Since returning to the Diamondbacks, first baseman prospect Deyvison De Los Santos has been on a tear with Double-A Amarillo. In 38 games, he hit .372 with 14 home runs and a 1.122 OPS. Even factoring in the offense-inflating ballpark of Hodgetown, FanGraphs rates his offense to be 98% better than the league-average player with a 198 wRC+. The strong performance was enough for the team to promote the slugger to Triple-A Reno.
Deyvision De Los Santos is a Reno Ace 🤩
The @Dbacks #5 prospect has earned a promotion following a .3️⃣7️⃣2️⃣, 1️⃣4️⃣ HR start to the season 🔥@MiLB | @MLBPipeline | #Aceball pic.twitter.com/KVX8c1HRPW
— Reno Aces (@Aces) May 21, 2024
De Los Santos, 20, is now on the door step to the major leagues. This comes on the heels of winning the Texas League Player of the Month Award for April. While he is defensively-challenged at times, the bat is the carrying tool with the potential to be a 30+ home run bat at the big leagues. The strikeout and walk rates have improved compared to 2023, now at 22% and 7% compared to the 26% and 5% rates he posted last season.
The quick turnaround is impressive, considering the team left him off the 40-man roster in the offseason. The Guardians took a flyer on De Los Santos in the Rule 5 Draft, but after failing to make their roster was returned to Arizona.
With first baseman Christian Walker set to hit free agency after the season, seeing one of their top prospects at the position get closer to the major leagues is an encouraging sign. If he has a good run with Reno, it’s possible De Los Santos could make his major league debut later this season.
