3 Hitting Prospects Set to Break Out for D-backs in 2025

These three prospects could find themselves climbing high up the Diamondbacks' prospects lists by the end of this upcoming season

Visalia Rawhide's Cristofer Torin plays shortstop against San Jose Giants on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 for their opening home game. | Ron Holman / Visalia Times-Delta / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a blossoming minor league system that is slowly developing plenty of key players. Some of those players might take a bit more time than others and three of them look like they are ready to have a breakout year in 2025 as they set their eyes on climbing the ladder.

The Diamondbacks' system is particularly loaded with hitters as 24 of their top 40 prospects are hitters and so are eight of their top ten players. So, it might be hard to find three players that look ready to climb the organizational rankings in 2025, but here are three hitters that look set to take a major leap next season.

No. 8 Prospect, RHB, Infielder Tommy Troy, Age-23 Season

Troy needs a big season next year to recapture the exciting potential he had when he was drafted 12th overall a few years ago. That's why it was excellent to see how well he ended the High-A season last year and then how good he did in the Arizona Fall League.

He missed plenty of time with injury last year and over the first half of the season, struggled likely due to missing so much time. Through July 31, he hit just .200 with an OPS of .564.

However, from August 1 to the end of the season, 33 games, he hit .276 with an OPS of .822 in a tough offensive environment. He had 12 extra-base hits including four home runs and 17 walks to 32 strikeouts.

Due to playing just 72 games, the D-backs sent Troy to the AFL where he started quite slow. He started the Fall League 1-25 with 11 strikeouts. However, from there, he was a different hitter.

He hit so well that despite starting 1-25, he finished with this batting line of 290/.380/.484/.864 with seven doubles, a triple, and three homers to go with 12 RBI. It was a terrific way to end his baseball year.

Now, he's scheduled to go to Double-A to start next season after having not much left to prove in High-A Hillsboro. With the offensive friendly environment, it wouldn't be a shock to see Troy finally unleash some more of his offensive potential, especially his power.

Plus, this will be a far better test for Troy to prove he can handle breaking pitches while staying healthy. Don't be surprised if he pushes to be in Triple-A by the end of next season and showcases that he can play second base.

No. 14 Prospect, RHB, Infielder Cristofer Torin, Age-20 Season

Torin struggled with consistency at the plate last year as he hit too many fly balls with weak contact and a low batting average. However, he showcased his elite eye at the plate throughout the season with 81 walks over 108 games, a 15.8% rate. He did this against a strikeout rate of just 16.4%.

That gave plenty of cause to expect a bigger year in 2025. So did how he ended the season. Over his final 31 games, he hit .297/.414/.407. That makes for a .821 OPS. That's far superior to his already above-average season-long OPS of .738.

Soon, he will find himself at High-A with Hillsboro where his contact rate could play up as the league limits power, but hits will still drop in the more often you make contact. If he can bring up his line drive rate, he could see himself exploding next year thanks to his contact ability and speed.

He is just entering his age-20 season and it would not be a surprise to see him utilize his contact ability along with walks to perform closer to how he did to end this past season throughout all of next season.

No. 19 Prospect, RHB, Infielder Yassel Soler, Age-19 Season

This past season, Soler crushed ACL pitching with a .303 average and .824 OPS. Soler has the potential to be a great power-hitting third baseman in the coming years. He struck out only 17% of the time. One could say he broke out this year, but one aspect still hasn't appeared.

That aspect is his power, as he had just 15 doubles, two triples, and two homers. Soler slugged against left-handed pitching at a .510 clip and .910 OPS. Now, it's time for him to do that against righties as well. It's in there, as he has tremendous pull-side power, and considering he will move up to Single-A Visalia, he might be able to do it.

That's if he can lower his ground ball rate which is too high at 50%. If he could lower that some more, he can tap into his power as he lifts the ball more. Then, he can develop his patience at the plate with the wild arms of Single-A which could see him raise his OBP by a large margin.

That combined with the potential for a few more walks and a strikeout rate between 17-20% could see him put up a big year that launches him up the prospect rankings thanks to his strong defense, arm, and potential big offensive year.

Honorable mentions would be second base prospect Demetrio Crisantes, who had a full breakout year this past season, but could achieve even greater heights next season as he pushes for a top-100 prospect spot in the industry if he keeps up his hitting. Another name would be Druw Jones who could take a major step forward if he successfully re-worked his swing this off-season.

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