Fresh off a rookie season that saw him play in 82 games, there's a lot to love about Ryan Waldschmidt's future with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Recently, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert put together an article naming three breakout candidates for 2027, and Waldschmidt was the first player he mentioned. 

The 24-year-old had 250 at-bats this season and spent most of his time in center field.

Arizona knows they're comfortable putting him in left field as well, and he actually hit far better as a left fielder (.328), though it came with nearly 100 fewer at-bat sample size than when he was in center (.220).

Waldschmidt made the most of pinch-hitting opportunities, going 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs.

His 2.000 OPS is certainly eye opening, even if it came with such a small sample size. At the end of the day, he's clearly someone who is gaining more trust with this organization, and rightfully so.

After making his big-league debut on May 8, 2026, Waldschmidt lasted just over a month before he was sent back down to Triple-A Reno.

That said, he slashed .353/.411/.471 in his first 57 plate appearances, so that certainly gave the team something to think about.

Obviously, they brought him back up sooner rather than later, and he came out of the gates swinging with a .361 big-league batting average throughout the month of July.

Waldschmidt may have ended the year hitting just .120 in September, but that only came with a 25-at-bat sample size. He was a 0.8 WAR player for a reason, and his 2026 campaign may not have ended on a high note, but it's not like the team's did either.

The rookie had three home runs, so power clearly isn't his strong suit, but there were two occasions where he showed up when the team truly needed him.

The Florida native had a month of August to remember, which began on Aug. 7 when he took Edwin Diaz yard to walk off the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If that wasn't enough, he put together an incredible pinch-hit, two-run blast to walk off the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 25.

It's clear there's something special brewing with the outfielder; it's just a matter of how much he progresses in the offseason.

According to Gilbert, the team is still undecided on whether he'll be playing in center or left field come the 2027 season, as long as there is one.