enough good arms.

The Diamondbacks enjoyed a number of extra picks in 2014, but that didn't happen again this year with no picks in Comp Round A or B. The Diamondbacks set a trend with their early picks by sticking to the college ranks, using their first four picks on college players who figure to make a move to the majors much sooner. After that it was pitching, pitching, and more pitching, and not a single high school player taken in the first 10 rounds. Looks like Arizona is gearing up for a more immediate turnaround.


Round (Overall Selection) : Player (School)

1 (22) : SS Dansby Swanson (Vanderbilt University, TN)

Swanson was the Diamondbacks #1 target, and they got their man. Swanson accomplished so much during his college career, it's hard to see him failing to impress as a professional. He took home Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series as Vanderbilt won their first-ever championship in 2014, then he became the top position prospect in college after a strong summer with the U.S. collegiate national team. Swanson increased his value when he moved from 2B to SS this year, and showed scouts he could handle the position with polish. Most feel he has the quickness and arm strength to stay at the position, even though he hadn't played there since high school in 2012, when the Rockies drafted him in the 38th round.

Swanson fits at the top of his lineup with his on-base ability and speed, and he can drive the ball into the gaps while showing moderate power. His makeup is off the charts and universally praised by coaches and scouts. Taking Swanson puts Chris Owings, who is already playing at 2B quite a bit, on notice. Swanson figures to move toward the majors quickly, and if everything works out as planned he could form a solid up-the-middle tandem with Owings.

2 (64) : LHP Alex Young (Texas Christian University, TX)

For the second straight year Arizona selected a left-hander with their second round pick.Young bolstered his stock coming into 2015 by making a strong transition from reliever to starter in the Cape Cod League and with TCU this spring. Young attacks hitters with a fastball that sits at 89-93 and shows life and a solid breaking ball. He has the ability to vary the shape of his breaking pitch, which is closer to a slider than a curveball. Young has started using his changeup more now that he has left the bullpen, it features some fade and should become at least an average offering going forward. He rated as the top prospect in Illinois as a high school senior in 2012, though his lack of signability pushed him to the 32nd round where he was drafted by the Rangers.


3 (96) : RHP Taylor Clarke (College of Charleston, SC)

Clarke has been through some tough times since 2013. Tommy John surgery shut him down, and then it looked like his college program (Towson) was going to shut it's doors. Clarke transferred to the College of Charleston and started to rebuild his draft resume once he started pitching again in 2015.He works with a 92-96 mph fastball and has the ability to carry a low-90s fastball into the late innings. His fastball lacks life but still misses bats because his overhand delivery provides deception and downhill plane. He also draws praise for his ability to throw strikes, a lot of strikes, and uses a decent change up to augment his fastball. He does lack a reliable breaking ball, so he could be destined for relief.

4 (127) : RHP Breckin Williams (University of Missouri, MO)

All you need to know about Williams to understand him is his nickname; Harley Time. His constant energy and full-out sprints to the mound are a testament to his level of aggression. He aggressively attacks hitters, and it resulted in school record for saves this spring at Missouri. He managed to elevate his stuff as a Junior, after pitching with an 88-92 mph fastball last year, he now operates in the 90-95 range.Willliams also uses a high-80's cutter, that can turn into a slider if he wants, and a decent curveball that could turn into an average pitch. He repeats his delivery well, enabling him to throw strikes and keep the ball down in the zone.

5 (157) : RHP Ryan Burr (Arizona State University, AZ)

The Diamondbacks landed an interesting pick here with Burr entering the draft as a Top 100 prospect per MLB.com. He was a well known high school prospect in 2012, but he decided to stick with his committment to Arizona State. After three years of college ball he's seen as one of the better closers in the nation, and his 97 mph fastball makes scouts drool. Unfortunately his command can be an issue, and his fastball lacks movement, but he still has the upside of a setup type reliever or closer down the road. Burr may be one of the prospects that makes it to the majors sooner than expected.

6 (187) : RHP Tyler Mark (Concordia University, CA)

Another short reliever with a strong physical build who works in the 94-95 range with his fastball. His pitches have good arm-side movement that cut in on right-handed hitters, and his slider is projectable with the ability to generate swings and misses. Like Burr, he uses an aggressive approach and goes right after hitters to make him an attractive relief option. He has some 'level of competition' questions, but he pitched well in the 2014 Northwoods League, so there will be some discovery as to his long term potential.

7 (217) : C Francis Christy (Palomar College, CA)

8 (247) : SS Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State University, GA)

9 (277) : RHP Pierce Romero (Santa Barbara Community College, CA)

10 (307) : CF Joey Armstrong (University of Nevada - Las Vegas, NV)

FULL DRAFT ANALYSIS

Outside of the top two selections, there isn't a whole lot of high-end upside in this draft. There are definitely some interesting picks that could pan out over time, but the Diamondbacks were clearly interested in stocking up on immediate impact arms. They aren't sexy, but you need a good bullpen to be successful. Lots of college guys also puts them in a position to save on draft slots, although they didn't take make high school players (4) and they were in much later rounds, they could use that money to make sure everyone signs or cover any issues with their top picks.


Best Pick : SS Dansby Swanson, 1 (22)

Not a difficult one to decide on, but in a down draft year Swanson stood out as one of the best overall prospects. A solid college position player who could make an impact within the next few years is a great addition to the Diamondbacks farm system.

Sleeper Pick : RHP Wesley Rodriguez, 12 (367)

Might not be the 'best' high round pick, but he's certainly the most interesting. Rodriguez went into the draft ranked as the 100th overall prospect by MLB.com, but he slid all the way to Arizona at 367. He's a stocky (5'-10" 200lbs) two-way player who gets most of his recognition on the mound. Some scouts have compared him to Bartolo Colon, mostly because of the build, but he can hit 98 with his fastball and tends to work in the 93-95 range. It will be interesting to see if he can make the necessary adjustments to make it to the majors.