Diamondbacks Prospect Weekly: Owusu-Asiedu earns his Double-A shot, Steinmetz goes eight blank
By Quinn Harrison ·
Speed Meets Power: Owusu-Asiedu Forces the Organization's Hand
Avery Owusu-Asiedu (A+/AA, OF, Rank: 53) had been grinding through a tough season at Hillsboro. The season line at High-A sat at .202/.289/.369 entering last week, a profile that matched the fringe-average hit tool and the concerns about contact quality that define his scouting report. Then he went out and hit three home runs in 18 plate appearances, drew two walks, and did enough damage that the organization shipped him to Double-A Amarillo on August 11. The power output is meaningful context: he now has 14 home runs combined on the year, and his last 30 days at High-A look nothing like the rest of his season, with a .311 average, six home runs, and 15 RBI across 82 plate appearances. The speed has always been the calling card, a 70 grade that makes him a threat on the bases and gives him outfield range even when the bat isn't cooperating. What this recent stretch suggests is that the 45 raw power grade may be underselling what he can do in game conditions when the timing is right.
The promotion is the right call even if the underlying profile hasn't fundamentally changed. He's a 23-year-old corner outfielder whose ceiling projection is an everyday left fielder and whose floor is a bench piece who adds value through baserunning and occasional pop. The question at Double-A will be whether the contact improvements from this last month hold against better spin and more disciplined pitching. His strikeout rate at High-A (93 in 358 plate appearances) remains a concern for a player who needs the bat to be at least playable to stick on a roster. But the 21 stolen bases and the three-homer week both point to a player who can hurt you in multiple ways when he's locked in. If the next few weeks in Amarillo look anything like July and early August, his stock will be in a very different place by the end of the season.
Eight Innings, Zero Runs: Steinmetz Makes the Case for Starting Future
Jacob Steinmetz (A+, RHP, Rank: 43) has appeared in only two starts at High-A this season, but his outing last week delivered a line that demands attention: eight innings, two hits, zero earned runs, four walks, and 10 strikeouts. The walk total is real and fits the 35 command grade that defines the biggest question around his profile. But eight innings of two-hit ball with double-digit strikeouts is not something you explain away, especially from a pitcher who had struggled to find consistency earlier in 2026 at the A-ball level. His combined ERA across all levels this year sits at 3.63 with 32 strikeouts in 22.1 innings, and the High-A work now shows a 0.00 ERA across two starts. The 30-day strikeout rate of 18 in 13.1 innings backs up the idea that the bats are missing him at this level.
The profile here is a 55 curveball paired with a fastball that sits 93-95, and when both are working together the combination is genuinely tough to square up. The concern has always been that without a reliable changeup, advanced hitters can narrow their focus and wait for the curve or the fastball pattern. His delivery also carries some length and effort that makes it hard to project clean command improvement. The projection holds at a fifth-starter or swingman, with a realistic floor of reliever if the walks remain a recurring issue. Still, a 23-year-old who just threw eight shutout innings at High-A after returning from a rocky stretch deserves more attention than he's getting. If he handles the rest of the High-A season without regression, a Double-A assignment this offseason or in spring feels like a reasonable next step, and the ceiling would be worth revisiting at that point.
Quick Hits
Gavin Conticello (AAA, 3B, Rank: 28) · went 9-for-20 with two home runs and five RBI this week, his most productive stretch since arriving at Triple-A Reno. He's hitting .310/.385/.534 over his last 30 days at the level, which looks a lot more like the player who slashed .270/.357/.471 with 11 home runs at Double-A earlier this year. The combined season line of .280/.365/.490 with 16 home runs tells the story of a left-handed corner bat who might be settling into his power, and at 23 years old, a 55 raw power grade is starting to show up in games. The up-down projection still feels right given platoon questions, but this Triple-A stretch makes that ceiling increasingly reachable.
Carlos Virahonda (A+, C, Rank: 30) · drove in two runs on five hits, including a home run, over 14 plate appearances. More significant than the single week is the larger context: he's slashing .365/.500/.615 with three home runs and 10 RBI over his last 30 days at High-A. A 20-year-old catcher with 17 combined home runs this season against a 50 power grade is someone worth watching closely. The season line of .273/.379/.512 across both A-ball and High-A shows a player whose bat has been consistent across two levels, which is not nothing for a catcher this young.
Ivan Luciano (A+, C, Rank: 48) · put up seven hits, two home runs, and seven RBI in 23 plate appearances before earning a promotion to High-A Hillsboro on August 11. The power production is the eyebrow-raiser for a 19-year-old backstop with a 40 power grade; he now has 12 home runs combined on the year. His last 30 days at Visalia showed a .329/.424/.586 line with five home runs and 24 RBI, the kind of hot month that earns you a ticket to the next level. The walk totals (54 free passes at A-ball this year) are the real separator for a teenager, and if the contact quality holds at High-A, this profile gets more interesting in a hurry.
Jose Alpuria (A+, CF, Rank: 32) · had a week where the walk column jumped off the page: three hits and seven walks in 18 plate appearances, with a homer. He's now hitting .306/.414/.561 combined on the season across A-ball and the small High-A sample, a legitimate step forward from the .201/.328/.307 he posted all of last year at the same level. The 26 stolen bases add another dimension. The hit tool at 45 still leaves real questions about sustainability, but right now the gap between his 2025 and 2026 production is large enough that it can't be dismissed as noise.
Sawyer Hawks (AA, RHP, Rank: 49) · tossed four hitless innings at Double-A with two walks and five strikeouts, his sharpest outing of the brief Amarillo stint. Across seven appearances at Double-A this year he has a 0.00 ERA and 6 strikeouts in 5.0 innings, and combined between High-A and Double-A the strikeout rate is 73 in 48.1 innings. A plus slider and a fastball that sits 93-96 play in short bursts, and the command grade of 50 is functional enough that he doesn't beat himself. The setup reliever projection is looking increasingly justified.
Wellington Aracena (AA, RHP, Rank: 36) · pitched six shutout innings on two hits with five strikeouts in his final High-A outing, then got assigned to Double-A Amarillo. He carries a 4.83 ERA through 76.1 innings at High-A as a starter, which reflects both the command concerns (44 walks) and the volatility that comes with a 40 command grade paired with a 97-101 mph fastball and a hard cutter. The stuff is premium. His path to a high-leverage role runs directly through strike throwing, and the final outing at Hillsboro was the clean performance he needs to show more consistently at the next level.
Carson Kerce (A, SS, Rank: 37) · went 7-for-20 with two doubles, five walks, and two RBI this week. Through 26 plate appearances at Visalia he's slashing .476/.577/.571 with four stolen bases. The sample is tiny, but the contact-first approach and advanced feel for at-bats fit a 55 hit tool profile. He's a second-division shortstop candidate whose value depends on the glove and the average holding up rather than power carrying him; zero home runs in 26 plate appearances is accurate to the 40 power grade. Still, those numbers at any sample size from a recent draftee are encouraging.
Kristian Robinson (AAA, LF, Rank: 22) · hit three home runs and drew four walks in 24 plate appearances despite going just 4-for-17 on contact. The power is real; his 11 home runs in 398 Triple-A plate appearances this year come with a 55 raw power grade that is showing up in games, and the .313/.405/.563 line over the last 30 days is his best sustained stretch at the level. The swing-and-miss remains the blocker; 116 strikeouts on the season at Triple-A is a lot for a player whose path to the majors runs through improving contact against velocity and spin. At 25, time is becoming a factor in the reclamation story.
Cristofer Torin (AA, SS, Rank: 21) · collected six hits, a double, and a home run in 22 plate appearances with two walks and just two strikeouts. The last 30 days, however, tell a less flattering story: he's slashing .243/.329/.311 over that stretch, which is more representative of the season-long .250/.320/.398 line at Double-A. The 55 hit tool and 55 field grade give him a real defensive floor, but the step down in offensive production from last year's .291/.383/.393 at High-A and the brief Double-A cup is worth monitoring. Contact-first shortstops can survive a rough patch; this one needs the bat to get back on track to support the second-division everyday projection.
Junior Sanchez (AA, RHP, Rank: 24) · struck out six over 4.1 innings of one-run ball, bringing his Double-A ERA to 4.53 through 11 starts. The 30-day numbers are more encouraging: 29 strikeouts in 25.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA. His combined strikeout total of 106 in 93 innings across High-A and Double-A is the headline for a 20-year-old who didn't have a plus pitch to lean on entering the year. The changeup remains underdeveloped, which keeps the long-reliever projection conservative, but the strikeout rate alone keeps the back-end starter ceiling alive.
Dean Livingston (A, RHP, Rank: 18) · went five innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks. The ERA at Visalia sits at 3.58, and the combined 3.08 ERA across 64.1 innings is solid for a 19-year-old with a 55 fastball that touches 97. The 30-day numbers show some home run vulnerability (four in 20 innings), which is something to track for a pitcher whose margin for error in the zone is still being established. The four-starter projection remains intact; the next step is sharpening one of the breaking balls into a consistent bat-misser.
Yassel Soler (A+, 3B, Rank: 19) · produced three hits, a double, a homer, and three RBI against four walks and six strikeouts over 21 plate appearances. The last 30 days show .267/.421/.533 with three home runs and 12 RBI, a noticeable uptick from the season-long .243/.314/.389 at High-A. The plus glove at third anchors the floor, and the 55 hit tool gives him a path to a .250-plus average if the strikeout rate (85 in 366 plate appearances) comes down. There are mechanical adjustments needed to fully access the 50 raw power, but the recent stretch suggests they may be clicking.
Leonardo Sevilla (RK, SS, Rank: 62) · went 5-for-17 with a double, two RBI, and two walks at the complex level. The 18-year-old switch-hitter is slashing .293/.436/.387 with 27 stolen bases in 196 plate appearances this year. The on-base ability and speed are ahead of where the power and defensive consistency are right now, which fits an org-depth projection with a long runway. The 27 stolen bases are the most interesting number on the page for a teenager still figuring out pro pitching.