Diamondbacks Notes: Kelly, Waldschmidt, Outfield
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly has been battling some back tightness this week. A quick diagnosis was expected but the issue is dragging on a bit longer than initially anticipated, as detailed by Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
The issue first cropped up on Saturday, which led to Kelly being scratched from a live batting practice session. He was sent for an MRI and those results were expected to be announced on Monday. He has instead been sent for additional testing, including a CT scan, with the club still avoiding any kind of official announcement on his status.
“It’s a wide range,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I’m not going to lie. We’re being very thorough with what we’re doing. We’re taking every test necessary to make sure that we get everything in the bag before we start to pass that information along. We’ve got to figure out exactly what’s happening in there.”
Time will tell if this is just the club being cautious or if it’s a sign the injury is more significant than anticipated. If Kelly has to miss any time, it would be less than ideal for a club with subpar rotation depth. Right now, they project to have Kelly alongside Zac Gallen and Ryne Nelson with Eduardo Rodríguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Michael Soroka battling for two spots. If Kelly is on the shelf, then everyone in that group would be in line for rotation gigs to open the season.
The Snakes also have Yilber Díaz, Cristian Mena, Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray on the 40-man roster and the guys in that group could suddenly jump to next-man-up status. No one in that cluster has even 32 big league innings pitched. Non-roster invitees with some big league experience include Joe Ross, Thomas Hatch and Bryce Jarvis.
Elsewhere, Arizona has a fairly wide open outfield group. They traded away Jake McCarthy in the offseason and Corbin Carroll require hamate surgery, meaning he could start the season on the injured list. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is recovering from last year’s surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was expected to be out until the All-Star break. There are some signs he could beat that timeline but he is still projected to start the season on the IL.
That leaves Alek Thomas as the lone guy seemingly locked into a spot. Jordan Lawlar could be in there as well, though he is still getting accustomed to the outfield after coming up as an infielder. He also hasn’t hit at the big league level yet, though he has destroyed the minors and is out to a strong start this spring.
That leaves a path open for prospect Ryan Waldschmidt and Piecoro writes that the club hasn’t ruled out the possibility of him breaking camp with the club. It would be fairly bold if the Snakes ultimately went down that path. Waldschmidt topped out at Double-A last year and isn’t yet on the 40-man roster. But he can clearly hit, as shown by last year’s .289/.419/.473 slash line and 142 wRC+. He hit a home run off Pedro Avila of the Guardians in yesterday’s Cactus League game.
Waldschmidt is a consensus top 100 prospect in the league, so he would be eligible for the prospect promotion incentive if he cracked the Opening Day roster. If he went on to win Rookie of the Year or finish top three in MVP voting during his pre-arbitration years, the Snakes would net a future draft pick just after the first round.
It’s possible there’s a great amount of fluidity in the Arizona outfield this year. Between Carroll, Thomas, Gurriel, Waldschmidt, Lawlar, Jorge Barrosa, Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa, they have a number of options in the mix, with health and performance surely to shuffle the depth charts over the months to come.
Photo courtesy of Rob Schumacher, Imagn Images
Notable Draft Signings: 7/24/24
A handful of draft prospects have agreed to $2MM+ bonuses over the past two days. Unless otherwise noted, bonuses were first reported by Jim Callis of MLB.com. Pre-draft rankings and scouting reports are provided by Keith Law of the Athletic, Baseball America, FanGraphs and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.
- Padres first-round pick Kash Mayfield agreed to terms at $3.4421MM. That’s full slot value for the 25th pick to keep him from attending Oklahoma State. Mayfield was the second high school pitcher off the board. The 6’4″ southpaw has a three-pitch mix, advanced control, and can touch 97 MPH. He’s a potential mid-rotation arm. San Diego went with another high school pitcher, Boston Bateman, in the second round. Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo reports (on X) that he lands an above-slot $2.5MM bonus. Bateman is a massive left-hander with mid-90s velocity and a good slider, but his 6’8″ frame leads to questionable command projection. He’d been committed to LSU.
- The Brewers agreed to a $3.44MM bonus with first-round pick Braylon Payne. Milwaukee selected the Texas high school outfielder with the 17th selection. Payne was not generally expected to go in the first round. McDaniel was highest on him, ranking 38th in his pre-draft list. Milwaukee cut an underslot deal but still paid Payne like a late first-round talent to sign him out of a commitment to the University of Houston. Evaluators credit Payne with at least 70-grade speed and the ability to stick in center field, though there’s some skepticism about his offensive upside. Second-round pick Blake Burke landed a $2.1MM bonus, Collazo reports (X link). A first baseman from the University of Tennessee, he hit .379/.449/.702 this season.
- The Dodgers signed #23 pick Kellon Lindsey for $3.3MM, as first reported by J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. That’s a bit below the approximate $3.68MM slot value. Lindsey is a high school infielder who’d been committed to Florida. He’s a top-of-the-scale runner who could eventually fit in center field, though he has played shortstop in high school. All four outlets note that Lindsey has similarities to Trea Turner at the same age, though that’d clearly be at the very high end of his range of outcomes. He’s listed at 6’0″ and 175 pounds and might have limited power but could offer a traditional leadoff profile.
- Rangers first-round pick Malcolm Moore signed for $3MM. That’s just above slot for the 30th selection. A Stanford product, Moore is a left-handed hitting catcher. He’s regarded as a bat-first player with questions about his ability to stick behind the dish, but his hit/power combination made him a first round talent. Moore turned in a .255/.414/.553 slash with more walks than strikeouts this season. He was a draft-eligible sophomore who turns 21 next week.
- The A’s went above slot to sign second-round pick Tommy White for $3MM, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). The 40th pick comes with a value around $2.33MM. White’s bonus more closely aligned with the very end of the first round. An LSU product, the righty-hitting White had an OPS above 1.000 in all three college seasons. He hit .330/.401/.638 with 24 homers in his draft year. He has good contact skills and massive raw power, though there’s some concern about his aggressive approach. White played third base in college but isn’t a good athlete and could move to first base in pro ball. Oakland also went above slot with a $2MM bonus for third-rounder Gage Jump, Callis reports (X link). A teammate of White’s at LSU, Jump has a mid-90s fastball and a pair of breaking pitches. Most evaluators project him to the bullpen because of inconsistent control and his smaller stature.
- The Diamondbacks have agreements with supplemental picks Ryan Waldschmidt and J.D. Dix. Waldschmdit, a righty-hitting outfielder from the University of Kentucky, gets the $2.904MM value associated with the 31st pick. Law ranked him as the #11 player in the class, while FanGraphs and ESPN had him at the back of the top 20. Waldschmidt had a massive junior season, hitting .333/.469/.610. He’s limited to left field but draws praise for his plate discipline and exit velocities. Dix is a switch-hitting high school shortstop from Wisconsin. A Wake Forest commit, he has a well-rounded profile but underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder last fall and spent a chunk of this spring as a designated hitter.
- Yankees first-round pick Ben Hess agreed to terms at $2.7475MM, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (on X). He was taken 26th overall, which comes with a slot value around $3.33MM. Hess is a 6’5 right-hander from the University of Alabama. He works in the mid-90s fastball and has a promising slider. Law ranked him 24th in the class and wrote that he has mid-rotation potential. Hess had a mixed track record in college and struggled to throw strikes in his draft year, though. He posted a 5.80 earned run average across 15 appearances this season. The Yanks went above slot in the second round for righty Bryce Cunningham, who signed for $2.2975MM. He had a 4.36 ERA over 16 starts this season for Vanderbilt. The 6’5″ hurler has a three-pitch mix and a chance to stick as a starter.
- The Phillies have a $2.5MM deal with first-rounder Dante Nori. He was selected with the 27th pick, which comes with a value around $3.23MM. Nori is a left-handed hitting outfielder from Michigan who’d been committed to Mississippi State. Evaluators praise his speed and nascent power potential. He’s significantly older than the typical high schooler, turning 20 not long after the draft.
- The Twins agreed to a $2.4MM bonus with 33rd pick Kyle DeBarge, Collazo reports (on X). Callis reports that Minnesota also went above slot to sign 69th pick Dasan Hill for $2MM. DeBarge is a 5’9″ shortstop from the University of Louisiana who hit .356/.418/.699 this season. He’s a hit over power player who could project to a utility role. Hill is a lanky left-hander from a Texas high school who had been committed to Dallas Baptist. FanGraphs had him as the #24 player in the class and projected him as a potential mid-rotation starter.
- 39th overall pick Caleb Lomavita signed with the Nationals. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports (on X) that he landed a $2.325MM bonus that is just below slot value. Lomavita is a righty-hitting catcher out of Cal who has advanced contact skills and a good chance to stick behind the plate. His very aggressive offensive approach leads to some risk about his on-base floor. Lomavita hit .322/.395/.586 during his draft season but only walked 12 times in 55 games. The Nationals acquired the 39th pick from the Royals in the Hunter Harvey trade.