ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Diamondbacks add an outfielder in ESPN 2020 MLB mock draft
May 22, 2020, 6:43 PM
General manager Mike Hazen of the Arizona Diamondbacks watches batting practice during a postseason workout at Chase Field (Photo by Sarah Sachs/Arizona Diamondbacks/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sarah Sachs/Arizona Diamondbacks/Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks got a whole lot of work done in replenishing their farm system in 2019.
With some return coming from trading Paul Goldschmidt and the duo of A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin leaving in free agency, they had seven of the top-75 picks in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Only Brennan Malone, the No. 33 pick, is gone, as he was in the trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Starling Marte.
Four of those other selections were pitchers, and in the 2020 MLB Draft, ESPN’s 2020 mock draft has the D-backs going outfield in high school product Pete Crow-Armstrong 18th overall.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel notes that both Crow-Armstrong and center fielder Robert Hassell, going ninth in that mock draft, fit Hazen’s type.
The D-backs have been linked to both PCA and Hassell, but Hassell is unlikely to get to this pick. Under the Mike Hazen regime, Arizona has leaned toward contact/speed-type hitters (Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Matt McLain, PCA/Hassell).
Crow-Armstrong is out of Harvard Westlake High School in California and is committed to playing at Vanderbilt University.
McDaniel ranks Crow-Armstrong 24th overall in the class.
A famous prep hitter who can really hit, run and play center field. The power and overall impact are what’s in question; some teams think he should go in the top 20 picks, and others aren’t on him in the first round.
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Even with how heavy the D-backs went on pitching last year, they are strong in the outfield at the minor league level.
Arizona’s top prospect on MLB Pipeline is outfielder Kristian Robinson, followed by outfielder Alek Thomas. Both of them, as well as No. 5 team prospect and last year’s first-round pick outfielder Corbin Carroll, rank in MLB Pipeline’s top-100 overall.
All three, though, are not projected to be up at the major league level until 2022.
That’ll line up nicely with when Marte’s deal runs out after 2021, and both David Peralta and Kole Calhoun can be under contract through the 2022 season.
The 2020 MLB Draft takes place on June 10.
