Written by David Schoenfield at ESPN.com
The Arizona Diamondbacks don’t receive much national attention, in part because they’ve rarely been good in recent years. Since the end of the Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling era in 2003, the Diamondbacks have made just two playoff appearances in 12 seasons and have just one other season above .500.
So maybe they’re not on your radar for 2016, but the Diamondbacks will be a fascinating and entertaining team to watch. While their playoff hopes took a big hit with the possible season-ending injury to All-Star center fielder A.J. Pollock(broken elbow), look at all the interesting subplots to follow:
- Paul Goldschmidt is the quiet superstar who has two MVP runner-up finishes in the past three years. He hits like Mike Trout but stole more bases than Trout in 2015, and Goldschmidt is the best defensive first baseman in the majors.
- Zack Greinke was the big free-agent signing, coming off a season in which he posted a 1.66 ERA, befuddling batters with his precision location and ability to change speeds on different pitches. His Opening Day start didn’t go well — the Diamondbacks later reported he pitched with the flu — and seeing whether he can live up to his six-year, $206.5 million contract makes him one of the most important players on any team this season.
- Once a minor league pitcher, David Peralta got hurt, returned four years later as an outfielder with Rio Grande Valley in the independent North American League, signed two years later with the Diamondbacks and then blossomed into one of the top hitters in the game in 2015 with a .312/.371/.522 line.
- Cuban Yasmany Tomas signed for $68.5 million on the heels of Yasiel Puig’s and Jose Abreu’s big numbers. His first season with Arizona was a disappointment. What will happen in 2016?
- Nick Ahmed played in the shadow of Andrelton Simmons and Brandon Crawford a year ago, but he’s a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.
- Jake Lamb is a potential breakout performer, a .321 career hitter in the minors with a sweet left-handed swing.
- Daniel Hudson, a 16-game winner on the 2011 playoff team, has fought through two Tommy John surgeries and now throws 96 mph out of the bullpen.
To continue reading this article, click here.
