Diamondbacks: 3 Impressive Stats From 2022
Christian Walker: 36 HR
What a season for the veteran slugger in 2022. In 160 games played, here is where Walker ranked among first basemen: 2nd in HRs (36), 7th in RBIs (94), and 9th in OPS (.804). To put those numbers into perspective, Walker had more home runs than baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani, and Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Walker had more RBIs than two top-5 third basemen; Astros Alex Bregman and Braves Austin Riley. Walker had a higher OPS than Braves giant Matt Olson and Mets star shortstop Fransico Lindor. Impressive right?
With an improved lineup from a year ago, I don’t think it is too outlandish to say that Walker could have a 40/100 season in 23; if that happens, Mike Hazan and the front office better figure out how they can come up with the money to resign this man as the end of his contract is in the horizon…
Zac Gallen: .186 BAA
How do you describe the 22’ season for #23? Unreal, magical, unexpected. Well, however, you put it into words, Zach Gallen was lights out last season.
In the 2022 season, here is where Gallen ranked among NL pitchers; 4th in ERA (2.54), 1st in WHIP (0.91), 1st in batting average against (.186), 8th in strikeouts (192), and 8th in BB/9 (2.09). You could make an argument that with the lowest WHIP and AVG against, Gallen was the most dominant NL pitcher a season ago. Relying primarily on his 4-seam and curve, it seems like Gallen always keeps hitters guessing…
The question will be, can Gallen keep up these numbers from a year ago? With some new and improved bats in the lineup, hopefully, some of the pressure will be taken off Gallen, and some insurance will come his way in the form of runs…
Ketel Marte: .964 OPS in May
Unfortunately, Ketel didn’t have the season many fans were hoping for. After slashing a ridiculous .318/.377/.532 in 2021, Marte had a quiet 2022. He finished the year with an average below .250, an OBP below .330, and he failed to knock in more than 55 runs…
That being said, the Ketel we watched play in May a season ago was a treat. In that month, Marte was one of the best hitters in the league; going into the month however, the season was looking bad for #1. Through April he had a .146 AVG and a .467 OPS. OUCH! As the great Michael Jordan once said, “And I took that personally.” This seemingly became the mindset of Marte. In the 25 games Marte played in May, he scored 18 times and slashed to the tune of .363/.426/.538; bringing his OPS to an impressive .964. Let’s hope we see this Ketel Marte for the majority of the 23’ season because if we do, this Arizona lineup is going to be fun to watch…