Ryan Waldschmidt: The Quiet Compounder.
Ryan Waldschmidt’s 2025 season is proof that results don’t always lead to recognition.
A Sneaky Snakes pick-up.
Ryan Waldschmidt was ranked 23rd pre-draft in the MLB rankings, but the outfielder eventually was picked by the Diamondbacks with their Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick as the 31st overall pick in the 2025. Waldschmidt was described as a very all-round hitter, shown by this entry in his Baseball America, pre-draft scouting reprot:
“His batted ball data is excellent, and on the surface Waldschmidt’s offensive profile is well-rounded with tons of contact, strong swing decisions and loud top-end exit velocities.”
His 2024 season was solid, highlighted by his 22.7% BB% and .485 OBP through the 14 games he played at Single-A, but the power wasn’t on display just yet, with only two doubles and no home runs. However, it laid the foundation for his 2025 season, which is one of the best in baseball, despite little mainstream attetntion.
2025’s on-base machine goes by the name of Ryan Waldschmidt.
Waldschmidt’s 2025 season was fantastic. He started the season off at High-A and played 68 games to a .268/.415/.447 slash line, hit 13 doubles and nine home runs, and walked at an elite 16.9% rate. And not just his surface numbers were impressive: Waldschmidt’s 78.5% Contact% and 8.1% SwStr% indicated that he was handling the step up in level extremely well.
He ranked among the Top 5 when filtering for games played (min 250 PA & less than 69 games played) in:
Home runs (9)
Doubles (13)
BB/K (0.96)
BB% (16.9%)
K% (17.6%)
OPS (.862)
OBP (.415)
And that’s not all. The names consistently ranking in front of him are names like Lazaro Montes, Max Clark and Michael Arroyo - three elite prospects in their own right and generally ranked within most Top 30’s. Furthermore, Waldschmidt’s BABIP of .305 ranked 20th out of 36 qualified players, and ranking significantly lower than those in front of him in the respective Top 5’s.
So Waldschmidt was in elite company. But it’s not easy to convince the masses of your talent when those names are all, at least, 18 months younger than you are.
‘Rising’ Ryan Waldschmidt: A level-up.
The title explains itself in two ways. After that impressive 68-game stretch, the Diamondbacks decided to promote Waldschmidt and sent him to Double-A, where his well-rounded profile would be tested agaisnt older, better, and more experienced competition.
And Waldschmidt answered by levelling up as well, with even better results than his time at High-A. He played 49 games to a .291/.413/.480 slash line, hit ten doubles, six home runs and maintained his elite BB%, coming in at 16.1%. He practically maintained the same K% at 17.4%, and clearly wasn’t overpowered or overwhelmed a level up.
For hitters 22 or younger w/max 48 games and min 90 PA’s, Waldschmidt ranked in the Top 5 in:
Doubles (10)
Triples (3)
OPS (.893)
BB% (16.1%)
BB/K (0.92)
OBP (.415)
SB (14)
And although it is, obviously, a hitter-friendly league, known for potentially inflated numbers, Waldschmidt’s advanced metrics prove that he’s doing way more than just taking advantage of the environnment. It is notable that his overall Contact% dropped from 78.5% to 74% and his SwStr% spiked from 8.1% to 10.6%.. However, this isn’t a surprise. It’s still his first full season in professional baseball and he’s only two promotions away from the MLB-level.
Although the negative trends on both metrics are something to watch, it’s not alarming. His SwStr% and overall Contact% are still well within a manageable zone: The Contact% is sliding towards the lower end of the spectrum, but his SwStr% remains elite and shows how well he controls the zone. It’s something to monitor next season, but shouldn’t impact how you view him too much for now.
The future and potential ceiling.
Waldschmidt’s profile is likely suited for an otfield corner, and that’s probably where he will fit in. It’s highly likely he starts the 2026 season at Double-A again, and if he performs well, gets a mid-season promotion with a potential call-up towards the second half of the 2026 season. In theory, anyway. The past has proven that injuries, great production or true organizational trust can lead to faster than expected promotions.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. would be the player he’s looking to replace at the MLB-level, and he has a contract with a player option for 2026 and club option for 2027. This perfectly fits his developmental plan, and doesn’t put any pressure on him to make the MLB in a short time frame.
It will be interesting to receive his Statcast data once available, but for now, Waldschmidt’s on-base skills, approach, production and well-rounded profile is reminiscent of someone like Brandon Nimmo, with 20/20 potential written all over it.
Thank you for reading.
Louis