Improved Approach Pays Off For Marcus Wilson

Best Player: OF Marcus Wilson

When Wilson first arrived in the Diamondbacks organization as a second-round pick in 2014, he was raw and unrefined, the proverbial ball of clay waiting to be molded in player development. He started to take shape this year.

Wilson put together perhaps the most complete season of any player in the organization, hitting .295/.383/.446 at low Class A Kane County. He flashed both power (35 extra-base hits, including nine homers) and speed (15 steals). He exhibited plate discipline. And though his power numbers fell off in the second half, he continued to get his hits and find his way on base.

“I was pleased with my year,” Wilson said. “I’m never satisfied, but I was pleased. I felt like I could do a little bit more. I didn’t give up at-bats like I used to. I just made the most out of every opportunity, being more aggressive in my counts.”

He said he’ll head into the offseason looking to get stronger, hopefully coming into next spring around 200 pounds, up from his current weight of 188.

Best Pitcher: RHP Jon Duplantier

To say Duplantier had a season for the ages isn’t a stretch. His 1.39 ERA in 136 innings between Kane County and high Class A Visalia was the second-best mark since 1993 behind only Justin Verlander’s 1.29 ERA in 2005.

Duplantier slipped to the third-round of the 2016 draft, likely in large part because of injury issues he dealt with at Rice, where he missed the 2015 season due to a shoulder impingement.

The D-backs were careful with his innings in his first full pro season, and Duplantier remained healthy throughout, even seeing his stuff rebound late in the year, farm director Mike Bell said.

“His velocity might have been down a couple of ticks as he settled into the summer,” Bell said, “and then the last month and a half it ticked back up again. He was 92-95 (mph), touching 96, and he just dominated.”

However, not everyone is convinced the ceiling is as high as the results would indicate. Some scouts who saw him at points in the summer when his fastball was topping in the low 90s turned him in as a future back-end starter.

Keep An Eye On: OF Eduardo Diaz

Diaz signed in September 2015 for $10,000, flashed his impressive collection of tools as a 20-year-old in the Pioneer League this summer, hitting .312/.357/.510 with seven homers and 11 steals in 247 at-bats.

His aggressive approach at the plate will likely need to be toned down, but the tools are there for a potential power-speed center fielder.