Diamondbacks History: The 3 best individual seasons over the last 10 years
Batting: 2015 Paul Goldschmidt (1.005 OPS)
Looking back on the Goldschmidt trade… ouch. In 2018, the Cardinals acquired first baseman Paul Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks in exchange for starting pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly and infielder Andy Young. The only player that has worked out for the D-Backs in that transaction was Carson Kelly. I know this is rubbing salt in the wound Arizona, but Paul Goldschmidt was untouchable in 2015…
In the 15’ season Goldschmidt absolutely raked. In 159 games, Goldschmidt hit 33 long balls, drove in 110 runs, and touched home plate 103 times; slashing an insane .321/.435/.570. Wow, imagine trying to pitch to a guy with those numbers. Despite putting up video game numbers, Goldschmidt would end up being the runner-up in the 2015 NL MVP vote. Outfielder Bryce Harper edged him slightly…
To all D-Backs fans, I know it still hurts, but all you can do is root for him now, and reminisce on the good ol days of him in the admirable sedona red…
Fielding: 2018 Nick Ahmed (35 OAA)
The more I learn about Nick Ahmed, the more I like him. He is a genuinely good man that is adamant about his walk with God. He is a solid ball player that stays consistent year in and year out; and over the past 5 seasons, he has been one of the top defensive players in the MLB…
To be clear, OAA “is the cumulative effect of all individual plays a fielder has been credited or debited with, making it a range-based metric of fielding skill that accounts for the number of plays made and the difficulty of them. For example, a fielder who catches a 25% Out Probability play gets +.75; one who fails to make the play gets -.25 (baseballsavant.mlb.com).” In 2018, Ahmed was automatic at the shortstop position. That season, Ahmed posted a 35 OAA which was first in the league. To put into perspective how impressive a 35 OAA is, from 2016-2022 Ahmed holds the MLB record for the highest OAA in a season. Meaning, Nick Ahmed had the greatest defensive season out of any player over the last 6 seasons in 2018. Yet sadly, you never hear about him; the baseball world needs to recognize Nick Ahmed and his defensive greatness…
Diamondbacks fans, don’t take Ahmed for granted this year, because with his contract ending after this season, he may be playing elsewhere in 2024…
Pitching: 2022 Zac Gallen (2.54 ERA)
If you didn’t know, Zac Gallen is an absolute DAWG. 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…
There is only one Diamondbacks starting pitcher that posted a lower ERA than 2.54 in a season. Any guesses who that might have been? Yes, it was the great Randy Johnson; in 2002 (2.32 ERA). Gallen was dominant a season ago, and there is no doubt that he will be the leader of the rotation for this young ball club. Gallen has proven that he can go toe-to-toe with any pitcher in the league, now let’s see if he can go toe-to-toe with the great southpaw Johnson and break the franchise record for the lowest ERA in a season...
The fact that Gallen was 5th in NL CY Young voting is a joke and you can’t change my mind…