Diamondbacks Featured Pros

What to make of the 2025 Diamondbacks so far

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Through 16 games the Arizona Diamondbacks are 9-7.

The rest of the NL West stacks up like this (at the time of posting).

  1. San Diego Padres (13-3)
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers (11-5)
  3. San Francisco Giants (11-4)
  4. Arizona Diamondbacks (9-7)
  5. Colorado Rockies (3-12)

Is there cause for concern? Maybe.

Is there more hope that this team fulfills its potential? Yes.

Saturday’s come from behind 5-4 walkoff against Milwaukee lit a spark that may carry them for awhile.

 

Here are a few things that stand out about this team so far.

Elite bullpen… with help on the way

Ahead of the season opener, General Manager Mike Hazen said he had a ton of confidence in this bullpen, despite the lack of cemented roles. That hasn’t been the case in most of his tenure in the valley.

Justin Martinez has pretty much secured the closer role for now with AJ Puk also notching saves depending on match ups.

 

Shelby Miller has been stellar in his low stakes relief appearances. Torey Lovullo confirmed during a pregame press conference on Saturday that Miller will start getting looks in higher leverage situations. The decisions ultimately come from him, but are preempted by pitching coach Brian Kaplan.

Speaking of Kaplan, he has found something in lefty Jalen Beeks who was acquired right before opening day. He’s averaging just a tick under one strikeout per nine and is getting through innings efficiently. 

The rise of Beeks is good for this team, especially since the third lefty in the pen, Joe Mantiply has been shaky to start the year. His velocity is down (averaging 85-87 mph on his fastball), which could be a big concern moving forward.

Somehow we’ve gotten this far without mentioning Ryan Thompson, Bryce Jarvis, or Ryne Nelson. Thompson is the perfect change of pace pitcher leading into Puk and Martinez with their high-powered stuff. 

Jarvis has filled in well in when he’s been called on. Ryne Nelson is still being stretched out to preserve his ability to be a starter if an injury happens, but that could change by May if his average pitch count continues to drop. Lovullo says that he and Kaplan have a “point of no return” with Nelson this year.

As you can see, the bullpen is already cooking with gasoline. And help is on the way. 

Kevin Ginkel is close to returning. So is Kendall Graveman. Both need to be on the roster when they are healthy. Barring any injuries,  Bryce Jarvis and Ryne Nelson are the likely pitchers heading to Reno to play with the Aces in AAA.

Another name to watch out for in Reno is Drey Jameson. He’s been lights out and is ready to make the jump back to the big league club after his long recovery from Tommy John surgery. At this point, an injury or repeated poor performances by someone else are the only paths for him to get the call. But once he does, he may not be going back down.

The bats are fine

In 2024, Arizona led the league in runs scored.

In 2025, it looks like more of the same, with just a little bit less power.

The MVP so far (for AZ and maybe MLB) is Corbin Carroll. A slight tweak in his swing to get his bat path back on track has increased his early season power numbers. He leads MLB in fWAR (1.3). Last year he didn’t hit hisb 3rd of 22 home runs util July. He has five already.

The biggest upgrade to this offesne lies in the growth of Geraldo Perdomo. He hit his first career home run from the right side on April 3 against the Yankees. And his at bats have been just what this team needs. He sees a ton of pitches and does what needs to be done. From bunting, to moving guys over, to leading the team in RBIs, Perdomo is making his case for a second All-Star game appearance. The heart and soul of this team is now a force at the plate.

Ketel Marte started the year right where he left off before a hamstring injury. Torey Lovullo expects him back in the lineup by the end of April. His injury could’ve been a great chance for Jordan Lawlar to crack the big leagues, but Mike Hazen opted to call up Tim Tawa to platoon with Garrett Hampson. Tawa plays solid defense and makes good contact. He seems to be getting more comfortable, going 1-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a RBI on Sunday. Hampson hasn’t done much at the plate but he still provides stable defense.

If another injury occurs to the infield, Lawlar should be the next guy called up. He’s playing well at SS. 3B, and 2B in Reno.

Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith are locking it down at first base and as left handed DH options. Dating back to September of last year, Smith is third in OPS behind only Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Naylor is showing how valuable he is with RBI opportunities. 

Eugenio Suárez has five home runs, but also 19 strikeouts. He’s on pace to lead the team in strikeouts again, but another 30 plus home run season could be inbound. That’s his game and it works for this team.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is off to a slow start with a .145 batting average, but as one of the only right handed outfield options, he’s going to have to play his way into more production. And he his making lots of loud outs.

Jake McCarthy took nearly 30 plate appearances to notch his first hit. But he is figuring things out and the results are coming. He did get hit in the palm by a 95 mph fastball on Sunday, but he stayed in the game. That could derail some progress if the injury lingers.

Alek Smith is slowly working his way into being an everyday player again. He’s crushing the ball against righties and slowly getting at bats against lefties. His defense gets him in the lineup and he’s takimg advantage of it with his approach.

This offense seems a little hot and cold to start the year, but they are doing all of the right things. Patient at bats are allowing them to hit the ball hard consistently up and down the order. More offensive explosions are bound to happen.

Starting pitching struggles are not worrisome

No one thought the “weak link” of the first 16 games of the season would be the starting pitching.

But that’s how it has played out.

One narrative that is playing out on social media is “Corbin Burnes being washed.” That is NOT the case.

In his home debut on Saturday, he finished with a quality start. His final line was six innings, three earned runs on four hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. 

His lack of strikeouts have come down to missed strike three calls by umpires in all three starts. That will even out as the season progresses.

He is the ace and his numbers will reflect that.

Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have both had great starts sandwhiched between some rough starts. Both seem to be dialing in their deliveries a bit still. Brian Kaplan isn’t concerned about it. Neither should fans be.

Eduardo Rodriguez has three quality starts to open the year. He’s been the most consistent, but he isn’t getting run support. Some staffs just have a guy that laxcks run support for whatever reason. We’ll see if that changes soon.

Brandon Pfaadt is looking like he’s ready to become a tope end rotation guy. His WHIP is 1.06. He’s pitching efficiently.

If these five stay healthy all year, there will be no issues. 

If an injury or two happens there are a few options.

If one happens soon, Ryne Nelson can still be stretched out to start. If he’s sent to AAA soon to staty stretched out then he will be the first option.

However, if he reaches the point of no return in the bullpen, the depth drops off. 

There are three guys in the D-backs system with big league starts. Tommy Henry, Cristian Mena, and Yilber Diaz. All three have different styles and any of them could be the next man up. 

Long story short, the D-backs still look like a team destined to win 90+ games when it’s all said and done.

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