Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League teams mid-season update!

Reno Aces: Triple-AAA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks\

The Reno Aces are the current longest affiliated Minor League team with the Diamondbacks. They are the highest level in the Minor Leagues and are based in Reno, Nevada.  They are in the West Division of the Pacific Coast (West) League. They currently have a record of 43-26 , good for 1st place in their division. They have a resounding 6.5 game lead over the next closest team. They also have the best record in their league.

The Reno Aces are a huge training ground for players right before the Arizona Diamondbacks call them up to the big leagues. Thus, they have many of the top prospects for the D-backs.

Some prospects to keep your eyes on:

• J.B. Bukauskas: Made his MLB debut earlier this year for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Jon Duplantier: Made his MLB debut in 2019, former top-prospect who can be a reliable starter if he gets healthy, career 2.51 ERA in the minors.
• Josh Green: Struggled this year, but has been a rising star in the D-backs system.
• Corbin Martin: #7 prospect for team.1st year back from Tommy John, acquired in Greinke trade (with JB) , struggled in Majors this year but scouts say he has front-line starter potential. Has 30 K’s in 27 IP’s.
• Seth Beer (best last name in baseball): #13 prospect in organization. Acquired in Greinke deal as well. Has light-tower power but is limited to LF, 1B, or DH. Has 46 HR’s in 255 games. Yet to make his MLB debut but soon!
• Drew Ellis: Potential 3B of future? #29 prospect in the organization. He has good power and contact skills. 12 HR’s in 63 games this year so far for the Aces.

The manager of the Aces is former MLB Catcher Blake Lalli. He is regarded as a talented skipper and beloved by players.

Amarillo Sod Poodles: Double-AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks

This is the Arizona Diamondbacks new Double-AA team. They replaced Jackson Generals after the 2019 season. They are located in Amarillo, Texas. They are currently last in their division, the Central-South division. They have a record 29-42.

The Sod Poodles are an exciting young team that has many of Arizona top prospects. Do not let their record fool you as this team has plenty of talent. The same could be said of the Arizona Diamondbacks too. Their manager is Shawn Roof. He is a young and talented manager after having won two Manager of the Year awards in the Minor Leagues by the age of 36. This is his fourth year in the Arizona system. This team is filled with prospects as mentioned above (prospect rankings are from here:

• Luis Frias: He is ranked as the #9 prospect for the D-backs organization. He has 85 K’s in 70.2 IP’s.
• Tommy Henry: Former Michigan Wolverine and CWS participant, Henry is ranked #12 in the D-backs prospect rankings. He is a solid left-hander who can be a workhorse and eat up innings. He has 79 K’s in 68.2 IP’s this season.
• Bryce Jarvis: The 1st round pick for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2020 draft, he has risen to Double-AA in his first pro year. He is ranked #8 overall prospect in the organization. He has a sharp fastball and good command. In 60 innings so far, he has a 1.20 WHIP and 65 strikeouts.
• Levi Kelly: :Levi is a fast-rising prospect in the organization. He is now ranked #10. He is a hard-throwing reliever right now with not-so-great command. He has 24 K’s but also 25 walks in 21+ innings.
• Ryne Nelson: He is ranked #18 on the D-backs prospect list and has risen quite a bit this year. He was a 2nd round pick from 2019. He has shown great command of his pitches and durability. He has 96’s K’s and a 1.11 WHIP in only 64 innings.
• Matt Tabor: Tabor is the #21 ranked prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has shown a lot this year and risen up the ranks due to that. In 69 innings, he has a 3.24 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, both of which are great.
• Geraldo Perdomo: # 3 prospect for the D-backs and in the top 100 overall prospects for the MLB. He is considered their SS for the future. He made his MLB debut earlier this year but showed he wasn’t ready yet. He’s a tremendous fielder.
• Dominic Fletcher: #15 prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He plays the OF and is the brother of Los Angeles star David Fletcher. Dominic has a lot of good attributes but has yet to put them together. He should be in Chase Field’s outfield sooner than later though. He has 8 HR’s on the year so far.
• Alek Thomas: The Arizona Diamondbacks Future’s Game representative for 2019 and 2021. He is the son of White Sox strength coach Allen Thomas. He is the #4 prospect for the organization and a top-100 prospect in the MLB. He makes a ton of contact, runs well, and plays great defense. He is considered our CF of the future. He has 6 HR’s and 7 SB’s this year so far.

Hillsboro Hops: High-A Advanced affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Hillsboro Hops are based in Oregon and have been apart of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for quite a long time. They used to be the low-level A team for them. Now they are the High-A team. They are in the High-A West division where they are currently 5th. They have a record of 31-39. Their manager is Vince Harrison and he has been apart of the D-backs coaching staff since 2013.

They have a few of the D-backs top prospects and are a team to watch as these players will help shape the farm system for years to come:

• Slade Cecconi: Slade is the #6 prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He was drafted in 2020 and has performed better than expected this year. He projects to be a solid starter in the MLB someday. He has struck out 57 batters in 53 innings so far this year.
• Drey Jameson: Drey is the #20 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization. He has a great fastball and solid potential. He might end up in the bullpen eventually but they are trying him as a starter at first. In 57.1 innings, he has 18 walks to 71 strikeouts. He is definitely performing well this year.
• Blake Walston: He is the #5 prospect for the Diamondbacks. Taken out of HS in the 2019 draft, he is a young and tall left-handed pitcher. He has a ton of potential and upside if he can reach it. He has been dominant this year in 67.1 innings as he has only given up 55 hits, 28 walks, and struck out 97 hitters across two levels this year.

Visalia Rawhide: Low-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Visalia Rawhide have been apart of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization since 2007. They have traditionally been the High-A affiliate until this year when they were moved down to Low-A. They play in the middle of California and are the first stop for new draft picks by the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is due to the MLB getting rid of the rookie levels before this year. The Rawhide have a record of 16-56 and are last in the Low-A West-South division. This just has not been the year for the Diamondbacks or their affiliates. They are managed by Javier Colina. Fun fact, old friend and player for the Diamondbacks, Barry Enright, is the team’s pitching coach.

There are a few top-30 prospects for the Rawhide and they are:

• AJ Vukovich: The #17 prospect for the D-backs after being drafted in 2020, he has 9 HR’s and 40 RBI’s so far this year. He is young and plays 3B. He could develop into a very solid 3B if he can get his strikeouts (70) under control.
• Liam Norris: The #25 prospect for the Diamondbacks, he was drafted in 2020 as a starting pitcher. He has the potential to be a solid back-end starter provide he can get his command under control. In 36 innings so far, he has walked 48 and struck out 45 batters. That’s not good.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a top-10 Minor League system in the MLB. The standings might not show it but the D-backs have many good prospects. In a few years, we will see the hard work pay off as these players make the MLB. We will do a recap of the Minor Leagues again at the end of the season. Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the teams and what articles you want to see down below.

As always,

May the Force be With You…