Could Tristin English Finally Push Into the Big Leagues?

There is a chance that the 27 year old first baseman could debut in 2025

Aaron Hughes | Jan 24, 2025

Crew members of the new USS Arizona are introduced during the Arizona Diamondbacks spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 27, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Arizona Diamondbacks

Next up in our Diamondbacks 2025 projection series is first base prospect Tristin English. Could the 27 year old finally push his way to the big leagues? The projection below is a composite of ZiPS and Steamer, prorated to our own playing time estimation.

Tristin English, 1B, Age 27

After 5 seasons in the minor leagues 2025 could be the year that 27 year old righty Tristin English finally makes the big leagues. Playing a position of little depth for Arizona, his help at first base could come in handy throughout the year.

Tristin English stats and 2025 projection / Alex D'Agostino | Diamondbacks On SI

Why English may surpass projections

The Diamondbacks acquired first baseman Josh Naylor earlier this winter in a move to replace Christian Walker who departed in free agency. Naylor is a strong offensive player at first base but has battled some injuries in the past.

Pavin Smith is currently the club's most reliable insurance policy at first base. He lines up to be the starting DH as of writing this story, and could have his own breakout campaign next season. Past him however, there is little depth.

English, now 27 years old, has spent most of the last two seasons with the Reno Aces. There he played in 111 games in 2024 and hit to a .750 OPS. Impressively in 2023, he mashed to a .938 OPS belting 23 home runs between two levels.

If Arizona were to suffer a major injury at first base next season it would make sense that English would be one name in the fold to fill that role. With this, his 10 plate appearance projection would likely be far surpassed, and if he hits as well as he did in 2023, a meager .645 OPS could be easily surpassed.

Hitters coming to the big leagues for the first time are quite unpredictable. Many struggle, but some manage to hit the ground running and leave their mark. Offensive projections for English, in a very small sample, are quite low. He could beat these numbers (particularly if he shows some slug) quite handily.

Why English may fall short of projections

There is no guarantee that the righty will earn a promotion in 2025. His playing time hinges on things going wrong at a major league level quite substantially, and that isn't always a safe bet. While his plate appearances are likely his easiest mark to surpass, they are also the most likely to fall short of projections.

English is also not known as a contact hitter. Save for his incredible offensive production in 2023, he has found himself around the .242 to .263 mark in the vast majority of his MiLB service.

Projections see him taking a dip to a below MLB average .232 batting average in 10 plate appearances, but he could fall even shorter. With major league pitching being as dominant as it is, any hit can be a win for a young role player trying to fight for a roster spot.

While this is entirely impossible to project, hitting is very difficult, and there are very few exceptions to the struggles that young players undergo.

Summary

English is certainly not a guarantee to appear in the big leagues for Arizona this season. While he has placed himself on the short list of first base options for the Diamondbacks next year, he will still need quite a bit of luck (and likely increased production at the plate) to make his way to the show.

Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports, and while he has proven that he can slug, making contact with major league pitching is a whole different beast. English will get his chance in the big leagues eventually, and Diamondbacks fans should be eager to cheer him on when that day comes.