Who is the Diamondbacks "Big 3?"
Every great dynasty seems to have a "Big 3." 3 people that are on the same team, and are all considered to be elite at their position. The New England Patriots had Brady, Gronk, and Belichick. The Chiefs currently have Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid. There was once a time where the Warriors had Curry, Thompson, and Durant. In baseball, the Dodgers have Betts, Freeman, and Smith and the Astors have Altuve, Bregman, and Alvarez. So the question remains, who is the Diamondbacks "Big 3" for the upcoming season?
1. SP Zac Gallen
No surprises here, Zac Gallen is arguably the best player on the Diamondbacks. In the 2022 season, here is where Gallen ranked among NL pitchers; 4th in ERA (2.54), 1st in WHIP (0.91), 1st in batting average against (.186), 8th in strikeouts (192), and 8th in BB/9 (2.09). You could make an argument that with the lowest WHIP and AVG against, Gallen was the most dominant NL pitcher a season ago. Relying primarily on his 4-seam and curve, it seems like Gallen always keeps hitters guessing…
The question will be, can Gallen keep up these numbers from a year ago? With some new and improved bats in the lineup, hopefully, some of the pressure will be taken off Gallen, and some insurance will come his way in the form of runs…
2. 1B Christian Walker
What a season for the veteran slugger in 2022. In 160 games played, here is where Walker ranked among first basemen: 2nd in HRs (36), 7th in RBIs (94), and 9th in OPS (.804). To put those numbers into perspective, Walker had more home runs than baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani, and Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Walker had more RBIs than two top-5 third basemen; Astros Alex Bregman and Braves Austin Riley. Walker had a higher OPS than silver-slugging first basemen Matt Olson and Mets star shortstop Fransico Lindor. Impressive right? What is equally impressive is that Walker was not only good at the plate, he was also playing at an elite level defensively. His 14 OAA, led all first basemen a season ago, and second on that list was Lewin Diaz; his OAA was 4...
With an improved lineup from a year ago, I don’t think it is too outlandish to say that Walker could have a 40/100 season in 23; if that happens, Mike Hazan and the front office better figure out how they can come up with the money to resign this man as the end of his contract is on the horizon…
3. SP Merrill Kelly
The two best players for the Diamondbacks are obvious; Gallen and Walker. But figuring out the 3rd best player can be a little tricky. At the end of the day, however, this 34-year-old starting pitcher is very valuable to this ball club…
Kelly enjoyed an impressive 22’ season. In 33 starts, Kelly posted a 13-8 record with a 3.37 ERA, a .226 BAA, and a 1.14 WHIP over 200.1 innings. Among NL starters, Kelly’s ERA ranked 15th, his BAA ranked 10th, and his WHIP ranked 12th. A strong 2023 season might cement Kelly as a top-10 starter in the NL.
A rotation that has a 1-2 punch of Gallen and Kelly is scary for opposing teams. Especially if Gallen and Kelly improve from their 22’ seasons. With a 1-2 punch that possesses that much potential and an overall big 3 of Gallen-Walker-Kelly; Diamondbacks fans will have a lot to root for this upcoming season…