D-backs Top 40 Prospects in 2024: No. 31 A.J. Vukovich

The outfielder reached Triple-A in a big 2024 season that sees the 23-year-old just one step away from the Majors

Amarillo Sod Poodles A.J. Vukovich (19) rounds 3rd base in a Texas League Championship game against the Arkansas Travelers, Wednesday night, September 27, 2023, at Hodgetown, in Amarillo, Texas. The Amarillo Sod Poodles won 9-1. / Carter Pirtle for the Amarillo Globe-News / 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.

A.J. Vukovich, RHB/OF, DOB 7/20/2001, 6'4, 210

Acquired: 2020 4th Round Pick, No. 119 Overall

A.J. Vukovich was drafted in the 4th Round of the MLB Draft in 2020 out of East Troy High School in Wisconsin. He signed with the D-backs and began the long trek to the Big Leagues where he is now just one step below fulfilling that dream.

Vukovich started the 2024 season off in Double-A with the Amarillo Sod Poodles. This is where he ended 2023 at before playing in the Arizona Fall League. Vukovich spent the majority of 2024 at Double-A before getting a promotion to Triple-A with a week left in the season.

Over his 121 games at Double-A this year, he had a slash line of .270/.342/.458/.800 with 29 doubles, 123 hits, three triples, 17 homers, 80 RBI, 48 walks, and 153 strikeouts.

The strikeouts were an issue for Vukovich as he struck out 29.9% of the time, an unpalatable rate that needs to be lowered for him to find success at Triple-A or MLB levels. His walk rate of 9.4% was acceptable and around league average for the Texas League.

Vukovich earned his raise to Triple-A with a blistering hot streak over his final 27 games with the Sod Poodles. From August 8 to September 8, he hit .323 with a 1.044 OPS. He had 31 hits, 15 extra base hits including six homers, 22 RBI, 16 walks, and 29 strikeouts.

The D-backs rewarded him for how well he did by getting him a cup of coffee with the Reno Aces over a four-game sample size.

The full-time outfielder now played four games with the Aces and had three hits in 11 at-bats albeit with four strikeouts. They were all singles. But, it sets him up with a strong expectation of where he will be at in 2025 and put him just one stepping stone away from playing at Chase Field.

Despite playing in an offensive heaven such as Amarillo and the Texas League, Vukovich still had a wRC+ of 123, meaning that he was 23% better than league average despite the strikeout issue.

This was due in part to a slightly unsustainable .366 BABIP that will likely come down as he moves up levels, but also due to him making more strides with going the other way. He hits balls to the opposite field 34% of the time, a rise of six percent from 2023.

He's learned to hit the pitch where it is and hit it back where it came from rather than solely pull pitches for power. This is a key skill that will help him in future years.

Beyond the strikeout issue, Vukovich has another issue that could cause him to hit for a low average despite big power ability. He hits the ball too often on the ground.

With Double-A, he hit the ball on the ground 48.2% of the time and he doesn't have the highlight speed to be able to consistently beat out ground balls.

Anything over 45% is considered high and the higher it is, the easier it is for MLB athletes to get hitters out. This is concerning but it can be reversed as with Double-A in 2022, he hit ground balls at a rate of just 43.3%.

Two areas that Vukovich made a huge leap in was his line drive rate and his lower rate of infield fly balls. Two signs that show that Vukovich is learning to drive the ball and not get under it.

His infield fly ball rate per fly balls was just 11.4%, a decrease of almost three percent from 2023 and over five percent from 2022.

Meanwhile, his line drive increased from 20.8% in 2023 to 25.6% in 2024. More line drive balls are typically hit harder and give more potential for extra base hits and hits in general.

He's only 23 years old and is far from reaching his prime years as a ball player. There's plenty of time for him to continue improving and developing. Vukovich is a talented player that had a good year and just needs a similar or better year to continue moving up the ladder.

2025 Outlook

A.J. Vukovich is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft so the Diamondbacks will have to consider putting him on the 40-man roster to protect him or else risk another team claiming him. However, the odds are that he won't get claimed or that if he does, he will be returned to the D-backs during Spring Training at some point should he fail to make a claiming team's roster.

If he remains in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization come Opening Day of 2025, he will be playing in the outfield in Triple-A with the Reno Aces. Should he have a big first half, he could get a cup of coffee in Arizona if the D-backs need an outfielder at some point. He isn't far from playing in Chase Field and that could happen as soon as August or September of next year.