Arizona Diamondbacks Farm Review: Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA)

Arizona’s farm system is currently the best it’s been in some time, marrying a group of potential star position players with a bevy of starting pitching. No Diamondbacks affiliate minor league team represents the best of the system more than AA Amarillo, which features a deep roster of impact prospect talent headlined by blue-chipper Corbin Carroll. So with about a month of games played, let’s check in on some of the top prospects making noise with the Amarillo Sod Poodles.


Note: All stats are counted through 5/7/2022.

Hitters:

Corbin Carroll, OF, 21

Carroll is reserving his spot among the elite prospects, dominating AA to the tune of .322/.456/.644, 7 HR and 8 SB with a 15.8% BB% and 23.7% K% as a 21-year-old who basically skipped High-A. DRC+ is buying it too despite the fact that he plays half his games in an extreme hitters’ environment, giving him a 117 rating (17% better than league average offensively). He might be playing a little above his true power skills and his contact rate (70%) is lower than you’d like to see, but I won’t hold it against him given his age and aggressive assignment.


Jorge Barrosa, OF, 21

21-year-old Barrosa easily handled High-A competition before being promoted to AA Amarillo, where he joined Carroll as one of the youngest players in all of AA. He’s come out swinging since the promotion, hitting .304/.373/.478 to go with 2 HR, 4 SB, and a 9.4% BB% and 18.9% K% in 53 PA. Though DRC+ is more lukewarm on Barrosa so far (101), his 78.0% contact rate and sub-20% K% speak to his advanced plate discipline which has helped him survive the jump to AA. He’ll likely spend the rest of the year at Amarillo, where he’ll have plenty of opportunities to boost his HR output and his fantasy stock with it. Barrosa’s a great buy in dynasty, but you can still likely get him for free given the fact that he’s rostered in just 1% of Fantrax leagues.

Pitchers:

Drey Jameson, RHP, 24

Jameson was promoted to AAA Reno after his strong AA performance in 18.2 IP. His 2.41 ERA, 11.1 K/9, and 1.93 BB/9 in a prime hitter’s environment were all to the liking of DRA-, giving him a stellar 61 rating (39% better than the average pitcher). His control and GB abilities buoy the overall profile, though he did seem to lose a bit of swing-and-miss compared to last year (dropping from 16% to 11%). His first AAA start didn’t go so well, as he gave up 7 ER over 3.2 IP. I’m confident he’ll make the necessary adjustments, but a swing-and-miss rebound would do wonders to help him find his footing at AAA.


Brandon Pfaadt, RHP, 23

Pfaadt may be making a case for himself as the #1 Diamondbacks pitching prospect, as he’s followed up his strong 2021 AA performance with an even better 2022 AA performance. His 12.4 K/9 and sterling 17.5% K% show his big strikeout upside while his 2.2 BB/9 shows his excellent control as well. Though his 4.38 ERA is lackluster, DRA- isn’t concerned, giving him a fantastic 73 rating. It’s also interesting that his ERA has actually improved since last year despite the fact that his BABIP has risen from .291 to .417. His ERA will likely improve even more once that stabilizes unless he gets the call to AAA Reno before then.


Slade Cecconi, RHP, 22

I was admittedly lower on Cecconi than most other prospectors coming into the season. While his 5.66 ERA in 20.2 IP at AA seems to suggest I may have been justified in my ranking, his 86 DRA- is telling me there is more than meets the eye here. The ballooning HR/FB% is likely attributable to the stark difference in offensive environments between High-A Hillsboro and AA Amarillo, given that he’s increased his K% while reducing his BB%, a tried-and-true recipe for success. Unless he blows up completely in the coming months, he’ll be a midseason Diamondbacks Top 50 riser for me.

Honorable Mention:

Blake Walston, LHP, 20

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Walston, who was recently promoted to AA, making him one of the youngest pitchers in the Texas League and adding depth to Amarillo’s rotation. The Dbacks have been pretty aggressive with Walston, as they clearly see a ton of potential in him. His AA debut was rough, and Amarillo will be a tough challenge for him.  Suppressing HRs and limiting walks will be key for his success, but his power arsenal and strikeout ability should help him adapt.

Doug Otto is the High-A Central league correspondent and Arizona Diamondbacks correspondent for Prospects1500. He is an avid follower and consumer of prospect news, rankings, and data. He also has experience playing fantasy baseball, mostly in deep dynasty formats. When Doug isn’t researching prospects, he’s either watching movies or baking dessert. He can be found on Twitter at
@hdouglasotto




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