{"id":56510,"date":"2022-09-06T20:37:23","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T00:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=56510"},"modified":"2022-09-06T20:37:23","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T00:37:23","slug":"young-diamondbacks-producing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/09\/06\/young-diamondbacks-producing\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth Movement Showing Positive Signs as Young Diamondbacks Produce"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Young Diamondbacks Are Producing, and the Veterans Love It<\/h2>\n<p><em>(Editor&#8217;s Note: Stats are through the end of play September 5.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/04\/06\/diamondbacks-preview-2022-improvement-looms\/\" target=\"_self\">Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a>, who finished 52\u2013110 in 2021, are moving in the right direction despite having a losing record in 2022. They are 25\u201317 since the All-Star Break but could easily be 30\u201312. A big reason for their recent run is how well the young Diamondbacks are playing. Jake McCarthy, Emmanuel Rivera, Stone Garrett (small sample size), and Daulton Varsho have had productive seasons at the plate. They make up four of the top seven Diamondbacks in run production. The others, by the way, are Christian Walker (17.0 wRAA), Josh Rojas (7.2 wRAA), and Ketel Marte (5.0 wRAA), who are first, third, and sixth, respectively.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"aXATKsvjTSNZ8xyhocq6UQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1419370321\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'aXATKsvjTSNZ8xyhocq6UQ',sig:'IDdRc1DTS0_GY0CTVfv701qLjyqvDFLtti1sHQV_uGM=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1419370321',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Alek Thomas started well at the plate but has cooled off since July 1, although his performance in the last two weeks has moved him back in a positive direction. Geraldo Perdomo, while producing runs at a clip of 18.0 below average, has still found ways to help the team offensively. He is second in the NL in sacrifice bunts (10) and is tied for ninth in bunt hits (4). Defensively, Thomas has performed at an elite level that should make him a Gold Glove finalist. Perdomo, after a season of growing pains defensively, has made tremendous strides and is progressing towards the top half of the league.<\/p>\n<p>Pitching-wise, Tommy Henry has been a good addition to the rotation, and Kyle Nelson has been one of the most dependable relievers on the club. No one mentioned in these three paragraphs is older than 26, something that the league has noted, and something that the veterans on the club have enjoyed.<\/p>\n<h3>Offensive Stats of the Young Diamondbacks<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"HrR9CesDRyxUIBeKNqQgFQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1416630888\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'HrR9CesDRyxUIBeKNqQgFQ',sig:'g2QTI6Gi88g6h5ezX8LHcpc0lda7t2Plb2yh73D2Uo8=',w:'594px',h:'408px',items:'1416630888',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>McCarthy is the highest run producer of this bunch and second highest on the team. In 75 games, he has slashed .289\/.351\/.462 (65-for-225) with 14 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 18 walks, four hit-by-pitches, 35 RBI, and 41 runs scored. In addition, he has stolen 14 bases in 15 attempts. This has made for a .354 wOBA and 8.7 wRAA.<\/p>\n<p>Right behind him are Garrett, Varsho, and Rivera. Garrett has played 10 games since being called up, so the sample size is limited. However, his early returns have been impressive, as he has slashed .424\/.424\/.818 (14-for-33) with four doubles, three home runs, five RBI, and eight runs scored. His wOBA is .529, giving him 6.3 wRAA. Varsho, in 123 games, has slashed .239\/.309\/.437 (104-for-435) with 20 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 41 walks, five plunks, five sacrifice flies, 61 RBI, and 63 runs scored. This gives him a wOBA of .324 and wRAA of 5.2. Rivera, as a Diamondback, has played in 24 games. He has slashed .250\/.347\/.500 (22-for-88) with seven doubles, five homers, 10 walks, three plunks, 13 RBI, and 18 runs scored. This has given him a wOBA of .367 and 4.6 wRAA. Corbin Carroll (-1.7 in a small sample size), Thomas (-4.8), Alcantara (-7.1), and Perdomo (-18.0) are all below league average in wRAA.<\/p>\n<p>The eight players, as a whole, have a wRAA of -6.8. However, Perdomo is a huge outlier, at -18.0. The other seven have combined for 11.2 wRAA.<\/p>\n<h3>Pitching Stats of the Young Diamondbacks<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"055m6fz9QNd0exdEVwkFHQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1242614160\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'055m6fz9QNd0exdEVwkFHQ',sig:'nDfVznSm1l1r1pIOtynfKDG_gkAA7z0Jq5WVT0GnFPA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1242614160',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tommy Henry had a tough start against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/category\/phillies\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> on Wednesday, August 31, allowing seven runs \u2014 all earned \u2014 in four innings. In his other five starts, he pitched to a 3.25 ERA (78 ERA-minus), 19 strikeouts, 12 walks, and a 1.265 WHIP in 27 2\/3 innings. Left-handed middle reliever Kyle Nelson has been one of the most effective middle relievers in the league. In 40 appearances, Nelson has a 1.51 ERA (37 ERA-minus) with seven runs allowed (six earned), 28 strikeouts, 11 walks, three hit batsmen, and an 0.953 WHIP. He also has a scoreless outing percentage (ScOtg%) of 84.2%, top ten in the NL for relievers with at least 30 appearances.<\/p>\n<h3>Teammate Testimonials<\/h3>\n<p>The veterans have taken notice. Reliever Mark Melancon said, \u201cThe position players have added a burst of excitement \u2014 added some speed and some defense. They\u2019ve been a big sparkplug.\u201d Right-hander Merrill Kelly noted, \u201c\u201cThere has been a different energy, a different mood, on and off the field\u201d as well as in the clubhouse. Kelly added that it especially kicked into gear after the All-Star Break. \u201cThey&#8217;re all playing really good baseball. We\u2019re stealing bags, bunting people over, good plays are being made on defense, with a lot of effort going into it. The team in general, but especially the young guys, had more of a comfortability in their own role. They&#8217;ve had a little bit of time before the All-Star Break. When they came back, I noticed a different energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply likes the talent of the young Diamondbacks call-ups. He also likes how they handle obstacles. \u201cIt seems like guys are making that adjustment pretty well,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cNot too many bumps in the road. There&#8217;s always going to be bumps in the road, even for veteran guys, but they seem to be handling it pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Right-hander Zac Gallen also pointed out how comfortable the young Diamondbacks call-ups are. He pointed out how nerve-racking a player\u2019s first time in the majors can be. He gave the first call-ups of Varsho and McCarthy as examples. Both went back to the minors, retuned their games, and are back probably for good. But this year\u2019s crop is different. \u201cYou&#8217;re seeing more so now that those guys that came up are feeling more comfortable,\u201d he said. \u201c(They\u2019re) understanding they don&#8217;t have to do too much to be successful at this level. And it&#8217;s coming through with their play on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Confidence<\/h4>\n<p>Catcher Carson Kelly noted the confidence of the call-ups. He liked their talent but also that they\u2019ve been themselves since coming up. \u201cThe first time you get called to the big leagues, you\u2019re a little intimidated, but they&#8217;re confident. They know what they need to do. Obviously, there&#8217;s a lot to learn, but I applaud them coming in and showing what they\u2019ve got.\u201d He added that it\u2019s fun to play with the younger players, noting their good relationship with each other stemming from playing so many games together in the minors.<\/p>\n<p>Right-hander Zach Davies, an eighth-year veteran of four major league clubs, has seen more than his share of young call-ups. He likes the confidence of this group. But he\u2019s also observed, \u201cNobody thinks that they&#8217;re \u2018here.\u2019 They know they&#8217;ve got to work. They&#8217;ve got the drive, the want, and desire to get better. It\u2019s not necessarily like many examples in the past that I&#8217;ve seen, but the guys here definitely don&#8217;t have a sense of complacency. It&#8217;s nice to see that they want to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>First baseman Christian Walker has been impressed by \u201chow dynamic these guys have been, from the defense to the offense. Everybody wants to drive in runs and have slug and all that. But for me, seeing these guys come up and not get lost in the hype of playing in the big leagues or trying to play outside of themselves\u2026. I think about McCarthy and AT (Alek Thomas), even a guy like Alcantara, coming up and playing a role, doing what we need them to do really, really well. No more, no less.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Desire to Improve<\/h4>\n<p>Recently released reliever Noe Ramirez liked the way the young Diamondbacks conduct themselves. He sees a desire to work hard and improve. \u201cThey&#8217;re conducting themselves pretty well. They seem to be hard workers. I don&#8217;t see them hanging out in their lockers often. That&#8217;s something that, when I was coming up \u2014 which isn&#8217;t that long ago, 2015 \u2014 was really frowned upon, chilling by your locker, on your phone constantly, or something like that. That&#8217;s not a good look. For me, personally, I don&#8217;t really care what anyone but my teammates and my family thinks of me, so I&#8217;m gonna do everything I can to show my teammates that I&#8217;m about the team and about winning. These guys have been shown that. They&#8217;re a good group of guys who want to learn and are trying to get better every day. It&#8217;s a pretty good core of young guys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed over to their lockers and added, \u201cLook. One guy there right now. That\u2019s what I like to see. What we all like to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These young players are showing that they value hard work and a constant desire to improve. Davies said it\u2019s important for franchises to drive home traits, like this one, that they value. \u201cPretty much the entire year, it&#8217;s been a young team. So there are obviously things that, as an organization, you want to drive home. Values and things that you do on the field as an organization that confirm their identity. But a lot of our guys have come up here, continued to work, and continue to try and get better.\u201d Davies later added that there is \u201ca lot of good development. There are a lot of good guys that have come up and shown that they&#8217;re big-league talent.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Tommy Henry<\/h4>\n<p>Left-handed rookie Tommy Henry has been a nice addition to the rotation, despite being knocked around in his last start. Veteran reliever Ian Kennedy likes the way Henry \u201cattacks the strike zone.\u201d Furthermore, according to Kennedy, \u201cHe&#8217;s pretty polished. You can tell he went to college. Usually the college guys are a little more polished by the time they come out. It&#8217;s not an overpowering fastball, but it&#8217;s deceiving. He can tell how guys take it, and he throws a ton of strikes. He\u2019s got a pretty calm demeanor when he&#8217;s out there, so I like watching that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Merrill Kelly has also seen \u201ca lot of good things\u201d from Henry. He pointed out a key moment from Henry\u2019s debut in Cleveland. \u201cObviously, in the debut, you&#8217;re gonna be a little amped up. First couple innings, I could tell the motors were spinning pretty hard. And I remember around the fourth inning, he might have stepped off the rubber, or maybe took a breath and then when he stepped back on the rubber, for some reason that just jumped out to me. I thought, \u2018Alright, his feet are on the ground.\u2019 Ever since that moment, he&#8217;s been pitching really, really well. He&#8217;s got a good idea of what he wants to do out there. I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s out there just throwing. He&#8217;s got a plan. He has a tendency to have an idea of what he&#8217;s trying to do to guys. So far, I&#8217;ve been impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5>\u201cSuper Comfortable\u201d<\/h5>\n<p>According to Gallen, Henry was \u201csuper comfortable\u201d from the moment he arrived. \u201cObviously, the first start didn\u2019t go how he wanted it to go, but he bounced back pretty well after that.\u201d Galen noted that Henry has faced some \u201ctough lineups\u201d and has also pitched successfully in Coors Field. \u201cUltimately, he kept his wits about him, didn&#8217;t try to do too much, and just made pitches. It&#8217;s one of the more impressive things when you come up as a young guy is to be able to get comfortable as fast as possible. Sometimes it takes a couple of games, sometimes it takes a year. Whatever it is. But it looks like he\u2019s handling himself out there pretty well. It&#8217;s been fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carson Kelly likes the \u201cpoise and command of all his pitches.\u201d He added, \u201cIt seems like every outing he gets a little bit more comfortable and doesn&#8217;t get the deer-in-the-headlights look. You don&#8217;t see that from him \u2014 maybe a little bit in his first start, but not even that much. With the experience he has and the things he brings to the table, he&#8217;s going to continue to grow and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Kyle Nelson<\/h4>\n<p><a id=\"b28RsfstT-ZhmhIIxGAQsQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1413717498\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'b28RsfstT-ZhmhIIxGAQsQ',sig:'4YGlJEgvUgyjitoiHBxfov1nWdbqNVZg9vABao_vwGo=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1413717498',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kyle Nelson, 25, has been another bright spot. He surpassed rookie limits in 2021 and barely has a year of service time. When looking at Nelson and how he conducts himself, however, this seems impossible. \u201cThe guy\u2019s a flatline,\u201d McCarthy chuckled. \u201cHis heartbeat is\u201d (holds hand parallel to the ground). \u201cHe&#8217;s always very serious when he&#8217;s on the mound or when you talk to him. For a young guy, he&#8217;s got an unbelievable ability to keep that at an even keel. Even the other night (against the Brewers) when he wasn&#8217;t finding his spots, he wasn\u2019t rattled at all. I think he was just missing the spot. So I like playing defense behind him.\u201d When told that manager Torey Lovullo thought Nelson was \u201camped up\u201d in his first game back from injury, McCarthy smiled bigger and stated, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t even be sure what amped up <em>is<\/em> for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mantiply has similar observations. \u201cHis ability to kind of control his emotions and always joke around \u2014 he says he\u2019s got the slowest heart rate in the league. Even when stuff seems to be speeding up, he&#8217;s pretty calm and keeps it under control. For somebody his age \u2014he&#8217;s pretty young \u2014 to have that ability is really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy, himself a fun-loving, jovial guy, likes being around \u201cNelly.\u201d He said, \u201cHe\u2019s awesome to hang out with. Pretty even keeled and laid back. Baseball-wise, he\u2019s pretty mature with how he takes things in. He takes the info in and applies it in the game. You know that he&#8217;s very consistent. His demeanor on the mound \u2014 nothing&#8217;s gonna really faze him.\u201d He added that Nelson\u2019s demeanor is \u201cprobably a little more mature than a lot of guys his age.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5>Nelson\u2019s Performance<\/h5>\n<p>Kennedy was not surprised to hear that Nelson has some of the best middle-relief numbers in the National League. \u201cHe&#8217;s got that carry on his fastball. It comes out pretty firm. He&#8217;s got a really good slider and throws a ton of strikes.\u201d Mantiply wasn\u2019t surprised, either, saying that Nelson has a \u201cwipeout\u201d slider and a \u201creally good heater.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Fun to Watch<\/h3>\n<p>Kennedy has enjoyed watching the young Diamondbacks. \u201cUsually, if there&#8217;s a young player, there&#8217;s only one that brings a little spark or some energy because they&#8217;re younger and excited to be here. And they want to make a statement. But we have three. Any time, you have three guys that can be out there. Varsho\u2019s the same way. Rojas is playing the same. It&#8217;s contagious, and you\u2019ve got other guys doing the same thing. It&#8217;s been pretty fun to watch some of the guys, like Stone. Usually guys take a little while to start getting their first hits or producing, at least at the plate. It was fun watching that first game (for Stone) and watching Alek play the outfield. Watching McCarthy make things happen on the basepaths, and just watching him run is impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez also mentioned Rojas, noting his effect on the young Diamondbacks. \u201cJosh is the leader amongst the younger guys. He shows a lot of baseball savvy and is really smart in the field. I think it&#8217;s trickling down to the other guys. Perdomo\u2019s got some pretty good confidence in him. Sergio Alcantara is pretty nifty with the glove and really good out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n<p>Carson Kelly is excited for the future. \u201c(I like) the athleticism of our position players and the poise of some of the pitchers that have come up. We have a lot of guys that have a lot of good talent. You can see them making strides every time they go out there, so it&#8217;s fun to be a part of.\u201d Kelly added that he looks forward to helping them and thinks he\u2019ll also learn from them.<\/p>\n<p>Gallen feels the same way. \u201cObviously, I&#8217;m not going to teach those guys how to hit. But there are times where those guys have a day off or sit on the bench. They may ask me about a sequencing thing. But it goes both ways. It&#8217;s something that we ask those guys, too. We ask how they feel in the box about certain things. The other thing is growing the culture. All the guys in there like hanging out, so continuing that culture of guys going out and getting something to eat on the road or building that brotherhood&#8230;. That culture is one of the more important things as a pitcher when trying to talk our position players.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>A Growing Culture for a Team That\u2019s Fun to Watch<\/h4>\n<p><a id=\"qMB6HSi5TmtHWncaSIZddw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1420039559\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'qMB6HSi5TmtHWncaSIZddw',sig:'C382ZgthEPqLVRJ-uzhHQxhCaCBnkklWjhn5QzDj0HU=',w:'594px',h:'421px',items:'1420039559',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The culture is there and is growing. Kennedy told a story that illustrates this well. \u201cIt&#8217;s been a lot of fun, just to watch all of them. They\u2019ve all played together, are all buddies, and I like to watch them hang out. I walked by them yesterday and made a joke. Teased them a little bit. And they said, \u2018Hiiiiiiiiiiii Ian.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The way he quoted them sounded like it came straight from a 90s episode of <em>Saved by the Bell,<\/em> resembling a group of freshmen saying hi to a popular senior. Laughing with this author, Kennedy continued. \u201cHow old is Alek, 22? He\u2019s 15 years younger than I am. And Stone\u2019s, I think, 26 or 27, something like that. <em>(Note: He&#8217;s 26.)<\/em> But anyway, we have young guys, and they&#8217;re like 10 or 15 years younger than I am. I was in high school, and these kids weren&#8217;t even born yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The surging Diamondbacks are suddenly in the Wild Card hunt. Although it\u2019s a long shot to make it, the team will be entertaining no matter what. Kennedy said, \u201cIt&#8217;s fun watching them play. Watching Alek run it down and make great catches has been a lot of fun. And it&#8217;s contagious. Rojas is stealing bases, making things happen on the base paths. That&#8217;s what this team needs. This team is gonna have to foster and continue developing these guys if we want to turn this around and make things happen for later in the future. Those young guys are gonna be a big part of it. It&#8217;ll be exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Main Photo:<\/h4>\n<p><a id=\"uX_vGY4MSoNynD6XVjNgUg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1421165451\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'uX_vGY4MSoNynD6XVjNgUg',sig:'elMy8McnirveX5VGATV4W2Rfv4iTyXoj6Ak-E4WZgL0=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1421165451',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Players\/managers mentioned:<\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=mccarja02,mccart000jak&amp;search=Jake+McCarthy&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake McCarthy<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/riverem01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emmanuel Rivera<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garrest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stone Garrett<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/varshda01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daulton Varsho<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carroco02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Corbin Carroll<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walkech02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christian Walker<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rojasjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Rojas<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/marteke01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ketel Marte<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomaal01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alek Thomas<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/perdoge01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Geraldo Perdomo<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/henryto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tommy Henry<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nelsoky01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Nelson<\/a>, <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/melanma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Melancon<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellyme01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Merrill Kelly<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mantijo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Mantiply<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/galleza01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zac Gallen<\/a>, <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=kellyca02,kelly-004car&amp;search=Carson+Kelly&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carson Kelly<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davieza02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach Davies<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ramirno01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noe Ramirez<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=kenneia01,kenned002ian&amp;search=Ian+Kennedy&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Kennedy<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/lovulto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Torey Lovullo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alcanse01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sergio Alcantara<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Young Diamondbacks Are Producing, and the Veterans Love It (Editor&#8217;s Note: Stats are through the end of play September 5.) The Arizona Diamondbacks, who finished 52\u2013110 in 2021, are moving in the right direction despite having a losing record in 2022. They are 25\u201317 since the All-Star Break but could easily be 30\u201312. A big [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2901,"featured_media":56511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,2,1071],"tags":[3403,3315,5900,5565,5147,2974,5612,94,5843,5992,5542],"class_list":["post-56510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diamondbacks","category-featured","category-mlb","tag-alek-thomas","tag-daulton-varsho","tag-emmanuel-rivera","tag-geraldo-perdomo","tag-jake-mccarthy","tag-josh-rojas","tag-kyle-nelson","tag-nl-west","tag-sergio-alcantara","tag-stone-garrett","tag-tommy-henry"],"modified_by":"Evan Thompson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2901"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}