Due to the ongoing trade deadline environment, this will be a shorter edition. Given that what prospects are in the system might well change between writing and publication, this seems best. But there’s still plenty to talk about from the last week.
The Week That Was
One season came to an end, as the Arizona Complex League concluded its regular season on Thursday. There was no postseason for the Pygmy Rattlers this year; the Angels’ affiliate beat the Giants’ affiliate in the first game of the championship
and will be going for the title today.
Reno lost their series at home against Oklahoma City, but still performed better in a full series than they had all month. Amarillo won their series in Corpus Christi 4-2. Hillsboro won a series for the first time since May 6-11, beating Tri-City. Visalia lost their series in Rancho Cucamonga. The complex team went 2-1 in their final action, the DSL Black squad went 4-1, and the DSL Red squad went 3-2. Overall, that’s a 21-16 week.
Amarillo holds a three-game lead in the Texas League South, and Visalia is two games back in the California League South. Reno still has the worst record in the Pacific Coast League during the second half, and Hillsboro is somehow already 15 games back even though just 30 games have been played in the second half of the Northwest League season. Arizona Red is four games back in the DSL South, and Arizona Black is 8.5 back in the DSL Southwest.
Batter of the Week, Full Season Edition
Druw Jones, Hillsboro (.412/.455/.824, .442 RC/PA)
It’s been known for a while that Jones is one of the best (if not the best) defensive outfielders in the system. His combination of speed, arm, and judgement isn’t as good as his father’s, but so what? He’s a 70-grade defensive outfielder. The bat has been the issue. But since the second half of the season started, Jones has slashed .321/.385/.571 in 97 plate appearances. He’s struck out just 14 times. His BABIP is .338, which is right in line with expectations for a player with his speed. 11 of his 27 hits have been for extra bases. His wRC+ over that span is 153. The power is the biggest development; he’s started to drive the ball into the gaps. His glove is good enough for him to be a productive player with a below-average bat, so if he sustains this offensive production the sky is the limit. He’s likely not going to produce at this level, but if he gets to the point where he can post a major league wRC+ of 90 or so, that’s a very useful player.
Batter of the Week, Rookie League Edition
Andy Encarnacion, DSL Red (.667/.750/1.111, .585 RC/PA)
Sure, Encarnacion only had 12 plate appearances. But he reached base in nine of them. There aren’t a ton of extra-base hits in the DSL, but he had two doubles and a triple. He stole three bases.
Encarnacion is decidedly not a prospect; he’s 20, which is old for the level, and he’s in his fourth season in the DSL. But it was a week for the ages anyway, and he deserves some recognition for it.
Starting Pitcher of the Week
Naimer Rosario, DSL Red (7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K)
Rosario just turned 19. He’s a 6’, 160 pound left-handed pitcher. He’s in his second season in the DSL, and has shown substantial improvement. He went from walking 5.6 per nine innings last year to 1.8 this year, while keeping his strikeouts steady. This was his second quality start of the season. He’s second in the DSL in strikeouts with 45 (one behind the leader) but has just eight walks. He’s second in innings pitched, which speaks to his control. While there isn’t a lot of pitch-by-pitch information in the DSL, what there is indicates that he’s efficient. BABIP against is low, but at .264 not ridiculously so. Given health, we’ll hopefully see Rosario make the move to the complex next year.
Relief Pitcher of the Week
Jhosmer Alvarez, Amarillo (4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K)
Alvarez has been working longer outings of late, and has sustained his velocity through multiple innings. That’s important, because a decision must be made on his future soon; he’s Rule-5 eligible and relievers are the easiest players to stash on a big league roster. He’s struggled with walks in AA, but it seems like the change in roles has agreed with him: since the switch to a multi-inning role, he’s walked 14 in 30.2 innings (four of those coming in a blowup outing in which he didn’t get any outs) while before that he’d walked 12 in eight innings.
Some Plays of the Week
Cristofer Torin helped the Hops with a walk-off hit
CHRISTOFER TORIN WALKS IT OFF FOR THE SERIES WIN!!!#AllHoppedUp pic.twitter.com/FmpzVd45rw
— Hillsboro Hops (@HillsboroHops) July 27, 2025
Some good glove work was on display
Back-to-back AMAZING defensive plays by Daniel Eagen and Ben McLaughlin #AllHoppedUp pic.twitter.com/HVDddxhiG1
— Hillsboro Hops (@HillsboroHops) July 26, 2025
Druw Jones did Druw Jones things
DRUW JONES INSIDE THE PARK HOMER #AllHoppedUp pic.twitter.com/7IAuRAxIy6
— Hillsboro Hops (@HillsboroHops) July 24, 2025
Tommy Troy turned a two run deficit into a one run lead
TOMMY TROY IS A HERO
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) July 24, 2025
Down to their last out, the Amarillo second baseman launches a three-run tater to put the Sod Poodles up 7-6 in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/FXeEjrxKJW
Ryan Waldschmidt played center field
WALDY ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) July 27, 2025
What a grab to prevent extra bases by Ryan Waldschmidt! pic.twitter.com/X4o2fwSCjX
Kristian Robinson picked up his first AAA hit
Save that baseball
— Reno Aces (@Aces) July 27, 2025
Kristian Robinson smokes a 105 MPH single for his first AAA hit! pic.twitter.com/YobnKhRIwT
A Brief Retrospective
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Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty ImagesWhen I first saw Nick Ahmed play, it was obvious there was something different. It was August of 2013, and he had some extremely bad offensive numbers. And the fans loved him. It was easy to see why; he played shortstop the way few do, and very few in the minor leagues. He wasn’t the star of the game; those honors went to Bradin Hagens and Nick Evans. But of the eight players appearing for Mobile that night who eventually made it, Ahmed by far had the longest career. And he did it by being essentially the same player he was then: great glove, little bat, good clubhouse guy. In terms of the length of his tenure (not in terms of games played or plate appearances) Ahmed is the longest-tenured Diamondback. He’s the franchise leader in one other category: defensive bWAR, with only Craig Counsell having compiled even half of his total.
He didn’t leave under the best of terms, and his final contract was certainly a poor signing. But that doesn’t take away the great moments he had in a Diamondbacks’ uniform, and hopefully we will remember him more fondly in a few years.
Up Next
On the field, Reno travels to first-half champion Las Vegas, Amarillo hosts Wichita, Hillsboro goes to Spokane, and Visalia hosts Modesto. But the more interesting thing will be seeing who is going up levels. Tim Tawa is likely to be recalled to handle a utility spot while Blaze Alexander handles third base. We might also see the return of Sergio Alcántara. Andrew Hoffman will almost certainly make his debut at some point. Keep an eye on Austin Pope, Jake Rice, Jhosmer Alvarez, Alfred Morillo, and Landon Sims. These bullpen arms are all either already Rule 5 eligible or will be this offseason. They won’t all be given a look, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them were. Jeff Brigham, who has been striking out 35% of batters at AAA and is healthy again, might also get a look.
But the biggest question is who the next newbies will be, and how they fit in with the system. That will be the topic next week.
More from azsnakepit.com:
- Arizona Diamondbacks 8, Colorado Rockies 3: A farewell to Herrmann
- Snake Bytes 3/26: Time to Rest Core
- SnakePit Round Table: Predictions edition
- Arizona Diamondbacks option Yasmany Tomas to Triple-A
- Predicting the Opening Day Arizona Diamondbacks roster
- Arizona Diamondbacks acquire Deven Marrero, DFA Albert Suarez, select Fernando Salas - Patrick Corbin to start Opening Day
- Steven Souza’s strained pectoral: Who should replace him?
