Brandon Pfaadt Emerging as Key Stabilizer in Diamondbacks’ Rotation

Brandon Pfaadt has been a model of consistency in the Diamondbacks' rotation in 2025. The right-hander has pitched into the sixth inning or later in all six of his starts, completing six innings in five of them. He's won five straight starts and is taking the next step toward becoming a reliable innings-eater in the middle of Arizona's rotation.

"The fact that he's 5-1 is not surprising," said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. "We have an unbelievable rotation, so I feel like every day we have a stopper."

Pfaadt's emergence as a dependable workhorse has come at a time when there are still some rotation questions for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen has struggled and Corbin Burnes hasn't quite found his dominant form just yet. Arizona has gotten solid outings from the bottom half of their rotation to keep them afloat at 15-13.

Dependability is a key trait for a starting pitcher, taking pressure off the rest of the team. It's a much different mindset for a team knowing they have a good chance to win on that day, something Pfaadt has given the Diamondbacks since his coming out party in the 2023 postseason.

In that postseason, he started key games in the team's run to the World Series. He pitched to a 3.27 ERA over 22 innings as a rookie, starting the closeout games in the National League Division Series and Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. He followed that up with 32 starts in 2024, pitching to a 4.71 ERA, but more importantly 181.1 innings in a year where the starting rotation was battling injuries.

Since the start of the 2024 season, Pfaadt has logged the 12th most innings (217.1) among major league starters. While his 4.39 ERA over that time isn't anything special, he posted a 3.66 FIP, suggesting he's been somewhat unlucky. His strikeout rate of 23.5% and walk rate of 5.3% are both better than the major league averages of 22.8% and 8.4%, respectively, showing that he is exceptional at putting away hitters and avoiding free passes.

"It's quality start after quality start, and he doesn't do that by accident," said Lovullo. "He knows how to attack zones with different pitches and he manages the at-bat really well. So I'm not surprised when we need a big out, he makes a big pitch and ends up getting the job done."

His best performance may have come Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves. With the team reeling from a four-game losing streak where the defense has been subpar and the bullpen has struggled, Pfaadt put the team on his back. He recorded his fourth quality start of the year in what was a wire-to-wire win.

"I think we limited their power hitters, their main hitters, middle of the order pretty well today," said Pfaadt. "Felt like we made some good pitches. We limited their power guys pretty well today and we were able to get them out and limit damage."

The hitters Pfaadt was referring to were Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies. Collectively, they went 2-for-12 at the plate against the Diamondbacks' starter with a double and a single. Pfaadt induced two double plays from Ozuna, one in the air and the other on the ground, to help keep the Braves off the scoreboard.

As the Diamondbacks tried to squeeze another inning out of Pfaadt, the right-hander ran into some trouble in the seventh inning. After the leadoff hitter reached on a play that wasn't made at third base, he surrendered back-to-back hits to the eighth and ninth hitters. Despite his start ending on a sour note, he left with the lead for the fourth straight start thanks to Shelby Miller's heroics.

In those four starts, Pfaadt has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of them. He has kept the ball in the yard, with just one home run in 23.2 innings and none in his last 18. The home run had been a big issue throughout his career, with 1.55 home runs allowed per nine innings in his first 53 appearances (52 starts). Limiting long balls, especially with runners on base, will be key for Pfaadt to be a very successful innings-eater.

The Diamondbacks signed Pfaadt to a five-year, $45 million extension before the season. Seeing the right-hander compiling consistent and quality starts in his first season after signing the deal is an encouraging sign for the organization.

Brandon Pfaadt Emerging as Key Stabilizer in Diamondbacks’ Rotation

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