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Finding Diamondbacks on the farm 03/20/2006 9:00 AM ETBy Kevin Czerwinski / MLB.com
The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system. With that in mind, MLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30 organizations, from top prospects to recent draft picks.
The buzz surrounding Arizona's farm system this spring is unavoidable. With Stephen Drew and Justin Upton ready to embark on their first full professional seasons, optimism is running high with hopes that the duo will be anchors in the Diamondbacks' lineup for years to come.
Drew will start the season at Triple-A Tucson and could be in the Major Leagues by mid-year if all breaks right. Upton, fresh out of high school, will begin the year on one of Arizona's Class A affiliates, either Lancaster of the California League or South Bend of the Midwest League. South Bend, however, seems like a better place though there's no telling how far or how fast he will make his way through the Diamondbacks' system.
Though both are shortstops, there are no immediate plans to have either switch positions this season.
"He [Upton] is a very special and outstanding player and we expect some things of him in the very near future," said Mike Rizzo, Arizona's vice president of scouting. "We'll give a thought to one of them moving position when they are both starting in the big leagues. Then one of them will move off short. But if Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter can figure a way out, those two guys certainly can."
While no one is suggesting that Drew or Upton will approach what A-Rod and Jeter have done in their respective careers, the pair certainly has enough talent to garner the boatload of attention that has been heaped on it. Combine their skills with those of Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin and the Diamondbacks have the makings of a solid core group for the next decade.
Sprinkle in some of the pitching prospects like Micah Owings and Garrett Mock and Arizona clearly has positioned itself for a big run in the near future.
Five Faves for 2006
Five prospects whose names you should know:
Carlos Quentin, OF
Quentin spent the entire season in the Pacific Coast League after it became apparent that Luis Gonzalez was having no trouble returning from Tommy John surgery up in Phoenix. So the highly touted slugger got a bit more seasoning downstate in Tucson, putting forth another productive season with 21 homers, 89 RBIs and a .301 batting average. It was his first full season in Triple-A, but it might not be his last taste of the PCL. Quentin has all the tools to be in the Major Leagues now, but he's not on the 40-man, and with Gonzalez and Shawn Green blocking his path in Phoenix, he may have to spend some more time in Tucson than he would like.
 Quentin climbs the wall
| 2005 Organizational Record |
LEVEL
AAA
AA
A
A
R
R
|
LEAGUE
PCL
SOU
CAL
MWL
PIO
NWL
|
TEAM
Tucson
Tennessee
Lancaster
*S. Bend
Missoula
Yakima
TOTAL:
|
W
68
64
75
84
43
30
355
|
L
76
76
65
56
33
46
361
|
PCT
.472
.457
.536
.600
.566
.395
.496
|
|
* Won Midwest League
|
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Conor Jackson, 1B
Jackson's rocket-like ride through the system stalled when he reached Arizona last summer. The former first-rounder was embarrassing PCL pitching before Arizona brought him to the big leagues at the end of July. He had five hits in his first 14 at-bats, but then went 2-for-28 as the realities of Major league pitching set in. Not to worry, though. Jackson will see plenty of action this season, and with the venerable Tony Clark serving as a tutor, he has one of the game's classiest players as a role model.
Stephen Drew, SS
Arizona's infield future would appear to center around Drew and 2005 first-round pick Justin Upton. Though position changes are always a possibility, Drew figures to be at shortstop at some point this season and is expected to begin the season at Tucson. He began last year smoking hot with Camden of the independent Atlantic League, hitting .427 in 82 at-bats before reaching an 11th-hour deal with the D-Backs. He continued his hot hitting at Lancaster of the California League (.389 in 184 at-bats), earning a quick promotion to Double-A Tennessee. Though his whirlwind year caught up with him in the Southern League (.218 in 101 at-bats), he rebounded nicely after a month off in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .337 with six homers and 17 RBIs. While there were some concerns about his makeup and attitude before he was drafted, Drew alleviated them in 2005 and figures to be an impact player in the big leagues before long, simply waiting for Craig Counsell to step aside.
 Drew wins one in Arizona League action
| 2005 Organizational Leaders |
Average
Home Runs
RBIs
Stolen Bases
ERA
Wins
Strikeouts
Saves
|
.354
31
115
55
2.38
16
160
32
|
Conor Jackson
Chris Carter
Chris Carter
Emilio Bonifacio
Dustin Nippert
A.J. Shappi
Garrett Mock
Matt Elliott
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| Complete MiLB statistics |
Justin Upton, SS
As was the case with Drew, the Diamondbacks needed some time to sign Upton. Now they have him in the fold and he will be in Major League camp this month. Considered by most the top player available in last year's draft, Upton averaged a homer every 4.9 at-bats (11 in 54 ABs) as opposing managers simply chose to pitch around him. He also had 32 RBIs and hit .519 at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Va., conjuring even greater visions for his future than those associated with his older brother, B.J., who was chosen second overall by the Devil Rays in 2002. Upton worked out with Ozzie Smith and Tony Gywnn after the draft and prior to signing. He also did some work with Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter. Making the jump from high school to pro ball is never easy, not even for someone of Upton's caliber. He'll likely start the season in the Midwest League, though there is a chance he could start at Lancaster, where it will be interesting to see how he handles the schedule and pitching.
Upton is ready
Carlos Gonzalez, OF
Gonzalez had a big year in the Class A Midwest League, earning MVP honors after hitting .307 with 18 homers and 92 RBIs. He's still young, he won't turn 21 until October, so there's little need to push him through the system. The Venezuela native, though, is just as fluid on the field as he is at the plate, so the temptation would be to bump him up quickly and see how he handles the pressure of playing in Double-A. While that may happen at some point this season, there's little reason to think he won't begin the year at Lancaster in the hitter-happy world of the California League.
Others on whom to keep an eye include right-handers Dustin Nippert and Garrett Mock, lefties Greg Smith and Matt Chico and catcher Miguel Montero.
Cinderella story
Ross Ohlendorf, RHP
Ohlendorf has a Texas pedigree and Princeton education, so if nothing else, he's tough and smart. But he's also on the cusp of blossoming into the kind of pitcher the Diamondbacks envisioned when they took him in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. He went 11-10 with a 4.54 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) at South Bend last season. "He's poised to step up and move quickly," Rizzo said.
Primed for breakout in 2006
Matt Green, RHP
The hard-throwing Green began writing that Cinderella tale last season after the D-Backs grabbed him in the second round out of Louisiana-Monroe. He was one of the better strikeout artists in the NCAA, finishing in the top 10 with 141 as a junior. Green has poise and a decent command of his off-speed stuff and, at the moment, projects to be a starter after going 4-3 with a 5.55 ERA last season at Missoula of the Pioneer League. He fanned 59 in 60 innings. At 24, he has the maturity to begin the season in Lancaster.
2005 Draft recap
1. Justin Upton, SS
The consensus top pick in last year's draft spent six months working out a deal with Arizona, finally coming to terms last month. The time off probably did him more good than harm and now he'll have a chance to experience his first pro Spring Training.
D-Backs announce Upton as No. 1 pick
2. Matthew Torra, RHP
0-1, 1.80 ERA, 10 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 10 K
Torra started two of the five games in which he appeared for Yakima and looked sharp in both roles. That he allowed a homer was surprising, considering he went 95 innings at the University of Massachusetts without giving up one. He's a control pitcher who doesn't allow many base runners, and with a mid-90s fastball, blends in the requisite amount of power to be dominating, though tendinitis ended his season early.
3. Matt Green, RHP
4-3, 5.55 ERA, 60 IP, 77 H, 26 BB, 59 K
Green suffered a serious injury -- he took a ball off the head -- as a college freshman and though he recovered fully, the aftermath of that incident knocked him off the radar for several teams. He rebounded with a big junior season in 2005 and more than held his own in Missoula. Though Green still doesn't pitch to his potential all the time, the D-Backs are confident that with his fastball, he'll serve the club well, either as a starter or late-inning man.
4. Jason Neighborgall, RHP
1-2, 11.12 ERA, 22 2/3 IP, 21 H, 45 BB, 29 K
Neighborgall can bring it, that's for sure, popping in a fastball that has hit 100 on the gun. The only problem is that he never seems to know where that fastball will wind up. His control problems were a big issue last season as he averaged two walks an inning.
5. Micah Owings, RHP
1-1, 2.45 ERA, 22 IP, 17 H, 4 BB, 30 K
He proved to be the anti-Neighborgall, continuing a trend that was evident during his season at Tulane. Owings, who helped lead the Green Wave to the College World Series, only allowed 1.74 walks per nine innings at Tulane, so his control and poise in the California League wasn't much of a surprise.
Best of the rest include OF Chris Rahl, LHP Greg Smith and IF Bryan Byrne.
Prediction
Arizona certainly has a nice blend of promising players pushing their way up through the system. With Jackson, Quentin, Drew and, in the near future, Upton expected to anchor the Diamondbacks' lineup for years to come, there's little reason to believe Arizona won't be back near the top of the NL West before long. Expect Drew to join Jackson and Quentin in the big leagues this summer.
Quotable
Mike Rizzo, vice president of scouting
"Micah Owings had an outstanding season for us last year, and we were pleasantly surprised because he was better than advertised. He was playing first base and DH in college, and once we got him away from hitting, we thought his stuff would return to what it was in high school. And it did. He's a mature player, and he guided that club into the playoffs last year." This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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