Heading into 2024, rankings of prospects in the Diamondbacks’ system featured Yilber Diaz somewhere in the second half of the rankings. He was too wild, he was ticketed for the bullpen, and probably wouldn’t arrive for a couple of years. Demetrio Crisantes did not appear on any prospect rankings.
It didn’t work out as expected. Diaz tore through AA, then tore through AAA, and found himself starting in the majors by the middle of the year. He might have gotten a bit lucky, but he started his career with consecutive quality starts, and after a rough outing in Kansas City, bounced back with what might have been his best start of the season from a stuff perspective before returning to the minor leagues.