Inside the Diamondbacks Awards for the 2022 Season

Which Diamondbacks are the most deserving of honors for how they played in the 2022 season?

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With the season being over, we can reflect on the Diamondbacks performance in the 2022 season and look at which players contributed the most. The awards in consideration were the Most Valuable Player, Best Hitter, Best Pitcher, Rookie of the Year, Best Reliever, Hitting Prospect, and Pitching Prospect. These are the players who earned those honors.

MVP and Pitcher of the Year: Zac Gallen

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When it came down to the team MVP, I not only considered Wins Above Replacement (WAR) but also Win Probability Added (WPA). The three candidates I considered for the honors were Zac Gallen, Christian Walker, and Daulton Varsho. All three players were pretty close when you averaged their WAR totals from both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs, finishing around 4.6-4.8. Once I factored in WPA, Gallen emerged from the pack, as Walker and Varsho struggled in that regard.

For the 2022 season, Gallen went 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA and 192/47 strikeouts to walk ratio in 184 innings. The campaign also included a Pitcher of the Month Award for the month of August, thanks to a franchise-record 44.1 consecutive innings scoreless streak. The D-backs were 6-1 in Gallen's starts during the streak. Gallen's big second half was a major catalyst for the team's second half improvement.  

Most Improved Player and Hitter of the Year: Christian Walker

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Walker was coming off a dismal 2021 season, in which he suffered injuries and lost playing time to rookie first baseman Pavin Smith. The team's decision to tender Walker a contract in his first arbitration eligible season was questioned by many fans, but he rewarded the team's faith in him in 2022.

Walker had a strong season from the minute Spring Training started. After putting up big numbers in the Cactus League, which earned him the starting first base job and Walker enjoyed a career season. He set career bests in home runs (36), runs batted in (94), strikeout rate (19.6%) and park-adjusted statistics such as wRC+ (122) and OPS+ (126). He was also the most dependable defender on the D-backs infield, ranking first amongst all first basemen in Statcast's Outs Above Average stat at +14 and 11 runs prevented. He is the prohibitive favorite to win the Gold Glove Award at first base.

Daulton Varsho was the other player in consideration, but Walker ultimately won considering he had a larger offensive impact. 

Rookie of the Year: Jake McCarthy

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The D-backs had some exciting outfield prospects in the system, but McCarthy was rarely mentioned in that group. After making the team as the fourth outfielder and twice being sent down to Triple-A Reno, a big second half forced the organization's hand and became a mainstay in the lineup. For the season, he batted .283/.342/.427 with 10 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 99 games. Of all the outfielders on the 40-man roster, McCarthy figures to get the most playing time when healthy for 2023 due to his ability to handle both righties and lefties equally as well. 

Reliever of the Year: Joe Mantiply

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Mantiply pitched to a 2.85 ERA and a 61/6 strikeout to walk ratio in 69 appearances out of the bullpen. He was as close to automatic as it came from the beginning of the season through June 21st, when he allowed just one run in 26.2 innings with a 26/1 strikeout to walk ratio. Those numbers helped earn him an All-Star selection, as he was the lone D-backs representative. 

From June 25th to the end of the season, Mantiply had a 4.86 ERA and saw his balls in play luck reverse and had a huge spike in home run per fly ball rate. That reared its ugly head in big situations, as his record over that stretch was 1-5. Given the combination of a high ground ball rate of 53.5% and some swing-and-miss on his secondary stuff, he is still an effective reliever. 

Position Player Prospect of the Year: Corbin Carroll

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Carroll had a very impressive 2022 campaign that started in Double-A Amarillo and finished with a big league call-up for the final five weeks of the season. Despite missing most of the 2021 season due to shoulder surgery, Carroll was able to easily handle the aggressive assignment and put up video game numbers in one of the most hitter-friendly environments. In 58 games with Amarillo, he batted .313/.430/.606 with 16 home runs and 20 stolen bases. After a short stint in Reno, the D-backs promoted him to the big leagues on August 29th.

In his first cup of coffee, Carroll batted .260/.330/.500 in 21 games with Arizona. He showcased all of the tools, especially his speed tool where he ranks first amongst all big league hitters in Statcast's Sprint Speed (30.7 feet per second) and second in Home to First time (4.01 seconds). In addition to his speed, Carroll has the ability to drive the ball into the gaps where he'll rack up a lot of extra base hits with the occasional home run when he elevates the ball. He has the chance to be a five-tool impact player for the D-backs for a very long time.

Pitcher Prospect of the Year: Brandon Pfaadt

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The pitchers in the D-backs system had a very good year, but Pfaadt stood out above the rest. In 29 starts, he pitched to a 3.83 ERA and a 218/33 strikeout to walk ratio in 167 innings. The 218 strikeouts is the most by a minor league pitcher since 2001. The season ERA is inflated due to pitching in Amarillo, but looking beyond run prevention there are some impressive stats on his resume. At both Double-A and Triple-A, Pfaadt recorded a strikeout rate above 30% and a walk rate below 6%. 

For 2023, I wouldn't be surprised if Pfaadt is in the mix for a potential rotation spot next spring. He features the potential for three plus pitches between his fastball, slider, and changeup. The combination of stuff and a sturdy 6'4" 228-pound frame gives Pfaadt an easier starter projection than some of the other arms in the system. He'll get a chance to showcase that he belongs in the D-backs starting rotation at some point in the 2023 season.