Which D-backs Top Prospects Will Make an MLB Impact in 2026?

With limited money to spend in the offseason and many needs overall, there’s clear pressure on the young players of the Arizona Diamondbacks to have some impactful seasons. The D-backs are betting on their youth to have seasons that can raise their profile and help Arizona stay in the hunt until injury reinforcements arrive mid-season.

There’s no doubt that Arizona is a top-heavy team. They have numerous mega-stars along with high-caliber players. They also have four core players who are injured in Corbin Burnes, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., A.J. Puk, and Justin Martínez, who, if healthy, would make this team look far more dangerous and dynamic. They will again, but first Arizona has to stay close enough to the Wild Card race to be able to make those essentially free additions have an influence on Arizona making the playoffs.

However, Arizona didn’t have $75 million available to spend during this offseason. They had a smaller budget than in seasons past, which meant they needed a lot of improvement to come solely from their rookies or prospects expected to have a big chance to make some noise in the majors.

Below are some prospects or rookies that could have an outsized chance to really impress and give some lift to Arizona’s ability to stay in the hunt, and give them another shot to make the playoffs and get back to October glory.

Ryan Waldschmidt (RHB OF)

Ryan Waldschmidt, the Diamondbacks No.1 prospect has a shot, albeit a small one, to break spring training as one of the team’s Opening Day outfielders. He has to beat out names such as Alek Thomas, Jordan Lawlar, Blaze Alexander, Tommy Troy, and perhaps a few others. However, his talent and potential show that he could certainly do that.

The charging prospect will debut in 2026 if healthy. That’s basically a given due to how he did in 2025 and the fact that he will start in Triple-A in the coming year if he’s not on the Opening Day roster. It’s a question as to whether he will be the team’s long-term answer in either left or center field, but he’s capable of playing either spot.

Waldschmidt has the potential to be above-average in left field with strong athleticism there and a decent arm to go with base-stealing speed. However, the way he can make a huge impact is with his powerful bat. He consistently hits the ball hard in the air and demolishes fastballs.

He needs to improve against breaking pitches, but Waldschmidt has the ability to consistently hit for average and upwards of 20 homers while walking nearly as much as he strikes out, thanks to his plate discipline, eye, and ability to make contact. He’s the player who likely could provide the most impact for Arizona.

Tommy Troy (RHB Utility)

MLB Pipeline ranked Tommy Troy in the top-10 second base prospects of MLB, while he also is a capable enough player in center fielder giving him unique versatility for Arizona. That kind of ability will aid him in potentially making his debut in 2026 as expected. He could increase his playing reps and could be Arizona’s future at either spot, depending on how he does defensively and if he keeps hitting.

Ketel Marte is only getting older and will have to shift to DH at some point, while Thomas has yet to establish himself as a worthy everyday player. Troy excelled in the Arizona Fall League a little over a year ago and continued his strong play into 2025.

He made it to Triple-A to end the season and now will be in big league camp competing for a spot. He makes strong contact while hardly whiffing, which allows him to keep a low strikeout rate. He pairs that with a good eye that has him walking just a few percentage points less than him striking out. That’s a tool that will not only get him to the majors but keep him there.

Troy has yet to tap fully into his power, but his speed, contact ability, defense, and eye all combine to give him the potential to be an above-average regular. If he can put it all together and become the team’s super-utility player with Alexander then he could help lift Arizona to an extra few wins this season.

Cristian Mena (RHP)

Cristian Mena is still a rookie, and although he dealt with a shoulder injury for most of 2025, he still has some strong potential and could be a true breakout player in 2026. He’s set to be the team’s long-reliever as of right now, but he could find himself in the starting rotation and becoming the future Ryne Nelson for them.

While Mena doesn’t have the fastball Nelson does, his breaking balls and offspeed pitches are filthy. They induce plenty of whiffs, chase, and weak contact. His curve is his best pitch and looks to be an above-average MLB pitch. He’s gotten the ability to increase his fastball velocity as well into the mid-90s.

If that stays true, he has the makings of becoming a mid-rotation starter when all is said and done if he keeps developing on the path he is. That’s if the velocity stays, though. It might take a year until he gets a full shot in the rotation unless injuries arise, but Mena can get it done. If he becomes a multi-inning weapon out of a rough Arizona bullpen, then he will aid the team in many ways.

Kohl Drake (LHP)

Kohl Drake struggled in his small time with Arizona following the trade that brought him there from the Texas Rangers. However, almost every pitcher struggles in Reno, and there’s still plenty of promise with his left arm. Drake is one of Arizona’s top prospects and there were rumors he was going to get a September start or two at the end of the season before injury ended his year.

If he’s that close to the majors and, provided he’s healthy, then he certainly has a high chance to impact this year’s rotation. Arizona will need more than six or seven starters, most likely, and Drake as the seven/eight guy on the depth chart, will get a shot. If he can hold his own, he could set himself up for an expanded audition come 2027 and partner up with Merrill Kelly in the rotation, the guy he was traded for.

Mitch Bratt (LHP)

Acquired in the same trade as Drake for Kelly at the deadline, Mitch Bratt is another pitcher projected to debut in 2026, and if successful, could have an impact on how Arizona does. He’s a finesse control lefty who gets weak contact and pounds the strike zone. He started to see some more strikeouts in 2025, but he’s not a standout strikeout machine.

However, he keeps hitters on their toes and does all the little things well. He has the upside to be a No. 3 starter in a rotation and if he finds his stride in Triple-A this year, he could debut before mid-season and be the valuable left-handed starter that Arizona has wanted. Plus, that’ll mean he’s done better than Drake and Mena to earn that role, which means he’s helped the club in some big ways.

Jordan Lawlar (RHB, Utility)

Despite debuting in 2023, Jordan Lawlar is still a rookie. Therefore, he could still be one of the younger players as he is just 23 years old. He’s got a shot this season to get consistent playing time and become the potential future star that Arizona is betting he can be. That’s if he can win a job in spring training and stay healthy.

In the minor leagues, Lawlar has been a fantastic hitter, one who has All-Star potential written all over him. In the majors, it’s been quite a different story. He’s struggled badly to hit sliders and hasn’t shown the power that he has. It’s been tough for him to make consistent contact, let alone strong contact. Then, it appeared he developed the fielding yips late last season which led Arizona to consider moving him to the outfield where he played in the Winter Season in the Dominican Republic.

Now, he’s set to compete for reps in the outfield and in the infield as a utility player against Alexander, Troy, and others. Lawlar has the speed and glove to be a savvy defensive outfielder so perhaps this new spot will work.

However, he still has to hit to earn his playing time and help Arizona in a genuine way win more games than just on his defense alone. He started to hit better towards the end of the season and will use that as a launching pad into spring training. He has the tools, but it’s now can he now put it all together and do it in live MLB games instead of the minor leagues? He did hit .333 in his final 36 at-bats with a .919 OPS. He needs to do it over a longer stretch this time.

Others to Watch

There are five other players worth mentioning briefly that could help Arizona reach the playoffs if they reach their full potential or come close in 2026. First up is Brandyn Garcia. He’s got the makings of a late-inning reliever and could be the team’s best first-half reliever if he utilizes his sinker correctly. Hunter Cranton is a fast-charging reliever set to potentially start in Triple-A and could be another late-inning weapon before long.

Yilber Díaz looked phenomenal out of the bullpen in winter ball and has the pitches and mindset to be a lethal one-inning reliever after struggling starting. LuJames Groover could be the team’s future third baseman, and one thing is for certain: he can hit. He will hit for a solid average, and that could get him MLB playing time this year. Gavin Conticello is another outfielder who could become a long-term play if Waldschmidt struggles and Alexander/Lawlar aren’t able to do it.