The Arizona Diamondbacks Might Have Something To Say In The NL West

After a 3-8 start, the Arizona Diamondbacks have gone 12-6 since. Now, they are looking to spend the rest of 2022 playing spoiler in the NL West. The D’Backs have been riding the strength of their starting pitching on their recent run and it appears they are going to be a tough team to beat moving forward.

Although it was believed that new pitching coach, Brent Strom, may retire after his tenure with the Houston Astros ended, he decided to take his services to Arizona to help guide a troubled pitching staff.

So far, the Diamondbacks’ starting pitchers are second in MLB in ERA, sixth in FIP, and first in HR/9. The return and emergence of Zac Gallen has been a massive boost for their staff. However, Brent Strom’s influence seems to have made a huge impact on a more contact oriented pitching staff.

One of the interesting facets about the Diamondback starting pitchers, is they all have below league average K/9 rates. So far, the league average is 8.42 K/9 this season and both Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are tied for the team lead with 8.3 K/9.

As a staff, the Diamondbacks’ starting pitching staff is 25th in K% and K/9. While they are not piling up the strikeouts, the Diamondbacks starters are sixth in soft contact %, ninth in medium contact%, and 27th in hard contact %. They may not be the best at missing bats, but they seem to be among the best at missing barrels.

Brent Strom does deserve a fair amount of credit for his influence on a staff that is a motley crew of pitching archetypes. Between Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Madison Bumgarner, and Zach Davies the Diamondbacks are a gauntlet of sinkers and cutters that have been inducing weak contact at an exceptional rate.

On the other side of the ball, the Diamondbacks offense has really struggled this season. A lot of that has to do with the brutal start the offense had to start the season. Over the first week and a half of the season, the Diamondbacks offense was 28th in wRC+, but since then, they have slowly climbed the rankings.

One of the offense’s biggest issues, is they have really struggled to hit at home. Surprisingly, the Diamondbacks have one of the best road offenses in MLB. They are eleventh in the league in team wRC+ on the road, but they are 29th at home.

In fact, if you look at the teams at the bottom of the league in team wRC+ at home, you’ll find a group of teams that also have the reputations of being the least friendly hitting environments in baseball. The bottom four teams are the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland Athletics, the Diamondbacks, and the Washington Nationals.

Having a tough hitting environment and what seems like the longest winter ever has surely impacted the non desert dwelling teams. However, the complaints about dead baseballs may be a blessing and a curse for the Diamondbacks.

One could say they are…snakebitten.

The Diamondbacks play in a very spacious park, and with the new baseballs, the D’Backs starting staff is second in MLB in ERA and fourth in FIP at home this season. Essentially, the Diamondbacks’ starting pitchers can sink and cut fastballs in the zone with impunity and will not have to face the consequences of a more lively ball. In turn, their offense suffers.

The Arizona Diamondbacks may not be bound for the playoffs in a stacked NL West, but they certainly have the talent to play spoiler. With new baseballs, humidors, and the wisdom of Brent Strom coursing through their pitching staff, the Diamondbacks are going to be a pain for opposing teams all year.