Introduction
In the Arizona Diamondbacks nearly 30 years of existence, only eleven players in the organizations history were born in Arizona. However. just one of those players was drafted, developed, and made their MLB debut with the Diamondbacks. That player is right handed pitcher Charles Brewer, who was born in Paradise Valley, attended school in Scottsdale at Chaparral High School, choosing to attend UCLA after being drafted by the Angels in 2006. Instead, Brewer would spend three years pitching for UCLA,
and would sign his first professional contract after his home town Diamondbacks took him in 12th round of the 2009 draft. Brewer would spend four years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut with the Dbacks in 2013. Brewer’s MLB career was brief, pitching just six innings across four games with those 2013 Diamondbacks.
Technically, since Brewer played for UCLA prior to being drafted, no native Arizonan pitcher or hitter has spent the entirety of their amateur career inside the state, before being drafted and later debuting with the Diamondbacks. As far as I could tell from the cursory bit of research I did, it does appear that no Arizona born NBA, WNBA, NHL, or NFL player has accomplished the equivalent feat in their sport either. So on that note, I think it would be more than fair to say that Arizona sports has never really had a true homegrown player that has stuck around long enough to become part of the zeitgeist. I mention all of that, because that may change on the near future thanks to a young second base prospect in the Diamondbacks farm system who’s getting very close to MLB ready status, Demetrio Crisantes. Crisantes isn’t just a fringe minor leaguer either, as we’ll discuss in this article, he might end up being the team’s top minor league prospect entering the 2027 season.
Background
Demetrio Miguel Crisantes was born on September 5, 2004 in Tucson, Arizona. He grew up a little further south of Tucson, in Nogales, just north of the US-Mexico border. Crisantes was a standout for the Nogales High Aggies at shortstop. Although he had a strong commitment to the University of Arizona, the Diamondbacks drafted Crisantes seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft (198th overall) by signing him for $425,000, significantly higher than the $247,200 slot value.
Here’s a video about Crisantes that was published right before the 2022 draft about his draft prospects, which goes into further detail on his Amateur career.
Professional Career
Crisantes made his professional debut the following year in the 2023 season. In 29 games in the Arizona Complex League, all at designated hitter, Crisantes hit .347.417/.465 with a 126 wRC+ and .420 wOBA.
Crisantes returned to the complex for another 29 games to start off the 2024 season, where he’d hit .355/.431/.521 with 441 wOBA and 144 wRC+. That performance earned Crisantes a promotion to the A ball level Visalia Rawhide. In 63 games for Visalia, Crisantes hit .333/.429/.478 with a 146 wRC+ and .427 wOBA. Combined across the two levels, Crisantes walked 12.5% of the time while striking out only 15.7% of the time, while stealing 30 bases. (I suppose it’s also worth mentioning that although he did continue to DH, he played at first, second, and thirdbase).
Highlights of Crisantes 2024 season are in the video below:
2025 was a lost season for Crisantes, with an injury limiting him to just 34 games and 151 plate appearances for the High A level Hillsboro Hops. However, he’d still put up above average numbers in the pitcher friendly Northwestern League, hitting .252/.358/.415 with a .354 wOBA and a 111 wRC+.
Crisantes began the 2026 season on the injury list once again, thanks to a hamstring injury in spring training As a result, he wouldn’t begin his season until May 19th, when he was activated for a rehab assignment, beginning with three games with the ACL D-backs, followed by four with the Hillsboro Hops, before finally being activated on June 2nd with the AA level Amarillo Sod Poodles. In his three game stint in the Complex League, Crisantes went 1 for 7 with a double, three walks, and three strikeouts. In his four game stint in the Northwestern league, Crisantes went 4 for 13 with two doubles, two HRs, three walks, and five strikeouts.
Through his first 32 games in Amarillo, Crisantes hit .306/.393/.532 with twelve doubles doubles, a pair of triples, and four homeruns. That works out to a 121 wRC+ and a .407 wOBA. He’s walked 10.3% of the time, while striking out a very reasonable 17.2% rate. The biggest highlight of Crisantes time in AA so far has been when he hit for the cycle on June 28th, which I’ve included in a highlight video below.
Across the three levels in 2026, Crisantes has hit .299/.398/.542 with a .414 wOBA and 127 wRC+ in the 39 games played. He’s walked in 12.3 percent of his plate appearances, while striking out 19.3 percent of the time.
Scouting Reports/Prospect Rankings
Entering 2026, Baseball America had Crisantes as the Diamondbacks number three ranked prospect, and giving him the following scouting grades:
Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Field: 45 | Arm: 45
In addition, BA’s Scouting Report had the following to say:
Crisantes has a simple, repeatable swing that allows him to generate hard contact at good angles. Though the raw thump he produces isn’t plus, his tight launch angle distribution suggests a hitter who can maximize the power he has at his disposal. He rarely swings and misses and showed an improved approach in 2025 before his injury. Scouting looks were limited during his abbreviated season, but evaluators and D-backs officials said Crisantes’ defensive play at second base has improved. His arm remains below-average but most see the total defensive package as good enough—assuming that he provides above-average production at the plate. He is a fringe-average runner.
Entering 2026, MLB Pipeline had Crisantes as the Diamondbacks number four ranked prospect, with the following scouting grades, while giving him a 50 future overall.
Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45
MLB Pipeline’s scouting report:
He runs a simple operation in the box, slightly lowering his hands and lifting his leg to start his load without overcomplicating matters. The result is a lot of contact when he swings, and he barely misses on anything in the zone. Synergy had his in-zone contact rate at 93 percent in 2025. A lot of that contact is in the air too, helping him make the most of his limited raw power. How the pop responds to the shoulder and year-long layoff will be worth following in ’26. An average runner, Crisantes is expected to be a primary second baseman moving forward with enough range to work up the middle but a limited arm.
Over on the Athletic, Crisantes was ranked at #4. No scouting grades were included but Keith Law did have the following to say:
Crisantes was on the top 100 a year ago, and still has the best pure hit tool in the system, but his 2025 season ended after 34 games when he tore the labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, finishing with a .252/.358/.415 line in his High-A debut. That comes on top of Tommy John surgery when he was in high school, which had to be redone because the first surgery didn’t take, so he just hasn’t played all that much over the last three years.
Finally, over on Fangraphs.com, Crisantes was ranked as the organization’s fifth ranked prospect, with the following scouting grades (future/present value):
Hit: 40/60 |Game Power: 35/45 | Raw Power: 40/45 | Speed: 50/50 |Field 45/55 |
The author of Fangraphs Dbacks 2026 top prospect list, Brendan Gawlawski had the following to say:
Crisantes has a case as the best pure hitter in the D-backs system. He’s quick to the ball with a manipulable bat path that lets him barrel pitches all over the zone. He makes a ton of contact, tends to hit it in the air, and while he doesn’t have big raw power, the quality of his contact should allow him to chip in his share of extra base hits. He’s also got a very mature approach for his age. Visually, his zone control and pitch recognition were plus in my look, and the numbers bear this out. Crisantes had one of the lowest miss rates in the org and the very lowest on pitches in the heart of the plate. The huge jump from his overall swing rate to his swing rate on pitches out over the middle is also very encouraging, and highlights the selective aggressiveness you love to see. An average runner, Crisantes is also a good defender. He doesn’t have enough arm for the left side, but his instincts and ability to make accurate throws from different positions warrants an above-average projection at second.
In terms of my own evaluations, Crisantes might be one of the best pure hitters I’ve seen come up through the Diamondbacks farm system, and I agree with the statement that he has the best hit tool in the farm system. He’s got a very quick and compact swing that’s very repeatable, with a surprising amount of power for a guy his size. His weakest tool is absolutely the throwing arm, which I would say precludes playing him at third base. On top of that, his long term health is a major concern considering his history. I expect Crisantes to be in AAA Reno by the end of the year for a few game cup of coffee, and I then would expect him to reach the major league level by the end of next season. In my own prospect rankings I likely will end up having him as the Diamondbacks top prospect entering the 2027 season, as the players who have appeared at the MLB level with the Dbacks this year should no longer qualify for the most part. After prospect graduations, I would expect Crisantes to appear at or near the top of the Dbacks top prospect rankings, and to appear on a few MLB top 100 prospects lists.
