There’s been a cavalcade from the upper Minors to downtown Phoenix during 2026 with Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy, LuJames Groover, Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and others all making their Major League debuts in the past few months. But that upward mobility has also opened the door behind them for fast-rising prospects to quickly slot right in.
Demetrio Crisantes played in just 35 games for Double-A Amarillo before the call came earlier this week -- he was headed to Triple-A.
The D-backs’ No. 3 prospect -- who could be rising even higher very soon -- rapped out three hits and a pair of RBIs during Reno's 10-7 win over Tacoma on Wednesday night at Greater Nevada Field, just his second game with the club. It marked his 13th multihit outing of the season and third in the past week.
Coming from arguably the most notoriously hitter-friendly park in all of the Minor Leagues, HODGETOWN, home to Double-A Amarillo, Crisantes has dealt with a unique temptation. When the wind blows out, it’s like a siren call for a hitter to change his swing in exchange for a possible home run. But the 21-year-old constantly reminded himself of his line-drive-first approach, which will play in his favor in his move to the Minors' highest level, which is chock full of experienced hurlers.
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Crisantes stuck with that mentality in his first at-bat -- and on his first swing -- for Reno on Tuesday night, sizzling a line-drive single. While his three knocks Wednesday were hit more softly, they were a testament to his approach, which has led to a career .321 average across his 199 Minor League games.
“I try to keep it calm, I try to keep it simple and not overcomplicate things,” Crisantes told MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra last week. “At the end of the day, I got to hit the ball, and if I put it in play, it gives me a good chance to get on base. I just want to be simple.”
Crisantes has had ample time over the past 14 months to reflect on that approach. Last May 14, he dug into the box for High-A Hillsboro, and after a check swing, his left shoulder felt off. It turned out to be a posterior labral tear, one that shut him down for the remainder of 2025. He looked strong in his return at Spring Training, but a hamstring injury delayed his season debut until May 19.
That time away enabled Crisantes to work on the mental aspect of baseball, as well as getting “dry” reps -- tracking pitches off machines and digging deeper into scouting reports. He played in three rehab games in the Arizona Complex League before needing just four more at High-A before the bump to Amarillo.
During his stint with the Sod Poodles, Crisantes’ .319 average tied for fifth-best on the Texas League circuit. He ran a .961 OPS with 19 of his 43 hits going for extra bases, including when he hit for the cycle on June 28. Known as a contact fiend who gets his bat to nearly everything in the zone, he’s been able to spray the ball from line-to-line in 2026 with at least a 30 percent rate of balls in play to his pull side, the opposite field and back up the middle.
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MLB’s No. 5 second-base prospect has played exclusively at the keystone in 2026 after seeing time at the infield corners in 2024 and ‘25. There’s a Ketel Marte-sized roadblock ahead of him one level up, but as has always been the case with the native of Nogales, Arizona, it’s the bat that remains the selling point.
Being 21 years old (or younger) at Triple-A is no small feat. Crisantes became -- fittingly -- just the 21st batter to do so in 2026, likely helping to continue a trend of facing older pitchers every time he digs in. (He has combined for five plate appearances total vs. a younger hurler dating back to the start of last year.)
Despite that, Crisantes has hit everywhere he’s been throughout his career: .345 average in the Complex League, .333 at Single-A, .319 at Double-A, .814 OPS at High-A. Now he gets at least a six-week run to test his mettle at the Minors’ highest level.