Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend.

I’ll get to the Diamondbacks below, but first, welcome to rank week! All week long your favorite beats are going to be looking at some of the most famous — and infamous — moments that have come to define Arizona sports history. Make sure to stay tuned to our PHNX YouTube channel, website and social media accounts as we fondly recall, or lament, the moments that have defined our fandom, for better or worse.

Let’s make it a good week. On to the show!

D-backs Kick Off Draft & Suárez Snubbed From Derby

Welcome to the MLB All-Star break.

The unofficial midpoint of summer kicks off with the Diamondbacks at 47-50 and 11 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, though the Wild Card race is a little more forgiving at 5.5 games out.

If it’s any consolation, the D-backs are pretty close to the pace of last year’s 89-win team (49-48 at the break), and that was a club that would have likely made the postseason had it not stumbled so severely down the stretch.

The All-Star break offers a little for everyone — the opportunity to celebrate your team’s favorite players with both the Home Run Derby and Midsummer Classic, and also a chance to look ahead as the MLB Draft kicks off.

The first three rounds were held yesterday, while it concludes today with rounds 4-20.

Draft Dreams: D-backs Make 3 Picks On First Day

The MLB Draft is an interesting spectacle, and very different from the NFL, NHL and NBA Drafts. So many of the picks are spent on kids right out of high school, and the sheer volume of selections can be overwhelming to follow along with.

The Diamondbacks selected two pitchers and a positional player with picks 18, 29 (compensation pick) and 92.

• SS Kayson Cunningham, Lady Bird Johnson HS (Texas): Cunningham bats lefty and throws righty, and is committed to Texas in the college ranks. He was ranked 14th overall in MLB.com’s prospect rankings, and considered by many to be the best overall hitter in the 2025 prep class.
• RHP Patrick Forbes, Louisville: Forbes has been on the radar for some time now, but he recently pivoted to a pitching role after suffering an injury in 2024. It hasn’t taken long for him to find his footing – and his fastball is already averaging between 94-96 miles per hour, with a peak of 100 mph.
• RHP Brian Curley, Georgia: Curley began his career at Georgia as the team’s closer, but he turned into the Bulldogs’ No. 1 starter, and has high velocity but also very active breaking balls.

Remember, there’s no guarantee Cunningham chooses to sign with the Diamondbacks, but if he does not turn pro, Arizona will be assigned a compensatory pick as a result.

Suárez Snubbed From This Year’s Home Run Derby

Eugenio Suárez has crushed the fourth-most home runs in all of baseball, but you won’t see him hitting the long ball at tomorrow’s Home Run Derby.

He never got an invite.

Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh, who leads the Big Leagues, is in. But the two players in front of Suárez — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge — will not be participating.

If you’re confused about that, you’re not the only one. Many Diamondbacks players sounded off to the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro about their disappointment.

Geraldo Perdomo’s Take: “It didn’t surprise me because at the end of the day MLB does whatever the (expletive) they want to do. He was open to going to the derby. I don’t get it I know it’s a popularity contest, but I don’t know when you’ve got a guy who is open to going and he has 20-something bombs, why they don’t call him? I don’t know how that works. But at the end of the day they do whatever the (expletive) they want.”

Feeling Drafty: Two Sun Devils were taken in yesterday’s draft, as outfielder Brandon Compton was taken by the Marlins 46th overall, while left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs was selected by the Tigers at spot 98. ASU has a number of players still expected to go in today’s later rounds, including outfielder Isaiah Jackson. Congrats to all of the recent selections!

Twice as Nice: Not to be outdone, the Wildcats also saw two of their players taken yesterday: Outfielder Brendan Summerville was taken by the Rays 42nd overall, and the Guardians took outfielder Aaron Walton with the 66th pick. Several Arizona players will likely hear their names called today, including shortstop Mason White and catcher Adonys Guzman. Congratulations!

Thrilling Win: Rising FC got back into the win column in dramatic fashion, rallying for a 2-1 win over Oakland Roots SC on Saturday. Phoenix turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win with a pair of second-half goals, maintaining their fifth-place position in the USL’s Western Conference Table, tied in total points with Sacramento and El Paso.

Back in Action: The Mercury are back in action tonight, heading to California to face Golden State (10-10) at 7 pm (3TV / Arizona’s Family Sports). It’s going to be a busy week for Phoenix, which faces the 18-4 Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, and it doesn’t look like stars Satou Sabally or Kahleah Copper are returning to the lineup just yet.

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

Barring a miraculous start to the second half, it’s likely some of your favorite players may be on the move.