Arizona Diamondbacks MLB Draft History And Projections

As we approach the 2018 MLB Draft on June 4, we’ll break down each major league team’s recent draft history, picking out tendencies where applicable, highlighting the team’s 2018 draft pool and also touching on the organization’s most successful recent draft picks.

Additionally, each team is listed with potential draft targets. These players either fit the typical modus operandi of the organization or are players who have been specifically linked or rumored as fits with a team throughout the spring. Baseball America will continue to add and subtract players from the potential draft target section as we continue to gather information in the final weeks leading up to the draft. Players are listed with a line of skinny to get a quick idea of who they are, but our full scouting reports will give a more complete picture of a player.

It’s also worth pointing out that while in some cases a team might appear to have a clear tendency with certain demographics (i.e., high school pitchers or college hitters), the sample we are looking at is small enough that teams could simply be following a best player available strategy and the results are showing something that’s not an overarching scouting philosophy. It’s more likely that tendencies can be discovered at the extremes, rather than slight apparent preferences in the last five years.

Here is a breakdown of the recent MLB Draft history of the Arizona Diamondbacks:

General Manager: Mike Hazen
Scouting Director: Deric Ladnier
2018 Bonus Pool (Rank): $7,683,700 (18th)

2018 MLB Draft Order:

1st Round: 25th

Supplemental 1st Round: 39th

2nd Round: 63rd

3rd Round: 99th

4th-40: 25th in each round.

First Round Picks Since 2013:

2017: Pavin Smith (7th)

2015: Dansby Swanson (1st)

2014: Touki Toussaint (16th)

2013: Braden Shipley (15th)

Best Recent Pick (2010-2017 Drafts):

OF Adam Eaton (19th round, 2010) has amassed 16.7 bWAR over a seven-year career prior to the 2018 season, though his best years came in a jersey that didn’t say Diamondbacks after Arizona traded him to the White Sox in December 2013.

Recent Tendencies (Last Five Years/Top Five Rounds):

Since 2015, the first draft with current scouting director Deric Ladnier in charge, the D-backs have gone to the college ranks with their first overall selection, taking Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson with the first overall pick in 2015, Auburn outfielder Anfernee Grier with pick No. 39 in the supplemental first round of 2016 and most recently Virginia first baseman Pavin Smith with the seventh overall pick in 2017.

Overall, in the first five rounds of the last five years, the Diamondbacks have taken high school players 44.8 percent (12th) of the time and four-year university players 55.2 (13th) percent of the time.

Arizona has been fairly mixed in regards to pitcher versus position player, going with pitchers 48.3 percent of the time and hitters 51.7 percent of the time.

Potential Draft Targets:

LHP Ryan Weathers — The son of David Weathers, Ryan is a polished lefty with solid control of a heavy fastball and an improving curveball

RHP Logan Gilbert — Gilbert has a heavy fastball that plays up with elite extension and more projection remaining than other college arms

SS Jeremy Eierman — A tooled-up college shortstop with a plus arm, Eierman also possesses plus speed and plus power

OF Trevor Larnach — A powerful corner outfielder, Larnach has finally started tapping into his juice more regularly this spring

OF Steele Walker — A high-floor college outfielder who has some of the best feel to hit of any player in the 2018 class but no carrying tool

OF Jake McCarthy — Injury has limited McCarthy for much of his junior year, but when healthy he is a plus runner who should stick in center with a track record of hitting

OF Nick Schnell — Few prep players have hit more than Schnell since last fall, as a likely corner outfielder who’s a better runner underway with an above-average arm

P Anthony Seigler — An ambidextrous, switch-hitting catcher who can pitch from both sides, Seigler’s pro future will be behind the plate where he is solid all-around

IF Nico Hoerner — Hoerner might have to move off of shortstop for second base, but he’s hit in the Pac-12 and in wood-bat leagues

IF Xavier Edwards — A small middle infielder, Edwards has feel for the barrel from both sides and top-of-the-scale speed to make up for a lack of power

IF Jeremiah Jackson — An offensive-oriented infielder, Jackson has good bat speed and future power potential as well as a strong arm

OF Jameson Hannah — Likely a center fielder at the next level, Hannah has a doubles approach that has improved each season with good baserunning instincts