Alek Thomas, Corbin Carroll top ESPN’s Diamondbacks prospects list
Mar 27, 2022, 8:00 AM
Corbin Carroll #2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks slides into second base during the sixth inning of an MLB spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on March 20, 2022 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to put a 110-loss season behind them in 2022, but under the surface lies one of the highest regarded pool of prospects in baseball.
ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel ranked Arizona’s farm system fifth in the league this offseason, and this week, he released his team-by-team prospect rankings.
He gave seven Arizona prospects at least a 50 grade, which he considers an every-day-caliber player or low-end starting pitcher.
Outfielders Alek Thomas, 21, and Corbin Carroll, 21, landed in the top-two spots. Thomas, who hit .369 in Triple-A last season, is No. 14 on McDaniel’s top 100 list and Carroll, a 2019 first-round pick, is No. 21.
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Shortstops Jordan Lawlar (No. 29) and Geraldo Perdomo (No. 90) were the other two D-backs prospects to crack the top 100, while pitcher Rhyne Nelson just missed the cut at No. 102.
Lawlar, 19, was Arizona’s first-round pick last year, while Perdomo, 22, played 11 games in the majors in 2021 and is on the 40-man roster.
Nelson, 24, had a strong 2021 with a 3.51 ERA in 14 Double-A starts. McDaniel went deeper on how quickly he could jump to the majors.
The D-backs liked the raw stuff and physical skills and they’ve been proved right as he has a chance to start a big league game in the second half of 2022. The calling card is his rising mid-90s heater and two plus breaking balls, with enough changeup and command right now to project him turning over a lineup.
McDaniel named Seth Beer Arizona’s prospect who will have the greatest impact in 2022.
Beer, who was acquired from Houston in 2019 as part of the Zack Greinke trade, played in five MLB games last season before suffering a shoulder injury.
The 25-year-old’s plus bat and defensive positional uncertainty make him a candidate for Arizona’s designated hitter spot, since the universal DH is taking effect this year.
Beer has the great fortune of being a stone-cold DH who is now ready for his big league career the year that his club will be adding the universal DH. He had shoulder surgery just five games into his big league career but looks to be on track to return where his power-and-patience-and-plus-raw-power skill set has a chance to shine.
Beer is 6-for-10 with a home run in six spring training games, according to Baseball Reference.
