Claudia Collins
By Jayla Fench
The MLB facilitates making many dreams come true. Last week, that was the case for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ newest members.
In the 2024 MLB draft, the Diamondbacks selected 22 players. They chose 12 college pitchers, seven high school batters, and three position players over three days.
MLB.com draft insider Jim Callis ranked the Diamondbacks as fifth on the list of teams that scored the best in the draft. This is promising for the newest additions to the team.
Now all 22 players are professional baseball players. Their first initiative as such? Getting involved in community events.
The draft class visited the D-backs branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley on Wednesday for a “Club Takeover.” This included lunch courtesy of Chick-fil-A, D-backs swag, and numerous activities for the draftees to engage with the kids including wiffle ball, coloring, and gym games.
The draft class was divided into groups and took turns rotating through different activities with the kids. There were numerous smiles, excitement, and admiration for the draftees, and the overall joy in the room was palpable.
The draftees heard from Cullen Maxey, D-backs Executive Vice President and CRO, and Debbie Castaldo, Senior Vice President of Corporate and Community Impact, to welcome them and discuss the organization’s community initiatives and values before getting started with the day.
“We drafted you because of your baseball ability but also because of the character you’ve shown,” Maxey said. “It’s not easy to get to where you are and today what we’re going to do is welcome you to the family.”
At the core of the Diamondbacks organization is a commitment to giving back to the community. Therefore, it was only fitting that this was the first initiative for the draftees to take part in.
Castaldo took the time to welcome the draftees as well as give them words of encouragement and elaborate on just how committed the Diamondbacks are to giving back.
From helping Corbin Carroll establish his charity fund from the moment he was drafted to helping send gear to the Dominican Republic on behalf of Geraldo Perdomo to give back to his community back home.
Thanks to Carroll winning the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year, the Diamondbacks were rewarded an extra draft pick because of the Prospect Promotion Incentive or PPI program.
The PPI is, If a player who was rated as a preseason top prospect and was on his team’s Opening Day roster goes on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, the team is awarded a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick after the first round.
That pick landed them Ryan Waldschmidt, an outfielder out of the University of Kentucky.
Arizona acquired Waldschmidt with the No. 31 overall draft pick. Waldschmidt was in attendance participating after signing with the Diamondbacks.
“It’s just awesome to see how these kids just look up to you as an idol and just someone that they look up to in their life as an athlete,” Waldschmidt said. “I was in their shoes one day and just looking at the older athletes that I looked up to and it’s just super special to come out here and put a smile on their face and just get to engage with them for a few hours.”
Giving back to the community is not a new concept for Waldschmidt. Back home, he worked with the Miracle League, which provides opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball. Which he hopes to affect in the future.
The event was enjoyable for both the kids and the players. The players are about to reach a major milestone in their careers and are already helping create memories even before taking their first swing.
It’s just the first step in their journey to have an impact both on and off the field.
“I think that being an athlete comes with a lot of other stuff. Everyone’s looking up to you, looking at you and just the things you do,” Waldschmidt said.
“To be a positive role model in the community and just being a part of a team that does take that into account and really puts a lot of effort into making that change and impacting the community is just really awesome.”
