D-backs key questions roundtable: Goldschmidt’s help, rotation depth
Mar 27, 2018, 10:12 AM
As the Arizona Diamondbacks come off a playoff appearance and 93 wins in 2017, several key questions face the team in 2018.
Assessing the whole roster, editors and reporters from 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station take a look at what those questions are and what the answers might be.
Who will be the D-backs’ best hitter outside of Paul Goldschmidt?
Vince Marotta (co-host of Bickley & Marotta and sports editor): I want to believe that this is the year A.J. Pollock returns to his 2015 form, when he was one of the best offensive players in the National League. However, Pollock has been limited to just 124 games over the last two years. If he’s close to what he was three seasons ago, the D-backs have the potential to be devastating offensively.
Kellan Olson (sports editor): David Peralta is my big bounce-back nominee on the D-backs and I’d put him up for this spot. Coming off the 2015 breakout year, he hit .312 and brought in 78 runs, he had an injury-riddled 2016 and then had a batting average of .293 in 2017. Consistency is the key. Peralta’s averages by the months of the season last year were .326, .291, .322, .272, .293 and .253. In his third full major league season, expect Peralta to pick up that consistency and become a plus-.300 hitter again.
Matt Layman (social media manager): Peralta has essentially played two full big-league seasons, and his combined average for those two seasons is .302. If he can continue to do what he’s shown that he’s capable of — which includes slashing .324/.377/.504 as the No. 2 hitter last year and leading the league in triples three years ago — then it seems entirely possible that he’s the D-backs’ second-best hitter in 2018.
Craig Grialou (reporter): If you believe in momentum, then Ketel Marte is poised to continue his breakout, end-of-season run from a year ago. Marte batted .412 with one home run and two RBI between the Wild Card game and National League Division Series. Just 24 and now signed to a long-term contract, Marte is only going to get better with each at-bat. He won’t hit for a ton of power and drive in a lot of runs, but the D-backs don’t need that from him. They need him to get on base and score runs, which he is very capable of doing.
Kevin Zimmerman (sports editor): Of the D-backs’ returning players, A.J. Pollock was arguably the second-best position player behind Paul Goldschmidt a year ago. A lot of that has to do with his all-around game, but there was a reason he was a 2015 All-Star. His bat is darn good. Pollock got through recurring groin injuries and is a full season removed from a complex elbow surgery that marred his 2016 season. The power returned to his bat toward the end of last season, and that can mean good things with Pollock healthy heading into 2018.
Which starting pitcher will have the best year outside of Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray?
VM: I’m gonna go with Patrick Corbin. I think Zack Godley has the potential to continue his growth trend, but Corbin, as we’ve seen at different times in his career, has a very high ceiling. Corbin had a five-game stretch in August of last season where he went 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA, and opponents hit .165 off of him. That’s an extreme example of his potential, but he’s also almost four years removed from Tommy John surgery. I think this is his year.
KO: Taijuan Walker’s stats profile for 2017 isn’t something that stands out. He went 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 8.35 strikeouts per nine innings. What he showed, though, was that he keeps his team in games. He allowed over four earned runs in a start just once last season and that outing was for only five earned runs. He only pitched less than five innings twice, but to the other side of the spectrum, went more than six innings just three times. If Walker can build off that balance and produce more starts that last six or more frames, the D-backs will be looking at a terrific middle of the rotation piece who will only get better at 25 years old.
ML: Zack Godley had a tremendous season for the D-backs in 2017, and he finished this year’s spring training on a high note by facing one batter more than the minimum through seven innings on Saturday. He allowed two or fewer runs in 14 of his 25 starts last season, and his 3.37 ERA was third-best on the staff behind Greinke and Ray.
CG: This could be a big year for Taijuan Walker. One, he’s healthy. He had a full offseason to work on his conditioning, something he did not have entering 2017 following foot surgery. Then there is his comfort level. It’s his second year with the D-backs and within the National League, making him more familiar with his surroundings, which should yield better results. And then, there’s not a whole lot of pressure on Walker, at least in terms of having to lead a pitching staff. Scouts have always been impressed with how a baseball comes out of his right hand.
KZ: Tough question, but Zack Godley doesn’t seem like a guy to bet against. One of the more unique pitchers in MLB, few seemed to figure him out last season. Physically, he and Taijuan Walker seem like they can carry a heavy workload without worry, but he’s a little ahead of the curve in terms of building a solid foundation to build on 2017.
Given the recent shake-up in the D-backs’ catching trio, how does the 2018 group compare to 2017’s?
VM: Losing Iannetta’s power – especially to a division foe – hurts. I don’t think people appreciate the impact he had on the 2017 season. But Alex Avila is a solid offensive player. The key is Mathis and his ability to handle the staff. Being in Arizona for a second year and with very few changes in the pitching staff, I think that relationship between battery mates will only be enhanced when Mathis is behind the dish.
KO: I believe the D-backs are going to miss Chris Iannetta a lot more than you’d care to think or admit. Sure, J.D. Martinez abused left-handers, but Iannetta also hit .300 off them and gave Torey Lovullo another clutch bat he could rely on in huge moments. Avila’s numbers have shown a huge drop-off since his 2011 All-Star season in Detroit, but I think he’s fine and Jeff Mathis staying put is a huge plus for the pitching staff.
ML: Going into last season, I figured Chris Herrmann’s 2016 year in which he hit .284 with six home runs and 28 RBI in just 56 games was the foreshadowing of a nice offensive aspect of that catching position. It didn’t turn out that way, and now the team is without both him and Iannetta. For those reasons, the offensive outlook at catcher looks different now than it might have a year ago, but GM Mike Hazen added Avila — plus, it will be interesting to see what John Ryan Murphy is able to do.
CG: Too soon to tell, if we’re being honest. Offensively, not much was expected from this group in 2017, yet Herrmann, Iannetta and Mathis each had their clutch moments. Defensively, Mathis is going to be solid. He’s Zack Grienke’s guy. Avila, I think, will improve, and then there’s his past relationship with Robbie Ray from their days together in Detroit. Whomever is behind the plate in 2018, the D-backs don’t need hitting. They need their pitchers to feel good about whom they’re throwing to.
KZ: Jeff Mathis just hit a double in an exhibition game as I write this, and I’m still a little hesitant to say the situation has improved. Murphy’s major-league resume doesn’t leave much room for optimism regarding his offensive game. Avila has to prove he can manage this staff, and as good as Mathis is in that regard, he would have to produce more offensively and remain healthy to relieve any concerns about the turnover after a hard-to-beat year from the catchers (yes, that’s including Herrmann’s struggles). Losing Iannetta could sting.
