Arizona Diamondbacks

Daniel Collins

Written by: Daniel Collins

Last Updated:

Read Time: 3 minutes

The Arizona Diamondbacks were founded in 1998 alongside the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Diamondbacks are located in Phoenix and play at Chase Field. The team has always been owned by managing partner Ken Kendrick. Though the team did not have a great first season, they were quickly able to become one of the better playoff teams in the MLB, as in their second season they would reach 100 wins behind the acquisition of future hall of fame pitcher Randy Johnson, known for his blistering fastball speeds. Though they would lose in the first round, this would be the start of great things for the team. The next offseason, the team would pick up another star pitcher, Curt Schilling, to give them the most dangerous rotation in the league between him and Johnson. Together, these two would lead the team through many crucial playoff games and would eventually get them to the World Series in the 2000 season, where the Diamondbacks were able to defeat the New York Yankees in seven games. After this great run, the team would see one more postseason that ended unsuccessfully and they would eventually decline into no longer being a postseason team. The Diamondbacks ended up trading away both Johnson and Schilling in 2005, and the rebuild had officially begun in Arizona. The team would reach the playoffs two more times after this rebuild, but would not be able to return to the World Series.

The current manager for the Diamondbacks is Torey Lovullo.

Notable Players

Randy Johnson is almost synonymous with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The five-time Cy Young Winner and co-world series MVP (with Curt Schilling) is known for his speedy pitches and consistent play. Johnson leads the franchise in innings pitched, runs per 9 innings, earned runs, games started, WAR, and shutouts. Johnson played 8 seasons with the Diamondbacks and had the best ERA in the league in four separate seasons.

Keeping on the theme of pitching, Curt Schilling is another great for the Diamondbacks. The three time World Series champion and Co-World Series MVP may have only played four seasons with the Diamondbacks, in the tail-end of his career, but helping the team win the World Series has already cemented him as a great for the franchise.

As far as batting goes, the best all time batter for the Diamondbacks is probably Luis Gonzales. The five time all-star and silver slugger award winner leads the franchise in runs scored, RBIs, hits, appearances, and HRs. Gonzales played with the team for eight seasons and was vital to their championship in 2001.

Paul Goldschmidt was also a great Diamondback hitter, as he leads the team in on base percentage and put up great consistent numbers for the Diamondbacks. Goldschmidt was drafted by the team in 2011 and played with them until 2018 when he moved to the Cardinals. Goldschmidt was an all-star 5 seasons with the Diamondbacks and finished top three in MVP voting on three occasions with the team.

The Present/Future

Currently, the Diamondbacks are a bottom feeder in the NL West. Though the team is relatively young, there is not much standout talent that fans are looking forward to breaking out. For the Diamondbacks, it will be about their farm and ability to develop prospects, as blockbuster trades and free agent signings may be hard to come by in Arizona. The team will still have its moments now and then, but consistent coaching and development will be necessary in order for the team to get back to the World Series caliber team it once was near its inception. Consistency will be the key to Arizona’s future.