Diamondbacks Prospects Three Up, Three Down: May 8th-14th
This week, we're going to debut a new feature for prospects here at Inside the Diamondbacks. Instead of doing daily minor league reports, we're going to recap each week with a Three Up, Three Down of prospects in the system. In this feature, we're going to feature three players who had a strong week and three weeks who had a rough week.
Three Up
OF Dominic Fletcher (No. 14)
Fletcher's exploits this week have already been discussed in great detail, but with only 13 career games under his belt he is still considered a prospect. In the last seven days, Fletcher is hitting .429 with a 1.286 OPS including a big series against the Giants where he hit his first two major league home runs and drove in 11 runs. For a player's first 12 games, Fletcher is tied for second in franchise history in hits (18) and tied for first in RBI (13). His hot start at the plate will have the team reconsidering their long term plan in the outfield with Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas off to slow starts in 2023.
2B Ryan Bliss (No. 25)
In some cases, you can pencil in a player with two hits a night in the lineup, which is what Bliss is doing in Amarillo right now. In the series against Midland, Bliss was 12-for-24 with a four doubles and two home runs. The second baseman's season isn't a product of beating up pitchers in an extreme hitter's park, as he's batting .368 with a 1.032 away from Hodgetown. The question about a potential promotion to Triple-A is not if, but when as Bliss now has 134 plate appearances in Double-A.
LHP Blake Walston (No. 7)
Walston bookended the Tacoma series with wins for the Reno Aces. In two starts, he was 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA and a 14/3 strikeout to walk ratio in 13 innings. After struggling with walks in his earlier starts, he was very effective pitching near sea level in Tacoma. It's difficult to evaluate a player pitching in the Pacific Coast League, with high elevation parks in Reno (4500), Albuquerque (5300), El Paso (3700), and Salt Lake (4200) along with the desert climate of Las Vegas inflating offense. The high elevation takes inches off a pitch's movement, which may be causing Walston's strikeout and walk rates to significantly drop this season.
Three Down
SS Jordan Lawlar (No. 3)
Lawlar has found Double-A to be difficult this season. After hitting .286 with a 1.009 OPS in his first 10 games, he has struggled mightily. Since April 20th, he's batting .125 with a .505 OPS and a 37.3% strikeout rate in 83 PA. In the past week, the numbers may have improved somewhat as he hit .191 with a .561 OPS and a strikeout rate of just 28.6%. It's a reminder that prospects don't necessarily develop smoothly, especially considering Lawlar is more than four years younger than the average player in the Texas League.
RHP Dylan Ray (Not Ranked)
This is a case where a prospect had one bad start in an otherwise good year. Against Spokane, Ray was only able to record one out while allowing six runs on four hits, two walks, and one strikeout. The poor start inflated his season ERA to 5.92, but he still has strong peripherals. (3.38 FIP)
3B/1B Deyvison De Los Santos (No. 12)
De Los Santos hit .150 with a .592 OPS despite playing at Hodgetown this week. The strikeout to walk ratio was better at 5/3, but it's also worth noting he has struck out much more frequently on the road than at home. De Los Santos is nearly a full year younger than Lawlar, and has shown an improvement in strikeout and walk rates compared to last season. But his .189 batting average with just three home runs on the year is disappointing nonetheless.
