A look at Baseball America’s projected Arizona Diamondbacks 2027 line-up and rotation
By Noah Wright
Notable Exclusions
The first two players who come to mind who aren’t on this list are first baseman Christian Walker and starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. Walker hit 30+ home runs for the second year in a row while being an elite defensive first baseman and owning an OPS of .830, a career-high. Kelly, meanwhile, had a 3.29 ERA and 3.85 FIP and was dominant in the 2023 playoffs.
Originally, I thought Baseball America left both off because they will hit free agency before ‘27. But they included other players who will also become free agents before that. It’s kind of odd they excluded these two, considering they’re cornerstones of the roster right now, while including other players who will also be free agents before we reach the year 2027.
Geraldo Perdomo was also left off the projected lineup. Perdomo had only two good months, that being April and June. In May and July-September, Perdomo owned an OPS below .700. Perdomo may rebound and force himself into future plans conversations, but as of right now, Baseball America likely projects him as a utility man.
Finally, there are a ton of other outfield prospects, including Jack Hurley, Dominic Fletcher, Jorge Barrosa, and A.J. Vukovich. You can only play three guys in the outfield at one time. Nobody in their right mind will leave Corbin Carroll off a projected future lineup for the D-Backs, and until he proves otherwise, Druw Jones isn't going to be left off any lists like this. The only one who could be pushed out is Alek Thomas, and that’s assuming his bat never comes around.
Either way, the line-up looks pretty decent. There's a lot of offensive and defensive upside here. However, it's pretty clear the pitching may need some work. Some guys may breakout, and there will be two more drafts from now and 2027 Opening Day. Still, I like what I see from this 2027 projected lineup and pitching staff.