Diamondbacks Top Prospects #26: Infielder Ryan Bliss

Bliss is a top-notch defender in the infield who has struggled to hit in pro ball so far.

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Name: Ryan Bliss

Age: 22

Position: Second Base

Acquired: 2021 Draft, 2nd Round (47), $1.25M signing bonus

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Tools: Hit 40, Power 50, Arm 50, Defense 65, Run 55

ETA: 2024

Risk: High

Top 30 List

2022 Overview

Bliss got the assignment with Advanced Class A Hillsboro for 2022. He played mostly shortstop, with 84 of his 108 starts in the field there. At the plate, he struggled to a .214/.298/.343 slash in the pitcher-friendly Northwest League with a 24.4% strikeout rate and a 8.9% walk rate. Fangraphs rated his offense as 18% worse than the league average player, with a wRC+ of 82. His home ballpark, Ron Tonkin Field, is a very pitcher-friendly park. His home and road splits for OPS are .612 and .669 respectively.

Even with the poor full season numbers, there was a sign of clear improvement at the plate as the season progressed. In his first two months of the year he hit .135/.238/.184 with a 31.1% strikeout rate and a 11.6% walk rate. He showed drastic improvement from June 1st to the end of the season, with a .253/.329/.421 slash with 9 home runs, 24 steals, a 20.9% strikeout rate, and a 7.5% walk rate. He saved his best month for last, hitting .265/.374/.480 in the month of August with a 17/11 strikeout to walk ratio in 115 plate appearances.

2023 Outlook

The strong finish to the 2022 season will likely be enough for Bliss to get promoted to Double-A Amarillo to open 2023. Given that he'll be playing in a ballpark that inflates home runs, the key is for him to continue to make good swing decisions and continue to improve his plate discipline. The pitfall in playing in such a hitter-friendly park is   

MLB Projection

Bliss is unlikely to be more than a league-average hitter in the big leagues, but only needs to hit well enough that it doesn't take away from his glove (~90 wRC+). His arm will prevent him from sticking at shortstop, but has the range and hands necessary to be an elite defender at second. The issue is there isn't much else in his offensive profile to give confidence he can be a regular in the big leagues on the strength of his glove alone.