Arizona Diamondbacks 2016 Year in Review

What Went Right?

What went right for the 2016 Arizona Diamondbacks? Not a whole lot, to be perfectly honest. If they can hang their collective hat on anything, though, it should undoubtedly be their offense. The D-Backs lineup was a rather productive machine this season, scoring the 10th most runs in baseball (752) and posting the 11th-highest OPS (.752). When you look at some of the key players in that batting order, it’s not too hard to see why.

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt just might be the most underappreciated star in the game, even though his numbers were actually down noticeably this year. His .899 OPS was his lowest since 2012, and his home run and RBI totals (24 and 95, respectively) were well below last year’s (33 and 110). The power decrease was reflected in his .192 ISO (isolated power), which is a marked drop from his .249 ISO of a year ago. Goldschmidt still knows how to draw a walk, though, leading the NL with 110 bases on balls. He also swiped a career-high 32 bags, further developing another aspect of his game.

Goldschmidt just turned 29 last month and is under contract through 2019 (through a team option), so the D-Backs will feel confident that he’ll rebound a bit next season and remain a force in the heart of their lineup for the next several years.

Praise should also go to 25-year-old third baseman Jake Lamb. He appeared in 107 games in 2015, slashing a tepid .263/.331/.386. This season – his third in the major leagues – he broke out at the plate, putting up a .249/.332/.509 line with 29 home runs and 91 RBI. However, it should be pointed out that Lamb did most of his damage before the All-Star break. He slashed a meager .197/.283/.380 in the second half while adding just nine of his homers and 30 of his RBI.

Regardless, the D-Backs have to be encouraged by what they saw from the youngster in the earlier part of the season. If he can avoid another late swoon next year, it looks like the team will have another potent offensive weapon on its hands.

The most pleasant surprise of the year may have been second baseman Jean Segura, who really impressed for Arizona following his trade from Milwaukee. He slashed a very robust .319/.368/.499, pacing the NL with 203 hits on the year. His .867 OPS was easily a career high, and .215 better than last year’s mark. He also swatted 20 homers, drove in 64 runs and racked up 33 steals. Segura’s .499 slugging percentage was even .010 points higher than Goldschmidt’s. Not bad for a middle infielder.

Segura is still only 26, and the desert seems to agree with him. Under team control through 2018, the D-Backs have to feel good about him moving forward as well.

Cuban import Yasmany Tomas also showed some improvement in his second MLB campaign. The outfielder belted 31 home runs and collected 83 RBI in 140 games; last year he managed nine homers and 48 RBI in 118 contests. The power surge helped him raise his OPS from .707 to .820 between the two seasons. His defense has been atrocious (-2.4 dWAR), so the club will need him to improve there to make his positive strides at the plate more palatable.

Next: The Bad