D-backs Top 40 Prospects in 2024: No. 33 Gavin Conticello

Progress at the plate and a smooth transition to the outfield marked a successful season for Diamondbacks prospect Gavin Conticello

Visalia Rawhide's Gavin Conticello fields a hit ball Tuesday, April 11, 2023 during their home opener against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. 0411 Bb Rc Rawhide 8321t / Ron Holman / Visalia Times-Delta / USA TODAY NETWORK

This article is part of a series reviewing the seasons of the top 40 prospects still in the Arizona Diamondbacks system as of the end of 2024.

Gavin Conticello LHB/OF, DOB 6/11/2003, 6'3" 190

Acquired: 8th round of the 2021 Amateur Draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland FL

Gavin Conticello was drafted as a third baseman, and played exclusively on the infield dirt his first three seasons in the Diamondbacks organization, splitting time between third and first base.

Playing most of the 2023 season for Class-A Visalia Rawhide, he showed plenty of pop, knocking 17 homers and 43 extra base hits in 408 at bats. He had a slightly above average walk rate of 10.2%, and a reasonable strikeout rate of 22% in Class-A, but a low .247 BABIP led to a .216 batting average and 95 wRC+

Nonetheless he was still promoted to the High-A Hillsboro Hops for the final 10 games of the season. That is where he began his 2024 season as well. He also began the year with a major defensive shift, as he was transitioned to play mostly right field.

Conticello got off to a blistering start, batting .381 with four homers and a 1.062 OPS through his first 17 games. He soon cooled off after that however, and rode a bit of a roller coaster at the plate for the rest of the season. From April 26 through September 8 he hit .268, with 5 homers and a .732 OPS.

That brought his full season batting line with the Hops to a very solid .280/.343/.431, .774 OPS. Ron Tonkin Field in the Northwest League is known as a tougher environment for hitters, and that batting line translated into a 117 wRC+, which is roughly 17% better than league average.

That earned Conticello a promotion to Double-A Amarillo, where he got into six more games, going 5-for-24, including a homer.

The transition to right field went smoothly. In 872 innings Conticello made just two errors and recorded 12 outfield assists. He also played nine games, 76 innings in center field, and 16 games, 1137 innings at first base.

Overall it was a very solid season for the big left-hand batter. MLB Pipeline ranks him 25th in the D-backs system, and Baseball America has him 28th. The biggest reason for the difference in our ranking are his issues with left-hand pitching.

Conticello had a large split, posting an .817 OPS against righties but just .642 against lefties. It was a similar story in 2023, when he posted .750 OPS vs RHP and .641 vs. LHP.

2025 Outlook

Gavin Conticello will begin his age 22 season playing for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles and patrolling right field. He'll look to improve upon his successful 2024 campaign, first and foremost by reducing his platoon split.

Should he do so successfully, Conticello could be a breakout prospect in 2025.