D-backs thrilled that their top Draft target was available with No. 15 pick

PHOENIX -- For the better part of a week, the Diamondbacks' scouting and baseball operations departments sat in a conference room at Chase Field and debated the merits of hundreds of players.

Knowing that a Draft can take any number of twists and turns, especially when you’re picking 15th overall, like the Diamondbacks were, they left nothing to chance, ranking every player on their board whether they thought he would get to them or not.

In the end, they wound up with University of Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick, a player they (and many in the pundit industry) expected to be off the board before they had a chance at him.

“The industry had him going pretty high above us,” Arizona scouting director Ian Rebhan said. “So getting him at our pick, we were thrilled at what we're bringing in from a person and a baseball player perspective.”

A strong defensive catcher with power at the plate, Helfrick emerged as a top Draft prospect in the summer of 2024, when he tied for the Cape Cod League lead with 11 homers and then slugged .616 with 15 homers over 190 at-bats for the Razorbacks the next season.

“I think you're getting a premium defensive catcher here,” Rebhan said. “He led the entire country in all the objective defensive metrics. He can really throw. He controls the running game. I think he's one of the only college catchers in the country that are calling his own game, so he has those skills. He can manage a pitching staff.”

Coming out of high school, Helfrick was ranked among the top prep catchers in the 2023 Draft class, but he had an up-and-down senior season and decided to go to Arkansas.

As a sophomore with the Razorbacks, Helfrick was named to the ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region Team (First Team), and the NCAA Fayetteville Regional All-Tournament Team. He was also the 2025 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Tournament MVP after posting a .545/.643/1.364 slash line with three home runs.

During that tournament, Helfrick caught the third no-hitter in College World Series history and the first since 1960, Gage Wood’s 19-strikeout gem against Murray State on June 16, 2025.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Helfrick, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 11 prospect in this year’s Draft class, is advanced as a defensive backstop, calling pitches and handling a pitching staff with aplomb. He has a strong arm and is a solid receiver, framer and blocker. His throwing will get better if he improves on his transfer from glove to hand, as well as his accuracy.

“On the offensive side of the ball, you're getting someone who's made a ton of strides in the last three years,” Rebhan said. “He controls the strike zone. He's going to walk. He's going to get on base. He's going to hit for power. He's going to hit the ball out of the ballpark. So I think you're getting a really intriguing catcher that is going to bring you value on both sides of the ball, both from a power and on-base perspective, and then being an elite receiver.

"He's a player we spent a ton of time with. We've scouted him back to high school. Then you get to meet with Ryder himself, and you realize the type of human being, the type of leader, just the type of person you want to bring into the organization.”