Recapping how the Diamondbacks prospects fared in their first week in the Arizona Fall League
The Salt River Rafters opened up the first week of the Arizona Fall League with a 3-2 record. The Diamondbacks have sent eight minor leaguers, including four prospects on MLB’s list of Top 30 prospects in the organization.
Here’s how each of the eight players have fared in the first week of the fall.
3B/1B Gino Groover
Groover went 5-for-13 with no extra-base hits but a .852 OPS. In his first three games, he’s started twice at third base and once at first.
The thing that stood out to me is the maturity in his game. It’s clear he’s very attentive and goes up to the plate with a solid plan of attack every time, a skill set that will translate well when he gets called up to the major leagues within the next couple of seasons. It’s pretty clear to me that he has the total package of physical tools and mental makeup to be a successful big league regular.
I got the first look at him playing third base on Thursday. Six balls were hit in his direction and he converted five of them. Granted all five outs were routine plays, but the actions and footwork were very clean. He has plenty of arm for the position, so I remain optimistic that he can develop into a potential regular at the hot corner. I will need to see him attempt to handle more difficult plays to feel more confident in that projection.
He said he will get reps at third, second, and first in the fall.
SS/2B Tommy Troy
Troy has gotten off to a slow start. He’s 1-for-18 with a double in Salt River’s opener. While he had a more productive game on Saturday, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly and starting a four-run rally after getting hit in the left shoulder by a fastball.
From my vantage point in the press box, it seems like he’s dipping his shoulder in his swing, causing him to either pop the ball up in the air or top it straight down. His swing is geared more toward attacking fastballs up in the zone, which was the case for his lone hit of the fall. However, it’s hard to tell if there are mechanical issues with his swing since I’m not well-versed in that type of analysis.
On defense, I’ve noticed he’s more comfortable ranging to his left rather than his right. I’ve seen one start each at second base and shortstop, and he looks more comfortable playing short.
LHP Yu-Min Lin
I have not watched Lin in person yet this fall, but his first start against Glendale was excellent. He pitched three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no walks. His most impressive inning came in the third, in which he stranded a leadoff runner in scoring position with two strikeouts and a flyout.
His sinker is in the 89-93 MPH range and he more or less ditched a 4-seamer that doesn’t get a lot of carry. There were some misidentified pitches, including some sinkers that were classified as changeups and cutters listed as sliders. The sinker, cutter, slider, and changeup combination will be Lin’s ticket to staying in a major league starting rotation. He’s the most MLB-ready prospect the Diamondbacks are sending to the fall league.
RHP Dylan Ray
Ray was 93-96 MPH in his first outing. His main focus has been working on better two-strike execution, although it was a mixed bag in his first outing. He went 1 2⁄3 innings and while his stuff looked solid, all three hits allowed came on two-strike counts. It’s definitely a situation where you want to see how he progresses into his next couple of outings.
RHP Kyle Amendt
Amendt doesn’t blow guys away with velocity, sitting in the 90-92 MPH range with his 4-seamer, but he gives hitters a unique look. His delivery allows him to hide the ball before unleashing a fastball that gets a lot of vertical carry, which gets on hitters quickly. He’ll utilize a mid-80s cutter and a high-70s curveball as his secondary pitches.
Amendt has plenty of backend experience, closing for Dallas Baptist before getting selected by the Diamondbacks in the 9th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He went from High-A to AAA in his first full season in the organization as a quick to the big leagues reliever. He should get a look in the majors not too deep into the 2025 season.
LHP Philip Abner
Abner gets a lot of swing-and-miss on a 90-92 MPH 4-seamer and the movement numbers show why. While it doesn’t get great induced vertical break numbers, the purely vertical shape of the pitch allows it to play up in the zone. His vertical and horizontal break numbers are similar to Braves starter Max Fried, who will be one of the top free agent pitchers this winter. However, it’s also worth noting that Fried throws a lot harder, roughly 2-3 MPH more on his fastball than Abner.
Beyond the fastball, his next best pitch is a low-80s slider that will play against left-handed hitters. In his second outing, both of his outs came on left-on-left sliders. Even though in both cases they were mislocated at the top of the strike zone, he got popouts. He profiles as a middle relief option, possibly a matchup lefty.
RHP Alfred Morillo
Morillo posted some impressive numbers in High-A Hillsboro. The stuff matches, as he was 94-97 MPH on the 4-seamer with a slider. It’s unclear if he throws a cutter, as it appeared he had a 93-94 MPH pitch with cutting action. While he’s nowhere near prospect lists, the fact he has good velocity and can get swings and misses makes him a sleeper prospect as a potential future reliever in Arizona.
OF Kristian Robinson
Robinson is a tough evaluation. Watching him in both the spring and fall, he can work counts and draw walks but has a big strikeout problem. He has trouble making contact on pitches in the shadow part of the strike zone, especially on elevated fastballs and breaking balls just below the knees. It doesn’t seem like it will ever be a problem that will ever completely go away, regardless of the reps he gets.
It’s a tough decision for the organization because he can really put a charge into a ball. That was evident on his home run against Surprise on Saturday when he crushed a hanging slider at the belt for a long home run over the batter’s eye. The hope is with more reps he’ll have a better idea of which pitches he can drive and be more selective.