D-backs assistant GM: No timeline for top prospect Corbin Carroll

The Arizona Diamondbacks have already seen impacts from their prospect call-ups this season.

Center fielder Alek Thomas has been a staple defensively and in the batting order since getting selected on May 8. Infielder Buddy Kennedy came up just last week and hit a monstrous grand slam in a win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

So, who’s next?

Amiel Sawdaye, D-backs senior vice president and assistant general manager, said most likely the team will work with players who have already been up like Seth Beer and Jake McCarthy.

“I think we’ll see a lot of the group of players that we’ve had go in and out,” Sawdaye told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Tuesday.

“I never say never with anything … sometimes it’s just going back down to Reno, catching your breath and working on some mechanical changes, like we’ve done with Beer. We sent McCarthy out last week, but I think you’ll see some of those guys come back at some point and hopefully impact and help us win ballgames.”

Sawdaye noted that players rarely come up and stay up in the majors, oftentimes needing to head back to the minors to make adjustments.

Beer hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day and was Arizona’s most productive hitter over the first two weeks of the season. He struggled to maintain that success in late April and early May, leading to his option. McCarthy started the year on the MLB roster and has been optioned twice.

Seth Beer – Arizona Diamondbacks (1) pic.twitter.com/CPRJLxTrpG

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 8, 2022

McCarthy has especially obliterated Triple-A pitching with an OPS of 1.208 in 86 at-bats.

In terms of players getting their first call-ups like Thomas and Kennedy, Sawdaye is regularly asked about top prospect Corbin Carroll.

The assistant GM said he did not want to put a timeline on Carroll, noting the 21-year-old still has some hurdles to overcome.

“The good thing for us is we have some impact players in the outfield that need to play every day, and Corbin still has some development that he needs to continue to focus on,” Sawdaye said.

“But I think we take it step by step. The next step for Corbin will be when he goes to Triple-A and then we’ll see what he does there.”

Another @corbin_carroll HR on the year..It’s the 16th for the D-backs’ No, 1 rated prospect. pic.twitter.com/q7VWga5mxc

— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) June 22, 2022

Arizona’s current starting outfield from left to right is David Peralta, Thomas and Daulton Varsho with Jordan Luplow as a platoon against left-handed pitching. Peralta, Thomas and Varsho all bat left-handed, as does Carroll.

Sawdaye mentioned that if the D-backs are in a playoff race down the stretch and Carroll proves to be the best option for them, the door is not shut on his selection.

Carroll is batting .318 with 16 home runs in Double-A Amarillo this year.

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