D-backs Backfields Prospect Weekly: Torin Torches Double-A, Conticello Mashes at Triple-A
By Quinn Harrison ·
D-backs Backfields Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Diamondbacks farm system.
Torin's August Has Been Something Else
Cristofer Torin (AA, SS, Rank: 24) went 11-for-32 with two doubles, two home runs, and six RBI this week at Amarillo, pushing what was already a strong August into genuinely strong territory. Over his last 30 days at Double-A, he is slashing .400/.441/.632 with five home runs, seven doubles, and a 10.6 percent strikeout rate across 104 plate appearances. For a player whose calling card has always been contact, the extra-base production is the new wrinkle. The season line now reads .279/.343/.442 with 15 home runs and a contact rate of 84.8 percent across 511 plate appearances, numbers that sit comfortably above what his 40 power grade would project. He is swinging more aggressively this month at 52.8 percent, but the contact is landing, which suggests he is hunting pitches he can drive rather than simply expanding the zone.
The scouting profile on Torin centers on his contact ability and shortstop defense, a 55 hit tool backed by soft hands, clean exchange, and an arm that covers most angles from short. The power growth in 2026 has added a dimension the report was careful not to count on, and the honest question now is how much of it holds as Double-A arms sharpen their sequences in September. His below-average speed limits his ceiling if the bat cools, and a move toward second base remains possible if the range doesn't hold at shortstop. For now, though, Torin is doing things offensively that a 40 power grade doesn't anticipate, and an organization that needs versatile infield depth at the upper levels is paying attention.
Conticello Is Mashing His Way Through Triple-A
Gavin Conticello (AAA, RF, Rank: 28) went 10-for-14 with three doubles and four RBI at Reno this week, an absurd hit-rate stretch that represents a significant power-bat ascension in the system. Over his last 30 days at Triple-A, he is slashing .368/.394/.662 with five home runs, five doubles, and a contact rate of 83.6 percent across 71 plate appearances. The strikeout rate over that stretch is just 11.3 percent, a significant contrast from the 20.4 percent he carries on the full season. Combine the Triple-A stint with what he did at Amarillo earlier this year and Conticello is sitting at 18 home runs and a .500 slugging percentage for the season across two levels.
The profile grades him as a 40 hit tool with 55 power, and the hit tool concern is real: a rotational swing that can open early and leave him vulnerable to breaking balls away has been an organizational concern throughout his climb. But the version Conticello has shown in August looks cleaner, with the contact rate spiking and the walks no longer doing as much heavy lifting. A 60-grade arm gives the right-field assignment credibility, and the corner defensive profile is solid enough to stay out of the way. The projection remains an up-down or corner bench outcome if the chase tendencies resurface against MLB-caliber secondaries, but right now he is producing like someone who belongs in Reno, not just passing through.
Quick Hits
- David Hagaman (AA, RHP, Rank: 11) · had a rough outing by his standards this week: 2.2 innings, four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts across 15 batters faced. That hiccup aside, his last 30 days at Double-A show a 2.59 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and a 37.3 percent strikeout rate across 24.1 innings. The season line between Hillsboro and Amarillo sits at a 2.90 ERA with 124 strikeouts in 96.1 innings combined, and his Double-A K rate of 37.3 percent is the best of any arm in the system. A 95-98 mph four-seamer paired with a 55-grade slider and curveball gives him two distinct breaking shapes, and the changeup is at least passable against lefties. The command grade is 45 and the walk numbers show it, but one bad start doesn't derail a month of genuinely dominant pitching.
- Brian Curley (AA, RHP, Rank: 19) · struck out nine batters over five scoreless innings at Amarillo, generating 14 swinging misses along the way. The week was a welcome outlier: his last 30 days at Double-A show a 9.00 ERA with nine home runs surrendered in 20 innings, a rough stretch that puts his Double-A ERA at 7.13 for the season. The 65-grade fastball and 60-grade slider give him real bat-missing potential, as the nine strikeouts this week confirm, but the homer rate at Double-A has been the consistent problem. His combined season K% of 26.2 percent and a 5.6 walk rate at High-A suggest the stuff works when he is on; keeping the ball in the park long enough to let it work consistently is the development task.
- Yu-Min Lin (AAA, LHP, Rank: 29) · went 6.1 innings this week against Triple-A competition, allowing just two hits and one earned run with three strikeouts and two walks. The outing generated eight swinging misses and kept his last-30-day ERA at 4.32. His season ERA at Reno sits at 5.45 across 112.1 innings, a number that has been the story all year for a pitcher whose carrying tools are a 60-grade changeup and curveball rather than fastball velocity. The command grade is 45 and the walk rate reinforces it at 10.7 percent of batters faced, but the deception in his delivery and the speed differential between the fastball and his two best secondaries give him a real path to sequencing out hitters when everything is locating. Last year's 6.64 ERA in the same park makes this year look like progress.
- Junior Ciprian (A+, RHP, Rank: 17) · delivered 6.1 innings of one-run ball at Hillsboro in his first start at the level, striking out five and walking two. The promotion from Visalia came on August 26, and the debut backed up what his Low-A numbers had been building toward: a 2.76 ERA with 80 strikeouts across 71.2 innings at Visalia. The combined season K% sits at 26.1 percent with a 31.7 percent whiff rate. The 45 command grade and walk rate at High-A (15.0 percent in six starts) are the concern as competition stiffens, but a fastball sitting 94-96 with a usable slider gives him the foundation to stay in the rotation picture at this level.
- Dean Livingston (A+, RHP, Rank: 22) · received his first promotion to Hillsboro on August 26 and turned in 4.2 innings of one-run ball in his debut start, striking out six and walking two while generating nine swinging misses. The combined season ERA across all levels is 3.52 with 73 strikeouts in 76.2 innings, and his efficiency grade of 13.4 pitches per inning is strong for a 19-year-old. A fastball touching 97 paired with two distinct breaking ball shapes and an athletic delivery makes the fourth-round investment look reasonable. The 45 command grade will be tested against High-A lineups, but the debut was about as good as a first look gets.
- Avery Owusu-Asiedu (AA, OF, Rank: 60) · drove in eight on seven hits, including a triple and two home runs, across 29 plate appearances at Amarillo. He now has 24 home runs on the season combined and is slashing .404/.477/.944 over his last 30 days at Double-A across 109 plate appearances, with 13 home runs and 34 RBI in that span. The 40 hit tool and 69.9 percent contact rate are still real concerns, and the swing-and-miss showed up again this week with eight strikeouts in 29 PA. But the power-speed combination that always lived in the profile is producing results at Double-A that nobody projected in July.
- Tommy Troy (MLB, SS, Rank: 5) · went 7-for-24 with a double, a homer, two RBI, and six walks during his rehab assignment at Reno. The plate discipline stood out: a 21.4 percent walk rate over his last 30 days and a contact rate of 85.4 percent in a small sample. He is a 55 hit tool with a 55 speed grade and legitimate everyday potential at second base, and the .313/.409/.465 season line in Triple-A before the MLB stint reinforces the projection. His MLB line at .223/.299/.364 in 134 plate appearances shows the breaking-ball vulnerability is real, but the approach and feel at the plate are not in question.
- Demetrio Crisantes (AAA, 2B, Rank: 4) · went 7-for-22 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI at Reno. He is a 60 hit tool with a compact swing and a history of making consistent hard contact across multiple levels, but the Triple-A month has been difficult: a .235/.276/.395 line with a 4.5 percent walk rate over his last 30 days, compared to the .319/.413/.548 he put up at Double-A earlier this year. The arm and range questions at second base are real at 45 grades each, so the bat has to carry the profile. The power is still showing up in games, but the walk rate drop at Triple-A is worth monitoring as he faces better sequencing.
- Yassel Soler (A+, 3B, Rank: 20) · posted seven hits, a homer, and six RBI across 26 plate appearances at Hillsboro. His last 30 days show a 15.2 percent walk rate with three home runs in 92 plate appearances, a disciplined stretch for a 20-year-old with a 55 hit tool and a 60 field grade at third. The season contact rate of 74.3 percent and 23.1 percent strikeout rate are the current offensive limits, but a 65 makeup grade and a projectable defensive profile give the organization reason to be patient with the developing power.
- Druw Jones (AA, LF, Rank: 16) · collected six hits in 28 plate appearances, including two doubles, a triple, and a home run, with four RBI and three walks. The season strikeout rate at 28.5 percent across 466 plate appearances at Amarillo remains the primary concern for a player whose center-field defense and 60-grade speed already play. His last 30-day contact rate of 68.8 percent with a swing rate spiking to 58.2 percent suggests he is getting more aggressive, which has produced some extra-base damage but also more swing-and-miss. The everyday center-field projection is intact because of what he does with his legs and his glove; the bat needs to tighten.
- LuJames Groover (AAA, 1B, Rank: 8) · went 7-for-19 with two doubles and two RBI before being placed on the 7-day injured list on September 1. No diagnosis has been confirmed. He had been hitting .302 in the 14 days before the IL placement. The season line at Reno sits at .305/.389/.436 with a 12.0 percent walk rate and a 15.2 percent strikeout rate, a profile that fits the 55 hit tool projection cleanly. The power has not shown up at Triple-A the way it did last year at Double-A, but the contact approach and zone management have held up. Timing of the IL placement is unfortunate given the late-season push.
- Jansel Luis (AA, 2B, Rank: 18) · was placed on the 7-day injured list on August 30. No injury has been confirmed. He was hitting .270/.315/.444 with 16 home runs and 26 stolen bases across 486 plate appearances at Amarillo, a two-category season that stands out for a middle infielder at this level.
- Slade Caldwell (A+, OF, Rank: 10) · went on the 7-day injured list on September 1, with no diagnosis confirmed. His final stretch before the placement was a rough one: 5-for-30 in seven games with 11 strikeouts. For the season at Hillsboro he is hitting .216/.363/.309 with 26 stolen bases and a 6 percent homer rate, a profile built around the legs and on-base skills rather than impact contact.
- Mitch Bratt (AAA, LHP, Rank: 13) · was recalled to Arizona on August 29 and optioned back to Reno on August 30. His Triple-A season ERA is 2.41 across 52.1 innings with 51 strikeouts, a much cleaner line than the 4.70 ERA he carries in 44 MLB innings. The yo-yo pattern reflects both his roster standing and the organization's September needs.