Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Player Review: Thyago Vieira

After jumping from team to team, the righty found success in a small sample with the D-backs.

Jul 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Thyago Vieira (49) reacts after a strikeout to end the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

This article is part of a series chronicling the individual seasons of players who appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

Reviews for players that still have rookie eligibility for 2025 will appear in our prospect season reviews. Players are presented in the reverse order of their aWAR, an average of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs WAR.

RHP Thyago Vieira, Age 31

2024 Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration $777,500, prorated to $242,446 for time on MLB roster

Thyago Vieira came to the Diamondbacks after being claimed off waivers on June 6th, 2024. He had previously spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles to begin the year, struggling mightily with both teams.

Vieira's story is a special one of a right-handed flamethrower overcoming the odds. At the time of his signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2010, he became the 2nd ever Brazilian-born pitcher to reach the Major Leagues.

Since his signing with Seattle nearly a decade and a half ago, Vieira's career has been anything but smooth sailing. He has spent the majority of that time fighting for his chance to pitch in MLB, even going to the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional League in 2019.

After joining the Diamondbacks, Vieira found himself in low-leverage situations. He faced some struggles in his first few games with the club, but eventually found his footing.

In 15.2 innings pitched with the D-backs, the righty allowed 5 ER. His 2.87 ERA over that span was excellent, and his .375 slugging percentage against kept hitters from doing large damage against him.

Vieira was eventually DFA'd on July 27th to make room on their active roster. He would pass through waivers and was eventually outrighted to Reno with the Aces.

He would be placed on the restricted list for unspecified reasons on August 9th where he finished his season.

2025 Outlook

Vieira showed promise with the Diamondbacks in 2024. After struggling as a journeyman across multiple organizations something seemed to break through in Arizona. If the team can continue to extract that talent from his arm they could have something special.

The unknown variable here is his restricted list stint. The team did not provide any details on why Vieira was placed on the list, but it is unclear whether it will have an impact on his availability, or the team's view of him going forward.

The Diamondbacks' pitching coaching staff will see massive changes this winter, with Brent Strom, Mike Fetters, and Dan Carlson no longer returning to their previous roles.

The new coaches could significantly impact the team's pitchers, and Vieira, who already benefited largely from D-backs coaching, could reap the rewards.

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