Top Prospects Remain in Arizona After Rule 5 Draft
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The Diamondbacks top prospects will remain in the system, as outfielder Dominic Canzone, Wilderd Patino, and Conor Grammes were not selected in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. All three players will remain in the D-backs system for the 2023 season.
Canzone, Arizona's No. 17 prospect, in particular was seen as a strong candidate to get plucked from Arizona. Before the draft, there were rumors swirling he'd be a candidate to be the first player selected. Instead he'll likely get an invite to Spring Training and potentially compete with players such as Pavin Smith for a potential bench role on the 2023 roster. After hitting .284/.349/.489 with 16 home runs in Triple-A Reno, which Fangraphs rated as 7% better than the average Pacific Coast League hitter with a 107 wRC+. He has the potential to play the left-handed platoon bat that splits time at first base, left field, and designated hitter.
Mike Hazen discussed Canzone after being relieved he didn't get selected:
He's a good player, a good hitter. He adds to our stable of guys that will come into Spring Training. We have a lot of left-handed hitters, but we're happy to keep him and we really like him. It was a tough decision, so it was kind of unfortunate he didn't get that opportunity. You make the decision not to protect him. You don't root for him to get taken necessarily from a business standpoint, but as a personal standpoint you get that opportunity sometimes.
In the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the D-backs lost RHP Justin Lewis to the Cleveland Guardians in the 3rd round. The former 12th rounder in the 2018 draft has a similar profile to recent bullpen pickup Miguel Castro, with a lanky 6'7" frame that created funky angles for hitters. Lewis doesn't throw as hard as Castro, as the latter averages 3 MPH more on his fastball.
The Diamondbacks had a full 40-man roster, and thus were not able to select a player in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. In the Triple-A phase, they selected these players:
- 1st Round: RHP Taylor Rashi, SF
- 2nd Round: RHP Denny Larrondo, NYY
- 3rd Round: RHP Peter Solomon, PIT
Taylor Rashi, 26, is a former 23rd rounder out of UC Irvine. He went 1-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 30 relief appearances with the Giants' Double-A affiliate with 52 strikeouts and 13 walks. Larrondo, 20, signed with the Yankees out of Cuba in 2018 but never made it past the complex. He made 11 appearances, 3 starts, and went 5-1 with a 4.56 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 25.2 innings. Solomon was a fourth round pick by Houston in the 2017 draft, who went 8-7 with a 5.58 ERA in 27 appearances with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate.
