Diamondbacks in the Third Week of the Arizona Fall League
In the third week of the Arizona Fall League, the Salt River Rafters wrapped up their home slate of games before finishing the week at Phoenix Municipal Stadium as part of a Fall League triple-header. Here's how the players representing the Arizona Diamondbacks fared in the third week of the Fall League.
Jordan Lawlar
3 G, 1-9, 3 BB, R, 4 SO, SB
Lawlar has cooled off a bit at the plate after a blistering first two weeks in the Fall League. Teams have been trying to get him to expand the zone, to mixed effects. Lawlar has taken the walks he's been given although he's shown a bit of a hole against off-speed pitches down and below the strike zone. His week ended when he was hit in the shoulder with a fastball on Friday, although it appears he avoided a serious injury.
Deyvison De Los Santos
3 G, 4-10, 2B, RBI, R, 0 BB, 2 SO
De Los Santos warmed up this week, as he's starting to hit the ball with authority more regularly. On Friday, he mashed a couple balls over 100 MPH for hits including a double that was hit through the hole at short and trickled down the left field line.
There are still concerns about his approach, which can occasionally come undone when he gets to hitter-friendly counts. From what I've seen, he's done a better job of forcing pitchers into the strike zone but still takes some very wild swings at off-speed strikes. The overall approach is still a work in progress, but it's improved from the first couple weeks in the fall league.
Justin Martinez
2 G, 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
Martinez continues to make a strong impression in the fall league, retiring all six hitters he faced this week with four of them on strikes. The D-backs No. 29 prospect, who can hit 100 MPH with his fastball with a slider and changeup, is making a run at a 40-man roster spot this winter and a potential bullpen spot next spring.
Here is Martinez embarrassing Guardians catcher David Fry on sliders
With the need for the D-backs to add velocity and strikeouts to their bullpen, Martinez is one of their better internal candidates for the big league bullpen. He's still more of a thrower than a pitcher at this stage of his career, but the command is getting better as he's more removed from Tommy John surgery last season.
Cooper Hummel
2 G, 1-5, BB, RBI, R, SO
Hummel caught both Thursday and Saturday, with his catcher defense being a bit sloppy in the two games. He had a rough day Saturday, in which he dropped a foul pop up for an error, then let a wild pitch get through the five hole despite being in solid position to block it. Hummel also had a chance to show off the arm on Saturday, making four pickoff throws to bases to catch runners trying to take too aggressive a secondary lead. A couple of them to first were close plays.
At the plate, Hummel isn't having too many issues with the pitchers in the fall league. That doesn't come as a surprise, as he faced much stiffer competition in the big leagues during the 2022 regular season. In Thursday's come-from-behind win, he hit deep fly balls to both left and right field and drew a critical walk to help jumpstart a seven-run inning. He had a hard-hit single trhough the left side that drove in a run on Saturday's win.
Chad Patrick
1 GS, 3 IP, 10 H, 6 R (6 ER), 1 BB, 3 SO
Patrick had another rough start in the fall league, with Mesa lighting him up for six runs on 10 hits in three-plus innings. Of the 16 balls Mesa put into play, seven were hit above 100 MPH. That's not a good sign for a potential starting pitcher prospect, as the ability to limit loud contact is crucial in the absence of strikeouts.
There were some positives, as he was able to dismantle some of the better hitters in Mesa's lineup. He was able to strike out Yankees prospect Jasson Domínguez with a high fastball, former Marlins first rounder Joe Mack with a slider, then Rays No. 12 prospect Mason Auer with a perfectly placed fastball on the high-outside corner.
With Patrick's rough three starts, it raises questions if the D-backs should consider re-evaluating Patrick long term. He's a guy who could become very interesting if he can get his stuff to bump up a tick or two in short relief vs. starting.
Jackson Goddard
1 G, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, SO, 1/2 IRS
After two really bad weeks, Goddard turned in a solid outing for Salt River on Thursday in relief of Patrick. He was able to strand one of two inherited runners and pitched a scoreless fifth inning to set the stage for a comeback win. He induced weak fly ball contact for his outs. Fastball velocity was up for Goddard, averaging 92.8-94.8 MPH, and he was able to keep hitters off balance with changeups.
Kyle Backhus
Backhus did not appear in a game this week. I'm not sure if that's due to injury or simply a result of a run of shortened seven inning games that have kept him off the mound.
