Five Diamondbacks Break Into MLB's Top 100
MLB Network's list of the top 100 players in baseball is here. Although it's been slim pickings for Diamondbacks fans to find their favorite players among this list in prior years, this time, the Snakes were given some love.
Four position players and one pitcher were awarded seats at the top 100 table, here they are, in ascending order.
#94: C Gabriel Moreno
Moreno burst onto the scene with the D-backs this season, slashing .284/.339/.408 in his first full season of MLB action. The 23-year-old catcher was a huge part of Arizona's playoff push and postseason run to the World Series, as the team began to excel as a whole once he took over the majority of starts behind the dish.
While he was an effective hitter who came through in critical moments, his biggest praise comes from his defense. Moreno took home the 2023 NL Gold Glove award in his first full season, and was defensively elite across most categories.
Moreno led MLB in runners caught stealing, gunning a stellar 48% of runners while posting nine caught stealing above average. He ranked in the 94th percentile in blocks above average, and had a top 20% pop time.
All of this adds up to a 4.3 bWAR, and an exceptional young talent with plenty of time to develop. Gabi lands just inside the top 100, with a ceiling that could see him continue to rank even better on this annual list.
#65: 2B Ketel Marte
Veteran infielder Ketel Marte was one of the D-backs' most consistent offensive forces in 2023. Although experiencing his share of slumps, he generally hit very well through each month, ending his regular season with a .276/.358/.485 slash.
He returned to his prior form of excellence by knocking in 82 runs, tied with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for second-most on the team. Notably, he smashed 25 home runs, his most since 2019 by a large margin.
But he wasn't just an excellent regular season bat. Marte was the engine of Arizona's offense in the postseason, as he extended to an MLB-record 20-game streak of playoff hitting.
He finished his postseason run with a .329/.380/.534 slash, and took home NLCS MVP, following an incredible series against the Phillies, which included a clutch walk-off RBI single to take home a critical game three.
Coming in at 65 might seem a bit stingy, considering how impactful Marte truly was last season, but it's an honor nonetheless, and D-backs fans know just how crucial the veteran's efforts were in 2023.
#58: 1B Christian Walker
The D-backs' stud defensive first baseman and slugger is beginning to develop a pedigree associated with his name. Walker led Arizona's offensive production with 103 RBI in 2023, and finished with a .258/.333/.497 slash.
Despite some stretches of inconsistency, Walker did continue slugging for power, with 71 extra-base hits and leaving the yard 33 times, eclipsing 30 home runs for the second consecutive year.
But again, the veteran first baseman's biggest strength is his defensive ability. He showed out with another excellent defensive season, fielding at a near-perfect .998, while posting nine rDRS, 11 Outs Above Average, and taking home his second consecutive NL Gold Glove award. Walker leads all MLB first basemen in OAA since 2019 with an astounding 45, over 30 more than former D-back Paul Goldschmidt, who ranks second in said category.
Walker's 3.8 aWAR, heavy slugging and continued excellence land him at #58 on the top 100. While it might be surprising to see him ranking better than Marte, Walker is very deserving of said honor, and has the career consistency to back it up.
#31: RHP Zac Gallen
The D-backs' ace is coming off a relative down year, although he still pitched very well in 2023. Gallen pitched to a 3.47 ERA, going a career high 243 2/3 innings (including postseason).
Gallen might not have pitched to a stat line that fully resembles his dominant 2022 season, but still ranked in the top 3% of MLB in pitching run value, rarely walked batters and achieved a 17-9 record, paired with a 1.12 WHIP and 220/47 regular season K/BB.
Although it looked a little shaky down the stretch, Gallen still put out an ace season, including his first career complete game shutout for a much-needed win against Arizona's NL playoff push rival Chicago Cubs.
Gallen is beginning to develop the name-brand pedigree that sees him as a top player in the game. Certainly, he's shown his ability to pitch exceptionally well, and a spot just outside the top 30 players in baseball is a deserved accolade for the ace.
#18: OF Corbin Carroll
Not enough can be said for the up-and-coming star. Carroll's 2023 was about as powerful and impactful as the D-backs could have hoped for out of their stud rookie.
Carroll's first full season saw him put forward an exceptional .285/.362/.506 slash over 155 games. His blazing speed allowed for plus baserunning and an ability to stretch base hits into extra-base hits, as well as 54 stolen bases. But he still hit for exceptional power despite the small frame, hitting 25 home runs.
Carroll became the first rookie in MLB history to achieve a 25/50 season, accrued 5.7 aWAR, and took home well-deserved NL Rookie of the Year honors in a unanimous decision.
To rank within the top 20 of all MLB players is a distinct achievement for the 23-year-old star, and, having recently signed an eight-year, $111 million contract, he looks to be leading the valley into battle with his exceptional skills for many years to come. The future is bright for Carroll and the young D-backs.
Notable Snubs
It's always difficult to cover or root for one specific team, and then see players left off of national lists. Sometimes, insider or fan bias might get in the way. However, a couple of D-backs could have made the argument to be featured on this top 100 list.
One being RHP Merrill Kelly. Kelly was a twin ace alongside Zac Gallen, and has been a model of consistency throughout his career. Kelly's 3.29 ERA eclipsed fellow ace and #31-ranked Zac Gallen's, as did his 9.5 K/9. Kelly doesn't offer the same exciting name brand or exceptional one-season stat lines, but certainly has a serious argument to land somewhere in the top 100.
Another D-back who deserves recognition is right-handed reliever Kevin Ginkel. Now, it's a little more understandable that he would be left off, considering it's difficult for relievers to make lists like these without a career standard of excellence, but Ginkel did run a 2023 campaign that saw him as one of the best relief arms in the game, and an elite setup stabilizer for the D-backs' bullpen.
Ginkel pitched to a 2.48 ERA, and struck out 70 batters over 65 1/3 innings. He was clutch, serving time as a part-time closer and full-time high leverage reliever. He ranked well above average in nearly every Statcast metric, including an 89th percentile run value and top 10% in xERA and xBA. Batters hit just .181 against him, and the excellence continued into the playoffs, as he allowed zero total runs and struck out 15 over 11 2/3 innings. In his 70 regular and postseason appearances, he recorded 10 wins and just one loss.
While it's hard to make these lists without some level of name-recognition, and there is certainly a multitude of talent in MLB, these D-backs could have an argument to make the top 10.
However, those that did rank on this list bring positive light to Arizona, and do their city proud by being selected as some of the best of the best.
