Bleacher Report ranks D-backs farm system as 3rd best in MLB
Aug 4, 2019, 7:06 AM | Updated: 9:25 am
Houston Astros starting pitcher Corbin Martin throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Arizona Diamondbacks have quickly climbed the mountain of top farm systems in baseball.
According to Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter’s updated farm system rankings after the trade deadline, the D-backs slot in at No. 3 on the list.
This puts them as one of the best minor league systems in all of baseball, something that didn’t seem possible just two years ago.
When GM Mike Hazen took over in 2017, the team was ranked as the No. 29 farm system by Bleacher Report.
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In 2018, they moved up to No. 24 and were ranked No. 17 before the start of the 2019 season.
Two big reasons for Arizona’s jump has to do with the 2019 MLB Draft and trade of Zack Greinke.
The D-backs had seven picks in the first 75 selections of this year’s draft and several of those picks have already been added to the team’s top 30 prospects list.
After trading Greinke on Wednesday, Arizona got in return three of the Houston Astros’ top five prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
First baseman/outfielder Seth Beer, right-hand pitchers Corbin Martin, J.B. Bukauskas and infielder Joshua Rojas were the players the D-backs received in return for Greinke.
With the haul they acquired in the Zack Greinke trade and the emergence of Alek Thomas as an elite prospect, this is now one of baseball’s deepest farm systems.
One loss the D-backs had in their system was trading their No. 1 prospect (according to MLB Pipeline) Jazz Chisholm to the Miami Marlins for No. 5 prospect starter Zac Gallen.
However, the addition of Gallen didn’t affect Arizona’s ranking.
This farm is suddenly loaded with quality arms, and the addition of Zac Gallen to the MLB team will go a long way toward easing the loss of Greinke in the short term.
Reuter gave an updated list of the D-backs top 10 prospects based on which “tier” they fell in.
Tier one are prospects in the top 100 list, tier two are players who have a good chance of having an impact, and the third tier represents players who haven’t shown enough yet or could have little contributions at the big-league level.
1. OF Kristian Robinson (Tier 1)
2. OF Alek Thomas (Tier 1)
3. 1B/OF Seth Beer (Tier 1)
4. RHP Jon Duplantier (Tier 1)
5. RHP Corbin Martin (Tier 1)
6. C Daulton Varsho (Tier 2)
7. OF Corbin Carroll (Tier 2)
8. RHP Zac Gallen (Tier 2)
9. SS Geraldo Perdomo (Tier 3)
10. RHP Levi Kelly (Tier 3)
After the Grienke trade, the Astros farm system went from No. 8 in MLB to No. 25, according to Reuter.
Behind Arizona at No. 4 are the Atlanta Braves, who have been regarded as one of the best systems in MLB as well.
Just above the D-backs are the Tampa Bay Rays at No. 2 and the division rival San Diego Padres round-out the list as MLB’s best farm system.
