The Arizona Diamondbacks' prospects defeated the Kansas City Royals' prospects 5-2 at Salt River Fields as part of the Spring Breakout series. The Diamondbacks led wire-to-wire, scoring two runs in the first inning and three in the fifth to cruise to victory behind solid pitching. These prospects stood out in the win.
LuJames Groover (No. 10) was the ultimate catalyst in both run-scoring innings, collecting a double in the first and an RBI triple in the fifth. His triple narrowly missed a home run in center field by a few feet. Both hits were line drives, at 95.3 and 106.7 MPH off the bat, showcasing his skills with the bat. He's closing in on the majors, with just one good season away from potentially a cup of coffee at the end of the season. He is a potential option to take over at one of the two corner infield spots in the long term.
106.7 mph off the bat and 416 feet ... and not a homer!?@Dbacks No. 10 prospect LuJames Groover smokes a ball off the center-field fence for an RBI triple. pic.twitter.com/NWfqMWdPcz
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 15, 2025
Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 6) opened the scoring with a two-run single through the wide-open right side of the infield. He also drew a walk in his second plate appearance, showcasing that he not only hits for power but has good plate discipline. Waldschmidt introduced himself to the fan base in Las Vegas, crushing a home run against the Athletics and getting robbed of another.
Demetrio Crisantes (No. 2) showed why he is one of the fastest rising prospects in the Diamondbacks' system, sparking a couple of innings with a pair of walks and scoring twice. He also triggered a double play with a good deke on a runner attempting to steal. On a fly ball to right, he and shortstop Cristofer Torin faked a tag, tricking Asbel Gonzalez into sliding and ultimately a dead duck heading back to first base.
Gavin Conticello (No. 24) also had a big day on the field and at the plate with two hits. He was the right fielder in the aforementioned double play, doubling off Gonzalez at first. He also delivered a huge RBI single in that three-run fifth inning and scored on a Christian Cerda sacrifice fly.
Dylan Ray (No. 20) started the game for the Diamondbacks and retired six of seven hitters over two scoreless innings. His fastball was 92-95 MPH and the slider got some good results, including a swinging strikeout of Daniel Vazquez on the first batter of the game. He later rung up Gavin Cross in the second on a front-hip fastball that featured a lot of late run.
The Diamondbacks farm system currently ranks 22nd out of 30 teams according to MLB. However, with a young and growing system augmented by a strong 2024 draft, they could be pushing towards the Top 10 in a couple of years.