Rojas Blues

 

I mean, honestly, the Diamondbacks could have done a lot worse out of the deadline. Yes, they lose their longtime right fielder, but in a year of indescribable outfield depth. Plus, the guy that used to be the Royals' starting third baseman is now their backup third basemen, but they really won't need him too often because Josh Rojas is heating up. So, all in all, net win.

And they keep Joe Mantiply, so they get to end the year with their all-star intact.

Josh Rojas burst onto my radar this year in May, when he had his 3-homer game against the Cubs. I'd always written Rojas off as a a pale competitor to fellow young Diamondbacks like Daulton Varsho, Pavin Smith and Jake McCarthy, but this season he's proving not only that he can go toe-to-toe with the big guns, but that he can be a true successor for Eduardo Escobar at 3rd base. The team's been trying to figure out with that position for a year, and with their infield options depleted thanks to Nick Ahmed's injury and Sergio Alcantara turning out to be a wash, it is nice to have a guy like Rojas, who's hitting .268 with 31 RBIs. He also has 6 home runs. THREE OF THEM CAME IN ONE DAY. 

It's actually kind of cool how this team is just finding its guys, even as they're low in the standings and have no chance of doing anything this year. People like Jake McCarthy, Rojas and Alek Thomas are just locking into positions, and pretty soon there'll only be a few question marks left. And they're flexible ones, like...Seth Beer will probably BE hitting next year, or Geraldo Perdomo is at least a great DEFENSIVE shortstop. But like...unless people leave, which is possible considering that Christian Walker and Ketel Marte are on this team, this is a pretty confident looking lineup for future runs. 

I mean, let's think about it. They will probably have all of Kelly, Gallen, Bumgarner and Davies next year, and might be holding onto Mark Melancon in the ninth. They still have control of Joe Mantiply and a lot of bullpen pieces for another year or so. Everything that is working about this team now could still be here next year.

...So, like...it could happen. 

The Giants are losing momentum even now, the Rockies are squandering even what they had in order to court Bryant, the field is opening up for a third competitor, and if this team stays as aligned as it is now, of COURSE they could go after a wild card spot next year. I'm seeing so much good pop up on this team, and I really hope they hold onto it this time.

Coming Tonight: Oh, just some #1 draft pick that's finally making a team newsworthy.