One blog series ends; another one begins! After completing our ’30 Teams in 30 Days’ posts, I realized that one of my favorite parts of researching for those posts was looking up each team’s prospects. Prospects and farm systems are a huge part of future plans. They bring hope, and excitement for what COULD be. Think back to when guys like Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, Ronald Acuna Jr, and Paul Skenes were in the minor leagues – fan bases waiting for the day their “great hope” can arrive. A prospect could a anything from a bust to an All-Star, to an all-time great, but until they take the field in the show, they are all the same: potential. Analysts scouting reports, grades, comparisons, and all manner of metrics to try to predict the future…but careers aren’t made on paper.

That being said, I’ve spent the last 30 days looking ahead for teams in the present. Now, for the next 30, I’m going to look into that future. I am going to pick one prospect from each team that intrigues me most – maybe Top 100, maybe not – and do my own deep dive on them.

First off, we’re headed to Arizona, and we’re going to focus on Arizona’s lone Top 100 prospect: Ryan Waldschmidt. Waldschmidt has above average power and speed. He doesn’t expand the zone too much, so he draws a lot of walks. His OBP is high. That is his calling card: hits and walks. His steep uppercut swing reminds me of somewhere in between Cody Bellinger and Mike Trout. His power is his best tool, but through 601 ABs between High-A Hillsboro and AA Amarillo, he only hit 18 homers. Is that his ceiling, or can he reach a 30-35 homer norm. His 2025 numbers put him around 100 strikeouts. Will those numbers increase when he sees big league sliders, the way that was a kryptonite for a guy like Austin Riley in his first few seasons?

His speed would help him play well in center field, but I think he plays more as a big league left fielder with a below average arm. Especially considering that Arizona currently has the ultra-speedy Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll patrolling the other two outfield spots. At the time of writing this, Waldschmidt is listed as Arizona’s starting left fielder, so he could earn himself a spot on the Opening Day roster. He is currently 1-7 through 3 Spring Training games, but that one was a ringing RBI double to the opposite field.

At the end of the day, Waldschmidt could be a very productive member of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the years to come. One comparison I’ve seen is Alex Verdugo, and I think that’s pretty accurate when you think about Verdugo’s early days with the Red Sox. Personally, a see more of a Hunter Renfroe-type with a steeper swing. Waldschmidt could be a guy that plays a solid 12-15 years in the league with a handful of All-Star appearances, but that’s the ceiling. As it will be with most of these prospects, I hope I’m underestimating him.