Arizona Diamondbacks Top Five Offseason Priorities

Get Healthy

It’s generally a priority for most teams after a long, grueling season, but for the Diamondbacks it really does apply. They may not have been the most beaten-up team by sheer numbers this year, but they suffered a few vital blows to key players throughout the course of the campaign.

Right off the bat, outfielder A.J. Pollock broke his elbow in an April 1 exhibition game. He underwent surgery and didn’t make his first appearance of the season until August 26. It was a crushing development for the D-Backs after the outfielder’s All-Star breakout campaign of the year prior. In 2015, Pollock slashed .315/.367/.498 with 20 home runs, 76 RBI and 39 stolen bases.

Even after returning, Pollock was bothered by a strained groin that kept him out of some games throughout the month of September. Ultimately, he made it into just 12 contests. The team will need him to fully heal up over the winter and hopefully put in a complete season in 2017. If he can approximate his stellar production of a year ago, it would be a major boost for the squad.

Another big contributor from 2015 who spent much of the past season on the bench was fellow outfielder David Peralta. He put up a .312/.371/.522 slash and led the league with 10 triples last year, but wrist and back problems limited him to 48 games in 2016, during which he posted a .728 OPS.

Arizona’s two major pitching additions faced some health issues as well. Zack Greinke hit the DL in late June with an oblique strain that kept him out until early August. Shelby Miller missed some time in May and June with a right index finger injury. While it’s hard to say how much of either pitcher’s disappointing results this year was due to their injuries (Miller and his 6.15 ERA in particular), they likely didn’t help matters.

If Greinke and Miller recuperate over the winter and pitch like the better versions of themselves next year, it would be a significant relief for the D-Backs.

Next: Resist the Urge