D-backs Backfields Prospect Weekly: Torin's August Keeps Burning, Steinmetz Baffles High-A Hitters

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D-backs Backfields Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Diamondbacks farm system.

Torin's Last 30 Days at Double-A Are Hard to Explain Away

Cristofer Torin (AA, SS, Rank: 20) went 7-for-25 with two doubles, a homer, and six RBI this week at Amarillo, continuing what has become one of the more striking offensive stretches in the system. Over his last 30 days, he is slashing .417/.457/.677 with six home runs, seven doubles, and a 10.3 percent strikeout rate across 107 plate appearances. The contact rate has climbed to 85.2 percent during that stretch, which fits with who he is: a 55 hit tool, 84.7 percent contact rate on the season. What does not fit as neatly is the power. He carries a 40 power grade, and his full-season line of .282/.346/.447 with 16 home runs at Double-A is well ahead of what that grade would suggest. The swing rate has crept up to 49.9 percent over the last 30 days, approaching aggressive territory, but the contact is landing, which means he is hunting pitches to drive rather than expanding.

The scouting profile centers on shortstop defense and bat-to-ball: soft hands, a clean exchange, dependable footwork, and an arm that covers a variety of angles. Those traits give him a floor even when the offense is ordinary. The honest caveat on the current production is that a 107-plate-appearance hot streak at Double-A does not automatically rewrite a projection, and the 40 power grade still reflects a compact build with limited physical ceiling. His below-average speed means any defensive slide toward second base raises the offensive bar considerably. But six home runs in 30 days against Double-A arms is not noise, and an organization that needs versatile infield depth at the upper levels is watching closely. The question going forward is whether September pitchers, with more information and sharper sequences, can disrupt his timing. So far there is no evidence of that happening.

Steinmetz's Curveball Has High-A Hitters Guessing

Jacob Steinmetz (A+, RHP, Rank: 44) turned in 5.1 innings of two-hit, one-run ball this week at Hillsboro, striking out nine and generating 15 swinging misses across 80 pitches. That start capped a last-30-day run at High-A that looks like this: a 0.54 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and a 32.0 percent strikeout rate across 16.2 innings in four appearances. The full-season ERA at High-A sits at 0.43 through 21 innings, with a 31.5 percent strikeout rate, and the combined ERA across all levels this year is 2.55 in 35.1 innings. The walk rate is the complication. He has issued 25 walks on the season and carries a 16.7 percent walk rate across all levels, with a 17.3 percent mark over the last 30 days at High-A. The command grade is 35, and the numbers reflect it.

The arsenal that is doing the damage is a fastball/curveball combination generated from a long frame with natural downhill angle. The curveball grades at 55 and has the shape to miss bats when he can locate it, and the fastball, sitting 93-95, benefits from the delivery's deception. The slider is a 45 and the changeup is a 30, which is where the starter projection runs into trouble. Without a consistent third pitch, advanced hitters can simplify the game plan, and the 35 command grade means he does not always have the location to punish that. The projection is a number-five starter or swingman, with a reliever fallback if the walk rate never comes down. That still feels right. But five-plus innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts at High-A is the version of Steinmetz the organization drafted him to become, and the fact that it is showing up with regularity this late in the season is worth noting, even if the stuff plays better in shorter stints than it will over 90-pitch starts against upper-level lineups.

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