With each new season comes new reasons to be optimistic. The Diamondbacks will begin their lengthy 162-game season in LA on Thursday where they will face the star-studded Dodgers. Here are some reasons fans should be optimistic about the 2023 Diamondbacks…
The youth
Jake McCarthy, Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno, Drey Jameson, Ryne Nelson, Alek Thomas, Geraldo Perdomo; should I keep going? The potential on this Diamondbacks roster is endless; filled to the brim with players 25 (years old) and under ready to make a major league kind of impact.
This young outfield will be a lot of fun to watch. Corbin Carroll has a legitimate shot at winning the NL rookie of the year award. Jake McCarthy has a good chance of batting over .300, and Alek Thomas is bound to win a gold glove at some point in his career; maybe we’ll see all these things unfold in the 2023 season.
Both Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson were competing for the 5th spot in the rotation this spring. Nelson earned the gig, while Drey Jameson was optioned to the bullpen. With Carson Kelly suffering a forearm injury, Gabriel Moreno will man the helm as Arizona’s everyday catcher.
In his short time with the Blue Jays last season, Moreno recorded 22 hits in 25 games, batting .319 in his rookie season. As for Perdomo, he will serve as Nick Ahmed’s backup at the SS position. Perdomo raked in his minor league days, so don’t be surprised if he begins to earn some more playing time.
The moon is the limit for these guys. No matter what happens in the win-loss column in 2023, it will be enjoyable to watch these young ball players develop…
New and improved bullpen
Y’all remember the Arizona bullpen from last season? If you erased it from your memory that is probably best, to be honest. Last year, the D-backs bullpen ranked 25th in ERA, 30th in strikeouts, and 26th in WHIP. I promise that will not, okay, should not be the case in 2023.
The Diamondbacks front office was very busy this off-season trying to patch up all the leaks in this Arizona bullpen. They signed veterans Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro, and Scott McGough to bring some reliability. Adding Drey Jameson to the pen will provide a guy that can eat up innings, and an under-the-radar singing might be Cole Sulser who in 2021 had a 2.70 ERA in 63.1 innings pitched with the Orioles.
Kevin Ginkel, Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro, Scott McGough, Joe Mantiply, Cole Sulser, Drey Jameson, Mark Melancon
The Diamondbacks bullpen looks pretty darn good on paper! So take a breath Diamondbacks fans, there should be fewer heart attacks this season…
Big season sequels
Despite the Diamondbacks only winning 74 games a season ago, there were some individual seasons that stood out like a sore thumb. Christian Walker hit 36 HRs and 94 RBIs, Zac Gallen finished the season with a 2.54 ERA and a .186 BAA, and Joe Mantiply earned his first nod to the All-Star game after a dominant first half of baseball.
It will be exciting to watch how these players respond to their career years. It is safe to say that they should only get better because of the new talent around them. The last time a Diamondbacks pitcher won the Cy Young award was 2006, does Gallen change that in 2023? Arizona has never had a player lead the NL in home runs to end a season, does Walker change that in 2023? The possibilities are endless.
There are so many players that are looking to build off career years in 2022. Fans should be excited to watch this young Diamondbacks team continue to improve all the way from March 30th to October 1st. Hopefully, October 1st isn't their last game in 2023…