D-backs have three players listed in Baseball Tonight’s Top 100
Mar 25, 2016, 11:02 AM | Updated: Mar 26, 2016, 3:53 pm
In some ways it happened suddenly.
And in others, it took time.
However they got here, the Arizona Diamondbacks enter 2016 with a roster capable of making a playoff run.
Plenty of things will have to happen and go right if Arizona is to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011, but there’s little doubt any success the team may or may not have will center around three players, all of whom were All-Stars last season.
And those three players — Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Zack Greinke — were all named to ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Top 100 players list.
The lowest D-back on the list was Pollock, who landed at No. 57 after being unranked going into 2015. Last season, the center fielder hit .315 with 20 home runs and 76 RBI. Hescored 111 runs and stole 39 bases.
ESPN says: One of the most valuable hitters of 2015, Pollock finally turned health into a breakout campaign and became the lone big leaguer to reach 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Pollock is capable of more as his power continues to develop. He walked more and struck out less, and having Paul Goldschmidt following him in the lineup is nice. Expect another excellent season. — Eric Karabell, ESPN.com senior fantasy writer
ESPN also noted that the Gold Glove-winner Pollock finished fifth in the NL in batting average and was just the third player in Diamondbacks history to hit .315 or better in a season.
The 28-year-old has struggled with a bruised elbow this spring but is expected to return to the lineup next week, and he is expected to once again be a key part of Arizona’s lineup in 2016.
Running down from 100, the next D-back on the list is one of the newest members of the team, Greinke. He’s ranked No. 6 overall.
The D-backs signed the 32-year-old to a monster contract that is worth $206.5 million over six years because it views him as the ace they so desperately needed. Listed as the 29th-best player entering 2015, last season Greinke posted a 19-3 record with a 1.66 ERA — the lowest in the majors since Greg Maddux posted a 1.63 ERA in 1995 — and 0.84 WHIP in 222.2 innings of work. He also struck out 200 batters while walking 40 across 32 starts.
By the numbers: Greinke led all of baseball with a 1.66 ERA last season. That mark was the second best in a single season by any Dodgers pitcher — from a franchise that has Kershaw, Sandy Koufax, Orel Hershiser and Don Drysdale to its name. Greinke’s 2.30 ERA since 2013 trails only that of former teammate Kershaw. He gave up one run or less in 21 of his starts in 2015, the most by any pitcher in a single season since Bob Gibson in 1968. The only pitchers in the past 100 seasons to record more such starts in a season are Gibson, Koufax, Dean Chance and Pete Alexander. In June and July, Greinke posted a 45 ⅔-innings scoreless streak, which the Elias Sports Bureau noted was the sixth longest in MLB history. From the beginning of Greinke’s streak on June 18 through the day it ended, 479 different pitchers gave up a run. — ESPN Stats & Information
While Greinke is expected to lead a revamped rotation, the team’s final player mentioned, Goldschmidt, has for the last few seasons been the focal point of the team’s offense.
Ranked ninth heading into 2015, the first baseman came in at No. 4 this year. The NL MVP runner up in 2013 and 2015 hit a career-best .321 to with 33 home runs and 110 RBI last season. He also stole 21 bases and, along with Greinke, makes the D-backs the only team with two players in the top 10 of the rankings.
ESPN says: The only thing Goldschmidt doesn’t do well is self-promote. Since 2013, he has made three straight All-Star appearances, finished second in the NL MVP balloting twice and won two Gold Gloves and a pair of Silver Slugger awards. New staff ace Zack Greinke will attract the bulk of the attention in Arizona this season because of his massive contract, but if the Diamondbacks are going to live up to the hype and make the postseason, Goldschmidt could just as easily be the guy who leads the way. — Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com senior writer
The 28-year-old Goldschmidt is also one of just three players — Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera the others — who is hitting at least .300 with a .400 on-base percentage and .550 slugging percentage over the last three seasons, according to ESPN.
The only players ahead of Goldschmidt in the rankings are Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw. The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays have the most representatives in the Top 100 with six each, while the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres were completely shut out of the rankings.
