Insider Reveals Diamondbacks' Potential Draft Targets

The 2025 MLB Draft is approaching, beginning on July 13 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 p.m. Arizona time.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have three day-one picks. Pick No. 18, pick No. 29 and pick No. 92.

Just who Arizona will select with those picks are anyone's guess, but ESPN's Kiley McDaniel did offer some insight in a recent article.

Arizona Diamondbacks Linked to Group of Hitting Prospects

McDaniel provided the latest intel on each MLB team and their potential draft approach, providing one big question for each and linking teams to a handful of potential draft prospects.

McDaniel's one big question the Arizona: Do they continue to target hit-first, up-the-middle bats?

"The D-backs are commonly tied to Slater de Brun, Caden Bodine, Kayson Cunningham and Gavin Kilen given their history of taking compactly built position players such as Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Slade Caldwell.

"With two picks in the top 30, they'll have a couple chances and could conceivably land two of the four players mentioned above, maybe even if they just play it straight, with the college players likely not making it to Pick 29, but at least one of the prep hitters likely will," McDaniel wrote.

De Brun and Cunningham are both high school prospects. De Brun is a lefty-hitting outfielder out of Oregon with above-average hit, run and field tools.

Cunningham is a left-handed shortstop and second baseman from Texas. He sports 60-grade hit and run tools, with a 55-grade infield throwing arm.

On the college end, Bodine is a switch-hitting catching prospect out of Coastal Carolina. He doesn't carry much in the power or speed departments, but has a 60-grade hit tool and 55-grade fielding.

Kilen, a lefty second base prospect from the University of Tennessee, is a more balanced prospect in terms of grade. He grades out at 50 or higher in his hit, run, arm and field tools. He even has 45-grade power.

The one factor that ties all these hitters together? Not one is taller than 5-foot-11.

The Diamondbacks have been known to go in on that archetype of hitter, particularly in their outfield, and it's been a strategy that has paid off at the major and minor league level thus far.

But does this mean Arizona will only target players of that stature? Maybe, maybe not.

Considering their pick is towards the late middle portion of the draft, it's more difficult to narrow down just who Scouting Director Ian Rebhan will target at pick 18 and beyond.

But one thing is certain. The D-backs have made it a point to scout the person, rather than just the player and his tools. Fitting into the organizational culture will play a large role.

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