Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Season Review: Spring Training

The Defending National League Champions entered camp with high expectations

Arizona Diamondbacks Christian Walker talks to Eugenio Suárez against the Seattle Mariners in the third inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on March 22, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is the second in an eight-part series reviewing the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2024 season.

The D-backs went into spring training in 2024 with high expectations placed upon them. But they didn't want to call it that. Instead they used the word "standards." General Manager Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo spoke about raising standards and avoiding complacency.

The standard being set was that of a perennial playoff contender Hazen said when he addressed the media at the beginning of camp.

"You want to be a good franchise, good organization, a perennial playoff contender, the expectation is you're going to go out and be able to play a quality brand of baseball for 162 games. That's just the reality, if you want to be a good team you have to deal with that. If you don't embrace it, you won't be successful."

Ownership and Hazen's baseball operations team set out to put together an even stronger roster than the one that went to the World Series in 2023. The result of that was to create a deeper roster, adding veteran talent, and a franchise record payroll.

The team went into camp with several position battles open. The fifth starter's spot was up for grabs, with the primary contestants being Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry. Slade Cecconi was also in the mix.

Nelson ended up winning that battle, posting the second highest spring training strikeout total behind only Spencer Strider.

The backup shortstop role was another key roster spot that needed to be settled. Jordan Lawlar was assumed to have an inside track, but Hazen wanted Lawlar to play every day, and felt that a backup role would stunt his development. It didn't help that he went 3-for-17 (.176) with six strikeouts. He was optioned to minor league camp on March 10th.

Blaze Alexander got off to a hot start in spring training. Midway through camp he was batting over .400 and impressing coaches and fans alike. He was making plays on defense at multiple positions, and spoke to Jake Oliver about his work in plate discipline. Alexander maintained that .400 BA until the end of Spring training.

Veteran Kevin Newman was also in the mix, and the team even brought veteran Elvis Andrus to camp, giving him a shot to compete for the role. But ultimately it was the rookie Alexander who won the opening day role.

Two concerning injuries popped up towards the end of spring. Closer Paul Sewald suffered an oblique strain, and injury that typically keeps a player out 4-6 weeks. Newly signed starter Eduardo Rodriguez came up with a left lat muscle strain in his shoulder. Both pitchers started the season on the injured list.

The additional opening in the rotation paved the way for Tommy Henry to make the rotation as well, although it was expected that Rodriguez would not be out too long.

Randal Grichuk took a little longer to recover from offseason heel surgery. That opened the door for Jake McCarthy to make the opening day roster in his place.

At one point, midway through the Cactus League schedule the D-backs lost a particularly sloppy game to the Texas Rangers 10-3. A noticeably unhappy Torey Lovullo started showing a firmer tone, and even flashed a little anger at the way his team was going about getting ready for the season.

I asked him at the time about the change in tone. Here is what he said.

"It would be fair to say that. I am very fearful of complacency and I think it has to start with me. So I've probably been getting after it a little bit harder, coaching the coaches a little bit more and expecting them to go out and coach the players a little harder. You are definitely reading that right."

By the time camp ended the team appeared ready. One concern however was the fact that Corbin Carroll had not homered in any of his 54 spring at-bats. The 2023 Rookie of the year had spent a lot of time working in the hitting lab prior to the start of spring, and was still trying to work out the kinks in the changes he'd made.

Ketel Marte looked ready. He hit .370, and counted six doubles, a triple and a homer among his 20 hits. Christian Walker, Eugenio Suarez and Joc Pederson each had a couple of spring homers.

Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly had intentionally slow ramp-up in their spring training innings. This was because they had each pitched so much the year prior. But by the time opening day rolled around, they and the entire team looked ready to defend their National League Pennant.

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