Arizona Diamondbacks Organizational All-Stars
The Arizona Diamondbacks finished with a major league low 64 wins last season. That was equal to a .395 winning percentage, and good for last place in the NL West, a full 30 games behind the division leading Dodgers.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for Arizona though, 5 out of 8 minor league affiliates made their respective playoffs, and as an organization they finished only behind the Rangers in terms of winning percentage (.564 to the Rangers’ .565).
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As mentioned, things may be looking up in Arizona. MiLB.com has named their 2014 Organizational All-Stars, and with all of the success the Diamondbacks had with their minor league affiliates, they did it all without their #1 prospect, Archie Bradley, making the list.
One of the biggest movers in the D-Backs organization last year, Lamb played 145 games across 3 levels last year (including 37 at the big league level). The 23-year old started out the season in AA where he hit .318, with 14 home runs, and a .949 OPS in 103 games. He then moved up to Reno, where he hit .500 (9 for 18), with a homer and four doubles in five games. The organizations #10 prospect got his call in August, and in 126 at bats, hit hit .230, with 4 home runs and 11 RBI.
The 36th overall pick in the 2013 draft pitched 19 games in A (South Bend and Visalia) last season before moving up to AA Mobile, where he actually pitched better. In 46.1 IP he only allowed 30 hits, and had an ERA of 1.94, and averaged about a strikeout per inning (46). Overall, in 154 2/3 innings he struck out 171 batters.
South Bend’s shortstop played in 134 games last season, while adding and amazing streak for more than half of them. He reached base safely in an astounding 78 straight games in a streak that spanned from April to July which set a minor league record. Velasquez slashed .290/.367/.428 with 15 league-leading triples and 50 stolen bases. The 2012 7th round pick’s 2014 was much improved over his 65 games in 2013 where he only posted a .319 OBP.
Taken in the 21st round in the 2012 draft, Flores’ 2014 campaign built on a solid 2013 season in which he hit 19 home runs and 65 RBI. His 2014 follow-up was a more impressive line of .301/.354/.528 with an organization leading 28 home runs to go along with 100 runs batted in. The first baseman does however need to cut down on his strikeouts in order to advance, as he led the Cal-League with 189 whiffs.
The days of 64 wins and cellar dwelling in the NL West may soon come to an end for the Diamondbacks with prospects like this coming up the pipe. Now that GM Dave Stewart and head honcho Tony LaRussa are in place, the latter with an keen eye for homegrown talent, the sky is the limit in the desert. Look for them to compete in a tough NL West sooner than later.