Lie: The Diamondbacks will continue to lead the NL West
This leads us to the big lie … that the Arizona Diamondbacks are the best team in the NL West. They are certainly not even in the top three. Their 6-4 division-leading record is not the truth. Make no mistake, they are improving very quickly over last year’s .457 win percentage, but they are not contenders just yet.
One aspect of the Diamondbacks so far this season that should have fans excited is the entire team is batting .271. It’s not one player putting up a monster average, but it’s several players hitting over .400. Geraldo Perdomo, Evan Longoria, catcher Jose Herrera, and Josh Rojas are all over .400 in 64 combined at-bats.
Just watch this brilliant slide by Josh Rojas and get excited about the Diamondbacks season.
Just gonna watch @JoshRojass' slide on loop forever and ever. pic.twitter.com/Tty1mhpddY
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 4, 2023
The pitching is weak in Arizona. The Diamondbacks have already given up an MLB-leading 18 home runs. They also lead the league in walks with 55. Putting runners on base for free and giving up home runs is a primary recipe for a losing season.
Unfortunately, the NL West is too good, the Rockies are usually early-season surprises, and the Giants will break out of their winter slumber soon. The Diamondbacks could win 80 games this season, but the best team in the NL West is a lie. They will almost certainly be at the bottom of the standings come October.