15 Greatest Diamondbacks Outfield Seasons: Part 3
In part 1 and part 2 of the outfield portion of the of the greatest single seasons by a Diamondback we saw a mix of defense heavy and offense heavy seasons. While all of the top five seasons in this installment included above average to excellent defense, it was mostly about prowess with the bat that got them to the top five in these rankings.
As with previous iterations, we are only counting a player once, even if he had multiple seasons among the top 15. We use that player's greatest season then. Objective statistical measures are relied upon of course, but this is not a straight WAR ranking. Subjective factors, intangibles, team success and even "clutch" are all considered as equally if not more important than a few decimal points difference in WAR.
Number 5: Steve Finley 1999
Steve Finley's first season with the Diamondbacks was his best overall season in terms of WAR. This is in large part due to his defense that year. His offense was actually slightly better in 2000, but the defensive runs saved dropped off from +17 to +3. Aside from that, it's pretty easy to pick to a 30 homer, 100 Runs, 100 RBI season from a centerfielder on a 100 win playoff team as one of the best outfielders in D-backs franchise history.
Finley's power tended to come in outbursts that year. He had a three homer, six RBI game on September 8th in a 9-1 victory against the Brewers. Overall he had seven multi homer games. Only Mark McGwire had more that year with nine.
Number 4: Justin Upton, 2011
2011 was Justin Upton's best season as a Diamondback. He made the all star team, finished 4th in the MVP balloting, and won the silver slugger for right field.
It needs to be remembered that 2011 was a low point for run scoring in the NL, with just 4.13 R/G compared to 5.00 R/G in 1999 for example. (There were 4.34 R/G scored in the 2022 season). While his raw unadjusted .898 OPS ranked 13th in franchise history among outfielders, his 141 OPS+ ranks 6th. Adjusting for environment therefore is important to evaluation.
Another often overlooked aspect of Upton's season was he was very good in Late and Close situations, batting .308 with a .955 OPS including five homers and 16 RBI in 91 such at bats. Finally while he was often criticized for defensive miscues, in this phases of his career his ability to cut off extra base hits in the gap more than made up for his occasional gaffes, leading to +3 defensive runs saved. Justin Upton had a great season on a division winner in 2011. He was traded after playing through injury the entirety of the 2012 season.
Number 3: A.J. Pollock 2015
In 2015 A.J. Pollock had one of the best all around seasons in franchise history. His 6.9 WAR is tied for the second best total. He hit for average, hit for power, and was excellent in centerfield and on the base paths.
His splits page shows how enormously consistent he was that year. He hit over .300 with power against both righties and lefties, and was just as good home and away. He also hit over .300 with runners in scoring position, and was great in Late and Close, batting .359 with a 1.091 OPS in 114 PA in those situations.
This was the only fully healthy season of Pollock's career, and the only other times he qualified for the batting title was just last year and the Pandemic shortened season of 2020. But it was easy to see just how great an all around player he could be when he was on the field unimpeded by injury.
Number 2: Ketel Marte, 2019
Some may quibble with Marte's placement here, but it's important to remember this was before the back and hamstring issues that have plagued him in recent seasons. He played more than half his innings in centerfield that year and rated slightly above or below average at that position, depending on the metric of choice. (+4 rDRS but -3 OAA)
When two players have similar total WAR values we've tended the favor the player who got there with the higher offense, and that is the case here. Marte's OPS was .116 points higher than Pollocks and his OPS+ was 19 points higher. The only higher OPS+ by a D-backs outfielder came from Luis Gonzalez in 2001 and J.D. Martinez in just 62 games in 2017. Ketel made the All Star team and finished 4th in the MVP voting.
Number 1: Luis Gonzalez, 2001
"Gonzo's" placement here will be a surprise to no one. His iconic 2001 season was by far the greatest season by an outfielder in Diamondbacks history. He began the year by tying a then record 13 homers in April and never looked back. The only season by any position player that even comes close is Paul Goldschmidt's 8.3 WAR at first base in 2015. But in terms of impact and historical importance, it's impossible to argue Gonzo's year as #1 overall.
His 57 homers are by far the most in franchise history, besting second place Mark Reynolds by 13. His 174 OPS+ is six points better than Goldschmidt's 2015 mark. His 142 RBI are tied with Matt Williams 1999 total. Gonzo was still an above average fielder at this stage of his career as well.
And for overall impact, nothing tops this.
Here is the list for all time seasons by a D-backs outfielder, minimum 100 PA, ranked by WAR
