A look back at the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 Game Seven World Series line-up
By Noah Wright
Center Fielder Steve Finley
Steven Finley had a lot of good years in the Majors throughout his long 19-season career. 2001 was not one of those seasons. But even though the '01 season was a down year for Finley, he heated up when they needed him the most and had a fantastic performance during the World Series.
Finley batted .275/.337/.430 in 548 plate appearances. He still knocked out 14 home runs and stole 11 bases, but for a guy who had hit 28+ homers and stole a dozen or more bases in four of the previous five seasons, it wasn't the most productive season for him. Finley finished off the 2001 season with a .327 wOBA and 92 wRC+, making him 8% worse than the league average.
Finley was a solid defensive center fielder. He had +2 total zone runs. So while it wasn't his best season with the glove, it wasn't his worst either. At the very least, he had a well above-average range factor per game (+2.34), as well as range factor per nine innings (+2.48).
But despite Finley's mostly disappointing season, he went off in the World Series. In 23 plate appearances, Finley had seven hits, including a home run, and walked four times to oppose five strikeouts. He was excellent throughout the Postseason, racking up eight hits in five NLDS games and four more in the Championship Series.