Smart Alek

 

I feel like the Arizona Diamondbacks this year are a team that is simultaneously and improvement and a disappointment. On one hand, there's a lot of promise from younger players, like Daulton Varsho, Alek Thomas, Josh Rojas and Jake McCarthy. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks have had Dallas Keuchel for four starts, and after his 9.64 ERA proves that he doesn't have much to work with this season, they're still going with him because they need innings-eaters. 

It's like if a Weight Watchers plan gave you four days of low-calories, grilling over frying and white meat, and one day of donuts, wings and pepperoni pizza. And then you ask 'why do I suddenly have heartburn?'

The D-Backs aren't the worst. I mean, the Rockies have lapped them in the standings and they've lost 6 of their last 8 [I wrote this Friday night], but there's still a lot of promising details to this team. One of them is Alek Thomas, the hard-hitting outfielder who came up earlier this year and is hitting .254 with 7 homers and 22 RBIs in 59 games. My dad saw him play against the Phils last month and says he just looks like a great ballplayer, with a strong build and a great swing. While the D-Backs at least have Varsho, Marte, Walker and Pavin Smith to carry things for a bit, don't be surprised if Thomas becomes a long-running standout for Phoenix in a few years. 

I also do like that even as a last-place team with barely any playoff prospects, the Diamondbacks still have a sturdy trio of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Madison Bumgarner who they can trust to go 6 or so innings and not make too many mistakes. Bumgarner must miss the higher-stakes days of playing in San Francisco, but he's still relied upon as a major starting player, and he has equal contemporaries, so he's still honestly not doing too bad. I think things have gotten a little shakier since Zach Davies got hurt and the aforementioned Keuchel residency began, but it's more rotation reassurance than a lot of teams have right now.

Thing is, I'm not sure if people are gonna get dealt or not. There's not a lot of these guys that have been talked about in conversations about trades, and therefore I'm really not sure who's sticking around. I guess I should assume all the big pieces are staying put? Maybe Peralta or Mantiply leave? It's really hard for me to say. I think enough will stick around for this team to build on this season and work towards potentially competing down the line, but I don't know which parts of this team are the ones the GM is thinking of pinning down.

Coming Tonight: A hard-hitting first baseman for a last place team that's making waves.