Players who you forgot were Arizona Diamondbacks

Sometimes, players have short stints with teams at the very start or end of their careers. However, they are mostly known for one team. For example, John Smoltz is most famous for his tenure with the Atlanta Braves, but did you know he pitched for the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in the last season of his career? Vlad Guerrero Jr. spent a lot of time with the Montreal Expos and Anaheim Angels, but his last big league season was in Baltimore.

There have definitely been some players like this throughout the Arizona Diamondbacks’ franchise history, and you may have forgotten about their stint with the Snakes because it lasted one season or less. Their careers were far from defined by their Diamondbacks tenure, but their careers took a brief stop in Arizona at one point.

Mike Hampton

Mike Hampton is best remembered for two things. The first was his tenure in Houston. From 1995 through 1999, Hampton pitched 984.2 innings to the tune of 124 ERA+, 3.85 FIP, and 1.34 WHIP. In Hampton’s final season in Houston, he finished second in Cy Young voting and made the All-Star game.

The second thing Hampton is known for is his disastrous contract with the Colorado Rockies. After spending the 2000 season with the NY Mets, he signed an eight-year contract worth $121 million. At the time, this was a record-setting deal. But he registered just a 78 ERA+ between his two seasons in Colorado. Ironically, he provided more value as a hitter than he did as a pitcher. He was salary dumped to the Atlanta Braves, where he rebounded and was a solid pitcher from 2003 to 2005.

But injuries would keep Hampton out of the game for two years. He finished off his eight-year contract in 2008 and returned to Houston in 2009. He didn’t pitch well there, with a 78 ERA+ once again. Hampton’s final hurrah in the Majors would be with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010.

Hampton’s stint in Arizona lasted all of ten games and 4.1 innings in September 2010. Hampton went scoreless in all of his appearances for the D-Backs, striking out three and only walking one batter, but it was an intentional walk. However, the former All-Star would retire in May 2011.

Rickie Weeks

Rickie Weeks is best known for his days with the Milwaukee Brewers. From 2005 through 2014, Weeks appeared in 1135 games for the Brew Crew, batting .249/.347/.425. Weeks was consistently a power-speed threat in the line-up, as he had a .176 isolated slugging percentage and stole double-digit bases on six different occasions. Overall, he had a 108 wRC+ for Milwaukee.

Weeks’ tenure with the Brewers came to an end after the 2014 season. Over the next three seasons, the second baseman would bounce around from team to team. In 2015, he had a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners, where he transitioned from second base to left field. This brings us to 2016, Weeks’ lone season with the Diamondbacks.

Weeks provided a solid bench bat. In 205 plate appearances, Weeks slashed .239/.327/.450 with nine home runs. Weeks drew walks at a solid 9.8% rate with an isolated slugging percentage above .200 at .211. When Weeks played the field, he mostly played left field, but struggled defensively. He was worth -7 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average in just 215.2 innings.

However, these were the only games Weeks would appear in for the D-Backs. After that, he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he struggled as a 1B/DH, and retired following the season.