Arizona Diamondbacks 2015 Review: Randall Delgado

Randall Delgado never seemed to find a set role with the Arizona Diamondbacks during his first two seasons. He was a starter in 2013 and a middle arm/spot starter in 2014. In 2015, he was used exclusively out of the bullpen, making only one start out of 64 appearances. Delgado is a guy with a tantalizing arm, routinely hitting 95 MPH with his fastball but never with a defined role on the team. Could he have found one as a short reliever?

The Good

Delgado averaged a strikeout per inning with 73 punchouts in 72 frames pitched. Although his home run ratio went up slightly from 2014 to 2015, he still surrendered only seven, a far cry from the 24 served up in only 116 1/3 innings in 2013. The 25-year old right-hander finished with an ERA of 3.25, by far his lowest in his three years in Arizona. Though Chase Field is more of a hitter’s park, Delgado was much better at home, having only given up five earned runs in 38 1/3 innings as opposed to 21 in 33 2/3 innings on the road.

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The Bad

The strikeouts are nice but the 33 walks in 72 innings isn’t. In his one start of the year on August 22 against the Reds in Cincinnati, Delgado was roughed up to the tune of four earned runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings. May was easily his worst month as he was cuffed around for 20 hits and a 4.91 ERA.

Final Analysis

The D-backs employed two pitchers with basically the same role in 2015, Delgado and Josh Collmenter. That probably won’t happen next year as long as the team makes upgrades to its starting rotation. Delgado has shown the ability to work as a setup man. If he can keep his walks down, perhaps the team will not have to dive into the closer’s market. Brad Ziegler did a great job there in 2015 and Delgado can serve as a bridge along with Andrew Chafin and Daniel Hudson. Perhaps Hudson or Delgado closes with Ziegler moving back into a setup role. It seems the Arizona Diamondbacks, after three years of searching, have found a home for Randall Delgado.

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