Previewing the Arizona Diamondbacks' Outfield Unit

The Arizona Diamondbacks - and the rest of MLB - are on the cusp of Opening Day on March 27.

As Arizona's 26-man roster begins to take shape, the D-backs and their fans will welcome some new faces, and welcome back some familiar ones.

Ahead of Opening Day, Diamondbacks On SI will take you through each position group, breaking down the regular starting-caliber players, and evaluating the depth options should injury or underperformance occur.

And so we begin, with perhaps one of the most firework-heavy units on the club, the outfield:

Starters

Corbin Carroll-RF-CF

The man who needs no introduction, 2023 Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll is hoping for a better start to 2025. After struggling to stay above the Mendoza line in the first half of 2024, Carroll turned his season around to the tune of a .749 OPS, 22 home runs and 74 RBI.

But in 2025 Spring Training, Carroll slashed .378/.439/.784 with four impressive homers, a double and a triple, and looks to be closer to his powerful 2023 form than the struggles of 2024. Carroll's performance will be crucial in the coming season, as the star outfielder projects to be one of the driving forces of a high-end offense.

Jake McCarthy-CF-LF-RF

McCarthy was an impressive success story in 2024, hitting .285/.349/.400 and emerging as a top contributor to 2024's MLB-leading offense. The power in his bat hasn't quite shown itself to this point, and he started out poorly this spring, but his combination of speed and contact ability should allow him to contribute to at least a decent degree in 2025.

He turned his spring around to a .269./309/.404 slash, and has begun to show defensive development in center field. McCarthy should get plenty of starts this coming season.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.-LF

Gurriel wasn't the most consistent member of the 2024 Diamondbacks, but when he's healthy and hot, he can be a force. He slashed .279/.322/.435 with 18 homers last season after signing an extension ahead of 2024.

Gurriel hit .324/.350/.432 with a double and a homer this spring, and will figure to be the everyday left fielder once more in 2025. While Arizona's offense can easily withstand a slump from Gurriel, a hot bat for the veteran outfielder would be a great sign for the D-backs.

Randal Grichuk-Corner OF

The D-backs reunited with Grichuk in the offseason, signing him to another one-year deal with a 2026 option. Grichuk was an underrated contributor in 2024, hitting .291/.348/.528 with 12 homers in a limited platoon role.

He hit .324/.378/.647 with three long homers in the spring, and looks as sharp as ever. While he'll certainly take some reps at DH along with Pavin Smith, look for Grichuk to get a decent amount of outfield starts, and perhaps some expanded playing time in 2025, depending on how the rest of the outfield shakes out.

Alek Thomas-CF

At 24 years old, Thomas is already responsible for some of the most clutch, memorable moments in D-backs' history. Unfortunately, that energy hasn't carried through to consistency at the plate. Thomas hit just .189/.245/.358 while struggling with injury in 2024, and has hit only .167/.271/.238 in 49 spring plate appearances.

There's no question about his defense, as Thomas is a former Gold Glove finalist with a myriad of highlight-reel plays in center field, but he'll need to find some sort of rhythm offensively if he wants to be afforded frequent big league starts.

Depth

Beyond the regular starters, the D-backs' outfield depth actually begins in the majors.

Pavin Smith will primarily serve as the left-handed half of the DH, or the backup first baseman. But he does have plenty of outfield experience, and he enjoyed a breakout season in 2024. Smith slashed .270/.348/.547 with nine homers in extremely limited playing time, and hit .302/.388 /.488 with two more homers in this year's Cactus League.

Garrett Hampson's addition to the major league roster on Sunday as the winner of the utility role was partially a result of the fact that he can play the outfield as well as the infield. The speedy Hampson slashed .230/.275/.300 with the Kansas City Royals last year, but improved that to a .300/.396/.375 in 48 plate appearances in Spring Training.

Jorge Barrosa would likely be the first of the D-backs' minor league options to see a call-up. The diminutive switch-hitter got his first taste of MLB action in 2024, but hit just .176 over just eight games before dealing with injury trouble. He's hit well this Spring, slashing .320/.433/.480, and his speed awards him the ability to leg out singles and steal extra bases, as well as play solid outfield defense.

Cristian Pache only got into nine Cactus League games, and only received 14 plate appearances, while also dealing with an injury. Pache did collect three base hits, and is a speedy defense-first outfielder. He hit .200/.273/.279 in 2024 with the Phillies, Orioles and Marlins.

Other minor league options expand out to A.J. Vukovich, superutility Tim Tawa, and even a potential flip for Blaze Alexander to get reps in the outfield. Alexander is currently down with an oblique injury, and it's not exactly a sure thing that he'll be in the outfield mix once healthy, but he's a name to watch.