Arizona Thunderbirds Top 15 Prospects 2022

For the first team of the individual lists, we are looking at the Arizona Thunderbirds’ farm system. They were ranked 16th out of 30 farm systems, with three prospects cracking the top 80.

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15. SS Sandy Saldana

Drafted: Unknown (Inaugural Round 50+). Acquired: Draft

Nothing special about Saldana. He’ll give you solid play at second base, but you’d want to find a better defender for the shortstop position. His speed is good, but his lack of instinct while on the base paths hurts his overall grade. If he wants to make the big league club, he’ll need to work on his hitting. He is currently hitting around the .200/.300/.250 in Dev-A ball, so until he gets the slash line up, expect him to stay in the lower ranks of Arizona’s system.

14. C Chris Jones

Drafted: Unknown (Inaugural Round 50+). Acquired: Draft

His batting eye is about the only good thing Jones has working for him. Jones plays subpar defense behind the plate and hurts his team at the dish. He’s got an astoundingly low .091 BB/K, projected to finish the season with over 100 strikeouts and only 10 walks. His slash line reflects that fact, with a .160/.194/.246 record and racking up a WAR of -0.6. We’ve also heard numerous reports of his clubhouse antics, being a player most don’t want to play with.

13. 3B Danny Paredes

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 32, Pick 5 (#935). Acquired: Draft

The 18 year old Venezuelan native still has time to figure out his swing, but he’s very inconsistent at the plate. His saving grace is his defense, which he could contribute to the major league club straight away. He’s got a great arm at third base, and while he was a first baseman for a large part of his playing time in his native country, he’s got the skills to make the switch. His running isn’t good, as can be expected with a first baseman, but until his bat comes through he won’t make much of an impact anytime soon.

12. 1B Joe Corda

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 45, Pick 26 (#1346). Acquired: Draft

Corda has the potential to become a power hitter, but his small body size won’t allow him to mash balls out. Instead, you’ll more than likely find him as a career minor league player. His work ethic might allow him to overachieve, but even then he might not even reach the Reserves roster.

11. 3B Cameron Navarrette

Drafted: Unknown (Inaugural Round 50+). Acquired: Draft

When people look at Cameron, they see a player whose range hurts him the field, but one who doesn’t commit errors and has a great arm at third base. At 23 years of age, he’s nearing the end of his development and can be expected to hit for a lower average, but still get on base through walks. He has the potential to hit home runs, but his issues with hitting fly balls and slow speed limit the number of extra base hits he’ll rack up whilst in a Thunderbirds uniform.

10. SS Mario Ramirez

Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent Signing ($690,000 Bonus) from the Dominican Republic

While Ramirez’s defense is more suited for second base, he is playing and making good use of his shortstop ability in Zona’s Youth Academy. An IFA signing from Arizona, Ramirez is projected to be a great slap hitter. He doesn’t hit balls out of the park, and when looking at his 6’1″, 170 pound frame, you can tell that he’ll only be able to get balls into the gap. He has good speed, but he won’t light the bases on fire when he rounds them. If Ramirez develops his hitting, he’ll be a good bench player, due to his ability to play multiple positions.

9. 2B David Aranda

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 38, Pick 5 (#1115). Acquired: Draft

22 year old David Aranda is currently hitting over .300 in Dev-A ball, but most scouts think that what Aranda has is what he’ll be. He plays average defense at second base, and won’t kill pitchers with his hitting. Sharing the same makeup with Saldana, his speed is good, but his awareness whilst running is not. He gets caught in too many bad spots while running, hurting his team. If he could figure out his way around, Aranda could become a bench commodity for Arizona because his speed is lightning quick.

8. RP Paul Zoltek

Drafted: Amateur, Round 3, Pick 5 (#65).  Acquired: Draft

Arizona’s third round selection is running out of time to show that he can improve beyond what he’s shown in the reserves. After strong start in Dev-A ball, he’s boasted an ERA north of 6.00 in the Reserves. His stuff is there, with a 100 MPH fastball and a slider that, given work, could turn into a good secondary pitch for Zoltek. For now, the spin is too slow for it to break much, looking like a fast change-up but easier to see coming out of his hand. His K/9 is outstanding at 12.6, but he needs to work on his command, with a 8.8 BB/9 statistic.

7. LF Dennis Link

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 26, Pick 5 (#775).  Acquired: Draft

Link has a shot to hit a ton of home runs. We haven’t seen much out of him yet, as the YA season has yet to start, but his raw power should allow him to shoot up the minors quickly. The issue is that he’ll need to be played in the DH slot, one which Arizona likely won’t have available. His defense is terrible, and his speed on the base paths will become a log jam. He’ll strike out too much to become a true star, but who needs that when you can hit 30 bombs a year?

6. RP Jimmy Thetford

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 11, Pick 26 (#326).  Acquired: Draft

Thetford has the ability to start, but his lacking of a third pitch limits his usefulness. At only 18, Arizona has the time to develop a change up or another pitch that Thetford can use, but until that happens he’s stuck with a fastball that tops out a 97 and sinker. Both are fairly good pitches, but won’t allow him to make an impact as a starter. Should he fully develop, he’ll limit the number of walks he gives up while thriving on weak contact. He won’t strike out a ton of batters and will still give up his share of home runs, but he should make an impact on the bullpen sometime soon.

5. CF John Belding

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 17, Pick 26 (#506).  Acquired: Draft

Belding’s low contact limits his ability to get on base, but when he does make contact, you’d better watch him run. He’s got great speed, and could be called up the the major league roster on his ability to time out pitchers and swipe a base. His defensive metrics are great, with a large range and a cannon arm. He’d make for a great late inning replacement bench player at the current moment, either through a defensive change or as a pinch runner.

4. SP Chad Smith

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 12, Pick 5 (#335).  Acquired: Draft

Smith has 5 pitches that he can use to get batters out, and he’s shown that during his time this year with the Reserve club, posting a 3.03 ERA through 13 starts. His control still needs work, as he’s walking six batters per nine innings. His K/9, at 8.8, is what you want from a starter heading through your system. As soon as his control improves, look for him to be making an impact on the big league club.

3. RP Shane Boatright

Drafted: Inaugural, Round 18, Pick 5 (#515).  Acquired: Draft

With a Cutter-Curveball combination that should be a backbreaker, Boatright should be tough on hitters as long as his command fully develops. He’s currently owns a 2-1 BB/K ratio, but one scout told me that he’d develop above average command. He’ll still get hit hard while developing, as his movement on his pitches is slow and he leaves too many hangers, and his pitches still need work. At Dev-A, he’s pitching to a 5.63 ERA, but he is more suited to the Youth Academy roster at only 19 years of age.

2. CL Danny Scarlett

Drafted: Amateur, Round 2, Pick 26 (#56).  Acquired: Draft

He projects to be a strikeout monster, with a curveball that can only be described as greatness. If he can figure out his control, he’ll be a top bullpen piece for years. For now though, he’s pitching to a 4.5 ERA in Reserve ball through 10 games, with a 5.5 BB/9 rate. Once he fully develops his curve, and if he indeed improves his control, look out.

1. RP Justin Casey

Drafted: Amateur, Round 1, Pick 5 (#5).  Acquired: Draft

Out for six months with a torn elbow tendon, we hope for Arizona’s sake that it won’t negatively affect him. Casey projects to be an above average starter, as his fifth overall selection should say. He can mix in cutters, curves and changes, but he still is a raw prospect. He needs to develop more before we can get an accurate read on him, and since he’s only thrown in four games, the reports are still all over the place. Still, scouts say that he should at least be a major league reliever.

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