Diamondbacks Brutal Early Schedule Will Test Preparation

Torey Lovullo and his coaching staff need to get the team ready to hit the ground running

The first 23 games of the Diamondbacks 2023 schedule are likely to be a very difficult test and challenging start to the season. Here is a synopsis of that schedule, with the 2022 records of opponents out to the far right and a weighted average win total of those teams.

Jack Sommers

• All but three of the first 23 games are against teams that had over a .500 record in 2022. 

• 17 of the first 23 games are against 2022 playoff teams.  

• The average weighted opponents  win total for 2022 is 94

• Three of the first five teams to face in 2023 dominated the D-backs in 2022

Jack Sommers

The schedule softens slightly after April 23rd. They play the Royals at home for three, but then go to Colorado to face the Rockies for three games in Coors Field to finish the month. 

There are some silver linings to consider however. First and foremost, Torey Lovullo managed teams are typically ready to play in the first month of the season. Not including the Pandemic 2020 season, which is an outlier, the team usually performs well the first month. The only time they were under .500 in the first month of the season was 2022, when they went 10-12. But even that .455 Win % was essentially the same as the team's full season Win % of .457

Diamondbacks First Month W-L% / Baseball Reference

Another point of note is that after that slew of games against the Dodgers and Padres, the D-backs won't face those teams again until August. In that month they'll play LA five times and San Diego eight times. They do not play those two teams at all in September. That can be a double edged sword. If they were somehow in the division title race, it's more difficult to make up ground.  If the D-backs are going for a wild card spot, it should also be noted they have they have four games against the Mets, three against the Yankees, and three against the Astros over the final three weeks of the season. 

Ultimately a team needs to play their entire 162 game schedule, and there will be ebb and flow. Obviously there are periods where the schedule will be considerably softer, so in the end it all balances out. However a good start to the season for a young team trying to solidify it's identity and prove that they can compete with the better teams could be critical for the mindset and confidence of the players. 

Fans will be watching closely as well. A good start to the year may help build some excitement to build off the good second half the team showed in 2022. Fueled by young player arrivals and improvements, the Diamondbacks were a much tougher opponent after the All Star Break last year. After going 40-52 and being outscored by 47 runs, the D-backs went 34-36 after the break. And it could have been better, as they actually had a +15 run differential, (319-304)

If Mike Hazen's efforts to improve the bullpen come to fruition and the young players and new additions can round into form early, the Diamondbacks have a chance to be one of the nice stories of 2023.