Ranking the Top 6 Corner Outfielders in D-Backs History
Today we resume our series ranking the top Diamondbacks by position. Many players have split a lot of time between left field and right field for the team. It felt like it made more sense to treat the two corner spots as one group, and then centerfield separately.
# 1: Luis Gonzalez 1,194 G, 30 WAR, .298/.391/.521, 130 OPS+, 22 WPA
Until Paul Goldschmidt came along, Gonzalez was unquestionably the greatest Diamondbacks position player in franchise history. In one of the greatest trade heists in history, he was famously acquired by G.M. Joe Garagiola Jr. from the Detroit Tigers for the low cost Karim Garcia. "Gonzo" immediately became a star, embarking on a 30 game hitting streak on April 11th of 1999, during which he hit .400. For the full year he hit .336 and led the league in hits with 206 while smacking 26 homers and driving in 111. He followed that up with a 30 homer, 114 RBI season while batting .311 in 2000. Much greater heights were yet to come.
In 2001 he hit 13 homers in April, and stayed hot all spring and summer, totaling 35 homers by the All Star Break. He won the Home Run derby in Seattle and then continued his assault by smacking 22 more homers to finish with an astounding 57 homers and 142 RBI while batting .325. While it's true this was an era of greatly inflated offense and Chase Field played as a very hitter friendly stadium, Gonzalez' park and league adjusted 174 OPS+ remains the franchise record as well. Oh, and he did a thing in the World Series to cap off his historic season.
#2 David Peralta 961 G, 15.3 WAR, .283/.340/.463, 112 OPS+, 8.5 WPA
David Peralta's story is one for the ages, making the journey from failed pitching prospect to outfielder, working at McDonalds to raise money to play independent ball, and finally getting a chance again in affiliated baseball with the D-backs. He made the most of it, smashing his way through the minors to reach the majors for the club in 2014. Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated chronicled that story back in 2015.
While he never made an All Star team, Peralta did win a silver slugger in 2018 by belting 30 homers, and won the NL Gold Glove for left field in 2019. His overall steady hitting, coupled with his all out style of play and always upbeat demeanor made "The Freight Train" a fan favorite.
#3 Justin Upton 731 G, 13.7 WAR, .278/.357/.475, 118 OPS+, 7.5 WPA
The D-backs took Upton with the first overall pick of the 2005 draft. He reached the major leagues just two years later in 2007 at the tender age of 19, but wasn't really quite ready. In 2008 He slugged for an .817 OPS, 107 OPS+ in 108 games but struggled with consistency. In 2009 he broke out however, batting .300/.366/.532 with 63 extra base hits, including 26 homers, and made his first all star team at just 21 years old. Limited by a shoulder injury in 2010 his numbers fell back to .273 with 17 homers and a .799 OPS. But he bounced back in a big way in 2011, hitting 31 homers, batting .289, with an .898 OPS and scoring 105 runs. He once again made the All Star team and led the offense to an NL West title.
Upton suffered a power sapping thumb injury that he played through in 2012. He managed to hit .280, but the homer total dropped to 17. After the season he was shipped out by then G.M. Kevin Towers in a multi player trade to the Atlanta Braves. Over the next six years Upton averaged 30 homers, a 123 OPS+ and 3.5 WAR per season. Among the players acquired in return, only Nick Ahmed provided value, and that took until 2018 to realize. Upton had a complicated legacy in Arizona and some fans were disappointed he did not develop into a Hall of Fame level talent. But he was solidly above average for his career with the D-backs and earned his way onto two All Star teams by the age of 23.
# 4 Corbin Carroll 187 G, 6.6 WAR, .281/.357/.505, 134 OPS+, 4.9 WPA
Carroll leap frogs two players who actually have higher WAR totals with the franchise at the corner. Such is the magnitude and importance of his first 187 games. He started in the 2023 All Star game, won Rookie of the Year, and starred in his first post season. By next year this time there may be a case to move him up to second on this list. You can read a fuller recap of Carroll's season at this link below
#5 Ender Inciarte 250 G, 8.3 WAR, 5.1 WAA, .292/.329/.386, 95 OPS+
Signed by the D-backs out of Venezuela as an amateur free agent in 2008, Inciarte was plucked by the Phillies in the 2013 Rule 5 draft. Luckily for the D-backs, the Phillies ended up returning him, and he made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2014. Inciarte put up an astounding 46 defensive runs saved in just two seasons, 250 games for the club. That included 20 outfield assists thanks to a terrific arm. He hit for average and was an excellent base runner. It all added up to over 8 WAR and over 5 Wins Above Average.
Traded for Shelby Miller after the 2015 season, Inciarte would have been a massive overpay all by himself. Incredibly, the team also added the previous year's first round pick Dansby Swanson to the deal in the worst trade in D-backs history. Inciarte went on to post 10 more WAR over the next three seasons for the Braves, winning three straight Gold Gloves. Swanson became a World Series champion shortstop for Atlanta, while Miller flamed out from the moment he arrived in Arizona.
#6 Gerardo Parra, 787 G, 10.8 WAR, .274/.326/.395, 94 OPS+, +68 Def Runs Saved
Parra was a defensive specialist who also had a great throwing arm. His 68 defensive runs saved is the highest total in franchise history. That included a record +33 rDRS in 2013, the highest ever total for a right fielder in MLB history. He had 17 outfield assists that year, as runners somehow foolishly kept trying to run on him. Parra won two Gold Gloves, in 2011 and 2013.
Parra managed to hit for decent average but didn't take many walks or hit for power. While he has a higher WAR total than Inciarte, he played in three times as many games. Based on rate and quality, I put Inciarte ahead, but a case can be made to flip flop the two. Parra was also extremely popular with fans thanks to his hustle and demonstrative nature, especially when throwing out a runner. Check our the video below for an orgy of outfield assist highlights.
