Now that the 2023 MLB All-Star Game break has arrived, it’s time to take a deep breath and examine how each team has performed this season. We’ll start off with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a young team that accomplished so much in the first half.
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The Good
With two powerhouses in the NL West in the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, as well as a sneaky team in the Giants, the Diamondbacks seem poised to take a step forward this season thanks to an abundance of young talent but would not be able to ascend to the top of the division. That assumption was wrong.
Outfielder Corbin Carroll, just months after a historic extension, has turned into one of the league’s best players in just his first season. Carroll hit 18 home runs and swiped 26 bases over his first 85 games, as he became just the second rookie alongside Julio Rodriguez to accrue at least 15 homers and 20 steals in the first half of his first season.
Aside from Carroll, Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Christian Walker have all had strong seasons for a Diamondbacks team that is eighth in the Majors in team OPS (.756) as of this writing.
On the pitching side of things, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have both impressed, although the latter did struggle before hitting the IL. And in the bullpen, Andrew Chafin, Kyle Nelson, Kevin Ginkel and Scott McGough all helped push Arizona to a strong first half.
The Bad
The rotation aside from Gallen and Kelly has been questionable. Zach Davies and Ryne Nelson both own ERA figures north of 5.00, while Madison Bumgarner was DFA’d after a horrific start.
Offensively, Arizona hasn’t received much production from Josh Rojas or youngster Alek Thomas. Rojas, in particular, has shown very little power this season. Rojas is just one of four players (Myles Straw, Tim Anderson, and Miguel Rojas) to not have a home run this season and have at least 200 PA this season.
What’s Ahead
It’s likely that the D-Backs target a starter this summer, whether it be a rental or someone with control. Arizona has two guys that can lead a rotation, but they’ll need more than that.
Aside from issues in the back end of the rotation, this has been quite the year for the D-Backs. Arizona arrived a year ahead of schedule, and it looks like the Diamondbacks are here to stay.