Chris Meyers gives a fantasy preview of the 2015 Kansas City Royals.
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Welcome to this special breakdown of the 2015 Top 10 Prospects of the Arizona Diamondbacks. I am hoping that everyone who read , and enjoyed my Top 109 Prospects list will enjoy these and use them for more details and profiles of the prospects. I planned on doing it this way which is why I wrote the rankings as just that, rankings.
As I noted with my rankings post, I am doing rankings as my own, however I would also be delusional to claim that every ranking, profile or statistical breakdown is my own. They are not. I am using plenty of outside resources to compile my rankings. Sites and guides such as Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, Baseball HQ’s Baseball Forecaster, MLB.com, FanGraphs, and The Dynasty Guru.
Be sure to follow the rest of my Top 10 Prospect breakdowns team by team over on So Called Fantasy Experts. Thanks again for reading and let’s get in to the Arizona Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects shall we?
1. Archie Bradley RHP, Age 22– Overall Prospect Rank 14
The big righty had what many may call a disappointing season last year with an elbow injury and some command issues after returning. He still has staff ace potential and with a mid to high 90’s fastball and a plus curveball, the groundwork is set. If he can tweak his secondary pitches, and even his delivery, he will indeed have an impact when he gets the call to the majors which should be this season. Even with the struggles in 2014, Bradley averaged a K an inning, and had a FIP around 4.00.
2. Braden Shipley RHP, Age 23- Overall Prospect Rank 49
A solid three pitch arsenal helps make Shipley a candidate to get the call in 2015. The concerns with his fastball, which can touch 99-100, may be a tricky point in Shipley’s early development. Most scouts state it “flattens out” at peak speed. He also needs to strengthen his curveball to make himself a more complete pitcher. His changeup could become his best asset with room to grow. Shipley looks to be a number two in the rotation below Bradley going forward. Shipley averaged 8.3 strikeouts per 9 and had a FIP of 4.12 in all three levels.
3. Yasmany Tomas OF, Age 24- Overall Prospect Rank 72
Tomas is simply put, an unknown commodity. He is also someone fantasy owners are drafting with enthusiasm, and has Diamondbacks fans very excited. He is 24, but unproven in the Major Leagues. Expectations will be high due to his contract, and the fact he is another Cuban import. He is known to have a powerful bat, with impressive bat speed. With this, as with most power hitters, comes high strikeout rates. His upper-cut like swing will also increase his K% in his first season in MLB. That being said, Baseball America has him profiled as a 70 in pure power on a scale of 20-80.
Discussion that he will be a left fielder has been floated out there, but for now it looks as if Arizona will try him at third base in Spring Training.
4. Touki Toussaint RHP, Age 18- Overall Prospect Rank 93
Raw talent, but has the makings to be a number two or three starter. He is a ways away, but his high-end fastball, and nearly lethal curveball are something for the Diamondbacks to be excited about. Baseball Prospectus 2015 classifies Toussaint as a reliever ready pitcher due to his filthy stuff and command, which could impact his starter status as well.
5. Aaron Blair RHP, Age 23- Overall Prospect Rank 98
Blair was another first round pick who has quickly plowed through the ranks in the Arizona system. He played in three levels last year, and had an impressive 171 K total on the year. Deception is a useful tool in his repertoire, and adding velocity to his fastball in 2014 won’t hurt him in 2015 either.
Averaging a strikeout an inning, and carrying a FIP of 3.43 through all three levels is nothing to scoff at. He is projecting to be a number three starter.
6. Peter O’Brien C/1B, Age 24- Not Ranked
O’Brien was a player I got to see in the Futures game. Acquired last season, O’Brien finished with 33 home runs and an average of .280 across both levels in the minors, although he only hit for .245 in AA. As with Tomas, power comes with a high K%, and O’Brien showed he needs to work on his plate discipline in 2015.
7. Jake Lamb 3B, Age 24- Not Ranked
Lamb received the call last season for Arizona and needless to say he was over-powered. With a slash line of .230/.263/.373, it was a far cry from his minor league numbers. Not very reassuring for Lamb, and if Tomas sticks at third in 2015, there may not be an opening in the near future.
8. Domingo Leyba 2B/SS, Age 19- Not Ranked
Very young, but shows plate discipline and has a physique which can develop a power stroke. Switch hitting will help him progress through the ranks if he continues to hit from both sides.
9. Brandon Drury 3B/2B, Age 22- Not Ranked
Drury has some nice pop in his bat, is a solid infielder and projects to be a starting third baseman. He maintained a .297 batting average along with 23 home runs in class A and AA in 2o14.
10. Nick Ahmed SS, Age 25- Not Ranked
Nothing too flashy, but he is quick and can play defense well. He got the call last season as well, but didn’t provide too many memorable moments. He hit one home run in 70 at bats in the majors and also only hit .200. He may project to be a utility role player going forward.
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Chris is a contributing writer at So Called Fantasy Experts. You can follow him on Twitter @FantsyChillpony.
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