Which Prospects Could Contribute to the 2023 Diamondbacks?

The Diamondbacks have one of the best farm systems in baseball, ranked the third best by MLB Pipeline, second by Baseball America, and fourth by The Athletic. They will be looking to develop these prospects into their core of players to guide them into the postseason.

From the team's Top 30 prospects, these are the ones to keep an eye on for the 2023 season.

Immediate Impact

Prospects who will start the season in the big leagues and have the opportunity to contribute for the full season.

OF Corbin Carroll (No. 1) - Carroll is expected to be a big part of the team's success not only for 2023, but for the long term as the team locked him up to an eight-year extension. His combination of tools and makeup has talent evaluators raving about his potential and a high placement on all Top 100 lists. The key will for Carroll to develop into the next superstar is to reduce his strikeout rate to at least below league average (21.6%) and hit left-handed pitching.

RHP Drey Jameson (No. 5) - Jameson will begin the season pitching as the long reliever, but could find himself back in the rotation. Jameson features a full arsenal of pitches, although his bread and butter is a sinker/slider, both grading as plus-plus (70) offerings. The D-backs are hoping that this new role will help him be more aggressive in attacking hitters and in turn continue to develop as a starter in the long term.

RHP Ryne Nelson (No. 6) - Nelson will begin the season in the rotation after winning the rotation battle this spring. The key will be for him to not only have success throwing his 4-seamer by hitters, but developing a go-to secondary pitch to keep hitters off balance. His slider appears to be coming along nicely in his past three appearances, including an impressive outing against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.

RHP Carlos Vargas (No. 20) - Vargas will begin the season in the big league bullpen after a pair of injuries opened up an opportunity. He lights up the radar gun with fastball that regularly touches triple digits, an upper 90s sinker, and a low 90s slider as his prime secondary pitch. Fastball command will be key for Vargas to establish himself in the bullpen and make the trajectory towards a high leverage setup man or potential closer down the road.

First Half Call-Ups

Prospects who could get called up before the All-Star break due to an injury or poor performance.

RHP Brandon Pfaadt (No. 2) - Pfaadt should be one of, if not the first arm the team should bring up to fill a hole in the rotation. His strong spring performance is a continuance of an impressive trajectory that started at the beginning of the 2021 season. Armed with a mid 90s fastball and an impressive trio of secondary pitches, he proj

OF Dominic Fletcher (No. 14) - Fletcher is a well-rounded player in the outfield who lacks a standout trait but does a lot of things well. He profiles as a 4th outfielder/platoon role at any of the three outfield positions. His opportunity could come if there is an injury to any of the D-backs trio of young outfielders.

RHP Justin Martinez (No. 28) - Martinez possesses arguably the best raw fastball in the D-backs system, which regularly touches triple digit velocity and can be overpowering. Given the overall churn and burn that goes with the bullpen each season, Martinez gives the organization another high octane arm with options.

Second Half Call-Ups

Prospects who could get called up after the All-Star break but before September.

INF Jordan Lawlar (No. 3) - Depending on the team's overall situation at the shortstop position, Lawlar might not be called up until the last week of August to ensure his rookie status for 2024 is guaranteed. His bat is almost ready for the big leagues, but his youth exhibits itself more with his glove. He'll begin the season on a similar timeline to Carroll last season, where the team will quickly promote him from Double-A, then Triple-A, before a cup of coffee at the end of the season.

LHP Blake Walston (No. 7) - Walston will begin the season with Triple-A Reno after an impressive 10-start stretch to close out the season. His fastball sits low 90s, topping out at 97, with two plus breaking balls and an above-average changeup. Walston is likely behind both Bumgarner and Henry on the depth chart for left-handed starting pitchers and could see if the big leagues if both pitchers ahead of him do not perform up to standard.

OF Dominic Canzone (No. 16) - Canzone, like Fletcher, is blocked from a big league opportunity although moreso by Kyle Lewis and Pavin Smith than the organization's young outfield trio. His bat is as close to big league ready as you can get as a prospect, but in the meantime he'll have to continue to put up numbers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

INF Blaze Alexander (No. 17) - Alexander enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022 with Double-A Amarillo. He could be a injury replacement at shortstop before Lawlar is deemed ready. Alexander has the defensive tools to handle any defensive position on the infield and could be an option to play second, third, and short, perhaps even right field in a pinch. If he continues to put up excellent numbers in Reno, he could force the organization's hand if Nick Ahmed or Geraldo Perdomo do not perform to expectations.

September Call-Ups

Prospects who could possibly get called up during the month of September when rosters expand from 26 to 28.

RHP Slade Cecconi (No. 8) - Coming off an inconsistent 2021 season plagued by injuries, Cecconi took a major step in 2022 by making 27 starts and pitching 129 innings in one of the toughest run environments in the minors. He looks more like a bottom of the rotation or backend bullpen arm than the potential top of the rotation pitcher he flashed in 2020. Cecconi throws mid 90s with both a 4-seamer and sinker, a slider that is his best secondary pitch, a big bending curve with a 12-6 shape, and a changeup that's a distant fourth offering. The only challenge left before the big leagues is a stint with Triple-A Reno.

INF Deyvison De Los Santos (No. 12) - The 19-year-old slugger is coming off a tremendous regular season, but an inconsistent fall league. Plate discipline will be the main concern for his development as a hitter than his home run total. A good year with Double-A Amarillo could propel De Los Santos into a cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has the best raw power of any prospect in the system, with a batting practice exit velocity max of 117 MPH, and the potential to be a low-average, high home run slugger.

RHP Bryce Jarvis (No. 15) - Jarvis is hoping to bounce back from a rough 2022 campaign, believing that an improvement in his release extension will allow his mid 90s fastball to play closer to its measured velocity. An improvement in his fastball put him back on the starter's path, which would give him three MLB quality offerings between the fastball, slider, and changeup. He may repeat the season in Double-A, but could find himself in Reno's rotation sooner rather than later. He was already named as a potential breakout prospect as a result of these changes.

OF Jorge Barrosa (No. 24) - Barrosa was deemed important enough by the organization to protect from the Rule 5 Draft last winter. The 5'9" outfielder has developed slowly, but steadily over the years and everything came together last year in Double-A Amarillo. He profiles more as a defensive-minded fourth outfielder whose best position is center field, but could be a ninth place hitter who could use his speed as a weapon on the bases.