Joe Mantiply: Could the Dbacks reliever make the All-Star Team?
It's so rare for a reliever, especially one that isn't a closer to make the MLB All-Star Game. That puts ace left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply at a disadvantage. Mantiply is having a career season at 31 years old. He bounced around the minors making random MLB appearances with the Yankees and Tigers before signing on a MiLB deal with the Dbacks last year. Suffice to say, that was a wise decision. Mantiply already has 1.1 WAR, which is insane for a non-closer reliever. He's pitched in 34 games, throwing 33 innings. He has a 1-2 record with 2 saves, 34 Ks, 1 walk, and has given up 28 hits. That all combines into a terrific 1.91 ERA, 217 ERA+ (100 is league average), and an amazing 2.20 FIP.
There's no question that Mantiply is deserving of All-Star recognition, especially since he's been one of the most valuable arms for the Dbacks. The odds are against him though as relievers often don't make it. We here at Venom Strikes believe he is an All-Star regardless of what the MLB says.
Alek Thomas: Rookie All-Star for the Diamondbacks?
Alek Thomas is a young phenom out in centerfield for the Diamondbacks. You can just see future star written all over him. It might be a bit too soon to say he's an All-Star, but he's definitely been playing really well. Thomas has only played in 52 games but has 7 HR, 21 RBI, 4 stolen bases, 14 walks to 36 Ks, 7 doubles, and an OPS+ of 103. That's impressive for a super-young MLB rookie. He's already complied 1.5 WAR in that short amount of time while being worth 0.8 Wins Above Average. He's barely striking out at 18.4% while walking at a 7.1% rate which is very impressive. He has the best range in the MLB in centerfield so far this year according to advanced stats. He's the 7th-youngest player in the MLB. We got an amazing player on the Dbacks.
Ketel Marte: 2nd baseman could make his 2nd All-Star Team
Ketel Marte previously made the MLB All-Star Team back in 2019 when he started the game at 2nd base. That was his career year, so far, when he finished 4th in MVP voting. Marte's having another solid year, although not to the amazing levels of 2019. He started off ice-cold until he caught fire on May 1st. Due to that, his base stats just aren't that pretty despite hitting over .300 since May 1st. He has the 3rd most doubles in the NL with 25.
On the season, Marte is hitting .263/.351/.424/.775/120 OPS+ with 33 walks to 54 Ks. That's a great ratio and speaks to how good Marte is at the plate right now in his 299 plate appearances. He has 25 doubles, and 1 triple, but only 5HRsR which is concerning since he has plenty of power for more HRs. Marte has played in 73 games, so almost every day. He's worth 1.9 Offensive WAR and 1.4 overall WAR. If I had to choose one likely Dbacks player to make the MLB All-Star team, I'd say it's Marte.
Only time will tell who from the Diamondbacks will make the All-Star Team, but hopefully, we have more than 1! There are certainly multiple guys that are plenty deserving.