Here are the D-backs' 2026 Top 30 prospects
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Ryan Waldschmidt may be the D-backs’ only Top 100 prospect at present, but don’t think that it's a dry time in the desert.
Arizona’s Top 30 Prospects list -- as released by MLB Pipeline on Wednesday -- is deeper than that and particularly loaded on the infield.
Seven of the club’s top 15 prospects have a home on the dirt, led by No. 2 talent and 2025 first-rounder Kayson Cunningham. The organization is also considerably deep at second base, in particular, with Tommy Troy (No. 4), Demetrio Crisantes (No. 5), JD Dix (No. 6) and Jansel Luis (No. 13) all plying their trades at the keystone.
It’s been no secret that Arizona has focused on building out its prospect pitching depth too, so it’s notable that hurlers David Hagaman (No. 8), Patrick Forbes (No. 9), Kohl Drake (No. 12), Mitch Bratt (No. 14), Ashton Izzi (No. 18), Dean Livingston (No. 19), Brandyn Garcia (No. 20), Brian Curley (No. 22) and Wellington Aracena (No. 24) have all entered the organization since last July either as Draft picks or trade acquisitions.
To return to an earlier point though, Troy and Slade Caldwell (No. 3) have appeared in Top 100 rankings before and could push to rejoin Waldschmidt with that status if they get off to hot starts. Crisantes was headed toward Top 100 territory before a left shoulder tear ended his season early last May. If he retains his plus hit tool after the surgery and missed time, he’d be another strong Top 100 candidate at some point in 2026.
Here’s a look at the D-backs’ top prospects:
- Ryan Waldschmidt, OF (MLB No. 59)
- Kayson Cunningham, SS
- Slade Caldwell, OF
- Tommy Troy, 2B/OF
- Demetrio Crisantes, 2B/3B
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list:
Jump: Carlos Virahonda, C (2025: NR | 2026: 17)
Virahonda spent two straight seasons in the Dominican Summer League and posted a .510 OPS there during his repeat campaign in 2024. In other words, he didn’t look like a player who was set to take off stateside. But that’s exactly what happened as he slashed .300/.413/.404 over 70 games between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Visalia. The 20-year-old backstop’s best grades come on the defensive side, especially for his throwing from behind the plate, and he’s blossomed into Arizona’s top catching prospect.
Fall: Yilber Díaz, RHP (2025: 4 | 2026: 23)
Díaz was the top arm on the farm entering 2025 and made an MLB appearance in late April last year. But his control was out of whack at Triple-A Reno afterward, and he was sent back to the Arizona complex for extra work and later demoted to the Double-A Amarillo bullpen. Díaz found his stride in the Texas League and carried that over to winter ball in Venezuela to steady his stock. His fastball, gyro slider and knuckle curve all earn plus grades, but he’ll need to be in the zone more to make that arsenal work even in short relief spurts.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools – 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is plus and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Demetrio Crisantes (Kayson Cunningham)
Power: 55 -- Ryan Waldschmidt (Yassel Soler, Gavin Conticello)
Run: 70 -- Druw Jones (Slade Caldwell, Avery Owusu-Asiedu)
Arm: 60 -- Jones (Carlos Virahonda, Conticello)
Defense: 70 -- Jones
Fastball: 65 -- Wellington Aracena
Curveball: 60 -- Daniel Eagen (David Hagaman, Cristian Mena, Mason Marriott)
Slider: 60 -- Brandyn Garcia (Yilber Diaz, Brian Curley)
Changeup: 50 -- Mena (Hagaman, Kohl Drake)
Control: 60 -- Mitch Bratt
How they were built
Draft: 15 | International: 7 | Trade: 8
Breakdown by ETA
2026: 9 | 2027: 9 | 2028: 7 | 2029: 5
Breakdown by position
C: 2 | 1B: 0 | 2B: 4 | 3B: 2 | SS: 3 | OF: 5 | RHP: 11 | LHP: 3