The Arizona Diamondbacks are surprisingly decent
Everybody thought that the Arizona Diamondbacks would be awful in 2015. Arizona, outside of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, has nobody who a national, casual baseball fan would even recognize. It is a faceless team in a cavernous ballpark, one to be forgotten immediately after the conclusion of the campaign.
Somehow, the Diamondbacks have refused to go quietly into the night. While being 32-34 isn’t exactly a banner year, it feels like an undefeated season compared to what was exacted of this group. Arizona is sitting in third place in the National League West, only five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot. The Diamondbacks are actually a half-game ahead of the retooled San Diego Padres, who boast stars such as Derek Norris, Ian Kennedy, Andrew Cashner, James Shields, Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Matt Kemp.
Despite clearly being short on talent compared to the other four teams in the division, Arizona is holding the line and playing very respectable baseball. It is a credit to first-year manager A.J. Hinch, who has the group showing a passion for their craft normally unseen in a team expected to lose close to if not more than 100 games.
Offensively, the driving force has been and will continue to be Goldschmidt. One of the most underrated players in all of sports, Goldschmidt is putting forth an epic campaign worthy of MVP consideration. The first baseman is hitting a team-high .357 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI to go with his .474 on-base percentage. Without question, Goldschmidt continues to strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers.
Even more incredibly, he is doing all that without much help. A.J. Pollack has been solid for Arizona, hitting .306 with 14 stolen bases, eight homers and 118 total bases. Pollack deserves to get some All-Star votes, although he probably will be sitting home to watch the event. Mark Trumbo is hitting for some power with nine blasts, but the rest of the lineup has been fairly punchless. Yasmany Tomas came over from Cuba as a big addition, and while the power isn’t there he is hitting at a .326 clip.
On the mound, Chase Anderson has taken the reins as the team ace. Anderson has sneaked up on many, posting a 2.84 ERA with a 3-1 record in 13 starts. Of his 13 starts, eight have been quality (at least six innings and no more than three earned runs). The rest of the rotation has been mediocre at best, but Anderson and the bullpen have been able to keep the team afloat throughout the campaign.
The Diamondbacks won’t make the playoffs and could go on a skid at any time. Still, they should be commended for fighting the good fight without much talent. It takes heart and hustle, something most teams lack.
