D-backs’ farm system 4th-best in MLB, says The Athletic’s Keith Law

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has said that he’s more worried about winning MLB games than having the best farm system in baseball.

But for those who do concern themselves with such matters, the Diamondbacks have the fourth-best farm system in the game, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law.

The D-backs have added nicely to their prospect pool in recent years, in part by trading Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals for a trio of players and Zack Greinke to the Houston Astros for four more.

In the Goldschmidt deal, Arizona picked up catcher Carson Kelly, pitcher Luke Weaver and infielder Andy Young, the last of whom is the D-backs’ No. 21 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

In the Greinke deal, the D-backs got first baseman Seth Beer (No. 4 prospect), pitcher J.B. Bukauskas (No. 10), pitcher Corbin Martin (No. 11) and Josh Rojas, who has already played 41 games for Arizona.

But even those deals weren’t even the main reason why Law held the D-backs’ farm system in such high esteem:

The Diamondbacks traded two major-league stars for a total of seven prospects, but those deals have little to do with their ranking here, with two already graduated and only one of the other five in the team’s top 10. It’s about everything else: very productive drafts, goosed by some extra picks and a little good fortune (e.g., the No. 4 player on my 2019 board, Corbin Carroll, getting to them at pick 16), and some strong early returns on international classes, including a payoff on an early, aggressive effort in the Bahamas. They’re even here despite trading their No. 1 prospect at the time, Jazz Chisholm, to Miami in July.

The Chisholm deal may best demonstrate why having a strong farm system can help you at the major league level: The D-backs traded him at the deadline to get Zac Gallen, who had a 2.89 ERA in eight starts for the D-backs after that.

Ahead of the D-backs on Law’s ranking were the Tampa Bay Rays at No. 1, followed by the Braves and Dodgers. The Milwaukee Brewers were in last at No. 30.

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