PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are in first place in the National League West Division. Those are 13 words you might not have expected to read at the beginning of June, but they are currently tied for first with the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers.
But they’re not only in first place, but they’re also 7-3 in their last ten games, and they’re riding high on a five-game win streak after sweeping the Colorado Rockies in four games, including a 5-4 walk-off win on Thursday. The hero of the walk-off win was rookie Corbin Carroll who hit a double that scored Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte. It was the first time they swept a four-game series at home in 70 series.
Carroll said via MLB.com, “I think you don't try to play the hero,” Carroll said. “I think you stick with your process and just treat it like another at-bat.”
The Diamondbacks have also not gotten swept in a series in 2023, so it’s an exciting time to be a DBacks fan. But, is this team built for a long postseason run, or is there something holding them back?
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Millard Thomas of the Locked On Diamondbacks podcast explored this question on the latest episode of his show. “This team is super young and super inexperienced, which is one of the things holding them back.” Carroll leads the team in b-WAR, and the rest of the top 10 is filled with guys who don’t have much playoff experience. Thomas thinks the lack of experience in the playoffs is the one thing that can hold this team back.
Thomas explains that the other teams who will probably make the playoffs are all battle-tested, including the Dodgers, who have been to the playoffs every year since 2013. He mentioned the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, who are less than two years removed from their latest World Series Championship. Thomas even says the New York Mets may not have much experience as a franchise but signed two big free-agent starters with World Series experience, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, which should help them if they surpass the Braves in the division or capture one of the NL Wild Cards.
So when you compare the Diamondbacks to the rest of the playoff field, they’re not experienced and Thomas believes that makes a difference once October rolls around. It’s obviously not out of the question for a team to make the playoffs with a bunch of unknown or young guys and shock or upset a veteran team in the early rounds.
It’s baseball and anything can happen but the Diamondbacks’ lack of experience may be the one thing that holds them back from a deeper playoff run.
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