Nearing the end of September, who are the best Dbacks call-ups ever?

As Sept draws closer to a close, we look back at the best Call-Ups done by the Dbacks

The Diamondbacks have been calling up players to make their MLB debut in September since 1998. That’s since MLB rosters expand every September. Up until 2019, the MLB Active Rosters would expand to the full 40-man roster. Before the 2019 season, the MLB and MLBPA agreed to expand the normal roster to 26 players. Then, they agreed to expand September rosters to 28 players. The Dbacks have had some impacts made by players making their debut in September.

The reasoning behind the shortening of the Sept. roster was to quicken games and limit substitutions. Before the rule change, managers would put ten pitchers into one 9-inning game. Now, this helps limit that and speed up the games. After all, Commissioner Rob Manfred is desperate to speed up games for reasons unknown.

Anyways, here are the best call-ups making their MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in Sept in team history…

1998 Vladimir Nunez

The Dbacks made two September call-ups that made their debut in the MLB. Neil Weber did not do anything of significance. He pitched 2+ innings and never appeared in the MLB again. At least Nunez had a long career in the MLB. He pitched 5+ innings out of the bullpen in 1998. In 1999, he pitched in 27 games with the team putting up rather decent stats. Next, he was dealt with the Miami Marlins for Matt Mantei. He continued to pitch in the MLB until the end of the 2009 season. As you may know, Mantei was crucial in the bullpen for the team’s 01′ World Series win.

1999 Rob Barajas

As a member of the World Series-winning team who started Game 5 of the World Series, you can say he made a huge impact. He didn’t play much in 99′ or 00′, but settled in as a regular catcher for the 01′ team and through 2003. He continued playing the MLB until the end of 2012. He’s now a coach for the Padres. While with the Dbacks, he hit 29 doubles, 11 HRs, and 66 RBIs.

2000 No One

Not one player that made their MLB debut for the Diamondbacks did so in September.

Dbacks Best September Call ups 2005-09′

2005 Dustin Nippert

Dustin was drafted by the Diamondbacks and came up through their system. He was a bullpen arm for the team from September 2005-07′. In that time, he pitched in 41 games, had a 2-3 record, and a 6.43 ERA. He wasn’t great by any means but did prove rather essential to helping the 07′ team capture the division title that year. He went on to play three more seasons with the Texas Rangers before never appearing in the MLB again. However, he did play excellently in the Korea Baseball Organization until 2018. In 2016, he won the MVP award for the KBO. Nippert also holds the record for most years played as a foreign player in the KBO.

2006 Miguel Montero

Everyone knows who Miggy is. The catcher that was voted by the fans onto their 20th Anniversary best player team played the majority of his career with Arizona. Over his 9 (06-14′) seasons with the team, he hit 97 HRs, 448 RBIs, and had a 103 OPS+. He made the All-Star team twice while with the club. Additionally, he was invaluable with the 2011 playoff team serving as the main catcher on that squad. He holds the record for most games caught by a catcher for the Diamondbacks. Miggy went on to play three-plus seasons with the Cubs, in which he won the World Series in 2015. He finished his career with a final season in 2018 with the Nationals. Final thought, he caught Edwin Jackson’s No-Hitter in 2009. Now, you can find him as a sports agent for baseball players.

2007 Emilio Bonifacio

This was the beginning of a long tenure for Emilio in the MLB. In fact, he last appeared in the MLB in 2020. Perhaps we haven’t seen the end of Emilio yet. Nonetheless, the speedy infielder/outfielder who hits for contact and steals bases was only with Arizona until mid-2008 when he got traded to the Nationals. He’s a journeyman player having played with 8 different teams in his career. Let’s see if he can continue his career, although he hasn’t played in the minors yet this year.

2008 Josh Whitesell

Josh Whitesell never got established in the bigs. Instead, he played parts of 2008 and 2009 with the Dbacks hitting 2 HRs and 14 RBIs. I wouldn’t blame you for not remembering him. He continued to play in various leagues until 2015 when he apparently retired. Now, he’s a sales rep for a medical company. One interesting note about MLB debuts in 2008 is that Max Scherzer made his debut this year with the club.

2009 No One

The Diamondbacks had a rough 2009 prompting the promotions of many rookies to the Big Leagues. While none of them debuted in September, there were some fun names to remember. Some of these players were Aussie Trent Oeltjen, Rusty Ryal, Clay Zavada, and Gerardo Parra. As you may know, Trent went on to play two more years with the Dodgers. Trent now runs a baseball facility company helping young players in Australia and the USA to achieve their dreams. He also does extreme running and swimming, most notably pairing up with Eric Brynes for multiple adventures.  Parra of course won the World Series with the Nationals in 2019 and is still playing in the big leagues today. Rusty went on to play in multiple foreign leagues and now is a successful advisor to people wanting to become business owners or copywriters.

Dbacks Best September Call ups 2010-14′

2010 Zach Kroenke and Konrad Schmidt

Two rather unmemorable players who had short stints with the team. Zach pitched in parts of two seasons, 10′ and 11′, while not being able to truly establish himself. He ended up pitching in multiple leagues until he finished his career in 2015. He is from Omaha, Nebraska. Currently, Zach is a nurse in Kansas. Meanwhile, Konrad was a catcher very briefly in two seasons with the Diamondbacks. Those years being 2010 and 2012 were his only action in the bigs. He retired following the 2013 season and being stuck in the Minors. Konrad was inducted into the Aces Hall of Fame and works as a color commentator for Aces games.

2011 Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook

Coincidentally enough, after both these guys made their debuts in 2011, they were traded together with other players to the Oakland Athletics for Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow. Parker had so much talent that he never got to truly play up to. He only started one game as a Dbacks player and went 5.2 scoreless innings. After that, he played two more seasons in the Majors with the A’s, 12′ and 13′. Due to multiple elbow/arm injuries, he only played until 2015 when he hung up the cleats. It will always be a “what if” as Parker had elite pitching talent. From 2011-13, he pitched 384 innings of 3.68 ERA, 3.93 FIP ball with 275 K’s. He went 25-16. He had two horrendous elbow injuries that just never allowed him to get back to that form again. He’s now an instructor at a Baseball coaching facility in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Ryan Cook, a relief pitcher, pitched in the Majors until 2018. He was an All-Star relief pitcher with the A’s in 2012. He’s currently a free agent.

2012 Adam Eaton

Ah, Adam Eaton, such a throwback. He played until the end of the 2013 season in the desert. In fact, he’s still playing although a free agent currently. He left the Dbacks after being traded to the White Sox in the 3-team trade with the Angels involving Tyler Skaggs and Mark Trumbo. Eaton won the World Series in 2019 with the Nationals. “Spanky” Eaton was missed in the desert soon after the trade and is still appreciated by many Diamondbacks fans. Hopefully, a team gives him a shot soon.

2013  Chris Owings

Now, this is a throwback for those who grew up with the 2017 playoff team. At the time of his debut, he was in the midst of an MVP season in Reno. However, he established himself in the Majors in September of 2013. Since then, Chris has barely seen the minors. He played with Arizona until the 2019 season when he signed with the Royals as a free agent. While in Arizona, he hit 23 triples and 31 HRs despite being a light-hitting middle infielder. After enduring a rough 2019, he signed with the Rockies in 2020. He re-established himself in the MLB with Colorado and is still with them. Although, he’s out for the rest of the season after suffering a finger injury that required surgery. He’s only 30 and should find interest in a cheap deal with a team somewhere. Heal up C.O.!

2014 No One

In the miserable 2014 season, no one debuted in the MLB in September. However, that doesn’t mean that a lot of players who would form the core of the 2017 playoff team didn’t debut. Some of the players who debuted were David Peralta, Nick Ahmed, Jake Lamb, Chase Anderson, and Andrew Chafin. Chase obviously was dealt to the Brewers in a trade for Jean Segura. However, the rest were core players. Jake Lamb made the All-Star team in 2017. He’s now with the Blue Jays helping them fight for a playoff spot. Chafin is with the Athletics having the best season of his career, helping them fight for the playoffs. David Peralta and Nick Ahmed are still with the team and helping mentor the young players through what has been a rough season. The two vets still give it they’re all though and are fan favorites.

Dbacks Best September Call ups 2015-19′

2015 Brandon Drury and Peter O’Brien

The female fan favorite Brandon Drury made his debut with the Snakes in September of 2015. He played with the team through the 2017 season. Originally acquired from the Braves in the Justin Upton trade, he made an impact being a versatile utility player for the Snakes. He hit 21 HRs and 71 doubles during his time in the desert. He got sent to the Yankees in the three-team trade that brought Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona. If only that trade had worked out. Drury has been unable to establish himself in the MLB since that trade, having been sent up and down over his multi-year tenure with the Blue Jays. Now, he’s with the Mets playing well for them. Peter O’Brien has some of the best power in the MLB. He just has always struggled to make contact with the ball. He stayed with the Diamondbacks through 2016. Since then, he’s found MLB time with the Marlins and is back in the Minors again. To explain his struggles with making contact, he has 73 K’s in 182 at-bats. That’s a 40% rate. Ouch.

2016 Matt Koch

Well, the Diamondbacks had a miserable first year of their “evolution” with their new uniforms and new ace Zack Greinke. Nonetheless, a player who would help the club reach the playoffs in 2017 debuted in Sept of 2016. His name is Matt Koch. Matt appeared in 4 seasons with the Dbacks until 2019. During his time in the desert, he went 6-6 in a swingman role between the rotation and bullpen. He also had 69 K’s in 125.1 innings. Now, he is pitching in the Indians minor leagues.  A quick fun fact for another Dbacks player who made his debut in September of 2016 is Mitch Haniger. It’s okay if you forget him as he only played in a few games. Despite that, the new GM at the time Mike Hazen was able to trade him with Segura and others for Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker. Haniger’s now an All-Star player with Seattle. So is Ketel with Arizona.

2017 No One

With a veteran squad that was healthy and marching towards the playoffs, it should come as no surprise that no one debuted in September for the Snakes. The only player to make their debut that whole season of note is Ildemaro Vargas who has been a utility player between the majors and minors for the Dbacks and Cubs since 2017. He’s back in the MLB with Arizona currently.

2018 Yoan Lopez

Well, this one backfired if only because he isn’t in the organization anymore and cost the Diamondbacks some big games. His first inning in the bigs did not go well as he gave up a go-ahead three-run HR off of Freddie Freeman. He had a rather average 2019, only struggling in the later innings of games when Torey tried to put him in high-leverage spots. However, 2020 and 2021 were abject disasters. Over his 32 innings across the two seasons, he gave up 25 runs. Now, he’s pitching in Atlanta’s minor league system and trying to make it back to the bigs. He has a  4.25 ERA over his 102.1 innings pitched in the MLB.

2019 No One

During the 2019 season, Arizona had plenty of rookie MLB debuts. Surprisingly, none made theirs in September. Despite that, we still had Josh Rojas, Merrill Kelly, Taylor Clarke, Jon Duplantier, and Kevin Cron all debut in the Majors. Rojas has developed into a stud at the MLB level. Merrill Kelly is a steady presence in the rotation delivering consistent results. Clarke and Duplantier have struggled greatly due to injuries and bad performances. They are both in Reno either rehabbing from an injury or working on getting their craft better. Kevin Cron got sent to Japan following the 2019 season after the team decided he had no permanent role for the Majors. Cron was not a great defender and/or base runner. They decided to help him pursue more money, fame, playing time, and a starting role in Japan so he could maybe come back to the MLB in the future ala Eric Thames.

Dbacks Best September Call ups 2020-21′

2020: Pavin Smith

What a stud he has been this year. He debuted in 2020 September playing in 12 games and getting 44 plate appearances. He showcased his great contact skills getting 10 hits, 5 walks, and only 8 K’s. He’s carried that over to 2021 where he was tasked with playing 4 different positions. In his 134 games this year, he has 11 HRs, 26 doubles, 47 RBIs, 38 walks, 97 K’s, and a 98 OPS+. He started red-hot but the long season has slowed him down. He’s still building that stamina but there’s no reason to sound the alarm. He’s set to be a consistent MLB starter in the OF or 1B for a long time. Also, he was Mike Hazen’s first draft pick ever and he reached the Majors. What a stellar start.  Pavin’s set for a long time and we are lucky to have him.

2021 Seth Beer

Seth BEER! The best last name in baseball finally made his MLB debut in September. He was doing excellent as he had 4 hits in his first 9 at-bats including an HR. Alas, as with everything this season, in his first fielding appearance in the first inning, he dislocated his shoulder trying to make a diving play. He’s now set to undergo surgery on that shoulder and miss the rest of the season. Rest up big Beer! We will need you next year healthy and blowing up people’s beers with your home runs. If you would like more information on Seth and this season, please read up on him here.

As always,

May the Force be with You…