Diamondbacks faced with tough MLB Draft decision

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a team that is in a time of flux. They have a young team with players searching for identities at their positions. None of their outfielders are over 27 years of age, can Ender Inciarte lead them to a promising future? Will Yasmany Tomas and Yoan Lopez fulfill their expectations or become the latest busts out of Cuba? Will Archie Bradley ever become the ace of the very questionable rotation? And who will catch him if he does? 

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Since Miguel Montero was traded to the Chicago Cubs this offseason, the Diamondbacks have been searching for an answer behind the plate. Last year, they traded Martin Prado to snag slugging star Peter O’Brien from the New York Yankees as their future backstop. It appears, however, that O’Brien is excelling in his transformation into an outfielder as a defensive liability behind the plate.

Tuffy Gosewisch, despite currently being on the DL, does not look like he can handle Major League pitching on either side of the plate. They have made moves to bring in Welington Castillo and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but both have not been able to show that they are leaders behind the plate.

While everyone has their eyes on shortstops Brendan Rodgers, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman, the Diamondbacks may be more suited taking the No. 18 rated draft prospect Tyler Stephenson.

Stephenson would be a pick based on need, as the three shortstops are clearly far superior in talent. It is a move that would most likely save the Diamondbacks money and move them in the right direction behind the plate.

The 18-year old has the build to be an imposing presence at catcher standing at 6 foot 4 and 210 pounds. He converted from pitcher successfully and is widely considered the best backstop in this year’s draft. With strong hands and a stronger arm, Stephenson has the tools that translate to be a future big leaguer at a position in which the Diamondbacks are in desperate need. 

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Stephenson — who bats and throws right handed — also has a big bat. He has the strength and speed that translates to exciting raw power, however there are big concerns on whether he can hit big league pitching consistently. Of course at only 18-years of age, there are many questions and concerns with such a raw talent.

The Diamondbacks do have 18-year old Jose Herrera way down on the pipeline, who has displayed outstanding receiving skills, but little with the bat. 21-year old Oscar Hernandez, a Rule 5 Draft acquisition, made some noise this spring as a possibility in Arizona, but injured himself in spring training. His bat was already a huge question mark and coming off a broken hand, it becomes an even bigger question mark.

Dansby Swanson is the most attractive name on the board. He is a proven player that shined in NCAA baseball’s biggest moment, and made himself a household name winning the Most Outstanding Player in last year’s exciting run to the title by his Vanderbilt Commodores. The Diamondbacks will be forced to make a very difficult decision tomorrow. Is the answer to their future the best player available or their biggest need?