Arizona Diamondbacks: What were the reasons for terrible May?
By Kyle Cardoza
Disabled list disappearances
Some players hit the shelf before the month of May, but their absences still mean something. For example, Taijuan Walker’s absence has already been felt.
Nevertheless, the team’s most significant loss occurred when A.J. Pollock suffered a fractured thumb. Prior to his injury, the outfielder owned a .293/.394/.620 slash. He clocked 11 home runs with 33 RBIs. Moreover, he swept nine bases – all that in 40 games.
But this seemed anticipated. Pollock played just one full season since 2012. While he contributes in essentially every aspect of the game for Arizona, he hasn’t been durable.
And it’s one reason the Diamondbacks suffered in May.
Lovullo didn’t have difficulty replacing him with Jarrod Dyson. Of course, Dyson brings different tools to the table – and ultimately, a poor .601 OPS so far.
Pollock was the only one facing a stint on the disabled list. Robbie Ray has also been accustomed to this in recent years.
Ray is known as one of the most intriguing pitchers in the league because of his wipeout repertoire. However, it’s undetermined whether the southpaw has unleashed his full potential, as his command holds him back.
But while his consistency has plagued his chance to become a distinguished ace, his durability has not. Ray made 32 starts in 2016 and 28 in 2017. His lone disabled list stint came last year as a result of the concussion protocol.
It was difficult for the Diamondbacks to replace the lefty, especially with Walker already out. And options were slim for Lovullo.
Matt Koch shined in his first few starts, but he fell flat throughout May. Then Arizona called up Kris Medlen for a spot start. Medlen retired from baseball after a horrific outing – no joke.
Surely, the Diamondbacks missed their two stars.