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D-Backs Select Four Pitchers, Six Position Players; Rounds 21-30

June 11, 2016 - Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release


After selecting seven pitchers with picks in rounds 11 through 20, the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted six position players and four more pitchers in the 21st through 30th rounds on Saturday. Among the 10 picks, four of the players came from the high school ranks.

The 21st through 30th picks are listed below:

Cameron Cannon | 21st Round (629 overall) | SS Mountain Ridge High School | R/R | 5-11 | 175

Cannon, the #480 prospect according to Baseball America, is committed to the University of Arizona. He is a 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and first team All-West Region selection. Cannon hit .364 with eight homers as a high school player, including batting .353 with six doubles, a triple and six homers as a senior. Scouts note Cannon's grinder mentality and baseball instincts. Cannon has gotten stronger over the last year and shows the ability to drill line drives to the gaps with a short, efficient stroke. He's an above-average runner and a quick-twitch athlete. Scouts also mention that Cannon is an overachiever type who should play above his tools at the next level.

Kevin Ginkel | 22nd Round (659 overall) | RHP | Arizona | R/R | 6-4 | 210

Ginkel, the #451 prospect according to Baseball America, is currently playing with Arizona in a Super Regional at Mississippi State. So far this year, Ginkel has pitched to a 4-1 record and a 2.82 ERA over 22 games and six starts. The right-hander has tossed one complete game and registered three saves over 54.1 innings of work. Boasting 32 strikeouts, Ginkel has also limited opponents to a .221 average against. Was originally drafted in the 26th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox out of Southwestern College. A two-time Pacific Coast All-Conference player at Southwestern College, Ginkel jumped onto the scouting radar in late April when he threw a mid-week complete game shutout against Arizona State. Scouts note that Ginkel has plenty of arm strength, pitching primarily off a fastball sitting 90-92 and touching as high as 96. The curveball has decent spin and he has feel for a changeup but his stuff can be inconsistent. He has an easy, loose delivery and the ball gets on batters quickly, but he struggles at times to find the right arm slot.

Luke Van Rycheghem | 23rd Rd (689 overall) | C | Ursuline College Secondary School | L/R | 6-3 | 215

Van Rycheghem is the fourth Canadian player drafted by Arizona this year. The native of Kent Bridge, Ont. has played a pair of seasons with the Canadian Junior National Team and partook in the 2016 Dominican summer trip for Canada. He is a Rawlings Perfect Game All-Region selection. He is committed to Stetson University. The left-hand hitter played this season for the Ontario 18U Blue Jays after leading the 17U Blue Jays in their summer season with a .378 batting average to go with two homers and 14 RBIs in 25 games last year.

Riley Smith | 24th Round (719 overall) | RHP | LSU | R/R | 6-2 | 190

Smith is currently playing at LSU in a Super Regional against Coastal Carolina. Smith has appeared in 11 games, starting one, this year. He has pitched to a 7.36 ERA and a 2-1 record over 22 innings of work. The right-hander has struck out 11 hitters over the span. Smith previously attended San Jacinto Junior College where he was originally drafted in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. There, he earned NJCAA All-America and All-Region honors while starting 15 games in 2015 and helping lead the Gators to the NJCAA World Series. Smith recorded 13 victories over two seasons at San Jacinto with 139 strikeouts in 149 innings. As a freshman in 2014, he went 7-2 with a 2.96 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 79 innings.

Myles Babitt | 25th Round (749 overall) | CF | Cal State East Bay | L/L | 5-9 | 180

Babitt is the son of former Major Leaguer Shooty Babitt. Myles attended Academy of Art from 2011-2014 before transferring to Cal State East Bay. In 2016, Babitt batted .308 with 21 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and 16 RBI over 45 games played and 38 starts to earn honorable mention All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors. Babitt, who recorded a .410 on-base percentage, drew 22 walks to just five strikeouts over 120 at bats as a senior to help his team to a 2016 NCAA Division II West Regional appearance.

Tanner Hill | 26th Round (779 overall) | 1B | Texas State University | R/R | 6-2 | 250

Hill was a 2016 third team Louisville Slugger All-American according to Collegiate Baseball after hitting .321 with 77 hits, 18 doubles and a conference-leading 15 home runs to the tune of a .583 slugging percentage. He knocked in 42 RBI with 43 runs scored. The senior led the team in batting average, hits, RBI, runs, homers, doubles and slugging percentage. A Sun Belt first team All-Conference pick, he finished his three-year career fourth on the Texas State all-time home runs list with 28. He was also top-10 in total bases with 289 and ranked in the top-15 all-time in hits, RBI, doubles and at bats. His 2016 season ranks in the top-10 in home runs, doubles and total bases. Hill, who batted .319 with nine homers and 44 RBI as a junior in 2015, attended Galveston College out of high school before transferring to Texas State.

Gabe Gonzalez | 27th Round (809 overall) | RHP | College of Southern Nevada | R/R | 6-4 | 210

Gonzalez pitched to a 4-0 record and a 3.28 ERA over 10 starts in 2016. The right-hander tossed 46.2 innings and struck out 55 hitters while limiting opponents to a .163 average against. For this two-year career at Southern Nevada, Gonzalez posted a 9-1 record with a 3.92 ERA over 23 starts and 103.1 innings. Averaging better than a strikeout per inning over the span, he amassed 106 punchouts while posting a .196 average against. For his efforts in 2016, Gonzalez was named a second team All-Region pick. Prior to attending College of Southern Nevada, Gonzalez was originally drafted by the Rangers in the 13th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He was a 2014 Perfect Game second team All-American and West All-Region pick in high school.

Edmond Americaan | 28th Round (839 overall) | CF | Trinity Christian Academy | L/L | 6-1 | 170

Americaan, the #458 prospect according to Baseball America, is a native of Curacao. He played in the 2008 Little League World Series on a team that also included Juremi Profar, Jurickson Profar's younger brother. Scouts say that Americaan is a plus runner and a top-of-the-order hitter. He covers ground easily in the outfield and has an above-average arm. Originally committed to Auburn, Americaan is now headed for Chipola (Fla.) JC if he does not sign. Americaan is a 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game honorable mention selection and a first team All-Region pick in the state of Florida. He batted .426 with 30 runs scored, 27 RBI, six doubles, five triples and a homer in 2016. A speedster on the bases, he swiped 12 bags in 13 attempts as a senior. Over three years at Trinity Christian, Americaan batted .350 with 70 runs scored, 19 doubles, 10 triples, a homer, 60 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 32 attempts. Following his impressive senior year, he was named All-County, first team Hitter of the Year and 2A-7 Hitter of the Year.

Hunter Kiel | 29th Round (869 overall) | RHP | Pensacola State College | R/R | 6-3 | 215

Kiel went 3-4 with a 6.15 ERA over 12 appearances and one start in 2016. The right-hander tossed 41 innings and struck out 54 hitters, but did walk 59. He averaged 11.85 strikeouts per game. He made nine appearances as a freshman in 2015, tossing just 5.2 innings and striking out seven. Kiel is currently committed to play at LSU.

Brandon Martorano | 30th Round (899 overall) | C | Christian Brothers Academy | R/R | 6-2 | 160

Martorano, the #208 prospect according to Baseball America, is committed to play at North Carolina. He is a third team 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game All-American and a first team Northeast All-Region selection. Martorano batted .402 with eight doubles, five homers, 24 runs scored and 25 RBI in 2016. He also stole eight bases and reached at a .467 clip while slugging .667. Over the course of his collegiate career, Martorano batted .391 with 79 runs scored, 23 doubles, seven triples, 18 homers and 79 RBI. The right-hand hitting backstop won a gold medal with the 15U National team in 2013. Scouts call Martorano an athletic, flexible receiver with a solid throwing arm. He has a chance to be a five-tool catcher if he can add strength and polish his game as he matures. Martorano caught at the Area

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