The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple levels each containing plenty of impactful prospects which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up to date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
The Diamondbacks are quietly building a very strong system. Ryan Waldschmidt leads the way, but LuJames Groover is one of the more underrated prospects in dynasty. Top draft pick Kayson Cunningham makes his debut on the list below at seventh. One of the more underrated performances this season has been Tommy Troy, who moves up to the third tier. Keep reading for the latest news and notes from Arizona’s farm system.
Notable Prospect Performances:
- Slade Caldwell has been struggling in High-A. Caldwell came out of the gates firing on all cylinders in Low-A, which earned him a promotion to High-A. The surprising part of his performance early on was the three home runs he hit after projecting to have well below-average power. Well, in 44 games since his promotion to High-A, Caldwell has not hit a home run. He is batting just .200 with an 86 wRC+ in High-A.
- Daniel Eagen has continued to pitch well this season. The only puzzling part to Eagen’s success has been the lack of a promotion from the Diamondbacks’ organization. Eagen has spent the entire season in High-A, where he owns a 2.68 ERA. On the season, Eagen is striking out 33.3% of the batters he has faced. Getting to see Eagen against tougher competition would be useful for his dynasty outlook.
Notable Prospect Promotions and News:
- Ivan Melendez was promoted to Triple-A. Ivan Melendez has fallen off most radars due to his inability to lower his strikeout rate. That should start to change. Prior to his promotion, Melendez was batting .268 with 16 homers in Double-A. However, Melendez was striking out just 20.4% of the time since June 22. He has huge power and is making noticeable strides toward becoming an average hitter.
- The team acquired several prospects at this year’s trade deadline. The highest ranking of the bunch in my prospect list would be Mitch Bratt who was acquired from the Rangers. Across 95.1 innings in Double-A this season, Bratt owns a 3.18 ERA and a 29% strikeout rate. Pitching prospect Ashton Izzi was acquired from Seattle and holds a bit of dynasty intrigue.
- Kayson Cunningham was selected in the first round by Arizona. The Diamondbacks went prep bat in the first round this year, pulling Cunningham away from his commitment to Texas. The 5’11” middle infielder projects to have a strong hit tool with plus speed. The development of his power will be key to achieving his fantasy ceiling. For now, he ranks as a tier-four prospect.
- Tommy Troy has made his way to Triple-A. Troy is not grabbing the headlines in any dynasty formats, but is having an excellent second professional season. Troy hit .286 with 21 steals and 12 homers in 87 games with Double-A prior to his promotion. There are some concerns over his hit tool and how well his power will play up at the Major League level, but he has great speed and good plate discipline.
