The Arizona Diamondbacks have a surplus of starting pitchers for the 2020 season. With only five spots to fill, they currently have eight guys who have started before. With Opening Day of the abbreviated 2020 season a week away let’s look at the starting five. The team has mentioned carrying 15 pitchers to start the year, so that opens a couple of spots they would not have had back in March.
Top Two Starters
This is the signing no one saw coming, adding the three-time World Series Champion back in December when he signed a five-year contract worth $85 million. He comes over from the San Francisco Giants as an established ACE. He lines up to pitch Opening Day on July 24 at San Diego.
Bumgarner has a collection of four pitches. One is a curveball he throws at two different speeds with two different types of movement. His four-seam fastball is in the 90 to 93 mph range. He also has a cutter and a change-up. The fastball and cutter are still his main pitches.
The left-hander has 11 years of starting experience and 119 wins to go along with a career 3.13 ERA. For the post-season, he has pitched in 16 games including 14 starts. He is certainly a unique person with the laid-back personality and in this shortened season he could be just what this team needs.
Another lefty on the roster is Robbie Ray, who will look to be the number two starter. This is season number six for Ray. He mixes up mainly three pitches. He throws a fastball in the 92–95 mph range and has two primary off-speed pitches: a slider and a curveball.
Ray, who cut out dairy and lost 15 pounds, has looked impressive in summer camp, allowing only one run with three walks and 17 strikeouts over 11 innings. He is expected to serve as the Diamondbacks’ No. 2 starter in 2020, with his season debut expected July 25 against San Diego.
The 28-year-old is still young enough to be that dominating pitcher he showed us in 2017 when he won 15 games and had a 2.89 ERA. However, he has since failed to recapture that form. With a new pitching coach and some help from Bumgarner, we will see what he has in store for the 2020 season. Ray is what he is. He will strike out many batters and walk many and he will pitch about five innings, every time out. It will be interesting to see how he is handled each time he starts.
Three, Four, and Five
Last season Luke Weaver pitched a small sample of 12 starts, but he posted a 2.94 ERA in 64 1/3 innings with 69 strikeouts and finished the season with a 4-3 record. An injury to his UCL in May of 2019 revealed that rather than a tear in any of the ligaments, it was only a strain. Weaver and the team chose to rehab the injury instead of opting for surgery. This appears to have been the best choice as the rehab went smoothly. He was able to appear in game action at the end of the season.
Weaver primarily relies on a four-seam fastball in the 93-95 mph range. He was showing a sinker last year that generated an extremely high number of swings and misses while producing many ground balls. That is something that he needs to continue doing, especially at Chase Field.
Zac Gallen started 15 games last year, eight of which came with the Diamondbacks after being acquired from the Miami Marlins. Some might not include him in the starting rotation, but what he showed towards the end of 2019, earns him a spot. Though he finished with a 2-3 record for Arizona, he had a 2.89 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings.
He is all about command and control with a four-pitch selection. His fastball sits in the low-90’s range but can top out at 94 mph. He keeps hitters guessing with a good cutter and knows how to effectively change speeds with his change-up and his curveball. He will throw a lot of strikes and consistently works his pitches in the zone.
With Mike Leake opting out, Merrill Kelly appears to be the guy to get the number five spot and has looked sharp during Summer Camp. Kelly was the team’s workhorse last year, making 32 starts and leading the team with 13 wins. He mixes in five different pitches with his four-seam fastball as the one he uses the most. That fastball tops out at 94 mph. His curve has a sharp downward rotation and he gets the most groundball outs with that pitch. His sinker generates a high number of swings and misses compared to his other pitches.
Other Pitchers to Consider
Alex Young proved in his 2019 rookie season that he can be a back-end starter. He started 15 games and won seven. He looked like a seasoned veteran at times on the mound. Young relies on a three-pitch mix rather than any one true pitch. He can throw all of them for strikes. Even though his fastball is thrown around 91-92 mph it has shown to be effective. He also mixes in a breaking ball and a curveball. The key for Young is the ability to command all three of his main pitches and that is important. Even if he is not a starter, he almost certainly will make the team in the bullpen.
Jon Duplantier is most likely out of the mix for Opening Day (though not ruled out for the season) with some elbow issues appeared in eight games last year, starting three. His fastball usually stays in the 92-94 mph range but showed last season he can reach back for more when needed. The slider he added a few years ago to his selection of pitches might end up being his best secondary pitch. His curve ball is effective as well.
Taylor Clarke is another young pitcher the Diamondbacks showcased in 2019. He appeared in 23 games last season with 15 starts. He went 5-5. Although his ERA was high, he did show some control in a few starts. One thing everyone noticed about him was his mound presence. He carried himself like a big-league starter with his attitude and fiery competitiveness.
Clarke is not a huge strikeout guy. His fastball is in the 91-93 mph range. He showed off a slider and change-up as well last year. His control was above average and the command he displayed with those three pitches showed he can keep the ball down in the strike zone.
Someone Will Miss Out
We know some of these guys will miss out on being a starter but either way, this team appears to be on track to enter the short season with a considerable amount of pitching depth. However, all of this could change quickly as injuries or ineffectiveness could happen in this short season so the pitchers on the extended roster will need to be ready at any time.
View the preview of the relievers here and Evan Thompson‘s position player preview here.
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