Three Diamondbacks Prospects Win Player of the Week Honors

Two positions players and one pitcher won three different Player or Pitcher of the Week Honors in the Diamondbacks system.

Amarillo Sod Poodles Tim Tawa (10) slides in safely at second base, in a Texas League Championship game against the Arkansas Travelers, Tuesday night, September 26, 2023, at Hodgetown, in Amarillo, Texas. The Arkansas Travelers won 6-5. / Carter Pirtle for the Amarillo Globe-News / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League system certainly had a good week last week. Three of their prospects won Player or Pitcher of the Week for their respective leagues, quite a feat for a prospect system on the rise.

The D-backs' prospects are often overlooked when it comes to top farm systems from the three major publications about baseball prospects. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't a good system as there is plenty of talent that is blossoming this year.

Their top-30 prospects is loaded with future MLB talent, and all three of the players that won this past week aren't on it, speaking to the depth and performance of the system.

Plus, the Diamondbacks have been built from the ground floor with former homegrown prospects serving key roles on this year's roster such as Justin Martinez, Corbin Carroll, Ryne Nelson, Kevin Ginkel, Jake McCarthy, and Geraldo Perdomo to name a few.

Arizona will continue to rely upon its prospect system to supplement its roster and produce winning and viable talent that can help this team make the playoffs every year, similar to the Tampa Bay Rays which GM Mike Hazen has spoken about often.

The winners of the awards this past week are utility player Tim Tawa of the Reno Aces, outfielder A.J. Vukovich of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, and starting right-handed pitcher Roman Angelo of the Hillsboro Hops.

Tim Tawa, Triple-A Reno Aces

Tawa has been on a tear this year as he just recently was promoted to Triple-A to play with the Aces. He's been crushing the ball since he arrived last Tuesday.

Over the six games, he hit .375 with a 1.298 OPS thanks to nine hits, three doubles, a triple, two homers, six runs, five RBI, three walks, and just four strikeouts.

Tawa doesn't even feel that he's fully adjusted to Triple-A yet, saying "There's definitely an adjustment. I think that I'm getting a lot more off-speed pitches and the pitching's a little bit more precise...It'll take some time but I feel confident that I'll get there."

Tawa can play a variety of positions and has to shown to be able to hit for power and consistent contact. Don't be surprised if he's reaching Chase Field next year. Find out more about him and who he is here.

A.J. Vukovich, Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles

Vukovich had a stellar last week at the plate for the Sod Poodles. Out of the five games he played, he recorded two hits in four of them. He hit .409 with a 1.322 OPS. He had nine hits in total with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, six RBI, two walks, and struck out five times.

Vukovich has been hot of late with a .919 OPS over his last 20 games with four doubles, a triple, and five home runs. He's done all this while playing a consistently in the outfield with a strong glove.

While he isn't rated on the top-30 prospects, he could find his way up to Triple-A Reno sooner than later if he stays on this track and keeps hitting like this. The right-handed hitting outfielder has plenty of power and just needed to make consistent contact, something he's achieving now.

Roman Angelo, High-A Hillsboro Hops

Angelo has had a strong season on the mound and pitched the best game of his season this past week which is what earned him Pitcher of the Week in the Northwest League. Against the Spokane Indians this past week, Angelo shut them down over seven no-hit innings.

Over those seven innings, he allowed just two baserunners via walks to reach base. He struck out nine batters. He pummeled the strike zone throwing 66 strikes out of 95 pitches.

Angelo is quickly making a name for himself among D-backs prospects as he has been pitching quite well since his July 2nd start. Over those 41.2 innings, he has a 3.46 ERA but has struck out 54 batters. While doing that, he's walked just 11 and given up only 16 earned runs. Hitters hit just .200 during this span.

This is Angelo's second Pitcher of the Week award this season in the Northwest League showcasing just how strong he has been pitching. Don't be surprised if he reaches Double-A by the end of this year or starts next year there.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have quite a lot of prospects doing well right now, stay tuned to Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI for plenty of coverage.

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