Rahl joins wealth of outfielders in D'backs organization
June 14, 2006

The Arizona Diamondbacks organization possesses an embarrassment of riches when it comes to top outfield prospects. Justin Upton, Carlos Quentin, Scott Hairston, Chris Young and Carlos Gonzalez all rank among minor league baseball's top minor league players.

It may soon be time to add the name of Chris Rahl to that list.

The 2005 fifth round draft choice out of William & Mary College is quietly asserting himself as a prime ballplayer with his performance this season with the D'backs California League affiliate in Lancaster. After 59 games, Rahl is batting .322/.352/.484, with an eye-popping 23 doubles.

What makes the 22-year-old right-handed hitter's output even more surprising is that he missed part of last season with a shoulder injury, not to mention the fact that he skipped a level by moving from Short Season ball to High A.

While Rahl didn't set any goals coming into the 2006 season, his performance has certainly exceeded his expectations.

"I just wanted to stay healthy and get back in the swing of things," said Rahl. "I really didn't know where I was going to go for the year, coming off surgery, so goals were kind of minimal. But I'm happy with what I've done so far."

Rahl also sees better days ahead once he is completely recovered from the aftereffects of last year's shoulder surgery.

"I've done well and (the Diamondbacks) have seen what I can do," said Rahl. "Once I get healthy, hopefully I can open their eyes even wider and show them that I can do a little bit more."

He's also enjoying home games in a notoriously good hitter's park, with Lancaster's ballpark often referred to as the "Launching Pad."

"It's definitely nice to hit in a park where the wind's blowing out," commented Rahl, with a chuckle. "That's always a big help. It's not a pitcher's league. It's been tough on some of our pitchers ... keeping the ball down is definitely a big thing . The ball seems to carry out in some of these ballparks. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun!"

Rahl is not letting the favorable hitting environment affect his plate discipline and pitch selection.

"I'm just trying to stay aggressive at the plate," said Rahl, "but letting the pitches come to me and not get to over-aggressive in that I'm going out of the strike zone. Mostly, I just stay within myself and help the team win."

Perhaps the most important lesson he's learning from the Diamondbacks organization is about developing character.

"Our skipper, Brett Butler, talks about integrity and courage a lot," said Rahl. "Since I've been here, I've been working on controlling certain things outside the game ... anger issues ... just self-control, and showing good character with everything you do, whether it's in baseball or off the field."

--- Bill Mitchell