Previewing the Diamondbacks Opening Day Roster

An initial look at the Diamondbacks roster at the start of the season.

The Diamondbacks will begin their season against the Los Angeles Dodgers later today. As is the case with Opening Day, especially with a roster that's seen a lot of turnover since the All-Star break, hope springs eternal. 

Here's a look at each part of the roster and the expectations for how each unit may perform entering the season.

Starting Rotation

Opening Day: RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Merrill Kelly, LHP Madison Bumgarner, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Ryne Nelson

Minor League Depth: LHP Tommy Henry, RHP Drey Jameson (bullpen), RHP Brandon Pfaadt

Arizona is hoping for Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly to anchor the top half of the rotation a second year in a row. Both pitchers are unlikely to repeat their 2022 seasons for different reasons, with Gallen's numbers likely to regress as his ERA vastly outperformed his peripherals on the season and Kelly entering his Age 34 season. However the D-backs need both pitchers to be close to what they provided last season in order to make any potential playoff push.

Bumgarner and Davies are supposed to represent veteran surety in the rotation and buy time for their top pitching prospects to develop at their own pace. However at the same time, the organization cannot afford to let either pitcher linger should they prove beyond a doubt to be ineffective at providing value in the rotation. Unlike last season, the team should have more depth in the minor leagues to replace an injured or ineffective starter. Given the pair's recent track record, there may be a possibility that Arizona is forced to look at other options.

The D-backs will likely need a total of eight capable starting pitchers to get through the season. Drey Jameson may be the first candidate to be moved to the rotation if it opens up, likely since he'd be replacing an injured or ineffective starter midgame. After him the team could recall Henry from Reno or add Pfaadt to the roster, which would require an additional 40-man roster move. Given Pfaadt's impressive trajectory since the start of the 2021 season, he figures to be in the rotation sooner rather than later.

Catchers

Opening Day: Gabriel Moreno, Jose Herrera

Injured: Carson Kelly

Minor League Depth: Dominic Miroglio, P.J. Higgins

Arizona was going to utilize a combination of Kelly and Moreno to open the season, but the former's injury has thrown a monkey wrench into that plan. Instead of getting eased in, Moreno will now be thrown into the fire. Herrera figures to play the seldom-used backup role, with his defensive skills and familiarity with the majority of the pitching staff earning him a roster spot.

Miroglio and Higgins would be players to call up at the position should more injuries arise while Kelly is out. Miroglio has a reputation of being a decent defender with not much of a bat to speak of while Higgins is an offense-first catcher who graded very poor defensively last season with the Cubs. 

Infield

Opening Day: 1B Christian Walker, 2B Ketel Marte, SS Nick Ahmed, 3B/2B Josh Rojas, 3B Evan Longoria, SS/3B Geraldo Perdomo

Minor League Depth: Blaze Alexander, Pavin Smith

Arizona's infield was likely set in stone the minute they signed Longoria for the 2023 season, save for the competition for the final bench spot between Smith and Kyle Lewis. The D-backs will platoon 3B between Rojas and Longoria, although the latter will see starts when Marte is the DH and Rojas slides over to second base. 

Playing time at short will be one thing to follow, as Ahmed has battled injuries the past couple seasons and had shoulder surgery last June. It may be a situation where Ahmed starts four games and Perdomo starts at least two every week, as a means to keep the former healthy and get more experience for the latter. Perdomo's ability to handle third and second will help get him in the lineup enough to continue to develop as a hitter.

Alexander is an intriguing player in the mix, as he's a right-handed bat that broke out as a prospect last year in Double-A Amarillo. He could be an injury replacement should the team suffer an injury at either short or third. Smith was originally set to make the roster as the backup first baseman/fifth outfielder, more below, but was beat out by Kyle Lewis. An injury to Walker or any of the outfielders ahead of him could put Smith back on the roster.

Outfield

Opening Day: Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Alek Thomas, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Kyle Lewis

Minor League Depth: Pavin Smith, Dominic Fletcher, Dominic Canzone, Jorge Barrosa

Arizona certainly doesn't lack playable options in their outfield this season. The team has consistently said the young trio of Carroll, McCarthy, and Thomas will get the bulk of the playing time in the outfield. Arizona is hoping this trio is the focal point for both their offensive and defensive identity: using their speed and athleticism to not only manufacture extra runs, but prevent their opponent from scoring more runs. Rookie Corbin Carroll figures to be the face of this new identity.

Gurriel is expected to split time between left field, first base, and DH while Kyle Lewis will primarily DH and is an emergency outfielder who will get a handful of starts on the grass. Both figure to be in the lineup against left-handed starters, while resting one of their young outfield trio at the same time.

Smith, Fletcher, and Canzone are big league ready options who could fill in for injured players. Fletcher is probably the best defender of the trio and the player who makes the most sense to call up if one of the starting outfielders has an extended absence. Barrosa is coming off a solid season in Double-A, but as a good defender with below-average pop is a 4th/5th outfielder option.  

Bullpen

Opening Day: RHP Scott McGough, RHP Miguel Castro, RHP Kevin Ginkel, RHP Carlos Vargas, RHP Cole Sulser, RHP Drey Jameson, LHP Andrew Chafin, LHP Kyle Nelson

Injured: RHP Mark Melancon, RHP Corbin Martin, LHP Joe Mantiply 

Minor League Depth: LHP Tommy Henry, RHP Justin Martinez, RHP Ryan Hendrix, RHP Peter Solomon, RHP Mitchell Stumpo

The D-backs went out and made some significant changes with the bullpen this off-season. Their new additions include Scott McGough, Miguel Castro, Carlos Vargas, and Andrew Chafin. McGough and Castro will likely get the bulk of the high leverage innings out of the bullpen, while Chafin should be the big matchup lefty in similar situations.

The middle relief will be better between Ginkel, Vargas, Nelson, and Sulser, with some of these pitchers potentially flashing as future backend guys. Vargas is the most interesting of the bunch with a fastball that can touch 100+ MPH. and a slider that flashes plus potential. Once he's comfortable in the big leagues and is more consistent throwing strikes, he could move into a more important role.

Justin Martinez probably has the most long term upside for potential call-ups during the season. With a fastball that touches triple digits and two average secondary pitches. Ryan Hendrix had a strong spring, with 4.2 scoreless innings in his final five appearances and could be one of the first arms called up.

Peter Solomon is a Rule 5 pick-up with past big league experience pitching for the Houston Astros. Mitchell Stumpo is an interesting arm with a mid-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss slider, but has had issues throwing strikes with Reno. Henry is an option to play the multiple inning lefty role that Caleb Smith held the past couple seasons, especially if the team feels they need a long reliever and Jameson has already been moved to the rotation.

Melancon is not expected to be back until after the All-Star break at the earliest and its doubtful that Corbin Martin pitches at all this season. Mantiply will open the season on the injured list with shoulder fatigue, although his injury will require a much shorter absence than the other two pitchers.