If the Rockies want to see how to turn things around, it would behoove them to look about 900 miles to the southwest.
That’s where they’ll find the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that lost 110 games in 2021 but currently leads the National League West with a 46-31 record. The Rockies (30-48) are stuck in the basement again, 16 1/2 games behind the D-backs.
Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall has repeatedly said that he thought the team was another year from turning things around, but the players proved him wrong. The D-Backs look like the real deal, right now.
The team from Phoenix rose from the ashes of truly bad baseball. In 2021, they finished 55 games out of first and were outscored by 204 runs. Fifth-year manager Torey Lovullo was on the hot seat, but the D-backs decided to give him a one-year, prove-it contract. They improved to 74-88 last season, showing a spark of promise.
On June 4, Arizona announced that Lovullo was receiving a contract extension through 2024. The manager was honest about how tough things were.
“It was real dark,” he told reporters during a press conference. “And I never imagined sitting here saying that I was going to be guaranteed another couple of years, you know? Two years ago, I didn’t know where I was. I was lost emotionally, but I couldn’t show that because I had a team to be in charge of.”
So how did the D-Backs do it?
First of all, they weren’t afraid to be bold. This past spring, they traded center fielder Daulton Varsho, one of their best young players, to Toronto for young catcher Gabriel Moreno and hard-hitting outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Both players are now mainstays in the D-Backs lineup and Gurriel is hitting .276 with a .818 OPS, 11 homers and 43 RBIs.
In April, they released veteran starter Madison Bumgarner after he posted a 10.26 ERA through four starts and it became clear that he no longer had big-league stuff. Arizona swallowed his $34 million contract and moved on.
Arizona has also cultivated an excellent farm system. It took a while, but the system is blooming. According to MLB Pipeline, the D-backs rank third in the majors, behind only up-and-coming Baltimore and the perennial powerhouse Dodgers.
The D-backs have created an exciting and aggressive lineup that combines speed and power. Led by star outfielder Corbin Carroll (who has a chance to be National League MVP and rookie of the year), Gurriel, veteran second baseman Ketel Marte, star first baseman Christian Walker, middle-infielder Geraldo Perdomo, and Moreno behind the player, Arizona has a nice blend of veterans and hungry young players.
And Arizona has spent its money wisely. Yes, it gave Carroll an eight-year, $111 million contract in March, despite the fact he still had less than one full year of major league service time. But that looks like money wisely spent because Carroll is a superstar in the making.
The D-backs’ $114.5 million total payroll (according to Spotrac) is much lower than the Padres ($245.8 million), Dodgers ($228 million), Giants ($185.7 million) or Rockies ($180.3 million).
The D-backs are far from a perfect team. The starting pitching has been inconsistent from anyone not named Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly. The duo has combined to go 16-5 with a 2.99 ERA and the team is 19-10 in their 29 starts. In the other 43 games, the remaining starters are 7-14 with a 6.18 ERA.
But Arizona is in a position to be a buyer as the Aug. 1 trade deadline comes into view. It looks as if the D-backs are poised to make another bold move or two.
“We need to see where we’re at,’’ general manager Mike Hazen told USA Today. “If we’re in a certain position, we’ll be more aggressive. We are going to be mindful of what we’re willing to trade from a long-term standpoint, but if we’re in a position to make this team better, we’ll do it.”
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