Baseball America Releases Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospect List

Baseball America has released their top 10 Diamondbacks prospect list for 2015, and let the debating begin Dbacks fans!

Here is their list:

1. Archie Bradley, rhp

2. Braden Shipley, rhp

3. Aaron Blair, rhp

4. Yasmany Tomas, of/3b

5. Touki Toussaint, rhp

6. Jake Lamb, 3b

7. Brandon Drury, 3b/2b

8. Peter O’Brien, c/1b

9. Domingo Leyba, 2b/ss

10. Nick Ahmed, ss

Despite struggling with injuries and underperformance in 2014, most sites still have right-hander Archie Bradley as the teams no.1 prospect.

There is no question that Bradley has the stuff and the ability to get the job done. He showed that in 2013 when he went 12-5 with a 1.97 era, in 21 starts over 123.1 innings pitched, with a K/BB ratio of 119/59.

He took a step back in 2014, going 2-3 with a 4.12 era in 54.2 innings pitched with a 46/36 K/BB ratio. He also made five starts in Reno with a 5.18 era. His control still needs to be worked on, and I think he isn’t quite ready.

Right-hander Aaron Blair who is ranked as the Dbacks no.3 prospect by BA, is probably the Diamondbacks most polished pitcher, and is the most ready to pitch in the major leagues. When he was drafted, he was projected with a back end starter who would get a lot of ground balls and eat innings.

His stock, along with Jake Lamb’s shot up in 2014, after Blair dominated at three levels.  He only got better when he went up to higher levels. He posted a higher strikeout rate in 154.1 innings, and his walk rate stayed manageable. His SO/W went from 2.41 to 3.55 in 2014. He is tending up, and every Dbacks fan should keep a close eye on him this season.

One other note on this list: It will be interesting to see how much playing time Jake Lamb gets next season especially if Yasmany Tomas. Lamb’s slash lines in the minors compare to Freddie Freeman and Alex Gordon, and while he does strikeout more than them, he has a ton of potential, and needs more playing time to continue his development.

Of course everybody will be keeping their eye on Peter O’Brien who could make his major league debut  this season, and will probably be starting in 2016. Keep an eye on his defensive development. If he can become solid behind the plate, then he has a chance to be great, because his power is off the charts. He also needs to work on getting on base more.

With Aaron Hill’s time in the desert probably limited, Brandon Drury who had a great season in the minors might get a chance this year to grab the second base job for 2016.

Yasmany Tomas has a chance to be the rookie of the year this season, and Touki Toussaint and Domingo Leyba also intrigue me. I really don’t know what the Dbacks are going to do with Nick Ahmed with Tomas, Owings, Drury, and Lamb all ahead of him.