2014 Season Report (80 Games)

With the half-way point just behind us the Diamondbacks' season is looking very different. A year that had started out so poorly is suddenly full of promise and the Wild Card is in reach. A hot streak has landed Arizona in 9th (44-36), 5th in the NL and just barely above the Marlins and Braves for the final Wild Card slot. 2nd in the NL West is basically a lock with the rest of the division owning the bottom of the NL (13th through 15th) and ranking as some of the worst in baseball (25th, 26th, and 28th). Colorado, Los Angeles, and San Diego are gearing up for the future, but Arizona is still trying to hang on for one last shot.


The offense has remained steady overall, but the big story is the explosion of power from Carlos Santana. Still hitting a shameful .204, Santana went to town on pitchers by hitting as many HR in June (6) as the first two months combined. Santana also hit a healthy .308 in June after hitting around .160 from March to May.

Santana might be turning his season around.

Santana's burst in production has helped cover for Aaron Hill slowing down and the recent injury to Chris Owings. Owings will be out until mid-July, but JJ Hardy has (finally) started hitting HRs to go with his healthy batting average (.294), so Arizona should have some cover until Owings returns. The other big story was Matt Adams clubbing the ball like crazy, also hitting 6HR in the moth of June. Adams has been dealing with defensive shifts all season by hitting weak singles to the opposite field, which explains his toothless .324 average, hopefully he can keep the power coming. Peter Bourjos has basically been excommunicated, now being left out of the lineup in favor of Ender Inciarte who's feeble BA (.238) is slightly higher than Bourjos' (.204) but comes with the same SB upside. The outfield continues to be a mess, but winning can make those kind of issues seem smaller.

The pitching staff continues to be the Diamondbacks' weakest point, but at the very least the starters are picking things up. Once an afterthought behind Gonzalez, Kennedy, and Corbin, Jake Arrieta is having an incredible breakout season. The 28-year-old Arrieta is 5-1 with a 1.81ERA / 1.01WHIP and 74K in 11 starts. He has flirted with no-hitters deep into games twice, and has struck out 9 or more in his last four starts. Arrieta is helping management get over trading away Phil Hughes, but they are going to need him to keep it up if the Wild Card is a reality.

Jake Arrieta has been amazing.

Gio Gonzalez is back from the DL, and the Alvarez-Kennedy duo continue to exceed expectations. RA Dickey is still struggling, but his ERA/WHIP have becomes a bit more respectable and his continued presence will be vital in making it to October.