Diamondbacks follow 'gut feel' with first-round pick Tommy Troy

SEATTLE — The Diamondbacks have been scouting Stanford infielder Tommy Troy for several years, dating back to high school.

But there was one particular day leading up to the 2023 draft that convinced them to select him at No. 12 overall.

“It was a meeting at a coffee shop,” Diamondbacks scouting director Ian Rebhan said. “We always say we’re trying to draft really good players, but we’re trying to draft really good people as well, and players that are not only going to produce on the field but be really good teammates and be leaders. He just checked a lot of those boxes.

“You come out of those meetings, and it’s just a gut feel of how you feel about the person that you’ve got the chance to select. You start talking about those character traits that we like from the work ethic and the leadership ability. The character really shone through with him. Right after that, he was one of our favorites.”

Ultimately, the Diamondbacks selected Troy at No. 12 on Sunday, and they did so for more than his off-the-field traits. They see Troy as a long-term shortstop with an excellent hit tool, plus speed and emerging power.

PSA: Tommy Troy rakes. pic.twitter.com/D5yJWsRbDB

— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) July 10, 2023

Listed at 5-foot-10, 197 pounds, the 21-year-old slashed .394/.478/.699 with 17 stolen bases, 17 home runs and 17 doubles over 58 games in his junior year at Stanford.

Troy has steadily improved every year in college, but the biggest leap of his career happened this year. His walk rate nearly tripled from 4.6 percent in his sophomore year to 11.9 percent as a junior. He also cut his strikeout rate from 19.3 percent to 14.3 percent.

“I studied the game a lot,” Troy said. “I knew I needed to make some adjustments with my approach, and a couple of mechanical things that just boiled down to knowing where in the zone I do the most damage in. So, being a little bit more selective going into the season allowed me to walk a little bit more and just take advantage of pitches that I know I can do damage on.”

Although Troy made significant strides in the past year, the Diamondbacks have liked him for a long time.

“Our area scout up there in Northern California scouted him in high school, and then he got to scout him at Stanford as well,” Rebhan said. “We always say: ‘Hitters hit.’ It started there. And then just watching him evolve as a hitter, a guy who always hit in [the Cape Cod collegiate summer league], a guy who always hit at Stanford, and really kind of saw his power grow this year. All those things, the history, the way he controls the zone, the way that the ball comes off his bat, there’s just a lot of pluses there.”

According to Dan O’Dowd of MLB Network, Troy saw 48 fastballs at 95 mph or higher in his junior year at Stanford and did not swing and miss at any of them. Rebhan attributed that to Troy’s top-of-the-scale contact skills and, specifically, how short he is to the ball.

Most public draft boards had Troy lower than where the Diamondbacks selected him, but some had him higher. MLB Pipeline ranked Troy 17th. Baseball America had him at No. 12, FanGraphs at No. 8 and ESPN at No. 19.

Here is a look at how each of these outlets graded Troy (20-80 scale) in the five major categories heading into the draft:

Outlet	Hit	Power	Speed	Field	Throw
MLB Pipeline	50	50	55	50	50
Baseball America	55	50	55	50	50
FanGraphs	60	50	80	50	N/A
ESPN	50	55	50	50	50

The primary knock on Troy in publicly available scouting reports is his defense. Troy played third base for the Stanford Cardinals this spring, but he has logged innings at second base, shortstop and outfield in the past.

Some evaluators view Troy as more of an emergency shortstop than someone teams would want there every day, but the Diamondbacks have a different view.

“We think he’s a shortstop,” Rebhan said, “We scouted him as a shortstop in high school, he did play some shortstop at Stanford. He moved off to play third base this year because it was the best thing for his team, and I think, talking about him as a leader and a teammate, that was something he had to do. But we do think he’s a shortstop.”

When asked about his preferred position, Troy said that he likes shortstop most and would like an opportunity to prove himself there. All indications are that the Diamondbacks will give him that opportunity.

Nonetheless, Troy also said that he is confident in his ability to play any other position, if needed — whatever will help him get to the majors as quickly possible.

In addition to the Diamondbacks’ long standing familiarity with Troy, he is rather familiar with them, too.

Growing up in the Bay Area, he often came to Arizona for baseball tournaments. He loved going to Diamondbacks games while he was in town.

Tommy Troy loved going to Diamondbacks games growing up and is a big Corbin Carroll fan. 😍 pic.twitter.com/iqF0xYkq7d

— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) July 10, 2023

When asked if there are any D-backs players that he particularly liked over the years, Troy offered up the name of a certain 2023 National League All-Star: Corbin Carroll.

“Super inspiring,” Troy said of Carroll. “I got a little bit scared when he looked like he hurt his shoulder a few days ago. But it’s cool to see him bounce back right away and keep competing.”

For the Diamondbacks, Troy represents the first college position player the team has selected in the first round since Pavin Smith in 2017.

It appears that the Diamondbacks and Troy could reach an agreement quickly, and it might not be long before he appears in a minor league game.

“I’m hungry,” Troy said. “I’m ready to go start playing baseball as soon as possible. As soon as I can get the deal done and start getting ready for the short season, I’m going to do it.”

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Top photo: Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel