D-backs Top 40 Prospects in 2024: No. 25 Kyle Amendt

The breakout reliever is on a fast track to the Majors after reaching Triple-A in his first year in professional baseball

Kyle Amendt throws in the bullpen during the Arizona Fall League media day at Scottsdale Stadium on Oct. 4, 2024, in Scottsdale, Arizona. / Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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.

Kyle Amendt, RHP, Relievers, DOB 4/05/2000, 6'5, 237

Acquired: 9th Round Pick of 2023 MLB Draft, 265th Overall

Kyle Amendt was taken in the 9th Round of th 2023 amateur draft out of Dallas Baptist University in Texas. He signed a bonus of $135,000 to start his professional baseball career. He pitched 12 innings across the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Visalia and allowed zero runs in 2023.

After such a successful stint, the Diamondbacks wasted no time and started him off in High-A with the Hillsboro Hops to kick off the 2024 season. With the Hops, Amendt continued to dominate hitters.

He got into 11 games and threw 13.1 innings and all he did was record an ERA of 0.68 as he was nearly unhittable. His FIP was somehow -0.07 and his xFIP was 0.46. Clearly, he was dominant in every fashion.

He allowed eight hits, one earned run, two walks, and 27 strikeouts. He overpowered hitters with his unorthodox behind the head release point and backwards curveball. He struck out an obscene 18.2 batters per nine innings. He faced 51 batters and struck out over half of them.

To the surprise of none, that earned Amendt a promotion to Double-A soon on June 1. He didn't decimate hitters with the Amarillo Sod Poodles but he came close to dominating them.

Over 19 games, 18.2 innings, three saves, and seven games finished, Amendt posted a 2.89 ERA, 2.18 FIP, and 2.65 xFIP. He allowed home runs at a rate of just 0.48 per nine innings despite being in an extreme offensive environment.

He gave up eight hits, six earned runs, eight walks, and struck out 30 batters, good for a 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings rate. He faced 72 batters so he struck out 42% of them. That's a rare number to be so high even in a smallish sample.

Once again, batters could not hit his backwards curveball, curveball, or his fastball with his odd arm slot and release points that create optical illusions for the hitter.

After a couple of months excelling with the Sod Poodles, the Diamondbacks decided to promote him one more time and send him to Triple-A with the Reno Aces on August 6. That's where he would end his season, just one step away from the Majors.

The new ballpark, league, and environment challenged Amendt, especially in his first two outings with his new team. He struggled mightily with five earned runs given up over just two innings with three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. It was uncharacteristic for the talented right-hander.

However, he figured it out quickly after that as over the next 11 games and 10 innings, he allowed just two runs for a 1.80 ERA as he gave up nine hits, 12 walks, and struck out 16.

The walks could be due to the altitude and how pitches don't move as expected in Reno, similar to Colorado and that he struggled to adapt to the new air and movement of his pitches.

In total with the Aces, Amendt had a 5.25 ERA, 5.42 FIP, and 5.85 xFIP over 13 games and 12 innings. It's difficult to tell if that was just a mirage or if there were real reasons as to why he struggled with his command in Reno.

Once the season ended, the D-backs decided that they wanted to see more of Amendt and had him play in the Arizona Fall League on the Salt River Rafters. He's done well against plenty of top prospects in a tiny sample.

To date, Over five games, one save, and 5.2 innings, he has a 4.76 ERA, four hits, three runs, four walks, and eight strikeouts. The walks are high but so are the strikeouts so it could be that Amendt will need to continue to learn how to harness his stuff for strikes without going for swings out of the zone constantly.

In total on the season, Amendt was difficult to hit as he struck out 75 in just 44 innings and walked only 24 with a 2.86 ERA. 15.3 batters per nine innings struck out against him opposed by 4.9 walks per nine innings.

Related Content: Diamondbacks Prospect Kyle Amendt Hones Stuff in Fall League

2025 Outlook

Kyle Amendt will start the 2025 season back in Triple-A with the Reno Aces. It will depend on how he performs there as to when he gets the call to the show by the Arizona Diamondbacks. It will also depend on the health of the D-backs bullpen and how their performance is.

Still, it's likely that Amendt will make his MLB debut sooner than later as his penchant for strikeouts won't keep him down in the minors for too long. He's in the final push to become an important member of Arizona's bullpen. Expect to see him in the Majors before the All-Star Break if all goes right.

If he performs close to expectations in MLB, he could find himself in a middle relief role coming into games ahead of late-inning pitchers AJ Puk and Justin Martinez for the foreseeable future.