SCOTTSDALE — The Arizona Fall League concluded on Saturday with members of the Salt River Rafters — including Diamondbacks prospects Tommy Troy, Gino Groover and Kristian Robinson — celebrating on the field after winning the title at Salt River Fields.
Troy and Groover made the Fall Stars Game as they maintained their quality play from the end of the regular season. Robinson just missed the cut via fan vote but put up strong offensive numbers this fall with an .854 OPS, six extra-base hits and nine steals in 19 games.
Troy was particularly impactful during the title pursuit, as he went 3-for-4 in the semifinal with two hard-hit doubles and roped another two-bagger in the championship game.
After starting the fall 1-for-25, Troy hit .382 the rest of the way to finish with an OPS of .864. He hit three homers, seven doubles and a triple along with four steals.
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Troy experienced having to climb out of a rut during the regular season, as well. After a hamstring injury cost him two months on the injured list, he returned ice cold at the plate in July with High-A Hillsboro. He picked himself up in August to put the slump behind him, learning lessons on how to handle the failure at the pro level.
“Definitely that I always find a way to come out the other end,” Troy said at the Fall Stars Game. “I’ve had times in the past, maybe not as bad as it was this year, but I feel like this past year has prepared me for any situation in the future. If I get into a rut again, I just know how the game is. It’s game of failure, and you will find a way. You just have to put your head down.”
Tommy two-bags is back at it 👀@Dbacks No. 5 prospect Tommy Troy goes 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the @MLBazFallLeague Play-in Semifinal: pic.twitter.com/AgT14Hiqkl
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 16, 2024
Groover similarly missed a chunk of the regular season due to a broken wrist and had to regroup, which he successfully did. The club elevated him to Double-A Amarillo and he made a loud introduction by hitting .340 with three homers in 10 games.
This fall, the power he showcased at the end of the season was not present, but he hit .370 entering the Fall Stars Game and .338 for the AFL campaign.
“Hitting is an up and down roller coaster, you start focusing too much on that stuff you might get out your game,” Groover said at the Fall Stars Game.
“Sometimes you got to accept that stretch that you might go through, because there’s always going to be a stretch where everything that touches your bat somehow ends up being an extra-base hit, whether you hit it hard or hit it 45 miles an hour. At the end of the day, I go up there and try to keep it as simple as I can.”
Tommy Troy, Gino Groover pushing each other
Arizona took Troy and Groover in the first two rounds of the 2023 MLB Draft, and they represent the next wave of prospects with sights on the big leagues, one the organization hopes can live up to the standard set by the young core currently donning Sedona red.
The infielders started their minor league careers at Hillsboro, where they spent most of 2024 before Groover received a promotion.
They’ve grown close during this process, even becoming roommates with their respective girlfriends in Scottsdale, and that bond has doubled as a motivator.
“No one sees the time and stuff he puts in outside the camera stuff, like in-game stuff,” Groover said. “But he’s a hard worker. He goes out there about his business every single day. I love being around him and feel like he pushes me as well.”
“That kid’s gonna hit it every single level, no matter what you throw at him,” Troy said. “I love watching him play. Love watching him work, too.”
Ask either prospect where they’d like to be by the end of next season, and they would say the major leagues.
“I’d love to be in the league, that’s the end goal at the end of the day,” Groover said. “Obviously, go out there, taking it a day at a time. Keep getting better, go out there perform, just make my own destiny.”
Diamondbacks stats at Arizona Fall League
Hitters
– INF Tommy Troy: .290/.380/.484, 3 HRs, 11 XBH, 27 SO, 10 BB, 4 SB
– INF Gino Groover: .338/.413/.354, 1 XBH, 13 SO, 8 BB
– OF Kristian Robinson: .319/.405/.449, 6 XBH, 22 SO, 8 BB, 9 SB
Pitchers
– LHP Philip Abner: 8.1 IP, 4 ER (4.32 ERA), 10 SO, 5 BB
– RHP Alfred Morillo: 9.0 IP, 5 ER (5.00 ERA), 12 SO, 6 BB
– RHP Kyle Amendt: 5.2 IP, 3 ER (4.76 ERA), 8 SO, 4 BB
– Dylan Ray: 13.0 IP, 11 ER (7.62 ERA), 18 SO, 5 BB
– Yu-Min Lin: 9.0 IP, 3 ER (3.00 ERA), 9 SO, 3 BB
Lin left the Fall League early to join the Taiwanese national team in the WBSC Premier12 international baseball tournament.