Diamondbacks’ Arizona Fall League Participant: Brandon Drury
Brandon Drury will be playing in the Arizona Fall League. Credit: South Bend Tribune
The Arizona Fall League begins play on October 7th with six teams comprised of various prospects from all organizations in Major League Baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks will be sending seven players assigned to the Salt River Rafters. We will spotlight one prospect per day up until play begins. Today’s player is third baseman Brandon Drury.
Background: Drury was drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Batting and throwing right-handed, he hails from Grants Pass, Oregon and played in the Gulf Coast League at the age of 17. Though he played shortstop in high school, the Braves converted him to a third baseman because they felt he lacked range at short.
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Minor League career: In 2011, Drury shined at Danville of the Appalachian League. In 265 at-bats he hit .347 with an on-base percentage of .367 and slugging .525 as an 18-year old. He struggled the following year at Higher A ball in Rome, GA with a line of .229/.270/.333. Drury was part of the huge deal that sent Justin Upton to Atlanta. He seemed to a new player at Class A South Bend in 2013. He hit 15 home runs with 85 RBI’s and a line of .302./362/.500. He split 2014 between High Class A Visalia and Double A Mobile. He combined for 23 HR’s and 95 RBI’s with a line of .299/.362/.510 and was named the Southern League’s Player of the Week for August 11th-17th.
Outlook: Drury and possibly Nick Ahmed might be the only saving graces from the Upton trade. Ranked #6 in the D’backs’ organization by mlb.com, his defense has improved to the point where third base will remain his position. It will be interesting to see what Arizona does with Drury and Jake Lamb, another highly-touted third baseman who spent time in the Majors in 2014. Drury will most likely start next year with Triple a Mobile.