The Diamondbacks will have plenty of prospects to appear in Spring Training this year, with Gino Groover, Jordan Lawlar, and Adrian Del Castillo set to participate. Lawlar and Del Castillo are already on the 40-man roster while Groover is on the list of non-roster invitees.
While the Diamondbacks are built to win now, there's always an opportunity for a top prospect to have a strong spring and force some tough decisions. These three prospects could put themselves in that position.
Adrian Del Castillo has the opportunity to compete for backup catcher role
Of the Diamondbacks group of prospects in camp, the player with the highest chance of making the club is Del Castillo. While Gabriel Moreno is entrenched as the primary starter, he's getting 100-110 starts behind the plate. That leaves another 50-60 starts for the rest of the players at the position. As a left-handed swinger with good power potential, Del Castillo makes the ideal backup to Moreno.
The one issue at hand is defense. The Diamondbacks have preferred a defensive-minded catcher behind the plate, whereas Del Castillo is more offensive-minded. His arm is a liability, as his arm clocked in at 76.7 MPH and had the sixth-worst pop time to second base (2.04) amongst catchers with at least five attempts according to Statcast. In fact, Statcast rates him -2 caught stealings above average and -1 framing runs in a short sample although the latter statistic can be improved upon.
The physical tools are there and Del Castillo has a passion for playing the catcher position. His defense has come a long way, although the bat has also improved to the point where he is close to carving out a role.
Jordan Lawlar is Diamondbacks' lone PPI prospect but is blocked
Lawlar is the Diamondbacks only prospect who is eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive, by making all the Top 100 lists, although his playing time is currently blocked. Geraldo Perdomo is currently entrenched as the starting shortstop, so they'll have to find another spot. It may take an injury for Lawlar to get his opportunity.
In the long-term, the position to watch will be either third base or center field. Eugenio Suarez is a free agent following the 2025 season, although Groover could be knocking on the door. Given a lack of depth at the position in the minor leagues, it may make sense for the Diamondbacks to get Lawlar reps there to get him ready.
Lawlar would have to accrue a full year of service time in 2025 to be eligible for PPI rewards, including draft pick compensation for either a Rookie of the Year award or a finalist for the league's Most Valuable Player or Cy Young Award in his pre-arbitration eligible seasons. That seems unlikely given the current outlook of the infield.
The four players who have earned their respective teams a PPI pick include Julio Rodriguez (2022 ROY), Corbin Carroll (2023 ROY), Gunnar Henderson (2023 ROY), and Bobby Witt Jr. (2024 MVP finalist), including at least one per year.
Tim Tawa is a dark horse to make the club
Tawa was added to the Diamondbacks 40-man roster in November. The 25-year-old infielder carries a lot of defensive versatiility and is coming off a breakout year in which he produced at the team's highest two levels of the minors. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he slugged 31 home runs and was at least 30% better than the league-average hitter (130 wRC+) at each level.
That versatility could come into play when optimizing the final roster spots. The team just signed Garrett Hampson, who provides similar value with less upside. While Hampson provides more speed and defense, Tawa carries more offensive upside.
There is history behind the Diamondbacks giving a prospect a roster spot, as they rostered Blaze Alexander last season over veteran infielder Kevin Newman. The season played out differently, as Newman became an invaluable player off the bench. The Hampson vs. Tawa camp battle offers similar dynamics to a year ago.