​BLUF: Contrary to early expectations that this would be among the deepest drafts in recent memory, the current crop of draft-eligible prospects largely hasn’t lived up to the hype. Beyond the top three names, talent drops off noticeably to the next tier, which stretches about 10–12 players deep. There’s another, softer decline before a third, expansive tier emerges, containing enough potential to fill multiple rounds. A large portion of this group consists of prep hitters.
The Field: In recent drafts, the share of left-handed batting players among first-round position players has surpassed 50% in four consecutive years. This year, that percentage could fall below 50%. Meanwhile, the non-pitcher cohort for this draft stands at a 96 wRC+, the lowest figure since the industry wide 30-team era began. Taken together, these dynamics could push teams to favor right-handed hitters early, as draft FOMO remains a real phenomenon, even if it isn’t logically justified.
If there’s one trait that can polarize opinions about Mike Hazen, it’s his patience. Some fans wish he would become less patient with underperforming internal players, while others want him to be more aggressive in trades and free agency. Yet Hazen’s patience appears to have paid dividends in the draft. It isn’t that he outwaits others to pounce on a falling value; rather, he formulates a plan and executes it, regardless of what competitors are doing concurrently. He is not a reactionary general manager. He plays the long game, and, as evidenced by the Diamondbacks’ trajectory over the past three seasons, he is willing to endure short-term pain for longer-term gains. This approach has yielded some unconventional draft selections in recent years.
One hallmark of Hazen’s draft strategy is a tendency toward toolsy, dynamic players who bring a high level of intensity to the field. Names such as Daulton Varsho, Corbin Carroll, Slade Caldwell, Tommy Troy, Kayson Cunningham, and, to a lesser extent, Ryan Waldschmidt, fit this mold. This pattern has contributed to Hazen and the Diamondbacks being discussed as a model-based drafting organization rather than a pure scouting-driven unit. While this characterization captures an essential truth, it risks oversimplifying the considerable scouting effort that underpins the model’s success. Hazen’s system demands multiple elite attributes, and it would be shortsighted not to acknowledge the critical role scouts play in identifying the right fits for the model. In other words, the model and the scouting apparatus work in tandem to produce the outcomes the organization seeks.