D-backs Have Remained Competitive Down Stretch

With the end of the season coming near and the Arizona Diamondbacks falling out of playoff contention on Friday night (thanks to St. Louis victory over Washington), most Arizona fans have turned the season on baseball season and focused their efforts on editing their fantasy football roster. For some, baseball has been over for some time here in Arizona, as a lack of consistency has made it difficult for fans to keep interested in the club.

For those fans who stuck around and kept faith in the club, they should be happy with what they saw down the stretch. The team showed a lot competitiveness and grit over the past month in a time when the schedule may not have been most favorable. Since a six-game losing streak that ended on August 29th against the Cincinnati Reds, the club has gone 15-11, with a combined 11-10 record against division rivals Los Angeles Dodges, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres.

In any other season where the team was eliminated from postseason play, the club would have folded without much momentum heading into the following season. Kirk Gibson has the club fighting each and every night, and has played spoiler to many teams in the hunt for postseason play, most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers, who spent a whole lot of money but have yet to reap the rewards of their investment.

We have had the opportunity to watch out young emerging prospects such as outfielder Adam Eaton and Ryan Wheeler succeed with the great deal of playing time towards and the tail end of the season. We have also had the opportunity to watch our young core position players flourish into future stars, such as first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who looks to be the Arizona firstbaseman for years to come.

Best of all, we have been able to see some of our veterans overcome slow starts to their season by consistently battling each time they get the opportunity, most notably Ian Kennedy (who picked up his 15th victory of the season on Friday).

In my eyes, fans should be pleased with the way that the club has finished of their season and should look forward to another exciting and competitive season in the desert next year.