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Prospect Spotlight: Diamondbacks’ Caden Grice Impresses in Debut Single-A Start

Originally posted on Burn City Sports | By Jacob Hardin | Last updated 4/6/24

During his 1st career start in Single-A, Caden Grice was nearly perfect with the Visalia Rawhide through 2.2 innings.

Grice, who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft by the Diamondbacks, struck out seven of the nine batters that he faced on Friday. Of the 38 pitches that he tossed, 26 were strikes and 13 resulted in swings and misses.

The 21-year-old out of Clemson University is currently listed as Arizona’s #19 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s list.

No. 19 @Dbacks prospect Caden Grice racks up 7 K's over 2.2 of hitless ball in his pro debut on the hill for the @VisaliaRawhide. pic.twitter.com/GtuqVtqAGl

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 6, 2024

At Clemson, Grice concluded his 2023 season with an 8-1 record on the mound, boasting a 3.35 ERA and striking out 101 batters in 78 innings.

Oh, and he posted a .307 batting average at the plate including 18 home runs through 228 at-bats.

After being drafted, Grice originally started out as a batter for the Diamondbacks down in rookie ball. He went 6-20 at the plate during the seven games that he played in.

This year, Caden Grice has dedicated himself exclusively to pitching. With a mid-90s fastball and a devastating curveball/slider combination, Diamondbacks’ scouting director Ian Rebhan emphasized after the draft that Arizona intends to transition Grice into a full-time pitcher.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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