All Time Diamondbacks

All Time Diamondbacks

Next up is the Diamondbacks, who truthfully are one my least favorite teams. I’m still salty about 2001, get at me. I’m a spoiled Yankees fan and that one hurt. Talk about an outlier of a season, Luis Gonzalez that year…ANYWAY. Phoenix was given the expansion award in ’95 and the Diamondbacks debuted in the ’98 season. They’ve won the division 5 times and a wildcard berth two years ago and they just made the stunner trade of the deadline by dealing Greinke to give the Astros an even more ridiculous rotation. Speaking of ridiculous rotations, the Diamondbacks will roll out some of the better cards we've seen so far including The Big Unit. Randy Johnson is the only player to go into the Hall wearing Diamondback jersey, however his primary team is the Mariners. 

                 The Diamondbacks lineup is relatively similar to the Padres in that there are some very solid players, however it clearly is lacking the depth of the more powerful Rockies. Obviously only being around for two decades will create a lack of players to choose from, however between their pitching and having just enough pop they may be able to surprise some teams. Gonzalez’ redone card is a great cornerstone in the lineup and with Goldy giving him some protection, this team can definitely get a few runs across the board even against top tier talent.

                  Alright after looking at the lineup more this has some glaring holes, especially when comparing to the lineup I just saw the Rockies walk out there. Having a 7 OB is never ideal in your lineup, however the great defense definitely adds some value. Frias' card might have 10OB but taking a 6 to get on and a 20 being the only extra base hit on your chart is not a great look. There are undoubtedly some fun cards out there, but they are going to need to rely on their pitching and some weak opposing roles in order to support this team. We’re going to rock a 6 man starting rotation because two of the starters are short on IP, and I feel like the drop off is much less than most teams. Hell, I’m going to put 7 down with the understanding the shorter IP guys can drop to the bullpen, and to give you as much flexibility as possible in this creation. 

   This is a rotation that can support a team. From the unreal cards of Johnson and Schilling to the back end of the rotation that are easily cards you’d feel comfortable trotting out, they can get it done. Based on the bullpen and batting order, they’re going to need to. The lack of depth in the bullpen makes the 7 starters an absolute necessity, as they are going to need to eat innings up. 

               Most bullpens include one arm you feel confident in that you can trot out there and get a 1-2-3 inning with no worries, and this bullpen falls a bit short of that. Their top two options both give up doubles and Kim has 4 control and no one has higher than 17 to get on base. I think Springer and Swindell are both pitchers I’d be confident to run out there with a few run lead, and Kim might be the more traditional closer type player, however in a tight games there’s no one here that resembles that bullpen stalwart you'll see on other teams. From a pitching standpoint I think we’re maxed out on useful cards, and so I’m going to go back and add in Mark Grace to give another 10 OB to the team and then David Peralta. Neither of these guys are clear cut advantages over the starters, however we are out of options so we'll take what we can get. This leaves us rostering 3 First basemen and corner outfielders, but as I said in the beginning, only 20 years of existence leaves you a bit strapped for players. 

                  All in all I don’t love this team, and my predisposition towards them makes me even less likely to play with these guys. Their lineup comes in at 3,550 points, rotation a much more respectable 3,660 (2,750 if you bump Bucholz and Batista to the bullpen), and their bullpen at 1,080 (1,990 with those guys). They definitely have some redeeming qualities, and I think they have just enough they can do some damage, but i'm not running out of this thinking the Diamondbacks are a top tier club choice. But hey, maybe you can catch lightning in a bottle like they did in 2001 and make some magic happen. 

 Batters

Starters

Relievers

A fun addition here i'm going add on the top Seasons in team history hat we don't have cards for. We're missing Goldy's 2015 season who produced a solid 7.5  OWAR, and trails only Gonzalez's '01 season for Arizona's all time single season offensive WAR leader. Goldy hit 33 HRs, slashed .321/.435/.570, 103 runs and 110 RBIs. Pollock's 2015 season also is a monstrous one that saw him hit .315 with 20 home runs, 39 SBs, 111 runs and slashing .315/.367/.498. He follows Goldy's 2015 and 2013 seasons. Jean Segura wraps up the top 5 with his 2016 season in which he produced 5.5 OWAR. On the pitching side it's The Big Unit's '02,'01, and '99 seasons that take the top 3, followed by Schilling's '01 and '02 to wrap out the top 5. We've got all of Randy's cards but are missing Schilling's '02 card! What other Diamondback seasons would you want to see?