Ranking the Diamondbacks position players from 1-13 may sound easy, but it is not, trust me. The top and bottom of the list were a little easier to decipher; the obvious number 1 is C Walker and the obvious number 13 choice is Jose Herrera.
The in-between was tricky. You may agree with my list, or you may hate it. Either way, this Diamondbacks team is full of young talent and this could be the year we see it all come to fruition.
Drumroll please… without further adieu, here is my 1-13 ranking of the 2023 Diamondbacks position players…
Diamondbacks position players ranked 1-13
- 1B Christian Walker
- 2B Ketel Marte
- OF Corbin Carroll
- OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
- SS Nick Ahmed
- OF Jake McCarthy
- 3B Josh Rojas
- C Gabriel Moreno
- 3B Evan Longoria
- OF Kyle Lewis
- OF Alek Thomas
- SS Geraldo Perdomo
- C Jose Herrera
Take some time, process it. What do you think? Am I accurate? Completely clueless? For whichever you said, here is some advice; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Allow me to explain. To begin, we are all aware that Christian Walker is the best-position player on the Diamondbacks. Last season he hit 36 homers, 94 RBIs, and he was statistically the best fielding first basemen in all of baseball. No debate here.
Since 2019, Ketel Marte has averaged an OPS of .858 and has clobbered 121 doubles. #1 D-backs prospect Corbin Carroll is a star in the making and has already shown he is a special talent on the baseball diamond. Since 2019, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has averaged an OPS of .804 and has hit 93 doubles and 57 home runs. Are you on board with my 1-4 rankings?
Shortstop Nick Ahmed has been the best defensive infielder in the game since 2019 while also boasting a solid bat in the lineup. Jake McCarthy got on base 36% of the time after the all-star break last season. By the end of 2023, he might be batting higher in the lineup due to his on-base prowess and blazing speed. Speaking of getting on base, Josh Rojas led Arizona last season in OBP and pitches seen per plate appearance. Newly acquired youngster Gabriel Moreno is slowly molding into one of the best-hitting catchers in the game. 5-8, good or bad?
Third baseman Evan Longoria is still a very good player on both sides of the game but he has struggled to stay healthy which has declined his value. Outfielder Kyle Lewis is a boom-or-bust kind of guy, and like Longoria, has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Alek Thomas has a ton of potential and is already elite in the outfield, but he has struggled to get on base early in his career. The same can be said about SS Geraldo Perdomo. Good in the field, but he has struggled mightily on offense. Rounding out the list is catcher Jose Herrera. I won’t even mention his career batting statics; he makes a decent backstop though!
The fact that I have guys like outfielders Alek Thomas and Kyle lewis in the bottom 4 shows you how talented this team really is. Let’s see if 2023 is the year that this potential turns into results, and the results turn into wins…