Prospect Notes
Posted: Thu May 29, 2025 9:47 am
This on Ryan Waldschmidt from Keith Law’s updated top 50 today…
Waldschmidt was a steal for the Diamondbacks at the 31st pick last year, and he’s been one of the best hitters from the 2024 draft class in the last 10 months. He’s hit .290/.459/.469 through Sunday in High A with more walks than strikeouts, and that strikeout rate is under 20 percent. Normally I’d be banging the table arguing for a promotion, but Arizona’s Double-A affiliate plays in Amarillo and that is one of the best home-run parks anywhere in the minors, so there’s some argument that it’s better to develop guys a little longer in the more neutral Northwest League environment before sending them to Amarillo and then onward to the surface of the moon (Reno). He’s the sort of impact, middle-of-the-order bat most teams will tell you is really hard to find.
Waldschmidt was a steal for the Diamondbacks at the 31st pick last year, and he’s been one of the best hitters from the 2024 draft class in the last 10 months. He’s hit .290/.459/.469 through Sunday in High A with more walks than strikeouts, and that strikeout rate is under 20 percent. Normally I’d be banging the table arguing for a promotion, but Arizona’s Double-A affiliate plays in Amarillo and that is one of the best home-run parks anywhere in the minors, so there’s some argument that it’s better to develop guys a little longer in the more neutral Northwest League environment before sending them to Amarillo and then onward to the surface of the moon (Reno). He’s the sort of impact, middle-of-the-order bat most teams will tell you is really hard to find.