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The Arizona Diamondbacks have their top 40 prospects still in their system as of the end of 2024. This article is part of a series that reviews their seasons.

Release pitcher Kyle Amendt (born April 5, 2000), 6 feet, 237 pounds
Got: 265th overall, 9th round pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.

Kyle Amendt, a product of Dallas Baptist University in Texas, was selected in the 9th Round of the 2023 amateur selection. To kick off his career in professional baseball, he signed a bonus deal worth $135,000. In 2023, he went 12 innings while allowing no runs in the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Visalia.

As a result of his impressive performance, the Diamondbacks did not hesitate to start him at High-A with the Hillsboro Hops to begin the 2024 season. Amendt maintained his hitting dominance while playing with the Hops.

He was practically unhittable and went into 11 games, throwing 13.1 innings while only managing an ERA of 0.68. He had an xFIP of 0.46 and a FIP of -0.07. It was obvious that he was dominating in every way.

His stats are as follows: 27 strikeouts, 1 earned run, 2 walks, and 8 hits. He dominated batters with a sideways curveball and an unconventional release point behind the head. He had a ridiculous strikeout rate of 18.2 every nine innings. In 51 at-bats, he managed to get the strikeout rate above 50%.

No one was surprised when Amendt was promoted to Double-A on June 1st because of it. With the Amarillo Sod Poodles, he nearly dominated hitters, but he didn’t quite manage it.

In 19 games, Amendt threw 18.2 innings with three saves. He finished seven games and had a 2.89 ERA, 2.18 FIP, and 2.65 xFIP. He was in a very offensive park, yet he still managed a 0.48 home run rate per nine innings.

He had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 14.5 per nine innings while allowing eight hits, six earned runs, and eight walks while striking out thirty batters. He got 42% of the hitters he faced out of 72. Having such a high value in such a short sample is quite unusual.

Once again, his fastball, sideways curveball, and strange arm slot and release locations created optical illusions for the batter, making it impossible for them to hit.

On August 6, after a couple of months of outstanding play with the Sod Poodles, the Diamondbacks sent him to Triple-A with the Reno Aces, marking his third promotion. Just one more step to the Majors, and that would be the end of his season.

Amendt found the unfamiliar ballpark, league, and surroundings particularly taxing during his initial two games with his new squad. In just two innings, he allowed five earned runs on three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts, which was a major struggle for him. This was completely out of character for the gifted right-hander.

But he soon got it straightened out; in the eleven games that followed, he walked 12 batters, struck out 16, gave up nine hits, and had an earned run average of 1.80 over ten innings.

The pitches in Reno don’t move as expected, which might be attributed to the altitude. It’s also possible that he had trouble adjusting to the fresh air and pitch movement, which could explain his walks.

Over the course of 13 games and 12 innings with the Aces, Amendt has an ERA of 5.25, FIP of 5.42, and xFIP of 5.85. It’s hard to say whether his problems with command in Reno were an illusion or whether there were actual causes.

The D-backs were interested in Amendt after the season finished, so they sent him to play for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. In a small sample, he has performed admirably against numerous elite prospects.

So far, in five games with one save, he has pounded out eight batters while walking four and allowing three runs on four hits in 5.2 innings pitched. His ERA is 4.76. Both the walks and the strikeouts are high, so Amendt may have some work to do to control his swing and avoid hitting balls out of the zone.

Amendt had a 2.86 ERA and was tough to hit all season long, striking out 75 batters in 44 innings while walking only 24. He had a strikeout rate of 15.3 per nine innings and a walk rate of 4.9 per nine innings.

Content Relating to This Article: Diamondbacks Prospect Kyle Amendt Works on Stuff in the Fall League

Perspective on the Year 2025
In 2025, Kyle Amendt’s career will begin with the Reno Aces of Triple-A. The Arizona Diamondbacks will decide when to call him up to the show based on his performance there. The D-backs bullpen’s health and performance will also play a role.

Despite this, Amendt’s proclivity for striking out won’t keep him in the minors for long, so he should make his Major League Baseball debut shortly. He’s about to make a big splash in Arizona’s bullpen. In a perfect world, he would make his Major League debut before the All-Star break.

He may spend the next several years in the MLB as a middle reliever, pitching in before AJ Puk and Justin Martinez in the late innings, if his performance is up to par.