An apology for not posting last week. My actual job got in the way, but there was little of note to report.
At about 4:30 yesterday afternoon in Albuquerque, a 1-2 slider from Trevor Richards caught the outside corner of the zone for strike three, bringing the Diamondbacks’ minor league season to a close with a 3-2 victory for the Reno Aces. It was a fitting result, just one week short of six months to the day that Jorge Barrosa took the first pitch of the season for a called strike to begin a 3-2 defeat
in Las Vegas. In between those two 3-2 games, 181 players threw a pitch in the system, and 120 players took a plate appearance. Seven organizational players made their major league debuts, so far; Austin Pope is in line to join them, and depending on how the last week of the season goes, some others might well join the list. Many players (primarily pitchers) missed substantial time with injury. One affiliate blew a lead they held for most of the first-half to miss postseason play, while another dominated the second-half only to bow out in two games.
Richards himself pitched on March 28, but that was in Des Moines for the Iowa Cubs. In between his season debut and the final pitch of the season, he appeared in three different organizations, appeared in five major league games, was released once and designated for assignment twice, and spent time on the injured list. Barrosa had three stints in the big leagues and collected his first big league home run at almost the same time as the Aces concluded their season.
Reno Aces
The Aces had a disappointing season on the whole, finishing 63-87 and in last place in the second half. They were hurt by the injury bug; in addition to having to send players up to the big leagues for injury replacement, a number of their own players also succumbed to injury. Five pitchers ended the season on the Reno injured list, but that does not include pitchers like Cristian Mena or Christian Montes De Oca, both of whom appeared briefly in the major leagues before injury. It also does not include Yilber Diaz, the expected ace of the rotation, who lost his control to the extent that he spent time in the complex. But the Aces also provided plenty of good baseball, with Jordan Lawlar, Blaze Alexander, Tim Tawa (briefly), and Tristin English having good years that resulted in big league time, and A.J. Vukovich turning his year around halfway through. Ivan Melendez and Kristian Robinson also appeared in Reno. Dylan Ray led the organization in innings pitched and Spencer Giesting performed fairly well.
Amarillo Sod Poodles
The Soddies won the second-half of the Texas League South convincingly, but fell in consecutive games to Midland in the division series. Ryan Waldschmidt was a star; he led the organization in plate appearances and 300 of those came for Amarillo. Melendez and Robinson had career years, and Christian Cerda showed considerable progress. Daniel Eagen came up from Hillsboro and turned in one excellent start before struggling, and Mitch Bratt was the pitching star after the trade deadline.
Hillsboro Hops
The Hops led the Northwest League for most of the first half before a total collapse saw them miss out on the postseason, and the second half was a struggle. But they did see the breakout year from Eagen, as well as the beginning of Waldschmidt’s year and great seasons from Cristofer Torin, Jansel Luis, Slade Caldwell, Angel Ortiz, and Ben McLaughlin. Druw Jones showed improvement. On the other hand, Mason Marriott was off to a great year before injury sidelined him.
Visalia Rawhide
Visalia saw the professional debut of Slade Caldwell, as well as Kayson Cunningham at season’s end. While they didn’t contend, there was plenty of good baseball, particularly on the pitching side. Wilkin Paredes and Junior Sanchez were two of the better starters throughout the year, Mervin Fell showed some promise, and Chung-Hsiang Huang finished the season in Visalia on a high note.
All-Organizational Team
While a number of players stood out, these are the players that showed the most promise at each position this season.
Catcher: Carlos Virahonda, Arizona Complex League/Visalia
In a season that saw Christian Cerda take a step forward and Ivan Luciano look good in his professional debut, it was Virahonda who stole the show. After a dismal 2024 offensively, he came stateside and tore up the complex, slashing .347/.464/.455 for a 150 wRC+. That earned him a call-up to Visalia, and while he was not as good there, he was still an above-average bat. But he also looks like one of the better future options behind the plate, throwing out 19 of 44 would-be base stealers. Virahonda has a catcher’s frame and will turn 20 in December, so he has time to grow into more power.
First Base: Ben McLaughlin, Hillsboro/Amarillo
It was the best year at first base in the organization in a while, with Ivan Melendez showing some progress, Tristin English earning a brief major league call-up, and Enyervert Perez and Manuel Pena showing the potential for more depth. But it’s McLaughlin–who forced Pena back to second base when he came up from Hillsboro–who gets the honors. The ninth-round pick last year posted a 119 wRC+ in Hillsboro, but absolutely tore up the Texas League after his promotion. He slashed .343/.435/.556 for a 162 wRC+, albeit with a .423 BABIP. But he draws a ton of walks and doesn’t strike out a ton, meaning that even when his BABIP is lower (as it was in Hillsboro, where it was just .294) he has a solid offensive floor. McLaughlin is a fast-mover who might be in organizational plans as soon as next year, or potentially a trade piece.
Second Base: Juan Brima, Dominican Summer League
While Jansel Luis would win the Northwest League batting title if the rules in the minor leagues were the same as the big leagues (3.1 plate appearances per team game to qualify) I’ve elected to give the nod to Brima. He was far from an unheralded prospect–signing for $500K–but was a bit under-the-radar compared to the biggest signings. Seventeen for the entirety of the season, the switch-hitter slashed .266/.398/.361 for a 112 wRC+, and also committed just four errors for a .980 fielding percentage with a 4.24 range factor. That’s a far better fielding percentage with a comparable range factor to the other contenders for the spot, with the caveat that it’s practically impossible to see his fielding. Tommy Troy is another option for this spot; he turned a corner offensively but continued to be inconsistent defensively.
Third Base: LuJames Groover, Amarillo
Groover requested to go by LuJames before the season, and while that probably had no factor in his performance, he was so good that anyone writing on the minor league system got a lot of practice. He finished with a .399 OBP and despite a power outage in the middle of the season, posted a 119 wRC+. But the biggest step forward was defensively. After struggling at third base in 2024, Groover showed the potential to hold down the position in 2025. He played 977 innings there and committed just 15 errors. It probably helped that he had all of one inning elsewhere on the field; good health and being at one position may have helped him take a big step forward. He’ll likely start 2026 as the Reno third baseman and could be a big league contributor as soon as late next season.
Shortstop: Cristofer Torin, Hillsboro/Amarillo
Torin is undersized for shortstop at 5’10”, but he makes up for it with quick movement and good instincts. He’s not the best defensive shortstop in the system, but has the makings of an average or slightly above-average defender at the position. But what really set him apart this year was growing into some power. His slugging percentage rose 49 points while he struck out even less often than in 2024. He slashed .291/.383/.393 for a wRC+ of 118, and after a final-week promotion to Amarillo, hit in all five regular season games (including four doubles) and collected a hit in both playoff games as well. Combined with his last few games in Hillsboro, he ended the season on a 12 game hitting streak.
Left Field: Ryan Waldschmidt, Hillsboro/Amarillo
Waldschmidt surged his way to becoming the top prospect in the system thanks to continuing incredible consistency at the plate. After posting a 142 wRC+ in 66 plate appearances for Visalia in 2024, he posted a 142 wRC+ in 301 plate appearances for Hillsboro before being promoted to Amarillo, where he posted a 145 wRC+ in 300 plate appearances. He walked almost as much as he struck out and showed solid power potential. Doubts on his hit tool have largely been answered; he makes good swing decisions and doesn’t swing and miss often despite a high-effort swing. Given that their names rhyme, it seems cliche to compare him to Paul Goldschmidt, but there is a lot of similarity to their offensive games, with Waldschmidt the better all-around athlete at this stage. Even when placed in center field, he handled it respectably, but given the center field depth in the organization that will not be where he winds up.
Center Field: Slade Caldwell, Visalia/Hillsboro
Aided by a sky-high BABIP and 20% walk rate, Caldwell demolished the California League to the tune of a 160 wRC+ while playing above-average defense and showing good baseball instincts. He found the Northwest League considerably more difficult, but when all was said and done, he posted a 98 wRC+ there with a walk rate still over 15%. He does need to make some adjustments; he struck out far too much and hit the ball on the ground almost twice as often as he did in the air. But he was still just 18 when promoted to Hillsboro, making him one of the youngest players at the level. He’ll likely begin next season there as well, but is on track to reach Amarillo sometime next year, possibly while still a teenager.
Right Field: Gavin Conticello, Amarillo
Conticello had a really good season, posting a 112 wRC+, increasing his walks, and cutting his strikeouts. He didn’t take the hoped-for step forward in the power department, and was caught stealing more times (five) than he stole successfully (four) after stealing 20 bases in 2024. But he still showed the ability to be a good all-around outfielder. He recorded double-digit outfield assists for the second straight year and has not committed an error since September 6 of last year. In fact, he has committed just two errors since moving to the outfield full-time in the middle of last season. As he is Rule 5 eligible this offseason, the Diamondbacks will have to consider adding him to the 40-man roster.
Starting Pitcher: Daniel Eagen, Hillsboro/Amarillo
Eagen got the opening day start in Hillsboro and struggled through three innings. His resulting game score of 30 was his second-lowest all year (he had a game score of 29 on June 26). Eight of 23 outings were quality starts, and he had three starts where he didn’t allow a hit. He struck out at least ten on four occasions, and had an immaculate inning. He did struggle in his final three starts after an amazing AA debut, but he was still easily the best starting pitcher on the year.
Relief Pitcher: Philip Abner, Hillsboro/Amarillo/Reno
Abner became the first player in the organization since Luis Frias in 2021 to start the season in A-ball and wind up in the major leagues. They did so in completely different ways, however. Frias was a starter and the organization was incredibly weak in pitching. Abner stormed through AAA and hasn’t allowed a run since August 27, and that was in extra innings in Amarillo. Excluding extra innings, one has to go all the way back to July 29. Since then, he’s made 19 appearances at three levels (including two in the big leagues) and allowed one earned run (in the tenth inning on August 27) while striking out 22 and walking five. He made his big league debut with the Diamondbacks trailing 3-2, a runner on, and Kyle Schwarber at the plate. He struck out Schwarber but allowed a Bryce Harper single and walked J.T. Realmuto before striking out Brandon Marsh. He at least had a seven run lead for his second outing, but came on with two runners aboard and no one out, but got Harrison Bader to pop out and Schwarber to ground into a double play.
Up Next
The Arizona Fall League starts October 6, with the Salt River Rafters beginning play the next day. Diamondbacks on the Rafters are pitchers Kyle Amendt, Yordin Chalas, David Hagaman, Drey Jameson, and Jacob Steinmetz, as well as catcher Kenny Castillo, infielder Jansel Luis, and outfielder Jack Hurley.
