Domingo Leyba

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #24 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Acquired as part of the three-team deal in December 2014 that brought Robbie Ray to the Diamondbacks, Leyba missed much of the 2017 season due to shoulder surgery. He returned in 2018 and had just a so-so season from a results perspective, showing good bat-to-ball skills and a slightly above-average walk rate but not providing much of an impact with the bat.
  
  Scouting Report: Leyba is a difficult player for some scouts to evaluate. Many see him only as a second baseman--particularly with his arm strength backing up after surgery--and with below-average power and average speed he could be a second-division regular at best. Still, he has such good feel for hitting some believe he has more power to tap into than he's shown. Leyba has the glove for both middle infield positions and the athleticism to serve as a utility infielder if not a true everyday player.
  
  The Future: This will be Leyba's third year on the 40-man roster, though he has yet to appear close to a big league callup. That could change in 2019, when he is likely to open the season in Triple-A Reno.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #12 prospect in 2018
  A sometimes forgotten part of the three-team deal that brought Robbie Ray to the D-backs and sent Didi Gregorius to the Yankees, Leyba had a rough 2017 season. He suffered a shoulder injury late in spring training and missed about two and a half months before ultimately needing surgery in July. Between a rehab assignment at short-season Hillsboro and his time at Double-A Jackson, Leyba played just 23 games in 2017. In that brief snapshot, however, Leyba was able to show some of the same improvements he displayed in 2016, prior to his shoulder injury. Leyba improved his pitch selectivity and tapped into more power while at high Class A Visalia in 2016, all while bumping up both his walk rate and slugging percentage. He has a quick bat, strong hands and also shows an ability to find the barrel from both sides of the plate. Defensively, most scouts seem to view him as more of a second baseman than a shortstop, mostly because his arm is a little short and not as strong as scouts would like. One scout compared his all-around game with Alberto Callaspo, who played in the big leagues for 10 years at third base and second base. Leyba will look to bounce back from his shoulder injury and stay fully healthy in 2018, continuing to similar steps forward as he did in 2016.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #3 prospect in 2017
  After struggling at high Class A Visalia in 2015 at age 19, Leyba returned to the California League and produced much better results in 2016. Arizona got him from the Tigers (with lefthander Robbie Ray) after the 2014 season in the three-team deal that sent Didi Gregorius to the Yankees. Leyba boosted his Cal League OPS by nearly 200 points in 2016 to earn a promotion to Double-A Mobile. Overall he hit .296/.355/.429 in 130 games. The key to Leyba's improvement came by becoming more selective at the plate, with his walk total increasing from 26 in 2015 to 46 in 2016. He has a contact-oriented line-drive approach with hands that work well from both sides of the plate and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. A potentially above-average hitter, Leyba also showed increasing power with 10 home runs in 2016. That exceeded the nine he hit in the first three years of his career. His solid infield instincts and good positioning help to make up for an arm and range that are both a little short for shortstop, but he has shown himself to be an average or better second baseman. His work ethic earns strong reviews across the board from the organization. Leyba is taking the steps forward to become a solid everyday middle infielder. He will return to Double-A to begin 2017.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #13 prospect in 2016
  The Tigers signed Leyba for $400,000 in July 2012, then placed him on the fast track in 2014, when he closed the year as an 18-year-old at low Class A West Virginia-he was promoted to the Whitecaps when Willy Adames was traded to the Rays. Detroit then traded him to the Diamondbacks in December 2014 as part of the three-team deal in which Arizona also acquired lefthander Robbie Ray and shipped shortstop Didi Gregorius to the Yankees. The D-backs continued Leyba's accelerated development program by assigning him to high Class A Visalia as a 19-year-old in 2015. To increase the degree of difficulty, they shifted him to shortstop full time after he had played mostly second base up to that point. Leyba struggled at the plate in 2015 in the hitter-friendly California League, though he improved markedly in the second half, when he hit .250 with 19 of his 28 extra-base hits. He is a fundamentally sound player who lacks flashy tools, but he has a quick bat, strong hands and a good feel for the barrel from both sides of the plate. He has below-average power and will struggle to reach double-digit homers. A below-average runner, Leyba is quick rather than fast, with a good first step. Evaluators were impressed with his defense at shortstop, grading him as an above-average defender with good hands and instincts. A quick release allows his average arm to play up. If the D-backs slow Leyba's timetable, he could return to Visalia for at least part of 2016.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #9 prospect in 2015
  Garcia (Tigers). Arizona acquired Leyba from the Tigers in December as part of the three-team trade that shipped Didi Gregorius to the Yankees. Leyba, who signed with Detroit in 2012 for $400,000, had opened 2014 at short-season Connecticut. He hit even better once he moved up to low Class A West Michigan for the final month of the 2014 season and Midwest League playoffs, then went to the Arizona Fall League. Leyba doesn't have any dynamic tools, but he's a fundamentally-sound player who grows on scouts the more they see him. He has a quick bat, squares up good velocity and has good barrel control, lacing line drives to all fields. He's not big, but he's strong for his size, though he's mostly a gap hitter. Leyba has solid strikezone management, though he will have to learn to lay off high fastballs. A fringe-average runner who spent most of his time at second base, where he may be best suited, he played shortstop during the final two weeks of the season. His hands and footwork are solid, and his average arm plays up due to a quick release. The Tigers had pushed Leyba aggressively, and he responded to the challenge. Arizona hopes to benefit and could continue pushing him to high Class A Visalia in 2015.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #8 prospect in 2014
  Leyba played for the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program that won the junior division championship in 2011 in Minneapolis before signing with the Tigers for $400,000 the next year on July 2. Leyba proved more advanced than expected in his pro debut in 2013, leading the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League in OPS (1.023) as a 17-year-old. Leyba stands out more in games than he did in a tryout setting. He has a polished hitting approach for his age, controls the strike zone and hits line drives to all fields. He showed surprising power, though he'll probably be more of a doubles threat who maxes out around 10 home runs. Leyba split time between second base and shortstop with Willy Adames, a more athletic Dominican shortstop, but the former's speed, range and arm all grade out around average, with a quick release, good footwork and smooth hands. Leyba could end up at second base, but he's a sound enough defender to be given every opportunity to stay at shortstop. Leyba's next test will be the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked California League #7 prospect in 2016
  Leyba struggled in the Cal League in 2015 but repeated the level this year and was a different player, showing a vastly improved understanding of the strike zone and performing well enough to be promoted to Double-A. Leyba's improved approach allowed him to use his strong hands and quick bat to drive the ball more consistently, and his rhythm and balance from both sides of the plate earned positive reviews as well. He was better hitting from the left side (.295, .794 OPS) than the right (.289, .694 OPS), but provided serviceable contact from both. "He came a long ways from when I saw him last year," Bakersfield manager Eddie Menchaca said. "Bit of grinder. Put together really good at-bats." Defensively, Leyba continues to show strong footwork and smooth actions at shortstop, though his average arm has many projecting him to second base.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #19 prospect in 2016

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: After struggling at high Class A Visalia in 2015 at age 19, Leyba returned to the California League and produced much better results in 2016. Arizona got him from the Tigers (with lefthander Robbie Ray) after the 2014 season in the three-team deal that sent Didi Gregorius to the Yankees. Leyba boosted his Cal League OPS by nearly 200 points in 2016 to earn a promotion to Double-A Mobile. Overall he hit .296/.355/.429 in 130 games. Scouting Report: The key to Leyba's improvement came by becoming more selective at the plate, with his walk total increasing from 26 in 2015 to 46 in 2016. He has a contact-oriented line-drive approach with hands that work well from both sides of the plate and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. A potentially above-average hitter, Leyba also showed increasing power with 10 home runs in 2016. That exceeded the nine he hit in the first three years of his career. His solid infield instincts and good positioning help to make up for an arm and range that are both a little short for shortstop, but he has shown himself to be an average or better second baseman.
  
  The Future: Leyba is taking the steps forward to become a solid everyday middle infielder. He will return to Double-A to begin 2017.