Diamondbacks' Farm System Takes Massive Fall in New Rankings

This is a tough look for Arizona.

Jul 28, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Diamondbacks prospect Tommy Troy practices at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale on Friday, July 28, 2023. | Olivia Gyapong / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Diamondbacks' farm system has not generally sat among the top organizations in recent years. Following the graduation of numerous high-end prospects, the D-backs' farm has been on a steady decline in the rankings.

Some outlets or analysts have offered slightly more optimistic looks at the D-backs' development system, but many have placed Arizona well below average.

And in Baseball America's most recent farm system rankings, the D-backs fell near the bottom, placing 25th among 30 major league organizations. Arizona had placed second in the majors in 2024 and 10th in 2023, but took a massive turn for the worse in the most recent edition.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Farm System Falls to 25th in MLB

Jun 8, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt (21) steals third base during the seventh inning against the Oregon State Beavers at Kentucky Proud Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

"Arizona has doubled down on drafting solid hitters in recent drafts, a trend that should lead to a significant number of future big leaguers. But the question the team faces now is how many impactful big leaguers are currently down on the farm?" Baseball America's assessment reads.

Certainly, with the graduation of Jordan Lawlar, and some general struggles plaguing some of Arizona's other prominent prospects, there's reason to believe the D-backs' future is not quite as bright as it might have been in the past.

But there is some promise among Arizona's prospects. No. 1 prospect and outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt did manage to crack the top 100 in both Baseball America's and MLB Pipeline's individual rankings. In terms of immediate impact, there aren't many high-ranking players in the D-backs system who appear poised to make a jump to MLB.

The D-backs also put more of an emphasis on pitching in 2025, bringing in a healthy dose of hurlers at the Trade Deadline and through the 2025 MLB Draft. The Merrill Kelly deal with the Rangers brought back an exciting trio of starters in Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt and David Hagaman, while the D-backs took 14 pitchers in the Draft last year, and six in the first eight rounds.

Much of Arizona's future success may depend on how these arms turn out — whether as actual MLB contributors, or as trade pieces. The D-backs are, however, making an effort to tweak their pitching development process, bringing in Jeremy Bleich as an assistant GM to oversee that area of player dev.

The D-backs weren't the only NL West teams to fall near the bottom. The beleaguered Colorado Rockies ranked dead last, while the San Diego Padres' depleted system came in 29th. The Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 13) and San Francisco Giants (No. 14) represented the most divisional success on this list.