Arizona Diamondbacks: The Deviation from the Norm in Team Building

The Arizona Diamondbacks string of successful seasons seemed to come to an end after missing out on the playoffs in 2018. They appeared to be tearing it down- the way of the Astros or Cubs- yet they have completed enough to have a record over .500 in 2019.

The Arizona Diamondbacks currently own a 38-37 record and a +49 run differential- sandwiched between the Rockies and Padres both of which they outstrip in terms of run differential. That run differential is enough for the third highest mark in the National League.

Trading Paul Goldschmidt for Luke Weaver and Carson Kelly was initially as the proverbial wave of the white flag. Along with the departures of lefty Patrick Corbin and CF A.J. Pollock, the Diamondbacks seemed to be in a position to resign to the fact that they must rebuild. They have not gone about this rebuild in the typical way, as they have found low-cost options and breakouts from younger players to reboot the team.

This combination can be highlighted with the seasons of Ketel Marte and Eduardo Escobar, both solid contributors that have truly turned the corner in 2019. Both of them have an OPS ranging near .900. Similarly, Christian Walker– the 28-year-old first baseman has slugged 12 home runs and put up an OPS over .800. Carson Kelly, David Peralta, and Adam Jones also have similarly high marks.

More from Call to the Pen

The rotation is not nearly deep enough in 2019 with the loss of Corbin and Zack Godley‘s demotion to the bullpen. Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, and Merrill Kelly have all performed well in the rotation thus far and Luke Weaver was excellent before his trip to the IL. The bullpen and rotational depth is the main issue, as their lack of options forces sub-par players into the mix.

In an article discussing this very topic, Ken Rosenthal compared Arizona’s approach to that of the Tampa Bay Rays and Anaheim Angels in the past. However, the Los Angeles Angels comparison is a bit of a stretch when considered that they lack a transcendent player such as Mike Trout. The Rays have long attempted to contend, often sitting around .500 and have never willingly undergone a slash and burn campaign.

Neither the Rays or the Diamondbacks have sold all of the players of value and purposely attempted to lose in the hopes of getting the draft picks required to contend on a yearly basis. This is a dangerous philosophy as well because if any of those precious picks are misses the team is set back even further. Savy deals must be made both in the tard market and in free agency.

Acquiring Escobar and Marte, as well as signing Greg Holland and Merrill Kelly are prime examples of this. GM Mike Hazan admitted that they could have made more trades and been worse off for it. However, he assessed his team and thought that with the right moves they could win some games and be competitive in the present and future. Rosenthal also notes that it is not as if they are bereft of future talent, as they possessed 9 of the first 93 selections in the 2019 MLB draft.

Bleacher Report ranks Arizona’s farm system as #14 in the league, a mark that is guaranteed to be bolstered with the development of recent draft picks. Among the prospects are RHP Jon Duplantier and OF Kristian Robinson in the top 50 and Jazz Chisholm in the top 100.

Possibly the biggest decisions this offseason were to retain Escobar on a 3-year deal to play third base and shortstop after he was acquired at the 2018 trade deadline and the decision not to trade Greinke. Their ace is still owed $100 million over the next three seasons, yet he is also still pitching at an exceptionally high level. Thus Hazen deemed him an asset worth holding on to, as trading him would not yield nearly enough value in return.

Next. 3 Players on the Tigers Trade Block. dark

This new approach is both welcome and refreshing in an age where the word rebuild is synonymous with tanking.

Home/Arizona Diamondbacks