The Arizona Diamondbacks will go into Sunday’s MLB Draft with two picks in the top 30, drafting at spots 18 and 29.
Arizona received the 29th pick as a supplemental pick in the draft due to Christian Walker’s departure to the Houston Astros.
The D-backs historically have tried to just take the best player available. However, MLB.com’s D-backs writer Steve Gilbert said the D-backs have recently targeted “athletic, up-the-middle talents regardless of their height.”
The Diamondbacks had two picks in the top 35 last season, adding two outfield prospects in Slade Caldwell and Ryan Waldschmidt.
Arizona took Caldwell straight out of high school and Waldschmidt out of Kentucky. They are projected to take a similar route this year by taking one college prospect and one high school player.
Who are the Diamondbacks taking in mock drafts?
All three of the major national mocks (ESPN, The Athletic and MLB.com) have the D-backs taking the same player with the 18th pick in Coastal Carolina’s Caden Bodine, the top-rated true catcher in this draft.
Bodine burst onto the scene during Coastal Carolina’s historic 26-game win streak that led the Chanticleers to the College World Series final. Bodine slashed .337/.454/.461 with 25 home runs and 160 RBIs across 183 games during his collegiate career.
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo called Bodine the best catcher in the class.
He’s the top catcher in the class, and I had the D-backs taking him with their comp pick in my last mock, but perhaps they’ll determine he wouldn’t get there and take him here to make sure they get the player they like.
The Athletic’s Keith Law compared Oregon high school product Slater de Brun, a candidate for the Diamondbacks at No. 29, to Arizona’s recent pick of Caldwell.
De Brun is a diminutive outfielder from the Pacific Northwest, like Corbin Carroll was. De Brun is listed at 5-10 but may be shorter than that, and like last year’s fun-sized first-rounder Slade Caldwell, he has excellent feel to hit and projects to stay in center. He faces the same questions about his ultimate power level that all guys his size do. I’ve had scouts say he’s somewhere in between those two Diamondbacks players in power potential. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.
Mayo added the D-backs could inject some power hitting with Tennessee corner infielder Andrew Fischer with their 29th pick.
Fischer’s signature tool is his plus power that works to all fields, the product of a left-handed swing with bat speed and loft, strength in his 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame and a slugging mindset. He showed that he can launch balls in the air with wood bats last summer in the Cape Cod League. He has been even more productive as a junior after toning down his approach and chasing pitches a lot less, and he also did a better job of handling sliders.
Fischer could have helped his cause further by upgrading his defense at third base, but he has barely played there this spring. He has solid arm strength but below-average speed and range at the hot corner, so Tennessee has deployed him mostly at first base, where he’s a decent defender. He played some second base on the Cape but lacks the quickness for the position.
Other names Diamondbacks fans should watch out for from MLB Pipeline
3B Gavin Fein, Temecula Great Oak High School in California
The D-backs would love a shot at a college bat, but the ones they covet might be off the board. They could make it four out of the last five drafts that they take a high school hitter in the first round.
Law mentions high school infielder Fein as a possible pick to the D-backs as well.
SS Marek Houston, Wake Forest
A potential top-10 pick entering the year, Houston is probably the best defensive shortstop in the college ranks. But there are questions about the hit and the power tools.
SS/2B Ryan Mitchell, Germantown Houston High School in Tennessee
Mitchell’s an extreme contact hitter with some power now and enough projection to get to average. He’s a shortstop now but his arm is going to push him to second base or probably the outfield. He’s committed to Georgia Tech.
Law also mentioned Ryan Mitchell as a possible pick to the D-backs in his final mock as a player he is hearing could be a possibility.
