‘The game rewards you’: D-backs No. 1 prospect forgoes shot at cycle, enjoys 4-hit night
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In his final time striding to the dish Thursday night, Ryan Waldschmidt knew that all he needed to complete the cycle was to rip a double somewhere. After taking a pair of sliders, he looked up to see the third baseman playing back and he knew what he’d do next:
He squared around to bunt.
After finding no man’s land, Waldschmidt legged out the bunt for an infield single before advancing to second on a throwing error. It marked his fourth hit of the night, one that included his first home run at the Triple-A level in Reno’s 10-5 win over Salt Lake at Greater Nevada Field.
“To move that guy at the least would have been really important for adding [to the lead],” Waldschmidt said. “I ended up getting a hit out of it. The game rewards you when you do the right things, and I think I ended up choosing the right side there.”
The D-backs’ No. 1 prospect is perpetually confident in his approach at the plate. So he wasn’t worried about a 1-for-11 start to the season vs. southpaws or that he was hitting just .238 overall despite his .385 BABIP.
Facing Salt Lake left-hander Sam Aldegheri (Angels No. 16 prospect), who has seven Major League appearances under his belt, Waldschmidt collected an infield single in the first. A booming RBI triple in the third came off the bat at 104.5 mph. Then he turned and burned on an inside heater in the fifth, sending it way beyond the left-field fence.
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“I think as long as I'm always on the hardest [pitch], it allows me to just kind of cover that inner third because I'm looking for that fastball,” said Waldschmidt, “and as soon as I see that straight one out of the hand, I just kind of turn and go.”
Squaring the ball up has long been one of Waldschmidt’s hallmarks dating back to his days first at Charleston Southern, then Kentucky and then straight into pro ball. He ran a 31.3 percent line-drive rate upon his promotion to Double-A last summer, which led the Texas League among all hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. Through 12 games for the Aces, Waldschmidt has put eight balls in play in excess of 101 mph.
The calculus of the D-backs’ outfield picture has been under renovation over the past eight months. When Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went down with a torn ACL last August, Blaze Alexander stepped into a left-field role. Following Alexander’s departure in an offseason deal with the Orioles, former top prospect Jordan Lawlar was converted to the outfield, where he found success prior to fracturing his right wrist on a hit-by-pitch last week.
Through play Thursday, Arizona is tied for third-lowest in the Majors in both home runs (eight) and on-base percentage (.284). It stands to reason that the 23-year-old Waldschmidt, the 31st overall pick in the 2024 Draft, will get his shot at helping the club changes its fortunes at some point in ‘26.
"I understand that [I'm] here for a reason," said Waldschmidt. "The day when you get your [Major League] debut, it's because you're supposed to be there. And I think kind of just having that mindset, it really just relaxes you as a player because you understand that they believe in you.
"As long as you believe in yourself, you'll find success and I think that's the biggest thing for me."