D-backs Backfields Prospect Weekly: Owusu-Asiedu hits 4 HR in 27 PA at Double-A, Hagaman fans 15 in 10.1 innings
By Quinn Harrison ·
D-backs Backfields Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Diamondbacks farm system.
Inside Avery Owusu-Asiedu's Double-A Production
Avery Owusu-Asiedu (AA, OF, Rank: 48) went 10-for-27 with four home runs, two doubles, a triple, nine RBI, and four walks this week at Amarillo. Since his promotion to Double-A on August 11, he has done nothing but punish Texas League pitching, and the season numbers at that level now read .480/.557/1.160 across 13 games and 61 plate appearances, with nine home runs. That line is not a misprint. Over his last 30 days combined, he is slashing .396/.457/.890 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI in 105 plate appearances, a stretch of production that has completely reframed what the organization thought it had in a player who was sitting at .202 at High-A just two months ago.
The scouting report had always acknowledged the power-speed combination living inside the profile, and the 50 hit tool and 50 power grades were seen as moderate anchors for a player whose swing-and-miss problem seemed likely to cap his ceiling. Those grades now feel like they were written about a different player, at least in the short term. His contact rate over the last 30 days has climbed to 72.6 percent and the strikeout rate has fallen to 18.1 percent, both meaningful improvements from his High-A season line. He is not a different hitter mechanically, but the timing looks cleaner and the pitch selection against Double-A fastballs has been sharp. The honest qualifier is that 61 plate appearances at Double-A is not a sample anyone should build a new projection around, and the hit tool concern has not evaporated. But the 22 combined home runs this season, the 70-grade speed that still shows up on the bases, and the organizational willingness to push him through levels tells you the D-backs believe something real has shifted. If he sustains even a fraction of this production into September, the up-down projection starts looking like a very conservative floor.
David Hagaman is Humming
David Hagaman (AA, RHP, Rank: 11) struck out 15 batters across 2 starts and 10.1 innings this week at Amarillo. In the most recent start yesteday, Hagaman struck out 10 and walked 2. Over his last 30 days at Double-A, he has posted a 1.93 ERA with 42 strikeouts across 28 innings, a 37.5 percent strikeout rate that backs up what the stuff should produce. The combined ERA across both levels this year sits at 2.80 with 118 strikeouts in 93.1 innings, and his four Double-A starts have produced a 2.05 ERA with 32 punchouts in 22 innings. The promotion to Amarillo in early August has gone as the organization would have hoped.
The arsenal explains the strikeout rate. A four-seamer sitting 95-98 is the primary weapon, paired with a slider and curveball that both grade at 55 and give him two distinct breaking ball shapes to keep hitters off the fastball. The changeup grades at 50 and gives him something to work left-handed hitters with, which makes the four-pitch mix deeper than most arms at this level. The command grade is 45 and that is the fair sticking point; he has issued 41 walks on the season and four more this week, and the delivery carries enough effort that the release point drifts when he fatigues. But the 34.8 percent whiff rate on the year and the current 1.93 ERA over a meaningful five-start Double-A sample make it hard to look at this profile and see anything less than a legitimate rotation candidate. He is 23, healthy after an elbow procedure, and pitching better than anyone else in the system right now. The fourth-starter projection feels right, and the numbers suggest there is room above it if the command takes even a small step forward over the final weeks of the season.
Quick Hits
Cristofer Torin (AA, SS, Rank: 21) · went 10-for-22 with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI this week at Amarillo. A 55 hit tool and an 85 percent contact rate on the season have been the story all year, and the last 30 days at Double-A have produced a .378 average and a 7.8 percent strikeout rate across 90 plate appearances. The power limitations are real, a 35 grade, but the contact is at a level that could make him a very useful piece in the middle of a big-league infield.
JD Dix (A+, SS, Rank: 6) · collected seven hits in 22 plate appearances at Hillsboro, with three doubles, a triple, a homer, three RBI, and four walks. He is a 55 hit tool, 55 speed, everyday shortstop projection, and over his last 30 days he is slashing .291/.371/.519 with three home runs at High-A. The 35 stolen bases combined between Low-A and High-A this year underscore how much the speed tool affects the game even when the power is modest.
Patrick Forbes (A+, RHP, Rank: 10) · had the standout pitching line of the week at any level: 3.2 innings, two hits, no runs, no walks, eight strikeouts, with 14 whiffs on 52 pitches. He is a mid-rotation starter projection built around a four-seamer that sits 95-100 with a 55-grade slider, and the 34.7 percent strikeout rate across his High-A season backs it up. The ERA through 10 appearances sits at 2.36.
Carlos Virahonda (A+, C, Rank: 29) · drove in six runs on eight hits across 19 plate appearances, including a homer and two doubles. He is hitting .387/.500/.565 over his last 30 days at Hillsboro, which looks a lot like the player who slashed .347/.464/.455 in his complex debut last year. A 50 hit and 50 power grade at age 20 with 87 RBI combined on the season makes him one of the system's more productive catchers.
Ivan Luciano (A+, C, Rank: 44) · was the RBI machine of the week, knocking in eight runs on six hits and two walks across just 15 plate appearances after his recent promotion to Hillsboro. The 19-year-old backstop has a 14.4 percent walk rate combined across both levels this season and is hitting .317/.400/.540 over his last 30 days at Low-A. The power ceiling is 40, but the plate discipline is genuine and the catcher profile gives him a long runway.
Junior Sanchez (AA, RHP, Rank: 23) · spun 5.2 innings of no-run ball at Amarillo, scattering three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts; he generated 15 whiffs on 89 pitches. His last-30-day numbers show a 32.4 percent strikeout rate and 3.91 ERA over 25.1 innings. The combined ERA on the year is 3.68 across two levels, and at 20 years old he continues to work as a starter despite a long reliever projection.
Ryder Helfrick (A, C, Rank: 1) · went 8-for-22 with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and five RBI at Visalia. The top prospect in the system has a 55 power grade and 65 arm, and the early pro results back the investment: he is slashing .283/.357/.583 with four home runs through 70 plate appearances since his assignment to Visalia on August 4.
Carson Kerce (A, SS, Rank: 7) · posted two home runs and five RBI on five hits across 23 plate appearances. He is a 55 hit tool contact-forward shortstop projection, and his season numbers at Visalia show a 13.7 percent walk rate and 20.5 percent strikeout rate through 73 plate appearances since joining the squad. At 37 percent swing rate he is one of the most selective hitters in the system.
Manuel Pena (AAA, SS, Rank: 37) · went 7-for-14 with three walks and no strikeouts at Reno. The zero punchouts stand out for a player who has combined for 118 strikeouts this season and carries a 40 hit tool grade. He has 31 home runs combined between Double-A and Triple-A this year and is one of the more fascinating offensive profiles in the system: genuinely big power, aggressive swing, fringe contact.
Pedro Blanco (A, OF, Rank: 57) · put up seven hits, a homer, a triple, a double, four RBI, and five walks across 27 plate appearances at Visalia. The 37.6 percent strikeout rate on the season remains the central concern for a 19-year-old with an org projection and limited carrying tools, but the 14.4 percent walk rate over his last 30 days shows some feel for the strike zone that the full-season numbers don't fully capture.
Juan Burgos (MLB, RHP, Rank: 38) · was recalled from Triple-A Reno on August 24. He posted a 6.86 ERA across 42 innings at Reno this season but owns a 2.45 ERA in three big-league appearances. The D-backs have found more use for him in short bursts at the major league level than as a starting option in the Pacific Coast League.
Mitch Bratt (AAA, LHP, Rank: 14) · was optioned to Reno on August 24 after a stint with Arizona. He has been a key piece of the upper-minors depth this year and should slot back into the Reno rotation as the season winds down.