Three Arizona Diamondbacks players that won't be on the Opening Day roster

Jake McCarthy

Jake McCarthy was a standout rookie in 2022, finishing 4th in ROY voting after batting .293/.342/.427 with a 117 wRC+ through 354 plate appearances. McCarthy had some worrying underlying factors to his rookie campaign, and those caught up to him in 2023 with few signs of improvement.

McCarthy slashed just .243/.318/.326 through 312 plate appearances. While his walk rate rose from 6.5% to 8.3% and his K% dropped from 21.5% to 19.9%, McCarthy’s power production took a massive hit. His ISO went from .143 to .083, the 8th lowest among all batters in ‘23 with at least 300 plate appearances. McCarthy’s xwOBA was .298 in his rookie season, and it barely budged in 2023 to just .293.

His defense was solid, however. He had +1 defensive run saved and +1 out above average. Most of his playing time was in right field, where he had +3 DRS. He also played nearly 100 innings in center where he had -2 DRS, but +1 OAA. While most of McCarthy’s innings in the field came from right field, his arm does not belong there. His outfield throws averaged just 80.2 MPH, which ranked in the 21st percentile. At the very least, he has plenty of range, with his sprint speed averaging 29.9 feet/second (top 98th percentile).

The only major advantage McCarthy brings over Dominic Fletcher is speed. Fletcher did well last year in his brief MLB sample size. Even if the D-Backs want a more speed-focused outfielder, then they may be better off going with Jorge Barrosa, who is part of the team’s 40-man roster.