- Slug: Sports-Diamondbacks Tommy Troy, 1,050 words.
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By Sean Brennan
Cronkite News
SCOTTSDALE – Growing up, Gino Groover’s parents told him there is a small amount of truth to any joke. So whenever the Arizona Diamondbacks’ No. 9 prospect gives middle infielder Tommy Troy a hard time for working too hard, a small amount of seriousness is sprinkled in.
“I’d be like,‘Dang Tommy, you’ve been swinging for a minute,’” Groover said. “I always tell him, ‘Save some good swings for the game.’”
Troy, the Diamondbacks’ No. 5 prospect and 2023 first-round draft pick, is usually a good sport, not only because he and Groover have spent nearly all of their short minor league careers together, but because Troy also knows it’s true.
Even Troy admits that at times, he may work himself a bit too hard while in the batting cages, something he says is negative. But that’s just how he is – he’s been extremely focused, detail-oriented and diligent about his approach for his entire playing career.
“I feel like just as a guy of a little bit smaller stature, I need a little more room for error,” the 5-foot-9 Troy said. “So that’s kind of the way I work. I want to give myself the best opportunity to succeed. It’s all of the little things that add up.”
That mindset has fueled the success he’s experienced at almost every level, including with the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League this past month.
Named California’s No. 4 shortstop prospect out of high school in 2020 by Perfect Game, a comprehensive scouting organization, Troy committed to Stanford where he spent the next three years. After a promising first two seasons with the Cardinal, he truly burst onto the scene during his junior campaign in 2023. He played in 58 games while slashing .394/.478/.699 with 17 home runs, 58 RBI and 35 walks to 42 strikeouts, which helped lead Stanford to the College World Series, his third time doing so in as many years.
For his contributions, Troy earned several accolades following the 2023 season, including Perfect Game All-America First Team, ABCA All-Region First Team, Pac-12 All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors. He was then selected by the Diamondbacks with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
Colorado Rockies minor league hitting coordinator Nic Wilson, the Rafters’ hitting coach, has gotten to know Troy quite well over the past few weeks. Wilson had the opportunity to watch Troy when he played in the Northwest League, but has had far more time to work with him during the Fall League, especially because the two are neighbors in Arizona. A second-year coach in the league, Wilson has seen some of MLB’s rising stars — including the Athletics’ Lawrence Butler and the Yankees’ Jasson Domínguez — and agrees that Troy’s skills stand out.
“Troy is, first of all, extremely talented. There’s no question about it,” Wilson said. “He’s got some gifts that are different than other people. It’s one of the reasons why he went as high as he did in the draft and one of the reasons why he’s as good of a player as he is.”
One of those gifts is his ability to make consistent contact at the plate. Troy hasn’t fully been able to show that potential in the pros yet, as he only played a combined 27 games in 2023 and slashed .227/.319/.347 in an injury-shortened 2024 slate.
Groover has a unique perspective on Troy’s attention to detail since he’s spent ample time alongside him the past two years. They were both on the high-A Hillsboro Hops in 2023 and 2024, but also recovered from injuries this season. During that time, the two became extremely close, which allowed Groover to see his teammate’s diligence while on the field – and keep him in check.
“He pays attention to detail,” Groover said. “Sometimes … he’s probably not going to like me saying this, but when we hit, I swear he will swing himself to death. At the end of the day, the work ethic is there. It’s there, you know he works really hard. He’s loyal to his craft. As a baseball player, that gets you a very long way, and when you hone in on it and become precise with what you’re working on, it just takes it to another level.”
The three weeks of the Fall League so far have truly proved a tale of two seasons for Troy. In his first six games of the slate, he was a measly 1-for-25 with 11 strikeouts. But he flipped a switch after that, and in his last eight contests he’s gone 20-for-44 (.455) and is now tied for the fourth-most doubles (6) in the league. Troy’s strikeout numbers are significantly down, too, as he’s been punched out eight times but drawn eight walks.
It’s a testament to the adjustments Troy made on his own. He may have worked on certain aspects of his game with Wilson, such as improving at hitting breaking balls, which he’s seen a lot of during games according to Wilson. No matter the area, the improvement came from within, and Troy is certainly reaping the benefits of sticking to his approach and adapting.
“It’s absolutely all him,” Wilson said. “He’s the guy doing the reps in the cages. … He’s shown up with a great attitude every day. I think that’s a huge thing – baseball is such a sport where there’s so much failure, you’ve got to be able to show up the next day with the same habits, the same mentality and be the same person regardless of if it goes right or wrong. Ultimately, it’s the process that matters.”
Believe it or not, it wasn’t Troy’s focus that set him on the right track in the AFL. Instead, he said relaxing a bit likely yielded positive results. Either way, his recent performance gives Diamondbacks fans plenty of reason to be excited about Troy becoming a cornerstone in the infield.
“I feel like a majority (of my struggles) was just a mental part of it,” Troy said. “It’s kind of relaxing a little bit. Sometimes you just go into a little rut and maybe you’re working too hard. Sometimes, it’s a negative thing when you’ve been in the cages too much, taking too many swings. It’s kind of just finding a balance of just trusting the work.”
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