Last month around this time, it was easy to dismiss the Diamondbacks. They were a couple of games over .500. They had played one of the hardest schedules in baseball, but they had scored about as many runs as they allowed. They won some close games, had some fun moments. They were a good story, not necessarily a good team.…...
May has been an eventful month for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for two reasons. First, because on May 8, he obtained his United States citizenship in a moment that he deemed “one of the most important days of my life.” He was even able to celebrate with his brother, Yuli Gurriel, who happened to be in Arizona immediately afterward as the…...
After 13 games, the 2023 Diamondbacks are doing about as well as anyone could hope. Despite having played the hardest schedule in baseball, according to Baseball-Reference, the Diamondbacks stand atop the NL West with an 8-5 record. They are also one of three teams in baseball that has yet to lose a series, joining the Tampa Bay Rays and New…
For nearly a century, the vast majority of leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball were of the same ilk. They were fast. They put the ball in play. They got on base. And they were, with few exceptions, not the best overall hitters on their team. Think Ichiro Suzuki. Lou Brock. Kenny Lofton. Jose Reyes. Juan Pierre. They had high…...
Over the last 11 seasons, the Diamondbacks have played a total of four playoff games. All of them, of course, happened in 2017. Three were losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. The other was a four-hour fracas at Chase Field against the Colorado Rockies, a game that the D-backs ultimately won, 11-8. Some say…...
Less than three years after departing via trade, Andrew Chafin is returning to the Diamondbacks, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday. The deal, which is reportedly pending a physical, is said to be for one year with a club option for 2024. While Chafin’s curly hair and mustache are every bit as dazzling as the day he left the…...
I know I write about baseball for a living, but I am convinced that the Major League Baseball home run is the most awe-inspiring event that happens routinely in any sport. To hit a home run, a human being must (1) correctly identify the trajectory of a 2.9-inch-diameter spherical object traveling at nearly 100 MPH, (2) ensure that the bat…...
Entering 2022, Jake McCarthy was a promising depth piece for the Diamondbacks. He was lightning fast. He held his own at all three outfield positions. He was still only 24 years old. But even then, prospect evaluators made little mention of the University of Virginia product. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t be a big leaguer — he broke into the…...
In many respects, the Los Angeles Dodgers are Major League Baseball’s powerhouse franchise. They have won nine of the last 10 NL West division titles, many of them by a mile. The only year they did not win it in that span was 2021. That season, the Dodgers finished second in the NL West behind the 107-win San Francisco Giants.…...
According to a report from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Diamondbacks are bringing back right-handed pitcher Zach Davies on a one year, $5 million deal with $3 million in incentives. Some outlets have also reported a $5.5 million mutual option for 2024. Given that Davies just had a 4.09 ERA and 98 ERA+ in his age-29 season, the…...
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