D-backs' Unknown Righty Never Had Chance to Prove Himself

This righty's story started and ended with one appearance.

Austin Pope during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 21, 2024. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Diamondbacks endured one of the more brutal seasons in recent history this past year, going through a sickening bout of injuries, on the way to a disappointing 80-82 season.

While Arizona came into the season with high expectations, they were instead forced to turn to more than the anticipated number of bullpen arms, due to the high volume of injuries and an overall poor output from the bullpen.

One such arm that was called upon perhaps unexpectedly was right-hander Austin Pope, who made only one appearance for the Diamondbacks in 2025. Pope has since signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves — ending his MLB tenure in Arizona with just the one outing.

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As Arizona Diamondbacks On SI breaks down each individual season from the entirety of the 2025 roster, the below article will be updated with the proper links as the season reviews are published:

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Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 Player Review: Austin Pope

Austin Pope 2025 stats | Alex D'Agostino

Pope had been an under-the-radar name in the D-backs' farm system for much of his tenure. The27-year-old was taken in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and began his journey up through the minor leagues.

Pope jumped at least one level every season from 2021-2023, but pitched a full season for the Triple-A Reno Aces in 2024. In 2025, he posted a solid 4.38 ERA in Reno over 37 innings — a number that stands out as a quality figure given the intense offensive environment that is the Pacific Coast League.

That 4.38 ERA translated to a 78 ERA-, a park- and league-adjusted number in which landing below 100 is considered above-average — meaning, Pope was 22% better than average for that environment.

That earned Pope a late-season call-up to the major leagues. In his lone outing on September 25, he was tasked with taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched two scoreless frames and picked up his first career strikeout.

Unfortunately, his journey with the D-backs would end there. He was sent back to Reno a day later, and he eventually elected free agency before landing a minor league deal in Atlanta.

Austin Pope: 2026 Outlook

Pope was one of the many intriguing young arms in the D-backs' upper farm, but he never truly had a chance to showcase what he could do outside the one appearance. That September 25 game had already devolved into a blowout, and he was not afforded another major league outing.

He'll look to prove himself with the Braves, instead.