Previewing the Arizona Diamondbacks’ potential 2024 Opening Day line-up
By Noah Wright
Catcher
Gabriel Moreno
Gabriel Moreno was acquired last off-season alongside Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the Toronto Blue Jays. Moreno was formerly one of the best prospects in all of baseball, ranking as high as a top ten prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. Moreno got his first shot at regular playing time in 2023 and did not disappoint.
The young backstop hit .284/.339/.4408 with a .325 wOBA, and 103 wRC+ through 380 plate appearances. Although Moreno did not hit for much power with just seven home runs and a .123 isolated slugging percentage, he did have a respectable 7.6% walk rate and 19.7% strikeout rate. On top of solid offense, he provided a ton of value with his defense.
Moreno racked up +20 defensive runs saved. He was also outstanding at blocking pitches in the dirt with +10 blocking runs, the fifth most among all catchers. Moreno’s throws from the crouch averaged out at 82 MPH, which was below average, but his 1.9 second poptime made up for it. His accurate arm helped him lead MLB in caught stealing rate at 39%. The only negative to Moreno’s game was his framing at -3.9 framing runs.
Moreno is only entering his age-24 season and just turned 24 in early February. He played great in the second half of last year, batting over .300 with an OPS approaching .900. 2023 was only a taste of things to come. By the end of the year, I would not be surprised if Moreno was in contention as the best catcher in the National League.