Unlike the NBA or NFL, when draft day rolls around there is
little consideration given to what is already in the system, it’s all about
taking the best player available. So while it may have been a shock to some
that literally 36 hours after inking their 2004 first round pick, shortstop
Stephen Drew, to a contract, the Diamondbacks used the first overall pick in the
2005 draft on another shortstop, high school prospect Justin Upton.
The Diamondbacks weren’t concerned with what they had, they
were concerned with what they were getting, and what they were getting was the
consensus best player in the draft. The only real decision for Scouting
Director Mike Rizzo on draft day was whether the Diamondbacks would take a
position player or a pitcher, once that choice was made Upton was the only
option.
If ever there was proof of that philosophy, it was this
season, this pick, by this club. In addition to Drew the Diamondbacks are
blessed with solid shortstop prospects at virtually every level.
It starts, curiously enough, with the D’Backs themselves.
While Royce Clayton hasn’t qualified as a ‘prospect’ in more than a decade, Alex Cintron certainly could be. Though Cintron is playing in his third season at
the Major League level, the soon to be 27 year old infielder has shown potential
since coming up late in the 2002 season, and has improved every year. Several
clubs are rumored to be interested in Cintron, and he appears to be the most
marketable commodity the Diamondbacks have on their active roster. Cintron hit
.313 with 13 homers last season, and though the numbers are down this season, a
slick fielding switch hitter with the ability to play more than one infield
position, and is making less than $500,000 this season, might be very intriguing
to clubs with smaller payrolls like the Royals, Rockies and A’s.
While Cintron’s name continues to be mentioned in trade
talks, one name the Diamondbacks have publicly stated is not going to be
traded in an effort to bolster this year’s club’s chances is Tucson’s Sergio Santos.
Santos, the #3 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization
and the top ranked infielder, has struggled this season, hitting only .235, but
has started to come around after a horrible April and May. This June Santos,
who according to Tucson first baseman Conor Jackson has the best pure power
stroke on the Sidewinders, has hit .286 with four homers and 20 RBI, showing
signs that he’s back on track.
An impressive physical specimen (6’2” 240lbs) there was
talk before the Diamondbacks signed Troy Glaus that Santos might be moved to
third base, but the Diamondbacks said they preferred Santos at short and have
stuck by their word. Much of his early season struggles could be attributed to
off season shoulder surgery that some have speculated Santos should have had as
long as three years ago, and if his second half numbers look more like June, and
less like April and May, he could be the Diamondbacks starting shortstop next
season, and sooner if the D’Backs fall out of contention in the NL West this
year.
At Double-A Tennessee the Diamondbacks have a pair of
shortstops. Jerry Gil is in Tennessee rehabbing a torn meniscus in his right
knee, and Dan Uggla is a 25 year old switch hitter with pop.
D’Backs fans will remember Gil from his brief stint with
the big league club last season. A slick fielder, Gil struggled at the plate,
hitting just .174 in 29 games last season with the Diamondbacks. Capable of
playing second, short, and third base, Gil doesn’t profile as much more than a
defensive replacement at the top level, but his time rehabbing has shown new
life in his bat. Through 35 games at Tennessee Gil is hitting .285 with nine
homers, just two short of his career high set last season with Tucson. If Gil’s
bat can be just respectable his defensive abilities make him a legit option at
shortstop.
Uggla is in exactly the opposite position. Though his
offensive numbers are impressive, Uggla has spent his entire tenure in the
Diamondbacks organization as a versatile player, fully capable of playing all
four infield positions with better than average range and arm strength. Uggla
himself prefers second base and shortstop to the two corner infield spots, and
the majority of his time has been spent at second base this season. That
position probably suits Uggla best, and shortstop remains an option, but Uggla’s
quickest route to the pros is probably the one he’s currently on, as a utility
player. In particular if Cintron is moved, Uggla could enter the 2006 season
contending for a roster spot as the D’Backs infield utility player.
Hi-A Lancaster is a hitter’s paradise, and perhaps the
perfect spot for Stephen Drew to start his Diamondbacks career. Drew, the
Diamondbacks first round pick in 2004 (#15 overall), refused to sign with the
Diamondbacks until quite literally the last minute, instead opting to play for a
month with the Camden Riversharks of the Independent League. The younger
brother of Dodgers’ outfielder J.D Drew, Stephen was widely considered the top
position player in the 2004 draft, but fell to the Diamondbacks at #15 precisely
because teams feared his contract demands.
It appears though that Drew was worth the wait. Through
his first 11 games at Lancaster Drew has lived up to the incredibly high
expectations he put on himself with the holdout. Drew is 16 for 44 (.364) with
nine extra base hits, including three home runs and 12 RBI. The comparisons to
his older brother have been favorable, but one in particular might not bode
well. The consensus on JD has been he might be one of the all time greats if
only he could stay healthy, and just one week into his Diamondbacks career
Stephen pulled a hamstring, sidelining him for nearly two weeks.
Still, if he can stay healthy the Diamondbacks front office
personnel might end up looking like geniuses for taking the chance on the Scott
Boras client, and paying him the reportedly $4.5 million deal he was looking
for.
As we get to the lower levels of the Diamondbacks system
things are always a little murky. The Lo-A Midwest League is filled with
players who can hit the fastball, and not much else, but the Diamondbacks are
still high on two shortstops in South Bend.
Mark Reynolds won’t turn 21 until the beginning of August,
and there is no doubt about one thing, Reynolds has power. In 2004, his first
season in the minors, Reynolds hit 12 homers in just 234 at bats, and this
season he’s already matched that mark. Some have questioned Reynolds’ defensive
ability, and speculated that he might be better suited at first base, but thus
far Reynolds has played a few games at third, but the vast majority at short.
Alberto Gonzalez is part of a core of Venezuelan players
the Diamondbacks have high hopes for that includes South Bend right fielder
Carlos Gonzales. He came into the Diamondbacks system at a scant 155 pounds
(he’s 5’11”) and has added 12 pounds of muscle to a frame that still has more
room to grow. At just 21 years old he’s a prospect to watch. Arguably the best
defensive shortstop in the Diamondbacks system (he started the season with 30
errorless games), Gonzalez has impressed this season with his bat. This is his
second season at South Bend, and after hitting just .238 last year he’s cruising
along at a .313 clip this season.
Derek Bruce has moved down the ladder, from Hi-A Lancaster,
where he started the season, to Short Season A in Yakima, and you can’t put any
of the blame on him. Bruce hit .341 in 30 games for the JetHawks, including a
stretch of 10 hits in 10 straight plate appearances, but knew his playing time
would be limited when Stephen Drew finally signed and was assigned to
Lancaster. Bruce was moved down to Yakima, where he’s slated to be the starting
shortstop, and though he’s struggling (hitting just .160 through 14 games at
Yakima), he’s yet to turn 23 and will have the time to develop.
For fans in Arizona the name Ricardo Cruz might sound
familiar. The best baseball player to come out of Phoenix’s Camelback High
School Cruz has started the season in the rookie level Pioneer League with the
Missoula Osprey with a home run, five RBI, and a .306 average in his first 10
games. Cruz’s arm is plus plus, and he’s shown power that scouts believe will
translate to the pro game. It better, because Cruz’s playing time could dip
dramatically.
Why? Because the Diamondbacks took the best position
player available with the #1 pick in the draft this year. Negotiations between
the Diamondbacks and Justin Upton have officially begun, and all parties are
optimistic that Upton will sign quickly. The Diamondbacks plan to have the
seventeen year old Upton start his pro career in Missoula, meaning Cruz will
have to find a new position if he expects regular playing time.
Arguably the fastest player in the draft, with a body that
will continue to grow and a bloodline that features 2004’s #2 pick, Devil Rays
prospect B.J. Upton, Justin Upton is going to be a professional player. The
Diamondbacks have stated publicly that they have no intention of rushing the
youngster, and though Upton played third base and center field before the draft
simply to show scouts he was capable of it, at least initially the Diamondbacks
have no intentions of moving Upton from short.
Which could pose a problem in the future. While teams
rarely draft specifically for a position, once a player enters their system all
bets are off. Both Drew and Upton have the speed to play center field, the
position where the Diamondbacks have the least depth, and conventional wisdom
states that at least one of the two will have to move there. The rumors of
Santos moving to third seemed to lose steam with the Glaus signing, but until he
proves he can stay healthy at one of the more demanding positions physically the
speculation will continue. Both Gil and Uggla profile as utility players,
though the longer they hit well, the more likely it is that the Diamondbacks
will find a permanent home for them. Ricardo Cruz will be moving shortly to
make room for Upton, and Bruce has already played three seasons in his first
year in the D’Backs organization. So the depth at short…might be short lived.