Competition Heating Up for the D-backs This Spring

Checking in on the three main areas of competition for the Diamondbacks Opening Day roster this spring.

The Diamondbacks said in October their goal for the off-season was to add more competition for the next spring. With talent coming up from the farm system and some clever off-season moves, the team appears to have achieved that goal in the outfield, bullpen, and starting rotation. 

D-backs Impressive Outfield

It comes as no surprise that Corbin Carroll is off to a hot start this spring. The D-backs top prospect is showcasing the skills that has the prospect industry buzzing about his potential impact in Arizona. The team has already opened up talks about keeping the young outfielder around for the long term after 32 games, indicating they see him as a franchise player.

Aside from Carroll, fellow outfielder Alek Thomas had a good start to camp. After struggling for much of the second half of 20222, ultimately culminating in a demotion to Triple-A Reno for the final two weeks of the season, his approach looks much under control. In six games this spring, he's hitting .316 with an .864 OPS, consistently driving pitches on the outer third of the strike zone to the opposite field for hits in big situations. A gifted defensive center fielder with a solid feel to hit and plus speed, it won't take much offense for Thomas to earn a regular spot in the lineup. 

Off-season trade pickup Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has also had a solid spring. Arizona was insistent on his inclusion in the Daulton Varsho deal, which also includes catcher Gabriel Moreno, and we can see why. Gurriel is making consistently loud contact, regularly putting up exit velocities of at least 95 MPH, hitting .333/.455/.611 with a home run in seven games. After a hamate injury sapped much of his power last season, a healthy Gurriel could be a difference maker for the D-backs.

Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo have a potential playing time issue in the outfield between Carroll, Thomas, Gurriel, and Jake McCarthy. All four players have shown to be deserving of 500+ plate appearances, which will be a tough juggling act for playing time. They could utilize the designated hitter spot to get them all in the lineup and rest from having to play the big outfields in the National League West ballparks. 

Revamped Bullpen

Taking a look at the bullpen, these pitchers are roster locks:

• RHP Mark Melancon
• LHP Andrew Chafin
• RHP Scott McGough
• LHP Joe Mantiply
• RHP Miguel Castro

The trio of McGough, Mantiply, and Castro have looked solid this spring, combining for 11 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. McGough and Castro are potential candidates to be the Opening Day closer, as McGough has closing experience in Japan and Castro has incentives for finishing games out. 

Chafin and Melancon have struggled to start the spring, both showing a 2 MPH velocity drop on their fastballs. Chafin in particular has struggled with the pitch clock, which has caused him to rush his delivery. Melancon has been hit hard, with opposing batters hitting 9-for-13 against the 37-year-old former closer. While it's difficult to assess how well a reliever performs in the spring, the early signs are concerning as the two are expected to cover some important innings on the season. 

With just three bullpen spots up for grabs in the competition, the players making the biggest push include RHP Jeurys Familia and RHP Corbin Martin. Familia was a minor league free agent signing and Martin is a converted starter.

Familia has allowed just two baserunners in four innings, striking out three, and hitting one batter. Three of his four spring appearances were clean innings. The 33-year-old went to Driveline in the off-season to further hone his pitches and try to reverse the trend of worsening run prevention the past three full seasons. So far this spring, Familia is sitting 93-95 MPH on his two fastballs and using his splitter as his primary secondary pitch. His previous experience as a closer on a Mets team that won a National League pennant in the 2015 season could come in handy for deciding a potential closer this season.

Martin, who was once the centerpiece in the Zack Greinke trade, struggled to stay healthy as a starter since reaching the big leagues in 2019. The team elected to move him to the bullpen this season, which isn't necessarily easy to do. Lovullo and the coaching staff have been impressed with how Martin has embraced the challenge. In live batting practice sessions and Cactus League games, his fastball is regularly 95-97 and a sharper set of secondary pitches. With that strong an arsenal, Martin could very well flourish in a relief role.

His situation isn't too dissimilar from Archie Bradley's in 2017. Bradley entered camp in the mix for a potential starting rotation spot, but ended up making the team out of the bullpen before eventually becoming the team's best and most trusted reliever. Martin could see a similar path to the backend of the bullpen in 2023 as he grows more comfortable pitching in relief.

Assuming Familia and Martin grab bullpen spots, that leaves Kevin Ginkel, Kyle Nelson, Luis Frias, Cole Sulser, and Zach McAllister likely battling for the final spot. McAllister, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues the past four seasons, has come out of nowhere to stake his claim in the competition with four scoreless innings on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. 

Ginkel, Nelson, Sulser and Frias still have options remaining, which may impact the team's decision knowing they can call them up later in the season.

Stars Aligning for Pfaadt?

After three outings apiece, it seems the two leading candidates for the final rotation spot are Drey Jameson and Brandon Pfaadt. Tommy Henry had two sloppy outings before bouncing back against the Rangers and Ryne Nelson has been hit hard this spring. The one caveat is these pitchers haven't faced too many hitters projected to be on their respective team's Opening Day lineup. As we get closer to Opening Day and teams focus more about preparing their projected starters at-bats, we should get a better idea which pitcher is most deserving of that rotation spot.

Looking at the two projected leading candidates, Jameson has allowed three runs in 6.2 innings with all of those runs coming against the Royals on Monday. Pfaadt has pitched five scoreless innings in his first two starts with one hit, two walks, and six strikeouts. A strong start against the Reds could put him in the driver's seat for the final rotation spot however as the competition heats up in the second half of spring.

Like Carroll, Pfaadt is a consensus Top 100 prospect and would be eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Should he make the Opening Day roster, the team could benefit from a strong rookie season. A first place finish in Rookie of the Year would result in the D-backs gaining a draft pick right after the first round in the 2024 draft plus other potential rewards with a strong finish in the Cy Young race in the next three seasons. While that potential payoff might not be the leading reason for Pfaadt's inclusion in the rotation, it may be the tiebreaker.