Tommy Pham Provided a Spark in the Second Half and Playoffs
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.
Tommy Pham 2023 stats with the Diamondbacks and his overall career stats.
Jake Oliver
The Arizona Diamondbacks needed a right-handed hitting outfielder or designated hitter at the trade deadline. They were leaning too left-handed heavy and GM Mike Hazen knew this. Plus, the D-backs were in sore need of some impact power that could put runs on the with one swing. So, Hazen went to the Mets who were in the midst of a massive sell-off at the deadline. He dealt 17-year-old prospect, Jeremy Rodriguez, for Tommy Pham and cash. At the time, Pham was hitting .268/.348/.472/.820 with 15 doubles, 10 home runs, 36 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a strong 124 OPS+ over 79 games.
Pham was brought in to serve as the designated hitter and play in the outfield occasionally as a means of resting Gurriel Jr, Thomas, or Carroll. Although Pham struggled to get on base in his first month with Arizona, he was still able to provide an impact with his bat. Over 24 games, Pham had 23 hits including six doubles, a triple, and three home runs to go with 17 RBI. The concern was the strikeouts. He struck out 26 times to just six walks which limited his ability to get on base. Still, Pham had a .712 OPS which was better than what the D-backs were getting from their DH spot most of the season.
Pham caught fire when the calendar turned to September. From the 1st to the 14th, Pham hit .308/.357/.577/.934 with eight extra-base hits including three home runs and nine RBI. The strikeouts were still a factor as he struck out 12 times over 13 games, but he was doing exactly what the D-backs needed him to do. He provided a power surge to the team's contact-oriented offense.
Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks and Pham, he slumped badly for the final two weeks of the regular season. Over the final 13 games of the season, he hit just .167/.276/.229/.505 with only two extra-base hits and six RBI. However, he saw the ball well at the plate with eight walks to 12 strikeouts. This was more an indication of the luck that affects baseball where sometimes the ball just doesn't drop in for a hit.
Pham ended the regular season with a wRC+ of 92 (100 is league average), a .322 wOBA, and a strikeout rate with the D-backs of 23%. He walked 8.3%. Both of those numbers were going the wrong direction when compared to his Mets' numbers. However, one has to wonder if Pham is unable to DH when compared to playing in the field. With the Mets, Pham often would play in the field. His walk rate was 11%, strikeout rate was 21.2%, and his wRC+ was 125 which is solidly above average.
This is further proven right when you look at the splits Pham had with the Diamondbacks when he would DH and play in the field. In the field, Pham hit .320/.366/.544/.910 with a .223 ISO and a wRC+ of 143. He struck out a supremely low 15.2% of the time. This was the impact bat that the D-backs needed and wanted at DH, however. Abysmally, Pham was nearly unplayable at DH. Over 105 plate appearances, Pham hit just .152/.238/.272/.510 with a 31.4% strikeout rate. His ISO power was a below-average .120 and his wRC+ was 38.
When the playoffs came, one could expect that since Pham would continue to be a regular DH this trend would continue. However, Pham turned it on. Pham was one of the D-backs best playoff hitters. Over their 16-game run, Pham hit .279/.297/.475/.772. He had two four-hit games including the D-backs Game Two World Series win. He had four multi-hit games while hitting in the middle of the order.
2024 Status and Outlook:
Tommy Pham is entering his age-36 season and is a free agent. There have been zero reports that the Diamondbacks and Pham have engaged in any kind of contract talks. This is likely due to a report that came out weeks ago that Pham wanted to sign with a team that would play him in the outfield often instead of at DH. This makes sense as it's clear that Pham does far better in the field than as the guy who stays on the bench nearly the whole game. However, at his age, it's going to be interesting to see who will give him that contract and playing terms. It's possible that Pham will have to settle for a one-year deal with a rebuilding team and hope for a deadline trade once again. Still, Tommy Pham can be an impact bat for another team. It just won't be with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.
