Diamondbacks all-in plan working one year later
The Diamondbacks 2016 season was a trainwreck. Arizona was aggressive in the offseason leading into 2016 but when it came time to play baseball, the Diamondbacks fell flat. Arizona went 69-93 and finished in fourth place in the National League West. At the end of the year, general manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale were fired.
But in 2017, Arizona has gotten just about everything it was hoping to get in 2016. Zack Greinke has been one of baseball’s best pitchers. In fact, the Diamondbacks starters have the best ERA in baseball, while their relievers are fourth.
Arizona has been one of baseball’s best offensive teams, as well. A lot of that can be attributed to Paul Goldschmidt, who is probably the NL’s MVP of the first half.
When you're Paul Goldschmidt, you hit homers to all fields. It's what you do.#VoteGoldy: https://t.co/4SLoL8YiiQ pic.twitter.com/K0F2TRsGpg
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 22, 2017
But this lineup is far from a one-trick pony. The Diamondbacks rank fourth in runs scored, seventh in OBP, and fifth in slugging. Just imagine how good the offense can be when A.J. Pollock returns.
Stewart said in April that he felt he deserved credit for the team’s success. Some of that’s not entirely right. Stewart oversaw the trade for Miller, who was awful in 2016 and is now recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
But it’s not completely wrong, either. Arizona is on pace to win 104 games. While the general manager and manager changed from 2016 to 2017, the on field talent remained pretty similar. A lot of that talent being on the Diamondbacks can be attributed to Stewart.