Introduction
Instead of continuing with the next installment of the 2026 All Star series, I have to switch years this week. But we are talking about some hope that very few people have heard write about in a different way, or just let it out.
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Some of this is justified, but some is totally lacking in character. Often it’s either too rough or too early just like a non-prospect player said, since some of these guys are still younger than the average NCAA player. A lot of criticism lacks the context of what the player has done in the past, because their season is based on their past behavior and the league they are in.
In a world full of negativity and pessimism, I am responsible for finding the best reasons, even if there are not many, to always work with these players? It is not likely, but there is always an equal chance of a well-regarded hope that flares up here and there, for various reasons.
For once I not excluding the players who appeared in the major leagues this season, today’s players have been treated from the Low A group up to the guys on the 26-man roster.
Jansell Lewis
Bats / throws: S/R position: 3B/SS/(2B?) Height / Weight 6’0/ 170
born: On March 6, 2005 in San Pedro de Macoris, DR
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Fangraphs | Baseball-Reference
The jump to AA is the second hardest in professional baseball and just because you play in one of the friendliest ballparks in one of the friendliest leagues doesn’t mean that the jump is going to be any easier. Jansel Luis found out the hard way in 2026. Past talent evaluators have pointed to the erratic nature of the hitting middle infielder’s approach to hitting at the plate, combined with much more difficult pitching, leading to a down year at the plate.
In a career spanning 109 games, Luis hit just 270/315/.444 with 16 HRs, in addition to successfully swiping 26 bases in 30 starts. While that sounds like acceptable production from 2B/SS/3B, it works out to a fast and below-average 76 wRC+ and .335 wOBA. As a switch hitter though, that doesn’t tell the whole story about Luis’ season. As a LHB against LHP, Lewis is hitting .288/.327/.485 with a .813 OPS, but as a RHB against LHP, he is hitting .222/.284/.326 with a .610 OPS.
A few interesting pieces of trivia came up in the middle of my research for this article. First, because for some reason, Lewis had taken a single plate against his left hand, it looked like he was using a left-handed swing, and in that at-bat he hit a grand slam. In addition, Luis also had three plate appearances as a right-handed batter against right-handed pitchers, going 1 for 3 with one out. If this is correct information and not a data entry error, could this suggest to Jansel Luis that it would be better to skip hitting the pass and consider hitting only from the left side? Obviously at a time when things weren’t going well on one side of the plate, Lewis wanted to try and try something different.
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As a 21-year-old in Double-A having his first real career setback, that’s really not bad all things considered. He’s likely to start the year in Double-A, but with a really good run he could be back on track enough to start the year in Triple-A Reno. Considering he’s still relatively young, the Diamondbacks have no reason to rush him, so the former seems like the most likely outcome in my opinion.
but he started 85 of 109 games at third base, 19 at shortstop, and the rest at DH.
Christopher Turin
Bats / throws: R/R position: SS Height / Weight 5’9/155
born: Acarigua, Venezuela in Acarigua, 2005
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Fangraphs | Baseball-Reference
Cristofer Torin has been linked in my mind with Jansel Luis since the beginning of his professional career, as both signed as international amateur free agents in January 2022. Since then, they have played together at every level, with Torin usually at shortstop and Luis at second or third base. Both players also had a strong season in 2025, and both players competed in the 2026 Bowl in Amarillo. Although Torin has never achieved the same level of brilliance and praise as Luis, she has always stood out to me more, even though these tools are much brighter.
In 2026, Cristofer Torin played in 118 games, all with Amarillo in the Texas League. In those 118 games, Torin put up a triple slash line of .281/.344/.440 with a .350 wOBA and 85 wRC+. His 16 home runs are actually his career total entering 2026 games, though his 12 stolen second bases in 18 starts is a career low, as is his 8.1% walk percentage. His 11.2% strikeout rate is the third-lowest of his career, and the lowest since 2023. Torin also posted the second-lowest batting average on balls in a game of his career (.291 BABIP) which was significantly lower than his career average, which suggests to me that a lot of the time the event was a result of Torin’s luck. Torin’s defense is the best of any player in the D’terga farm system, so much so that I wouldn’t even really call this season bad. An 85 wRC+ from a shortstop with more defense is still going to provide a positive win over the Super Replacement, so I’m not all that worried about Torin’s future, and I expect him to be able to make the adjustment he needs to return to offensive form next season.
James Groover
Bats / throws: R/R position: 3B/1B/DH Height / Weight 6’2/215 born: April 16, 2002 in East Point, GA, USA
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LuJames Groover played 15 games in the major leagues in 2026, playing mostly at first base instead of third base, where he had spent the majority of his professional career, and never really looked like he had a more comfortable opportunity at the plate or in the field. So is it any wonder that he just hit .167/.259/.271 with a very anemic looking 245 wOBA, 286 xwOBA, and 51 wRC+? Groover was fine in AAA, putting up a .305/.389/.436 triple slash with a 102 wRC+. The real cause for concern in Groover’s future is his impotence and expected SLG % that is 100 points lower than it was in the game, which brings his xwOBA up to .304 from a .375 wOBA.
Groover needs to make some significant changes this winter and spring to both his swing and plate approach to unlock a lot more power. If he moves into the defensive spectrum first or DH, he just doesn’t have the power to be a middle hitter at either position. He has significantly improved his defense at third base, and I think he can stick around, but his season in the MLB in 2026 shows that he is not yet ready. Calling him a picture after only fifteen games is ridiculous, although he thinks we need a season full of games to get a good read on Groover.
drew Jones
Bats / throws: R/R position: CF Height / Weight 6’2/ 180lbs born: November 28, 2003 in Atlanta, GA
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Fangraphs | Baseball-Reference
This is going to be the most controversial inclusion in this article, because I know that the majority of D’Backs fans reading this have already carved Jones’ image and think he has absolutely no chance in the future in the big leagues. While I agree that he hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations of being the son of a hall of famer, with the second overall draft pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, I believe Jones still has a future in the big leagues and I don’t want to call him the full picture just yet.
You may be wondering why I say this, but there are a few reasons. The first and foremost reason is that, as the best defensive outfield prospect I’ve ever seen, Jones doesn’t really need to hit a lot of gigs in the major leagues as a late defensive back and fourth outfielder. The fact that he is more of a runner and a credible base stealer threat, stealing a career high 38 bases in 49 attempts, gives him the opportunity to be a pinch runner as well. Yeah, that’s not exactly exciting, but say Terrence Gore, who had two World Series championships despite only 74 career regular season at bats.
Getting to the main point, while Jones’ 2026 season wasn’t great, and still has some major red flags, he looked significantly better in the second half of the season, putting up a triple slash of .288/.341/.407 compared to the .252/.380/.338 he put up in the first half. He also had some really hot stretches, especially in June when he put up a .368/.489/.500 triple slash in 21 games that month, as well as in September when he hit .356/.408/.533 in 12 games. Jones had a breakout month in May, hitting .200/.333/.240 in 22 games. He put up a .573 OPS in maybe a little less than the .640 OPS he put up in August, his worst last month. I think his season would look a lot better if May was more in line with the rest of the year.
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conclusion
That’s today! Do you agree or disagree with my assessments? Which player that I haven’t written about do you think shouldn’t be given just yet? What players do you think we are? should’ must be given after 2016? Let me know in the comments below!