D-backs Under Review 2025 All-Prospects Team
With the conclusion of the season, I decided to put together my 2025 D-backs Under Review All Prospects Team.
With the conclusion of the season, I decided to put together my 2025 D-backs Under Review All Prospects Team. We'll go by all nine positions, no DH, a starting pitcher, and a relief pitcher. The criteria for making this list will consider the player's 2025 performance, their MLB projection, and how they improved during the season.
Last week, D-backs Under Review already unveiled their Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year.
Catcher: Carlos Virahonda
Virahonda enjoyed a strong season at the Complex League in 2025. The right-handed hitting catcher slashed .347/.464/.455 with a homer and a 150 wRC+ in 37 games. That earned him a promotion to Low-A Visalia, where he held his own.
In 33 games (153 PA) with Visalia, he put up a respectable .256/.362/.357 slash with three homers and a 106 wRC+. While his strikeout rate jumped from 11.5% to 22.8%, his swinging strike rate only jumped 2% (9.4% -> 11.8%).
At the time of this writing, I consider Virahonda the top catching prospect in the system. His primary competition for that award is Ivan Luciano, a second round selection in the 2024 draft. He's expected to start the 2026 season with Visalia and is projected to reach the major leagues in the 2029 season.
First Base: Ivan Melendez
Melendez fell out of prospect lists after back-to-back seasons with a high strikeout rate with Double-A Amarillo. In 2025, the right-handed slugger has improved his contact rate. His swinging strike rate dropped from 18.6% last year to 16.1%.
In addition to fewer swings and misses, Melendez has increased his walk rate to 9.5% in Amarillo. While he only hit .258 at the level, the improved walk rate and contact rates allowed him to post the highest wRC+ in three seasons (115). That resulted in a promotion to Triple-A Reno to finish the year.
While it may be a function of the high elevation in the league, Melendez showed excellent contact rates in Triple-A. While his chase rate was an exorbitant 39.1%, his zone contact rate of 83.8% was very encouraging.
He's still a free-swinger and projects to be a low-OBP hitter, but his ability to impact the lineup with 30-40 home run power is still there. His mini-breakout should have both Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear sweating a little after both hitters finished 2025 on a sour note.
Second Base: Tommy Troy
Troy might be the heir-apparent at second base, especially after a big rebound in 2025. He put up an impressive 286/.382/.467 slash with 12 home runs and a 125 wRC+ with Double-A Amarillo.
After his strong performance in Amarillo, Troy got the promotion to Triple-A Reno. His .295/.381/.429 slash only translated to a 98 wRC+ in the extreme hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. However, underlying metrics suggest a disciplined hitter with strong OBP skills. He chased just 26.2% of pitches out of the strike zone and made contact on over 90% of pitches he swung at in the zone.
Improving his quality of contact will be the key in 2026. The two metrics to watch will be hard-hit (95+ MPH exit velocity) and barrel rates. If he can improve in those marks in the first two months of the 2026 season, he might be a midseason call-up candidate.
The D-backs have started playing him in center late in the year. Troy started 19 games at the position between Double-A and Triple-A. That may be one way for him to get into the lineup, as the organization may be shaking up their outfield mix this offseason.
Shortstop: Jose Fernandez
No prospect did more to improve their stock in 2025 than Jose Fernandez. Originally supposed to be org filler for the infield for a prospect-loaded infield, he ended up being their everyday shortstop instead.
With Double-A Amarillo, he put up a .272/.321/.454 slash (99 wRC+) with 17 home runs. The 99 wRC+ was a career-high, especially for a player still maturing physically. With a strong 6'3" frame, he projects to add more power moving forward.
It's still difficult to project his bat moving forward, so I consider him a utility player. He's capable of playing all four infield positions, so he adds value off the bench in that regard. I don't expect the organization to add him to the 40-man roster in November, but it would not be too surprising to see him debut in 2026 if he goes untaken in the Rule 5 Draft.
He had much stronger numbers against left-handed pitchers, slashing .305/.377/.511 when holding the platoon advantage. He should push Blaze Alexander for the utility infielder role/primary DH against left-handed pitching as early as 2027.
Third Base: LuJames Groover
Groover was my runner-up choice for the top hitter prospect in the organization. He possesses the best hit tool (60) and arguably the best overall approach at the plate in the organization. He won the Texas League batting title, slashing .309/.399/.434 with 12 home runs and a 122 wRC+.
The hit tool and the on-base skills were never in doubt going into 2025, but the .125 ISO is a bit concerning. That might be a result of his batted ball profile, as he produced a 28.6% line drive rate. With such a rate, it's likely he produced a lot of singles.
It would not be too surprising to see an uptick in power in 2026. The Pacific Coast League will heavily reward his approach at the plate. It should show up more in doubles power. How strong a start he has in 2026 will determine how quickly he gets promoted to the majors. It's not a question of if, but when next season.
After moving around the infield in 2024, Groover played third base for all of 2025. That serves as a key development for the organization, with third base unsettled in 2026. There are still issues about his ability to make throws across the diamond, but if he sticks at the hot corner, he has more wiggle room with the bat.
Outfield: Ryan Waldschmidt
Waldschmidt was my pick for the top hitting prospect in the organization. The 2024 first rounder is quickly accelerating through the system, dominating Double-A in his first full season.
Waldschmidt combines an excellent batting eye, solid contacts rate, and above-average power to be a force at the plate. Between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo, he slashed .289/.419/.473 with 18 home runs and a 143 wRC+. The sample sizes are roughly equal between both levels, with 66 games for Hillsboro and 68 for Amarillo.
Heading into 2026, I have Waldschmidt as the top prospect in the organization with the only 55 FV grade. I see him more as a midseason call-up candidate than someone who could start the season on the Opening Day roster. It would have to take a mind-blowing spring, where he proves he's one of the nine best hitters on the club, to change that course.
Waldschmidt projects as a .260/.370/.450 hitter with 20-homer, 20-steal potential. That's borderline All-Star caliber, although the National League has a deep pool of outfield talent.
Outfield: Slade Caldwell
Caldwell had an up-and-down first year in the system. His super-selective approach played out well in Low-A, with much of the league struggling to throw strikes. With Visalia, he put up a .294/.460/.454 slash, good for a 160 wRC+.
With Low-A not challenging him enough, the D-backs promoted him to High-A a week before his 19th birthday. The jump in level proved to be the right challenge for Caldwell, who struggled to lift the ball in the air. He rebounded for a solid finish to the year, slashing .294/.391/.370 from August 1st onward.
In a lot of ways, he's much like Geraldo Perdomo at the same age. At 19 years old, he's one of the most selective hitters in the low minors, but has room to grow physically and mentally. The power may be slow to emerge; it will depend on his ability to stay off the ground when he hits the ball. It's a matter of identifying the right type of pitches to attack early in the count.
Caldwell's the most difficult projection of the top outfield prospects in Arizona's system. There's some Alek Thomas risk in his profile, especially if the ground ball rate stays well above 50%. If he can stay off the ground, he has a good chance of competing with Druw Jones for the center field job and Perdomo for the leadoff spot.
Outfield: Druw Jones
Druw Jones' 2025 can be described as a tale of two seasons. He was not hitting particularly well in the extreme pitcher-friendly environment in Hillsboro. Through June 27th, he was hitting .225 with a sub-.600 OPS and a 25% strikeout rate.
However, that stretch ultimately didn't define his season. From June 28th onward, he put up very respectable numbers at the plate. In his final 53 games, spanning 238 plate appearances, he slashed .296/.380/.463 with five homers and a 131 wRC+. In addition, he saw his strikeout rate drop to 21.0% and his walk rate improve to 10.9%.
In addition to more discipline at the plate, he was hitting the ball in the air and pulling it more. His ground ball rate dropped to a career-low 50.2% and his pull rate a career-high 39.3% on FanGraphs. That brings more optimism that his bat will play at the major league level.
The glove and speed are both "plus-plus" quality tools. He is the best defender in the D-backs organization, by far, earning the Minor League Defensive Player of the Year award in 2025. Once his hit tool develops, he'll be the D-backs' starting center fielder. If the improvement at the plate holds for all of 2026, he could debut with the D-backs as early as September.
Starting Pitcher: Daniel Eagen
It wasn't a good year for starting pitching in the D-backs system in 2025. Daniel Eagen was the one starting pitcher who stayed healthy and improved, earning the top pitching prospect of the year. He was arguably the best starting pitcher in the Northwest League, posting a 2.49 ERA in 19 starts and 97.2 innings.
Eagen features a high-ride four-seamer and a big-breaking curveball. The curveball is a plus pitch, his go-to when he's going for chases and whiffs. He's also added a slider and splitter to round out his repertoire.
He ran into some adversity pitching for Double-A Amarillo. Despite an electric debut, Eagen finished with a 5.49 ERA in four starts. Between Amarillo and Reno, he'll deal with the elevation nerfing his best two offerings. That will force him to fully develop his arsenal, and hopefully give him four MLB-quality pitches when he arrives in 2027.
Eagen projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter. That puts him in the conversation with Kohl Drake as the top pitching prospect in the D-backs' system. He'll need to cut down on the walk rate, which was above 10% in 2025, to avoid getting shelled in the upper minors.
Relief Pitcher: Brandyn Garcia
Of all the pitching prospects the D-backs acquired at the trade deadline, Garcia figures to be the first to make a significant impact. His MLB numbers look pretty mediocre at first glance, with a 5.65 ERA and 1.81 WHIP, but that's severely impacted by a poor performance in a meaningless game.
Stuff-wise, Garcia is the nastiest reliever in the D-backs bullpen heading into 2026. He hits upper-90s with his sinker, averaging 17.0" arm-side run. That combination of velocity and movement is rather rare.
He complements it with a "depthy" sweeper, averaging -1.7" induced vertical break and 15.7" glove-side sweep. The results speak for themselves, producing a 47.2% whiff rate. It's his go-to pitch when he needs to punch out hitters.
With more experience, Garcia should develop into a late-inning arm. While Justin Martinez might be the team's long-term plan at closer, Garcia is capable of being that type of arm. He's posted shutdown innings in the 9th or later a couple of times already.
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Michael McDermott
Michael McDermott
