Arizona Diamondbacks All-Time Team

The Suns lost their semi-final series to the Denver Nuggets and promptly fired their coach (Kevin Durant trade demand in 3...2....) The Coyotes are homeless and likely headed for Houston. The Cardinals traded out of the third overall pick in last month's draft and appear to be tanking for the top pick in 2024.

But at least Arizona has the Diamondbacks. Here's their all-time roster.

Like their expansion brethren in Tampa, the Diamondbacks have had only one home. That might change in the near future.

Bob Brenly came down from the broadcast booth to become the bench boss of Arizona's only championship team. His original lineup is arguably less impressive than the 2001 squad.

Goldschmidt and Gonzalez are locks. Montero and Tracy have scant competition. Everyone else is vulnerable.

As you might expect from a franchise that is only a quarter-century old, Arizona has accumulated some more infield options in recent years. 

Arizona did not carry a backup first baseman on their original roster. Christian Walker would be a fine understudy for their franchise star Paul Goldschmidt. He's got the inside track at a bench spot now that Craig Counsell is managing the All-Time Brewers.

	Diamondbacks stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	Christian Walker	10.3	0.250	0.329	0.460	0.789	112
	*Aaron Hill	6.8	0.273	0.331	0.439	0.769	108
	Nick Ahmed	12.6	0.236	0.290	0.381	0.671	77
	*Stephen Drew	13.2	0.266	0.328	0.436	0.765	96
	*Jay Bell	9.7	0.263	0.355	0.458	0.812	104
	*Chad Tracy	5.9	0.280	0.339	0.453	0.792	100
	Jake Lamb	7.5	0.239	0.329	0.433	0.762	97
x-	Craig Counsell	12.7	0.266	0.348	0.357	0.705	80

Jake Lamb doesn't hit enough to take Tracy's spot and Ahmed (second among AZ infielders in games played) doesn't hit at all. Jay Bell will be the middle infield backup.

Bob Brenly shuffles his outfield to make room for Ketel Marte, who can play anywhere in the middle of the diamond.

	Diamondbacks stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Steve Finley	18.0	0.278	0.351	0.500	0.851	111
	*A.J. Pollock	18.7	0.281	0.338	0.467	0.805	113
	*Chris Young	14.3	0.239	0.318	0.437	0.755	95
	*David Peralta	15.3	0.283	0.340	0.463	0.803	112
	Ketel Marte	18.2	0.283	0.350	0.475	0.825	119

Marte will start at DH, pushing David Peralta to the bench. Chris Young is the odd man out.


Brenly loses a key piece to his pitching rotation as a future Hall of Famer is assigned elsewhere.

Zack Greinke is a Royal, and Curt Schilling is a Phillie. That means the #2 starter behind the Big Unit is now Brandon Webb. The Diamondbacks don't have a lot of options for the back end of their rotation.

Below is a list of every eligible pitcher with over 100 starts for the franchise.

	Diamondbacks stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	starts
	Brian Anderson	7.7	4.52	101	2.68	1.278	129
	Ian Kennedy	7.2	3.92	103	2.82	1.252	119
	Miguel Batista	11.6	3.99	117	1.66	1.364	109
	Merrill Kelly	9.6	3.87	110	2.97	1.217	106
	Wade Miley	5.2	3.79	103	2.55	1.323	102

Merrill Kelly gets the nod for now, but bird killer Zac Gallen is coming soon.


The outlook in Arizona's bullpen isn't much brighter.

Matt Mantei is third in franchise history with 74 saves (J.J. Putz is second but he's closing for Seattle). However his ERA is high even for a new franchise, and 15 pitchers have made more appearances for the Snakes.

	Diamondbacks stats	SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	games
	*Archie Bradley	28	3.96	112	2.48	1.375	249
	*Matt Mantei	74	4.04	116	2.35	1.342	178
	David Hernandez	18	3.64	112	3.28	1.137	274
	Josh Collmenter	2	3.54	112	2.93	1.180	200

David Hernandez had better control than anyone in this quartet. Brenly makes room for him by cutting ...Bradley. Mantei manages to stick around.

Looking ahead, the Diamondbacks have a strong crop of prospects at or nearing the majors. Infielder Geraldo Perdomo, catcher Gabriel Moreno, and outfielder Corbin Carroll have arrived. Zac Gallen will make his 100th start this season - if he stays healthy. High draft picks Jordan Lawlar and Druw Jones are deeper down the pipeline. This all-time roster could look vastly different a decade from now.

TL; DR: Four changes from the original roster. Counsell, Young, Greinke, and Bradley out. Walker, Marte, Kelly, and Hernandez in. 

Come back tomorrow for our next All-Time Team, the Colorado Rockies.

Can Chico pitch?

Thanks for reading!



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All-Time Teams: Diamondbacks

Major League Baseball is celebrating 150 years of professional baseball. All 30 franchises have over two decades of history and so I'm creating an All-Time Team series. Every day in September, The Collector will list the best players by position in every MLB team's history. 

 Our first All-Time Team is the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Manager: Bob Brenly     Home: Chase Field

Leading off for the Diamondbacks.. the Center Fielder.. Steve Finley

A 19 year-veteran with over 2,500 career hits, Steve Finley was a bit of a late bloomer. Both of his All-Star Game nods and all five of his Gold Gloves were awarded after he turned 30. Finley played 5+ seasons in Arizona (including their championship season of 2001) and places in the Diamondbacks' all-time top three in several categories, including hits, home runs, total bases, and OPS.

 

Batting second for Arizona.. the Designated Hitter.. David Peralta

The Diamondbacks' current left fielder, David Peralta has been a designated hitter only three times in his six-year career. Regardless, he's already one of the top ten hitters in the D-backs' short history and his primary position is occupied by a franchise icon. Peralta won a Silver Slugger in 2018 after a career high in home runs (30), RBI (87) and total bases (289).

 

Batting third.. the First Baseman.. Paul Goldschmidt

A frequent contender for NL MVP, Paul Goldschmidt is the Diamondbacks' career standard-bearer in a slew of offensive categories including WAR and OPS. He's second all-time in many other categories including home runs, batting average, and stolen bases. "Goldy" won three Gold Gloves and four Silver Slugger awards in his eight years in Arizona. His career numbers are so superior to every other first baseman in team history that this All-Time team is one of the only rosters without a backup at the position.

 

Batting fourth.. the Left Fielder.. Luis Gonzalez

The hero of the 2001 World Series, Luis Gonzalez is Arizona's all-time leader in home runs, total bases, runs scored, games played and doubles, and he has a slim .001 lead over Goldschmidt in career batting average. The first D-Backs player to have his number retired, "Gonzo" bats cleanup for their All-Time team due to his five consecutive 100+ RBI seasons. His 57 home runs in 2001 were the 15th-most in a single season ever.. and third-most in the NL that year.

 

Batting fifth.. the Right Fielder.. Justin Upton

The #1 overall pick in the 2005 MLB draft, Justin Upton debuted for the D-Backs just two years later at age 19. He quickly overcame some early struggles, making his All-Star Game debut at 21 and winning his first of three Silver Slugger awards at age 23. "J-Up" has bounced around a bit since leaving the Diamondbacks after the 2012 season, but he's carved out a nice career as a power-hitting corner outfielder.

 

Batting sixth.. the Catcher.. Miguel Montero

Only Gonzalez and Goldschmidt have played more games with Arizona than Miguel Montero, and he did more than just show up. The two-time All-Star smacked 172 doubles (5th in franchise history) and slammed 10 or more home runs in six of his eight full seasons with the Snakes.

 

Batting seventh.. the Third Baseman.. Chad Tracy

Initially I had Matt Williams in this slot, but Williams is a better fit in San Francisco. Chad Tracy is a solid, if underwhelming second choice. Both Tracy and Jake Lamb had two standout seasons as Arizona's third basemen. Tracy was a bit better overall, slashing .274/.333/.439 to Lamb's .243/.332/.442.

 

 Batting eighth.. the Second Baseman.. Aaron Hill

This was another razor-thin decision. Second base is a little bit deeper in Arizona, and Aaron Hill gets the nod over the more versatile Jay Bell. Hill won two Silver Slugger awards - one with Toronto and one with the D-Backs. His overall numbers in five seasons with the Diamondbacks were an improvement over his seven seasons with the Blue Jays.

 

Batting ninth.. the Shortstop.. Stephen Drew

Stephen Drew never became the franchise player many expected him to be when the D-Backs selected him in the 1st round of the 2004 draft. Baseball America ranked Drew the #5 prospect in all of baseball before his debut season of 2006. Though he never made an All-Star team, Stephen Drew makes Arizona's All-Time team on the strength of three above-average years in Arizona.

 

The Starting Pitcher for the Diamondbacks.. Randy Johnson
 

Randy Johnson is Arizona's all-time leader in career WAR and the first Diamondbacks player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The "Big Unit" made more starts and pitched more innings as a Mariner, but his best seasons - including a run of four consecutive Cy Young awards - were with the D-Backs. An astounding 1,417 of Johnson's 4,875 career strikeouts (2nd all-time) were compiled in those four seasons alone.

Now let's look at the Diamondbacks' bench and bullpen:

Catcher - Damian Miller
Infielder - Jay Bell
Infielder - Craig Counsell
Outfield - A.J. Pollock
Outfield - Chris Young

It was a very tough call leaving Bell out of the starting lineup. Young almost didn't make the team at all, despite playing the fourth-most games in D-Backs history.

#2 starter - Zack Greinke
#3 starter - Brandon Webb
#4 starter - Patrick Corbin
#5 starter - Robbie Ray 

Greinke barely qualifies here, and should probably be assigned to Kansas City. He was a much better pitcher in the desert - and the Royals have more starting pitcher depth. I figured it was better than adding Brian Anderson or Miguel Batista to this rotation.

RH Reliever - Byung-Hyun Kim
RH Reliever - Archie Bradley
LH Reliever - Andrew Chafin
RH Reliever - Brad Ziegler
RH Reliever - Matt Mantei
RH Reliever - Jose Valverde

This is a surprisingly solid group for the NL's newest team (just don't let Kim anywhere near the Yankees!) "Papa Grande" is the team's career leader in saves with a whopping 98.

Come back tomorrow for our next All-Time Team, the Atlanta Braves.


Thanks for reading! 


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Sports Card Tour 2018 - Phoenix

There's no better place to spend the first day of summer than the Arizona desert. Today the Sports Card Tour stops in Phoenix.

Phoenix is home to two pro sports teams - the Diamondbacks and the Suns. (The Coyotes and Cardinals play in nearby Glendale.)

The Diamondbacks' dramatic win in the 2001 World Series remains the only major pro sports championship won by an Arizona-based team. The Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII after the 2008 season. The Suns reached the NBA Finals in 1976 and 1993.

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were the anchors of a veteran Arizona squad that ended the Yankees' stranglehold on the World Series.

I had to work the night of Game 7, and I asked my girlfriend to tape the game for me. Then I was too afraid to watch it. She knew how much I hated the Yankees, and I didn't think she'd trick me into wasting my time. But when I saw Mariano Rivera on the mound I started to wonder..

Luis Gonzalez had 57 home runs in 2001 - and he won the World Series with a bloop single. Gonzo's #20 was the first uniform number to be retired by the Snakes. I picked up this Five Star auto for $3.74 during COMC's Black Friday sale.

A lot of the Arizona cards you'll see in this post were part of the COMC 500 - including the Max Scherzer 1993 SP-style RC ($4.00) and David Peralta rainbow foil ($0.40.)

This Zack Greinke Topps Heritage was the cheapest Blue parallel listed at the time. I couldn't pass it up for $1.99.

Topps is often criticized for being lazy, but at least they didn't use the same photo of Paul Goldschmidt for his Bowman and Bowman Chrome cards. Oh, wait... yes they did. Dammit, Topps. What the hell is Bowman 'Base Chrome'?!?

There were a handful of minor league cards in the flat rate box I bought on eBay a few months ago. Most of them were Phoenix Firebirds, including some players I recognize. I always thought that "Firebirds" was a cool name for a team. A bit redundant, perhaps. But cool.

source

The Cardinals were a nondescript franchise for most of my youth. I was always drawn to out-of-market teams that no one ever talked about (I'm somewhat of an oddball myself) and one year I had my mom order a Phoenix Cardinals jacket out of a catalog. 

I also had a bit of a Neil Lomax PC despite never watching him play.

Emmitt Smith finished his record-setting career with the Cardinals, which would make him arguably the greatest player in the franchise's history. But the greatest Cardinal ever is still with the team.

Larry Fitzgerald is third all-time in receiving yards and eighth all-time in touchdown catches. I have five Fitz cards in my collection, including a 2005 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor ($0.89 on COMC). Wish I had held on to his 2004 Topps Chrome RC.

Kurt Warner led Arizona to the NFC title in 2008. You'll see more of my Kurt collection in a week or two when we visit St. Louis.

The rest of my best Cards cards. 1993 Score Franchise is one of my all-time favorite inserts sets. I always thought it was sad that the Cardinals' Franchise player was a punter. Jake "The Snake" Plummer was surrounded by (fake) snakes on his Topps Chrome RC. I somehow ended up with a ton of his cards back in the day. The Chris Johnson Panini Phoenix insert is not actually Chris Johnson - it's David Johnson. 

The Coyotes are the NHL's red-headed stepchild, and many fans (especially in Canada) resent the league's commitment to keep the franchise where it is. Not me. I was a Whalers fan growing up so I'm not about to tell anyone they don't deserve a team. The Vegas Golden Knights proved that pro hockey can succeed in the desert - and Phoenix is a bigger market.

Shane Doan was the team's last link to the (original) Winnipeg Jets and served as Coyotes captain for 13 seasons. He led the team to the Western Conference Finals in 2012. I was rooting for Doan and the desert dogs to beat the Kings because of his loyalty to the city, because the Yotes would have been an easier Stanley Cup opponent for my Devils, and because a Devils-Coyotes final would have annoyed the hell out of hockey purists everywhere.

I have 21 Doan cards in my Coyotes collection, including this Be a Player autograph from 2005-06. Brian Boucher set an NHL record with five consecutive shutouts for Phoenix. He's now an NBC Sports analyst.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes' current captain. He recently signed an eight-year extension to stay in Arizona.

I've had OEL's SP Authentic RC on my radar for a while, but they're always overpriced so I had to settle for a Panini Contenders RC. Rookie Ticket autos hold a lot more prestige in football cards.

Max Domi (son of Tie) was recently traded to the Canadiens for Alex Galchenyuk. Both players needed a change of scenery. Galchenyuk will join a strong group of young Coyotes stars - including Calder finalist Clayton Keller.

I pulled the Keller RC from a fat pack of O-Pee-Chee. The rest of these cards were ePack-to-COMC purchases.

American superstars Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk were Coyotes teammates for the franchise's first five years in Phoenix. Both players are members of the 500-goal club, but neither is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Some legendary players passed through Phoenix at or near the end of their careers - including Roberto Alomar (38 games with the D-Backs) and Brett Hull (5 games with the Coyotes).

These UD Superstars card backs would be perfect for Sports Card Tour - if the info wasn't 15 years old. I wish Upper Deck would add updated timelines to a current card set.

I've started a Steve Nash PC and put this 'hockey' card at the top of my wishlist.

Many of these Nash cards came from Dennis (Too Many Verlanders) in a box that was full of fun surprises.

More from the 500-card COMC haul. The Nash relic was $1.45 while the Immaculate Goran Dragic was $2.40. Nash never got the Suns to the NBA Finals (thanks, Robert Horry) but Charles Barkley did.

Phoenix was a fun team to watch in the early '90s with Sir Charles, "Thunder" Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson leading the way. One of my friends had a KJ jersey and let me borrow it for a while. I wore it once or twice and then gave it back- unlike the kid who stole my Christian Laettner jersey.

The Suns have had lots of star power over their 50 years in the NBA, including Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, and newest Hall of fame inductees Jason Kidd and Grant Hill.

hat tip to Corky, who posted this on his blog a couple months ago

The new era of the Phoenix Suns franchise begins tonight, with the team selecting Arizona center Deandre Ayton first overall. The Suns also have the 16th overall pick and plenty of cap space to build around superstar Devin Booker. 

Favorite Diamondbacks player: Paul Goldschmidt

Favorite Cardinals player: Larry Fitzgerald (but I'm hoping Josh Rosen quiets his critics)

Favorite Suns player: TBD

Favorite Coyotes player: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Next tour stop: Pittsburgh

Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for reading!

 

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