Three takeaways from the first week of Spring Training for the Arizona Diamondbacks
What are some takeaways we can get from the Arizona Diamondbacks' first week of Spring Training?
The Arizona Diamondbacks have now played a week's worth of games in Spring Training. Their first game was Friday, February 23, against the Colorado Rockies. Since then, they have gone 4-3. We've already gotten a preview of what could come from players this year. After the Diamondbacks' first seven games of 2024 are in the books, what takeaways can we get from the team's first week of Spring Training?
Blaze Alexander is powerful
Blaze Alexander is one of the D-Backs' best prospects. MLB Pipeline and Baseball America consider him a top-15 prospect in the system. Last season, he batted .290/.490/.472 with a .393 wOBA and 115 wRC+, mostly with Triple-A Reno (he spent a few games at the team's Arizona Fall League affiliate because he missed the second half of April and all of May). He had an above-average 12.8% walk rate. However, he struggled to keep his strikeout rate down with a 26.8% K-rate.
So far, Alexander has stepped to the plate a dozen times in Spring and has five hits and eight total bases. He has both a double and a triple and has stolen a base. The infielder has yet to draw a walk but has only struck out once. Alexander is also hitting the ball very hard. He has a 100.3 MPH exit velocity thus far in the small sample size.
It is only Spring Training numbers, and in a 12-plate appearance sample size; however, Alexander getting off to a good start is promising. One thing that is good to see is that he's struck out just a single time. Strikeouts have been his kryptonite, so it would be nice to see him improve in that department in 2024. Alexander is already 24, will turn 25 in June, and is currently on the 40-man roster. He'll likely get some Major League playing time this season. He could be one of the first called upon in the event of an injury, or if Geraldo Perdomo struggles.
Ryne Nelson is vying for a rotation spot with improved stuff
Ryne Nelson's rookie season was not great. In 144 innings, Nelson pitched to a 5.31 ERA, 5.07 FIP, and 1.42 WHIP. His 15.5% strikeout rate was the third lowest among any pitcher, with 140+ innings pitched last year. Nelson also struggled to limit home runs with a 1.50 HR/9 rate. Limiting hard and quality contact was a problem as he was below the tenth percentile of both exit velocity and barrel rate. The one silver lining is that he had a quality 7.4% walk rate.
Nelson entered Spring in competition for the 5th rotation spot behind Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, Merrill Kelly, and Eduardo Rodriguez. So far, Nelson has pitched five innings, only allowing one run with ten strikeouts. But here's the most impressive part of this small sample size; he has yet to walk a batter.
But even more promising is Nelson's uptick in fastball velocity. Last year, he sat 94.4 MPH. So far, Nelson has averaged 95.5 MPH with his four-seamer. He topped out at 97.2 MPH on the 24th against the Colorado Rockies. Nine of Nelson's 19 four-seamers have hit 96+ MPH on the radar gun. Last year, only about 12% of his four-seam fastballs hit 96+.
Nelson isn't guaranteed to land the final rotation spot. Tommy Henry did better than Nelson last season in the regular season and is off to a good start to Spring in his own right. However, reeling off ten straight strikeouts without allowing a walk is a very good way to start the Spring. His velocity increase will also be something to watch to see if he can keep it up over the course of a whole game.
Non-roster Invitees start their case for the Opening Day roster
The Diamondbacks have some NRIs in camp that could break the Opening Day roster. One is left-handed reliever Jose Castillo. Castillo once looked like a future bullpen ace for the division rival in 2018. In his rookie season, he pitched to a 3.29 ERA with a 34.7% K% and 8% walk rate in 38.1 innings. But he's pitched a mere two frames since then after countless injuries that have kept him out of play.
Castillo signed a minor league deal this off-season, and he's looked decent in his small Spring Training sample size. He has pitched two and two-thirds scoreless frames with three strikeouts. He has also not walked a single batter. However, he has sat 95.5 MPH with his four-seam fastball. The lefty could find himself with a spot in the D-Backs' bullpen if he continues to pitch well and keeps the velo up all pre-season.
Another NRI who is starting to make their case is catcher Tucker Barnhart. The second catcher role behind Gabriel Moreno is up for grabs. One of the players who could claim it is the veteran Barnhart who signed a minor league deal this off-season as well. Barnhart batted a horrible .202/.285/.257 with a 53 wRC+ for the Chicago Cubs. His only positives were his 9.8% walk rate in 123 plate appearances and his +4.3 framing runs.
Barnhart is getting a headstart to his candidacy as the team's secondary catcher as he's gone 2-3 with a walk. One of his two hits went for two bags. Other players currently in camp with the Diamondbacks who will also be competing for the second-string catcher role include Jose Herrera and Ronaldo Hernandez. Obviously, three at-bats is nothing to take super seriously, but it is something to keep an eye on as he has gotten off to a decent start.