D-backs Top 40 Prospects in 2024: No. 13 JD Dix

The athletic, switch hitting Dix is yet another shortstop with a high ceiling in the Diamondbacks' system

Jun 18, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Whitefish Bay High School infielder JD Dix during the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

JD Dix, Switch Hitter, SS, DOB 10/12/2005, 6'2" 180

Acquired: Competitive Balance Round Pick, 35th overall in the 2024 Amateur Draft

JD Dix was drafted out of Whitefish Bay High School in Wisconsin. The shortstop signed on July 24th for $2,150,000, well below his slot value of $2,630,000. Assigned to the Arizona Complex League, he did not appear in any game action in 2024.

The word athletic is frequently used to describe Dix. The switch-hitter grades out at or above 55 for hit, run, field and arm tools. Speaking of Dix at the time he was drafted, scouting director Ian Rebhan gushed about him:

“A really exciting total package there" Rebhan said. "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.”

Dix suffered a shoulder injury his senior year of high school. He required surgery to repair a torn labrum. That put a dent in his numbers, causing him to drop in the draft.

But Rebhan was extremely confident that Dix was past that injury. “He missed a little bit of the early part of this season," Rebhan acknowledged, "our guys, our area scout up there did such a good job of getting us in there when he was healthy. We watched him all the way to the end, and he ended up playing shortstop at the end of the year."

2025 Outlook

JD Dix will likely begin playing games in the Complex League to start the 2025 season, but it would not be surprising to see him make a quick transition to Class-A Visalia by mid-summer.

The Diamondbacks have tended to draft a lot of shortstops high in drafts, but concerns about Dix being blocked are years away. You can't have too many talented, athletic prospects capable of playing the middle infield.

Unless he rockets through the system on the strength of outstanding performance, Dix's MLB ETA is probably sometime in 2028.

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