Top Prospect Kayson Cunningham Takes Next Step in Climb Through D-backs' Farm System

He's thrived at the plate so far this year

Visalia Rawhide's Kayson Cunningham watches his hit sail into the outfield against Fresno Grizzlies on Friday, April 3, 2026. | Ron Holman / Visalia Times-Delta / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks are officially starting the ascension of one of the franchise's top prospects, shortstop Kayson Cunningham.

Cunningham, Arizona's No. 2 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, has been called up to High-A Hillsboro, the Single-A Visalia Rawhide announced on Tuesday. This marks the first promotion in the minor league career of the 19-year-old who was just drafted by the Diamondbacks roughly 11 months ago.

Arizona selected Cunningham with the 18th-overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. The young shortstop got a taste of minor league action last year but has really started to flourish in his first full season of professional baseball. And now, the lefty-swinging prospect will have the chance to put his talents on display with the High-A Hillsboro Hops.

Kayson Cunningham was racking up the hits in Single-A this year

Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kayson Cunningham is drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 18th pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks' current No. 1 prospect, outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, was called up for his big league debut in May. So far, the 2024 first-round pick is hitting .278 with no home runs, eight RBIs, and five stolen bases in 29 MLB games. And soon, the 23-year-old should graduate from most prospect rankings, setting the stage for Cunningham to become the new top-ranked minor leaguer in Arizona's farm system.

Cunningham has posted impressive numbers at the plate to begin the 2026 season. In 43 Single-A games this year, the 19-year-old has a .381 batting average, a .471 on-base percentage, and a .977 OPS with one homer, 27 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. He played in just 11 games last season after being drafted, so overall, the young shortstop is a .354 hitter through the first 54 minor league games of his career.

While it's probably easy for Diamondbacks fans to get excited about Cunningham after seeing his stats from the start of this season, it's important to keep in mind that he was still playing high school baseball around this time last year. He'll turn 20 later this month, but the highly touted prospect is still young and just beginning his journey through the minors.

Each prospect is obviously different, but with Waldschmidt, Arizona called him up to the majors after 182 minor league games. Since Cunningham was drafted out of high school, though, he'll most likely spend more time developing in the minors. But, for now, Diamondbacks fans will be interested to see how the 2025 first-round pick performs in his first stint with High-A Hillsboro.