Following two consecutive 81-81 seasons, the Arizona Diamondbacks looked like a fringe contender in the NL West if everything went right for them this year. However, little worked out as hoped — whether it was pitching injuries, poor performance from past-their-prime veterans or just a general lack of talent on the roster general manager Kevin Towers assembled. The D-Backs fell down early and could never pull themselves completely back up.
Thanks to the Rockies, it’s possible that Arizona won’t finish last in its division and with the worst record in the league. But that’s a very small consolation from a nightmarish season and what looks to be a long, painful restoration process in the desert.
Preseason Prediction: There are significant strengths, but also significant holes. They have a legitimate star player in Paul Goldschmidt and enough depth to weather any potential injury storm. With that said, it’s easy to be skeptical of Kirk Gibson’s ability to actually put this team in the best position to succeed. Another .500ish season wouldn’t be a surprise, with a win total in the mid-80s a real possibility. (Jaymes Langrehr, February 27th)
What Went Right: Oh, there is so little to choose from here. But Paul Goldschmidt held his place among the best hitters in the NL, ranking among the league’s top three with a .396 on-base percentage, .542 slugging and .942 OPS. His .300 average also placed in the top 10. Unfortunately, a broken left hand suffered in early August when he was hit by an Ernesto Frieri pitch prevents him from finishing with the necessary 502 plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
The D-Backs also settled on their shortstop of the present and future with Chris Owings winning the job in spring training. A shoulder injury sidelined him for two months, and he played second base upon his return. But that absence allowed Arizona to play Didi Gregorius at shortstop, making it apparent that Owings is the better hitter and defensive player. Going into the offseason, the D-Backs have depth and trade options in their middle infield.
What Went Wrong: Things went wrong faster for the D-Backs earlier in the season than for any other MLB club. Midway through the first month of the season, Arizona was already 6.5 games out of first place in the AL West. By May 5, the team faced an 11.5-game deficit, digging a deep hole there was no hope of climbing out from. The D-Backs went 4-15 against the Dodgers and are 5-11 versus the Giants with three games remaining this season.
Ultimately, the true failure was in Towers’ philosophy of assembling a roster full of gritty gamers, rather than star talent. How would Justin Upton — who could have provided an .871 OPS, 27 home runs and 96 RBI — have looked in the D-Backs outfield, rather than the likes of Ender Inciarte and Cody Ross?
And trying to display toughness by throwing at opposing batters in retaliation just blew up in the team’s face, most notably on June 17 when Evan Marshall hit the Brewers’ Ryan Braun to load the bases and Jonathan Lucroy followed up with a walkoff grand slam. That one game summed up Arizona’s entire season.
Most Surprising Player: The D-Backs were surely surprised by the success that Tyler Skaggs and Brandon McCarthy had after being traded to the Angels and Yankees, respectively. The Angels tweaked Skaggs’ mechanics, adding velocity to his fastball and making his changeup and curveball more effective. McCarthy was encouraged by the Yankees to begin throwing his cutter again, mixing it with his sinker, and he’s compiled a 2.79 ERA with a strikeout rate of 8.1 per nine innings since leaving Arizona. What an indictment of the D-Backs’ coaching staff.
But that’s not what this category is truly intended for, so how about Chase Anderson for a surprise? The 26-year-old right-hander began the season in Double-A Mobile (after finishing last year with Triple-A Reno), and an 0.69 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 39 innings earned him a call-up to the majors. In 19 starts with the D-Backs, Anderson has compiled a 3.71 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 104.1 innings. His eight wins are second among Arizona starting pitchers. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t listed among the D-Backs’ top 20 prospects going into the season.
Most Disappointing Player: Towers acquired Mark Trumbo in a three-team deal with the White Sox and Angels that cost the D-Backs centerfielder Adam Eaton and pitcher Tyler Skaggs, both of whom excelled with their new clubs. A first baseman being asked to play left field in Arizona, Trumbo got off to a hot start with seven home runs in April, giving Arizona the right-handed power bat its lineup needed. But he eventually missed nearly three months because of a stress fracture in his left foot, and has hit only one home run in 213 plate appearances (through Sept. 11) since his return.
Trumbo has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility, so the D-Backs have to be hoping that he can stay healthy and help Goldschmidt provide some middle-of-the-order power during the next two years.
The Future: La Russa got a head start on the D-Backs’ future by dismissing Towers as the team’s general manager (and offering him another role in the front office, which he seems unlikely to take). But firing Towers was inevitable, even before La Russa was hired as Arizona’s chief baseball officer, because of his poor trades, faulty roster construction and brash statements about his pitchers retaliating.
A new GM would presumably make the call on whether or not to retain manager Kirk Gibson, but La Russa insists that decision is his. Not being able to hire a manager might turn off some prospective GMs, as would having La Russa loom overhead. Perhaps some executives will enjoy the chance to work with La Russa in what could be a similar arrangement as the Cubs have with president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer. Hoyer might have the title, but most view Epstein as the real decision-maker when it comes to personnel.
The D-Backs also figure to have limited payroll flexibility in the offseason, which could limit their ability to upgrade their pitching staff. That means La Russa and his new GM will have to make some trades (Wade Miley?) to clear payroll and patch holes, but how much will they really have to work with? Ultimately, the team will probably have to depend on young pitchers like Patrick Corbin, Daniel Hudson and top prospect Archie Bradley to recover from injuries, help build the top of its rotation and give Arizona any chance of competing.
