By james art 
The annual ranking of the top prospects by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, and while the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t frequent the lists as often as they have in recent seasons, two players stand out:
Shortstop Jordan Lollar is still considered a top-shelf prospect by analysts, and second baseman Demetrio Crisances is quickly gaining national prominence.
MLB Pipeline ranks Lawlar 11th, down from ninth in 2024. and the only Diamondbacks prospect in the top 100. Baseball America ranked him 13th, while Baseball Prospectus dropped him to 29th after an injury-plagued season.
Pipeline missed Crisantes, but the other two sites ranked him 84th after eye-opening. Baseball Prospectus also placed the infielder and 2023. of first rounder Tommy Troy among the top 101 prospects at No. 96.
Jordan Lollar is still the Diamondbacks’ clear best prospect
Lawler is in a similar place to a year ago in many ways. At 22, there is no obvious path to everyday starts on the big league roster as currently constructed, and drafting reps at Triple-A Reno to start the season seems likely. There’s an entire spring training to go through first, perhaps an opportunity for Lawler to make himself undeniable for the club through performance or injury.
After your cup of coffee in 2023. and making the postseason roster, Lollar was poised to secure everyday playing time to begin the 2024 season at Reno, but a tailgating thumb injury in spring training put him on the shelf.
Reno activated Lawler on June 11th, he tore up a four-game hitting streak and returned immediately to IL with a knee injury on June 17th. He was out until September.
Lawlar, Lawlar played 23 games (.900 Ops, two home runs and six stolen bases), but only 14 in a minor league affiliate. He made up for some lost time with 27 games played in the Dominican Winter League for Tiger del Lisi.
“Back, back, back … Wayyyy Back!”
MLB prospect #9 Jordan Lollar (@Dbacks) hit his third homer in the 20th @Lidomrd games: pic.twitter.com/fnjf6i60xj
– MLB Pipeline (@mlbpipeline) November 18, 2024
The shortstop got some work at third base in his limited time last year. An athletic outfielder with elite speed and a solid arm, Lawler proving to be a versatile defensive weapon will be a boon to the big league club in 2025. from getting second baseman Ketel Marte, shortstop to fill in and third baseman Eugenio Suarez every now and then, along with filling in for any outfield injury.
Suarez is entering the final year of his contract, so Lawler proving himself at third base at least gives the club some options down the road.
In 2023 Lawlar played 105 minor league games with an .874 OPS, 20 home runs and 36 stolen bases between Double-A Amarillo and Reno. After this season, general manager Mike Hassen expressed his confidence in calling Lawlar a future star.
The D-Backs selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2021. Can you imagine the headaches opposing Steelers would have with Lawlar and Corbin Carroll on the bases?
The umpires loved Jordan Lollar’s defense so much they wanted to see him back in Slo-mo!
The @Dbacks“Top prospect (MLB No. 9) makes sparkling play at shortstop in @Lidomrd. pic.twitter.com/flxkl7r4vf
– MLB Pipeline (@mlbpipeline) November 2, 2024
Demetrio Crisantes is quickly increasing the prospect tips
Crisantes wasn’t considered a top-tier prospect by the D-Backs after they took him seventh overall in the 2022 MLB draft, but his hit tool changed that.
The Nogales High School alum graduated in 2024. on a 57-game hitting streak, hitting .333 in 63 games for single-A Visalia and .341 in 92 games, including the Arizona Major League as a 19-year-old.
He was named a California League All-Star after 63 games played in Visalia.
Demetrio Crisantes has seen a big increase in his exit velocity data and thus his prospect status
The @Dbacks Prospect saw a spike in isolated lag and overall production
… Cementing himself as a potential top-100 prospect this offseason. pic.twitter.com/a6hioav9vm
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 26, 2024
Crisantes showed the ability to spray the ball to all fields, connecting on 16 doubles, a triple and six homers for the Rawhide. He struck out at just a 15.9% clip, which ranked seventh out of 91 pitchers with 200 plate appearances in the California League.
He’s on his way out of the major leagues, but Crisances has been one of the organization’s best stories since 2024.