Diamondbacks 2023 Player Review: Drey Jameson
This article is part of a series of player reviews for the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a surprising and marvelous year for the team as they won 84 games to make the postseason. They advanced to Game Five of the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. There are 54 players in all that had at least one at-bat or pitched at least one inning for the team this past season. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR (average WAR-Wins Above Replacement) produced, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR. These are their season stories.
Drey Jameson had a good 2023 before it was cut short due to injury, but the potential remains tantalizing.
Jake Oliver
Drey Jameson entered the 2023 season off of a standout cup of coffee in MLB in 2022. Over his four games started, Jameson had a 1.48 ERA, went 3-0, and struck out 24 while walking seven in 24.1 innings. His FIP was a strong 3.19. Thus, there was a lot of hope for him entering Spring Training to snag a spot in the starting rotation. However, a rough Spring Training saw him relegated to long-relief in the bullpen. Over the first couple of weeks in the season, it went quite well for him.
In his three games, including a huge four-inning stint that won the D-backs a game against the Dodgers, Jameson went 2-0 with a save. He pitched 8.1 innings and had a 2.16 ERA. Although, due to two home runs given up, five walks, and only eight strikeouts, his FIP was a worrisome 6.26.
After those three appearances, Jameson was moved into the starting rotation. This was concerning as pitchers who are constantly moved between the rotation and bullpen could be more susceptible to injuries. Jameson didn't fare nearly as well in the rotation, although one could argue he would've been better had he started the season there.
Still, he had a 5.19 ERA, and 5.33 FIP over just 8.2 innings across three starts. He walked seven, allowed five runs, nine hits, and struck out eight. This included his final start which was proven disastrous against the Padres in late April. In only an inning of work, he gave up three hits, three runs, and three walks with a strikeout. Following this outing, he was optioned to the Reno Aces.
While with the Aces for a little over a month, Jameson compiled a 5.79 ERA over 28 innings and five starts with 11 walks and 24 strikeouts. Due to the D-backs needing bullpen help, this was good enough to get him recalled to work out of the pen once again.
This move excelled for Jameson as from late May to early July, Jameson was a shutdown multi-inning reliever. Over his nine outings and 23.2 innings, Jameson allowed just eight runs, and six walks, and struck out 21 batters. While the home run ball was a factor, his ERA was a standout 3.04 and his FIP was an encouraging 4.02.
Unfortunately for Jameson, he would depart his last outing on July 6th due to what was initially believed to be a wrist injury. However, it would be discovered that it was his UCL that was damaged. After attempting to treat with rest and injections failed to provide the right outcome, Jameson underwent Tommy John Surgery in September.
Jameson had a puzzling season according to the advanced stats and splits. He was far better against opposite-sided batters. Right-handers hit at a .795 OPS clip off of him. Left-handed batters had just a .712 OPS. His ERA for the season was 3.32 but his xERA was a much worse 5.62. His FIP was 4.76 and his xFIP was 4.71. So the underlying peripherals and batted ball metrics did not support his ERA.
Another surprising statistic is that Jameson was great in high-leverage moments in the game. In these moments, he allowed a .095 batting average with just a .262 OPS. In low-leverage moments, he allowed a horrible .337 batting average and .974 OPS. Jameson is an emotional player who is hyper competitive, so it's possible this is a genuine trait he possesses. It's definitely something to keep a look out for one his sample size increases.
One last surprising stat is that Jameson pitched far better at home than on the road. At home, he had a 3.04 ERA over 26.1 innings. On the road, with a small sample size of just 14 innings, he had a 3.86 ERA. Perhaps the humidor of Chase Field helped contain his fly-ball tendencies. These stats with his excellent results out of the bullpen would seem to indicate that Jameson is better utilized as a multi-inning late-game weapon for Manager Torey Lovullo's bullpen.
2024 Status and Outlook:
Drey Jameson is entering his age-26 season, one in which he's likely to miss the entire season. This is due to his recovery from Tommy John Surgery. It's possible he could return at the end of the 2024 season, but the likelier outcome is that he returns for Spring Training in 2025. It's unknown whether the Diamondbacks will push him to be a starting pitcher or a reliever in the future. The advanced stats would seem to indicate a reliever path, but the D-backs need more starting pitching. He won't be arbitration-eligible until the end of 2025. He won't reach free agency until 2029. Jameson likely remains on the Injured List accruing service time all of next season. Only time will tell if he will stay on the active roster once he's healthy.
