Arizona Diamondbacks Sign 1st Round Draft Picks JD Dix, Ryan Waldschmidt

The D-backs have yet to sign their 29th overall pick Slade Caldwell, but lock up their other two 2024 MLB first round Draft picks.

Jun 8, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt (21) steals third base during the seventh inning against the Oregon State Beavers at Kentucky Proud Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports / Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

It took a couple of extra days but the Arizona Diamondbacks have been able to sign two of their most important 2024 MLB Draft picks. They signed 31st overall pick outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt and 35th overall pick high school shortstop JD Dix.

Dix was seen as a tougher sign compared to Waldschmidt who went to college. Dix, a high schooler out of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, suffered a torn labrum his senior year, but was seen as a high talent. He was committed to Wake Forest before choosing to sign.

His slot value was listed at $2,630,000, but the D-backs were able to sign him to a bonus amount of $2,150,000. It's rare for a highly touted high school player to take a 500K discount, but it's possible that he was sold on the D-backs, he was taken in the first round, and it's not a guarantee that he would be picked that high in three years.

D-backs Amateur Scouting Director Ian Rebhan spoke on JD Dix after they selected him saying "“A
lot of comfort in the bat there, from both sides [of the plate]... He’s a plus runner, he’s super athletic... We see him as someone that plays the middle of the field and plays shortstop, that has a really interesting athletic offensive profile as well.”

He spoke more about him here. Dix is 18 years old, 6'2, and 180 pounds with plenty of room to grow into his tall frame. Dix is likely to start out at the Arizona Complex League before moving up to Single-A Visalia in a few weeks.

If you want an MLB comparison of him, MLB Pipeline compares his play to DJ LeMahieu, a great offensive hitter in his prime who won multiple batting titles.

As for outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, he was seen as an easier sign thanks to his being in college. He was the star player for Kentucky and led them to their first ever College World Series appearance. Plus, he performed excellently against SEC pitching.

He was the pick that the D-backs received for Corbin Carroll winning NL Rookie of the Year. Waldschmidt has an all-fields approach when hitting with the ability to drive the ball to each part of the field.

He has 55-grade power and the speed to be a future 20/20 player in MLB. The analytics loved his play in Kentucky and he passes the eye test with excellent patience at the plate and an ability to crush off-speed or breaking pitches.

Some of his analytics are below as to why the D-backs took him.

Love the Caldwell/Waldschmidt turnaround for DBacks! pic.twitter.com/WclzdtN2Pi

— Jacob (@JacobE_STL) July 15, 2024

D-backs Amateur Scouting Director Ian Rebhan spoke on Ryan Waldschmidt and why they drafted him below.

"He doesn't swing-and-miss, he hits for power, he doesn't expand the zone, he performed in the best conference in college baseball, but you also have the scouting group that loved the kid and got to know him well and liked the player, the bat, the power, and all the ways he can impact the game so I would say that was just a really good blend of everybody involved in the process."

To find out more about why the team drafted Waldschmidt and what Arizona sees in him, be sure to read this article.

Both JD Dix and Ryan Waldschmidt bring high floors and very high ceilings to the Arizona Diamondbacks prospect pool.

As for Slade Caldwell, the high school outfielder out of Arkansas, he's yet to sign. The projected slot value of the 29th overall pick is $3,500,000.

With Dix's savings, the D-backs can go over $400K above that in order to get Caldwell to sign. This is due to Dix taking a discount of $500K and because there's a 5% overage allowance to sign your draft picks.

The total D-backs bonus pool allotment is $13,260,800, however, they can go 5% over that in order to complete their signings without losing their first round pick in next year's draft. This means they can spend up to $13,923,840.

Accordingly they have roughly just under $4MM to sign Slade Caldwell. It's expected that he will sign because that should be more than enough for the 19th rated prospect on the draft-board.

Expect to hear about Slade Caldwell signing sooner than later, especially thanks to JD Dix taking a discount.