The Diamondbacks didn’t overthink it at No. 15. After the draft board got a little scrambled right before their pick, Arizona stayed patient and let the board fall to them, landing Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick.
Helfrick, 21, comes in as a right-handed hitter and thrower at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, with scouting grades that point to a well-rounded profile: 45 hit, 55 power, 40 run, 65 arm, 60 field and 55 overall. More than anything else, he’s widely viewed as the best defensive catcher in the class, and that matters because there’s little doubt he can stay behind the plate.
The offensive profile is more complicated, but the upside is real. Baseball America ranked Helfrick seventh overall and pointed to the tools that made him such a strong prospect out of high school: arm strength and power.
After a rough freshman year in 2024, he broke out in 2025 as Arkansas’ starting catcher, hitting .305/.420/.616 with 15 home runs. That performance earned him a spot on Team USA over the summer, where he split catching duties with Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey.
Baseball America also noted that his bat speed is plus and his approach is geared toward pulling the ball, while his contact skills remain below average and spin recognition is a problem.
Fangraphs had him 25th overall and painted a similar picture: plenty of physicality, plenty of pop, and enough defensive reliability to give him a floor. The concern there is strikeouts, with Helfrick likely to swing and miss plenty in pro ball. Fangraphs also described him as a catcher who can handle the edges of the zone well, block balls with skill and mobility, and flash an above-average arm that needs a cleaner exchange.
MLB Pipeline ranked him 11th overall and said he was one of the top high school catchers in the 2023 class before an inconsistent senior year and his Arkansas commitment kept him from being drafted. Once in college, he batted .179 as a freshman, then broke out with 11 home runs in the Cape Cod League that summer.
From there, he became a full-time starter and hit a combined 33 homers as a sophomore and junior. MLB Pipeline also said he should become the first backstop in school history to go in the first round.
That report added that Helfrick already calls pitches and handles a staff well, while grading as a quality receiver, framer and blocker. The arm is a weapon, even if the transfer and accuracy still need work.
At the plate, he punishes fastballs, but he’ll chase and has trouble with breaking balls and changeups. Even so, the overall package is strong enough that he projects as a big league regular.
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D-Backs Just Made A No. 15 Bet Fans Will Obsess Over
The Diamondbacks used the 15th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft to add another intriguing name to their catching pipeline, taking Arkansas backstop Ryder Helfrick. The right-handed hitter arrives with the kind of profile teams dream on at that position: real power, a reputation for handling the game behind the plate and enough polish to make him look like more than a long-term project.
Helfricks stock was built on more than tools. He tied for the Cape Cod League lead with 11 home runs in 2024, then kept producing for Arkansas while also handling a spotlight moment in the College World Series, when he was behind the plate for a no-hitter. Ranked among the top prospects in the class, he gives Arizona a player who could develop into a regular major league catcher, even if the final steps in that progression are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Bring Back Kids Free Weekend For Arizona Families
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Children 15 and younger can receive up to two free tickets with the purchase of an adult ticket, a straightforward offer that fits the teams push to keep baseball accessible. For the D-backs, it is about more than filling seats for one weekend - it is about getting kids through the gates, around the ballpark and into the habit of coming back. [Read more 🡒]