Tommy Troy is the newest Diamondback
With the conclusion of the 2023 MLB Draft, many young players will embark on their professional baseball careers. The road is long and for some it means years of moving up the ranks, for others it’s finding a new home every season but what every player has now is an opportunity to prove to their team what their value is as a draft pick.
This past Sunday with the 12th overall selection the Arizona Diamondbacks selected infielder, Tommy Troy, out of Stanford University.
Who is Tommy Troy?
Troy, 21, played middle infield for the Stanford Cardinal while batting a career .339 BA at the dish and having a 1.014 OPS overall. While manning the middle infield spots regularly during his time in college, Troy flashed his athletic versatility registering starts in the corner outfield positions and at 3rd base. The 21-year-old helped lead his team to a Pac-12 Championship his sophomore year and was part of the Stanford All-Regional Team as well.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Troy displayed his knowledge in the classroom making the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll as a freshman in 2021 and as a sophomore in 2022.
Troy is an exciting young prospect to watch as he enters the Diamondbacks minor league ranks.
What Effect Does This Have on the Dbacks Farm System?
As for the immediate future, the Dbacks will most likely send him to rookie ball for the remainder of the season where he will compete with Top-30 prospects, Andrew Pintar and Cristofer Torin, who are already there platooning the middle infield.
As for the long-term future, it really depends on how Troy develops in the Minor Leagues. As a 21-year-old 1st round draft pick, he will probably need at least a couple of years, or even more, in the minors to develop depending on what the team plans to do with him.
How does this affect the other middle infielders in the Dbacks minor league system? Well it’s interesting.
You have Ryan Bliss and Jordan Lawlar excelling at the Double A level right now and they are expected to make their major league debuts sometime next season. Then you have Blaze Alexander who is in Triple A hitting .319 on the year. At the major league level, you have 23-year-old All-Star shortstop Geraldo Perdomo who is having a breakout year.
It is safe to say the Dbacks have a surplus of options at the middle infield positions and for the foreseeable future.
Now I’m going to speculate a little bit here, but what if the Dbacks use one of their middle infielder prospects to build a trade package around at the trade deadline this year? My guess would be Blaze Alexander.
He seems likely to be the odd man out as he is the most MLB-ready and hasn’t been called up to the majors unlike many of the Triple A players who’ve had at least one major league appearance with the Dbacks.
It looks even more probable with the selection of Troy in the draft. Again, this is just speculation but something worth being pointed out.
The Bottom Line
The Diamondbacks continue to build their farm system in their quest to attain another World Series title. Their young players must continue to develop because the future success of the franchise depends upon it.
