The Arizona Diamondbacks have had a good offense for the past couple of weeks. They may have only gone 4-6 in their last ten, but prior to the Cardinals' series this past weekend, the team had won multiple series in a row. If we excuse the Cardinals series that caused the Dbacks run differential to rise by 15 runs, the team's offense had been doing great. From August 5th-18th, the team scored 56 runs over 13 games. They went 8-5 during that stretch as well, lowering their run differential to only -18. Was the entire offense doing well or were it just a few key guys? Let's take a look at the Diamondbacks Hot/Cold Hitters.
Arizona Diamondbacks Hot/Cold Hitters have truly been either hot or cold, no lukewarm
Hot: Josh Rojas
Rojas has been on fire for the past month, but especially the last 15 days. He has played in 13 games during that span where he hit .378/.453/.533 with 10 runs, 17 hits, 4 doubles, a home run, 6 RBI, 4 stolen bases, and 7 walks to 8 strikeouts over 53 plate appearances. He's been eyeing the ball terrific at the plate and providing consistent offense that the Diamondbacks knew he could provide.
Cold: Geraldo Perdomo
Perdomo has hit a rut at the plate in his last 12 games. Over those 38 plate appearances, he has 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, and has only managed 4 hits, 2 of which were doubles. While it was never expected for Perdomo to hit amazing, he can definitely do better than a .083 batting average. Hopefully, he can start swinging the bat a little more confidently with some positive luck coming his way.
Hot: Christian Walker
Walker has been hitting the ball with authority all season long, ranking as one of the highest players in terms of the negative difference between his expected batting average and real batting average. For some reason, Walker's balls always found the defender's glove. Not anymore. He has hit .356/.436/.622 over the past 13 games, 52 plate appearances. He has 12 runs, 16 hits, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and 7 walks to 10 strikeouts over this hot stretch. Glad to see that he's finally getting the results he's been searching for all season.
Cold: Alek Thomas
This was expected as Thomas hits that rookie wall. The MLB has adjusted to his hitting style. Now, it's on him to adjust back. The great hitters make that adjustment and never look back. Thomas is grinding right now over his last 11 games, 40 plate appearances. He has only 2 runs, 6 hits, and 2 RBI during that time. He has been struggling with the strikeout of late with 8 of them to only 1 walk. The problem seems to be an over-aggressive swing causing him to have plenty of holes. It's understandable as he wants to prove he belongs in the MLB and be a part of the hitting party. Thomas will figure it out soon. He's too talented.
Hot: Jake McCarthy
Jake has been playing like a man trying to prove he deserves to play every day in the MLB. He got the first shot at taking over left field following David Peralta being traded and he's proved he's ready for the MLB. McCarthy has been dominant. Over 13 games, 48 plate appearances, he has walked 5 times while striking out only 4 times. He's seeing the ball extremely well. He has 15 hits, 7 runs, 3 doubles, a home run, 10 RBI, and has stolen 3 bases. He's provided excellent coverage on the field and the basepaths while swinging a hot bat. Couldn't be happier for McCarthy who's finally getting his shot.
Cold: Daulton Varsho
Varsho is in a slump right now. He might be trying to do too much as he feels the pressure of the other outfielders vying for playing time. Regardless, his talent is far better than his play over the last two weeks or 13 games. He has only 8 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, and a triple with 5 RBI in his last 47 plate appearances. He has walked three times but struck out 9 times. That's not a great ratio to have.
Hot: Emmanuel Rivera
Rivera has been smashing the ball of late since he debuted with the Diamondbacks. Over his last 11 games, he has 6 runs, 12 hits, 3 doubles, and 3 home runs. Yep, 6 of his hits have gone for extra bases. He also has 6 RBI, 4 walks, and 10 strikeouts over his last 45 plate appearances. Granted, the strikeouts are worrisome, but at least he's hitting the ball and hitting it with power.
Cold: Ketel Marte
Marte has been battling another hamstring issue, but when he has played, it's not been great. He's appeared in only 7 games in the last 15 days with only 2 runs and 5 hits to show for it. He has 3 RBI, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts during that time too. As the main part of the team's offense, he's got to get it going for the Diamondbacks to continue their climb for third place in the NL West.
Honorable Hot Mentions: Carson Kelly, Sergio Alcantara
Honorable Cold Mentions: Cooper Hummel, Jordan Luplow