So, you’re a D-backs fan.
You screwed up.
You know what you did was wrong. The question is, how are you going to make things right?
It’s been a tough road over the last 20 years for D-backs fans. For a franchise that experienced so much success so early on, things have been lean lately. Arizona has only made the playoffs on four occasions in that time frame, with three NL West Division titles and one Wild Card berth. We’re four years removed from their last playoff appearance. Even Captain American couldn’t save this team from hitting rock bottom in 2021, as they were setting one dubious losing record after the next.
Between the terrible year, the offseason labor dispute, and a lack of ulterior motives to go to Chase Field, it’s understandable for even the most dedicated fan to need a recap on the state of this team. In this guide, we will give you all of the reasons why you should care — and maybe a few reasons why we understand if you don’t — about the D-backs’ 2022 season.
The team
The expectations for this team are very low coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history. But in their defense, the D-backs were decimated by injuries in 2021. Some blame could be placed on the front office for not providing them with enough depth to be competitive. At one point, Tim Locastro was the backup for three positions on the depth chart. However, general manager Mike Hazen has committed to the future stars of this team from their farm system playing a major role in their plans this year.
Fans in Arizona have the luxury of seeing so much baseball. One of the most fulfilling parts of being a baseball fan is watching your guys come up through the system. D-backs fans have the opportunity to see young players like Cooper Hummel blossom all the way from the Arizona Fall League to making his major league debut at Chase Field, where his first big league hit was a home run. The D-backs will not only be bringing their star prospects like Hummel and Alek Thomas up this year, but they will be leaning heavily on them to help the team win games.
So what do we expect in 2022? Improvement. The only expectation is to see this team improve from what was hopefully their lowest point in 2021. While the only free agent household names that were added were closer Mark Melancon and old friend Ian Kennedy to the backend of the bullpen, the D-backs are gambling on their new coaching hires transforming their current players and upcoming talent into a competitive baseball team.
The coaches
Instead of spending money on high-priced free agents, the D-backs focused on bringing in an All-Star caliber coaching staff around manager Torey Lovullo. Legendary pitching coach Brent Strom came over from Houston with a pedigree that is hard to match. He has already been hard at work since the day he was hired, gathering information on every pitcher in the organization. His influence can already be seen in the performances from the starting rotation in Week 1.
Bench coach Jeff Bannister brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Lovullo’s side. Once named AL Manger of the Year for the Texas Rangers, Bannister on the bench is like having a second manager for this squad. His time with both the Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates focused on building teams through the farm system.
Hitting coach Joe Mather has the tallest task when it comes to turning the offense around. Almost every single player had a down season last year offensively. Mather’s ability to improve players’ approaches at the plate is proven by his time with the Cincinnati Reds. While the struggles have continued early this season, the patience at the plate is there. The D-backs currently lead the league in walks per game at 5.50.
The good
The future of this team looks good. Really good. MLB.com ranked Arizona’s farm system fourth-best in baseball with four prospects making it to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.
Thomas was the D-backs’ minor league player of the year in 2021. He set career highs in runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs while slashing .313/.394/.559 in 106 games. He looks to make his major league debut this season.
Jordan Lawlar is already having an incredible season for the Visalia Rawhide. The 19-year-old shortstop has nine hits in his first four games. Corbin Carroll, the D-backs’ second overall prospect behind Thomas, is slashing .333/.440/1.059 with two home runs in five games with the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
These youngsters are the core of the D-backs’ future, and they will all be a part of the major league club within two years. D-backs fans should familiarize themselves with them now.
The bad
Things don’t seem to work out for the D-backs when it comes to free-agency acquisitions for the bullpen. New closer Mark Melancon has not been very good this season. The 37-year-old righty who led the league in saves last year has had problems finding the strike zone. He hasn’t had a good outing yet, allowing five hits and two runs in three innings of work. The D-backs need Melancon to return to form if they plan on having any kind of shot at being a competitive team this year. The back end of their bullpen was the main focus for Hazen.
Meanwhile, they completely neglected third base. At one point, the law firm of Van Meter, Ellis and Rojas was the plan. Now Josh Van Meter has been designated for assignment, Drew Ellis has been sent down to Triple-A Reno, and Josh Rojas is out with a strained oblique. Third base is a complete disaster right now for Arizona. Infielders Sergio Alcantara and Yonny Hernandez were both recent acquisitions the D-backs made to fill in the gaps due to injury.
The ugly
The D-backs have already been bitten by the injury bug, which devoured this team in 2021. Nick Ahmed, Jordan Luplow, Zac Gallen and Josh Rojas have all missed time this season due to various injuries. It was a recurring nightmare for this fanbase last year and something that immediately should terrify any of us after what we experienced. At times, Lovullo could barely field a team due to the lack of depth. The troublesome part is that the 2022 squad isn’t much deeper. Injuries could plague this team in the same this year, and calling in reinforcements from the minor leagues too early could jeopardize a young player’s development.
But if any of those guys can hit a baseball, we will take them on the big league team. Because at it stands, players not named Seth Beer are really struggling at the dish. While walks are way up, hits are few and far between. This team was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in their win against the Astros. It was atrocious. While the pitching has kept them in nearly every game, the bats straight up refuse to participate. The most confounding part is it seems to be a team-wide epidemic. If they can’t get their offense on track, it’s going to be a long season of low-scoring losses.
The food
After a two-year hiatus due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, the big ballpark food you’ve come to know and love is back at Chase Field. New items, like the Arizona Diamondbacks Dog and the Buffalo Chicken Sidewinder, will give foodies everything they’ve been missing and a taste of our southwest region.
In what has become a somewhat controversial move, the D-backs have announced a Versus Dog for every series this year. This hot dog will be named after the opposing team and will feature toppings and flavors from their region. Some people feel like this goes too far to cater to opposing fans at our home field. We implore you to realize it’s not that deep. Not only does this increase the variety of options at Chase Field, but it gives season ticket-holders a new item to look forward to every series.
D-backs fans should never let the hatred for the opposing team’s laundry get in the way of a delicious meal.
The fun
The path to happiness for a D-backs fan in 2022 lies in enjoying the little moments. We’ve already seen this team struggle offensively in the first week of the season to a 2-4 record. But we also got to see Seth Beer’s heroic walk-off on what was both Opening Day and National Beer Day, a story so perfect you couldn’t even script it. We also saw a less exciting walk-off error win in extra innings to split their two-game series with the nefarious Astros.
The fun in watching this team will rely on your ability to enjoy these moments and have the same patience with this organization that the players are showing at the plate. No, they probably won’t sniff the playoffs this year. Or next. It may take two more seasons before we see this team compete.
But in the meantime, we get to see the rise of players like Beer, Hummel and Thomas. We get to see Lawlar and Carroll hopefully continue doing what they’re doing in the minors at a major league level soon. We get to ride through the dark days with this team that we call the present to hopefully reach greener pastures and happier times.
Who knows what the immediate future for this team holds? Many experts predict they won’t win more than 70 games. Perhaps those low expectations and doubt can be the chip on the shoulder this team needs to reach those happier times sooner than we expect…which is exactly why this season could be so much fun to watch.
