Diamondbacks Prospect Weekly: August 5, 2026
By Quinn Harrison ·
The Hottest Third Baseman You're Not Talking About
Yassel Soler (A+, 3B, Rank: 21) has been on a tear that deserves more attention. Over the last 30 days, he's slashing .343/.452/.743 with four home runs across just 42 plate appearances, and this past week he continued that run with five hits, a double, a homer, and five RBI. The power surge is meaningful for a profile that carries a 55 hit tool and a 60 glove at third base but has faced questions about whether the bat can generate enough impact for an everyday profile. Those 30-day numbers suggest it can, at least right now. The concern with Soler has always been a swing plane that generates too many groundballs and a tendency to pull everything, limiting his ability to fully access his raw power. What the recent stretch suggests is that either those mechanical adjustments are clicking, or he's gotten into a very hot zone; the walk rate (five free passes in the last week alone) indicates it's not purely a contact-luck phenomenon.
At 20 years old with a plus glove and plus arm already, the defensive floor is real. The second-division everyday projection hinges almost entirely on whether the bat can produce .250-ish averages with 15-plus home runs annually, and for the first time this season, that range feels genuinely attainable rather than aspirational. His season line of .246/.310/.387 still reflects a player who spent much of the year grinding rather than thriving, but the recent form makes the full-season numbers look like a floor rather than a ceiling. A second half that continues this way would push his prospect standing considerably higher by the offseason.
Hagaman Keeps the Strikeouts Coming
David Hagaman (A+, RHP, Rank: 7) put together another strong outing this week: 6.1 innings, five hits, one earned run, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. That line makes you wonder why he isn't getting more widespread attention. The 10 punchouts brought his 30-day strikeout total to 25 over 23.1 innings, with a 2.70 ERA over that stretch. He owns a 3.03 ERA and 86 strikeouts through 71.1 innings at High-A on the season, numbers that are starting to make a case for a Double-A look before the calendar flips.
The profile here is a mid-rotation candidate with a four-seamer sitting 95-98, a slider that grades out as plus, and a curve that flashes the same. The command is the sticking point; it grades at 45, and you can see it in the 33 walks on the year, but the ratio of strikeouts to traffic has been healthy enough that it hasn't cost him much. The scouting report says the floor is a multi-inning reliever who leans on the fastball-slider combination, and that floor is a fine outcome given the stuff. But right now, Hagaman is pitching like a starter with room to grow, and a second half that mirrors his recent form would make a promotion hard to delay much longer.
Quick Hits
Demetrio Crisantes (AAA, SS, Rank: 1) · went 10-for-24 with two doubles and an RBI this week, continuing a stretch where he's hitting .318 over his last 21 games at Triple-A. The 60 hit tool is the foundation here, and the contact rates back it up; the season combined line of .314/.397/.510 across Double-A and Triple-A is typical of a player whose carrying tool is elite bat-to-ball. The power (zero home runs at Reno) has been absent, which fits a profile that projects for 12-18 annually rather than middle-of-the-order thunder, but the average and on-base production have been consistent throughout the climb.
Ivan Luciano (A, C, Rank: 46) · drove in eight on five hits, including a home run, in just 19 plate appearances this past week. The RBI total is a little fluky given sample size, but the underlying hot streak is real: he's slashing .338/.434/.618 with five home runs and 22 RBI over the last 30 days. For a 19-year-old catcher with a 50 hit tool and legitimate strike-zone discipline, that power output is worth tracking. The power grade comes in at 40, so this might be a hot month more than a tool regrade, but Luciano is making a case that the impact is a bit underestimated.
Slade Caldwell (A+, OF, Rank: 8) · had his best week of the season at the plate, going 10-for-31 with two doubles, a triple, five RBI, and four walks. The season batting average of .222 makes that feel like a shock, and the xwOBA this week (.361) suggests the production was mostly earned rather than lucky. Caldwell's value has always been about the 65 speed, the plus center-field glove, and the walk rate, not the batting average, and his 22 steals on the season reflect that. The question of whether the bat can get to even fringe-average against upper-level pitching remains, but this was a step in the right direction.
José Mejía (A+, SS, Rank: 25) · went 8-for-25 with three doubles, a walk, and five RBI, building on a 30-day run where he's hitting .316/.402/.456 at High-A. He's a contact bat with a 50 hit tool who profiles long-term at second base, and the gap production this week fits a player whose swing is built for contact and line drives rather than loft. The combined season line of .277/.392/.417 with 57 walks in 382 PA shows the on-base ability is real. He's not going to wow anyone with tools, but he's the type who keeps posting usable numbers at every stop.
Junior Ciprian (A+, RHP, Rank: 14) · made two appearances covering 11.1 innings, allowing two earned runs with seven walks and seven strikeouts. The ERA on those outings was 1.59, but the seven walks are the ongoing narrative with Ciprian; he owns a 45 command grade and the walk totals this season (43 in 88.1 innings) reflect that. The stuff is real, a 94-96 fastball that pairs with a functional slider, and his 2.85 ERA on the year remains genuinely good. But until the walk rate comes down, the ceiling is likely the long-relief outcome the scouting projection targets rather than a back-end starter.
Jose Cabrera (RHP) · was sharp in a 4.2-inning relief outing: one hit, no runs, no walks, six strikeouts. The performance comes after he was optioned back to Triple-A Reno on July 9 following a rough MLB stint where he posted a 5.60 ERA across four starts. His stuff (93-96 fastball with three secondary options) plays fine in spurts, as this week showed, but the command (45 grade) has been the recurring problem. The 4.15 ERA and 1.35 WHIP at Triple-A on the season are workable; this week's dominant showing gives him something to build on, though the up-down reliever projection remains the most realistic outcome.
Carlos Virahonda (A+, C, Rank: 27) · reached base nine times in 20 plate appearances, collecting five hits, two walks, and four hit-by-pitches. The contact was real but the xwOBA gap (actual .489 versus expected .334) suggests the week outpaced his underlying production. Still, over his last 30 days he's slashing .302/.441/.566 with three home runs, which is genuine progress for a 20-year-old catcher hitting in the middle of the Hillsboro lineup. He profiles as a defense-first backup with average tools across the board, but weeks like this add texture to the offensive side of the ledger.
Leonardo Sevilla (RK, SS, Rank: 62) · was the best hitter in the Arizona complex this week, going 7-for-20 with a double, a triple, three walks, and seven RBI. The 18-year-old switch-hitter is slashing .351/.420/.459 over his last 30 days with a 25-steal season at the complex level. The tools grade out below average across the board, and the projection is an org depth infielder with some chance to outperform that if the hit tool climbs. The walk totals (37 in 179 PA on the season) are genuinely encouraging for a teenager in his first pro year.
Junior Sanchez (RHP) · struck out 14 over 11.1 innings across two starts but allowed six earned runs, leaving his Double-A ERA at 4.82 on the season. The strikeout rate (11.12 K/9 this week) is consistent with what he did at High-A earlier this year, where he posted a 2.61 ERA. The 20-year-old's stuff, a 93-95 fastball with a functional slider, plays better in shorter stints, and the run prevention at Double-A has been the challenge. The 30-day ERA of 4.21 with 27 strikeouts in 25.2 innings suggests he's at least competitive at the level.
Wellington Aracena (A+, RHP, Rank: 33) · allowed two earned runs across five innings with five hits, four walks, and five strikeouts. Those numbers look acceptable in isolation, but his last 30 days have been rough: a 9.00 ERA over 14 innings with 14 walks and 19 hits allowed. The 60-grade fastball that touches triple digits and the hard cutter are legitimate weapons, but the command (40 grade) has been completely unmanageable of late. He's clearly a relief arm long-term, and stretching him as a starter at High-A may be accelerating the problems the scouting report already flags.
Josh Grosz (AA, RHP, Rank: 22) · was excellent in a short relief outing: 3.2 innings, two hits, one earned run, no walks, and six strikeouts. His K/9 in a relief role at Double-A has been eye-catching; he's punched out 17 in just nine innings over his last 30 days. The season ERA of 4.12 across a mix of starting and relieving is more middling, but the 61 strikeouts in 39.1 innings tell a different story. The 55-grade fastball and the swing-and-miss profile are real. I'd take the over on his current trajectory as a future bullpen piece of consequence.