D-backs' Farm System Makes Significant Jump in MLB Rankings

Major League Baseball recently announced their 2025 mid-season farm system rankings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have made a significant leap from where they were coming into the year.

The D-backs have added an influx of young talent to their system of late. Part of that, of course, has to do with the 2025 MLB Draft.

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But Arizona also became heavy sellers at the Trade Deadline, bringing in a wealth of new prospects.

For both their draft class and trade hauls, the D-backs focused on bringing in as much pitching as possible to bolster weak organizational (and major league) depth.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Farm System Makes Jump in Rankings

MLB.com's Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo compiled their evaluations of each MLB team's farm system and the MLB top 100 prospects therein. They ranked each team from 1-30, and compared that ranking with the previous year's rankings.

The Diamondbacks made a significant jump, moving up six spots from their preseason rank. Arizona came in 16 — still below average — but that's a far cry from the 22 they sat at ahead of the year, and the 21 they ranked at the midseason point of 2024.

Top prospect Jordan Lawlar came in at No. 23 among all MLB prospects. Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt placed 69th in MLB's top 100.

"What Arizona lacks in top-top talent – Lawlar’s piling up injuries have taken some of the bloom off his rose – it’s made up for in depth at this year’s Draft and Trade Deadline," Callis, Dykstra and Mayo wrote.

"The D-backs got particularly stronger on the mound with Kohl Drake (No. 8), Patrick Forbes (No. 10), Mitch Bratt (No. 11), David Hagaman (No. 17), Dean Livingston (No. 18), Brian Curley (No. 19) and Ashton Izzi (No. 20) all joining the Top 20 via the Draft or a deal in recent weeks."

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"Shortstop Kayson Cunningham, this year’s 18th overall pick, could be a future Top 100 prospect if his left-handed bat and plus run tool translate to the pros as well as expected."

It's not 2022 (or even 2023) anymore. Arizona's farm system has fallen significantly in recent seasons.

That comes partially as a result of players like Corbin Carroll and Brandon Pfaadt establishing themselves in the majors, but the overall talent level was in need of a boost.

Though 16th is still below league average, a six-spot jump is a promising sign the D-backs may be on their way to an improved farm system.

With a large new dose of potential future contributors that are worth keeping an eye on, Arizona's future is not entirely bleak.

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