2021 Diamondbacks Opening Day Roster in Retrospect

Our Outfielders are mostly the same minus one fan-favorite player

Pavin Smith: A darkhorse top-5 rookie of the year vote-getter perhaps? Pavin started amazing this year. He showcased great patience, power, and fielding. Despite never playing in the outfield much, he learned it on the fly and did better than many could’ve hoped for. He’s played all the outfield positions and first base. That’s really good for a first baseman, a spot many consider to be for the defensively challenged. Pavin has established himself as a franchise building block for the team. What a great first-ever pick by Mike Hazen as GM of the team.

David Peralta: The Freight Train and heart of the team since he came in 2014. He’s rumbled around the bases so many times in his time with the team. I can’t not think of Peralta when I hear a train horn. After all, Chase Field plays it every time he gets a double, triple, or HR. He’s had a subpar year by his standards. Additionally, he isn’t playing as much since the team is wanting to get some younger players look. They know what Peralta can do and how much he means to the team. Plus, the team has him signed through 2022. I have faith that Master Peralta will do well in 2022. His 8 triples currently lead all of the MLB. He’s hitting at a rate of .263, .327, .414,  .741, 100 OPS+, 53 runs, 26 doubles, 8 HRs, 56 RBIs, 2 SBs, 39 walks, and 82 K’s.

Ketel Marte: The Franchise Player. The one that the team is building around. The player who NEEDS to be playing at 2nd. Mike, keep this man healthy, stop throwing him in the outfield. We are overloaded with outfield prospects but little in terms of infield prospects. I digress. Ketel is the player that the Dbacks are beyond happy to have. He’s our favorite, the current-Goldy. We need Ketel to stay healthy after learning what a year without him in the lineup for most of it is like. Ketel’s having an extremely good year despite the injuries. I can’t wait for the team to continue building around him. He’s under contract with the team through 2024. His batting line over 74 games this year is .319, .378, .523, .901, 142 OPS+, 44 runs, 22 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HRs, 42 RBIs, 1 SB, 25 walks, and only 49 K’s.

Tim Locastro: Crash Test Dummy! The speedy man who set an MLB record with the Diamondbacks by stealing the most bases to start a career before being caught. Unfortunately, he eventually got caught and dislocated his finger to make it worse. After his return, he just never got back on track whether it was stealing or hitting. He continued to struggle to make contact or being the speed threat on the bases. In early July, he was traded to the Yankees who were in desperate need of outfielders. To make matters worse for Locastro, a few games into his Yankees career, he suffered a torn ACL while making an incredible play in the outfield. He’s out until Spring Training 2022 at the earliest. His batting line while with the Dbacks over 55 games is .178, .271, .220, .491, 36 OPS+, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 5 SBs, 6 walks, and 26 K’s.

The Diamondbacks roster has changed so much throughout this season. In fact, 63 different players have appeared on the Dbacks roster this season. That’s A LOT for one season. There’s been 28 different position players and 35 different pitchers. 16 different pitchers have combined to start all the team’s games. That’s far too many. That’s 3+ MLB starting rotations. The injuries and poor performances have been far too many. In this off-season, all the players need to go to spas and do yoga. Get ready for next year. Stay healthy.

As always,

May the Force be with You…