2014 AZ SnakePit Awards: Diamondbacks Rookie of the Year voting

Chase Anderson

114.1 IP, 9-7 record, 4.01 ERA, 105:44 K:BB, 0.8 bWAR, 0.8 fWAR

When John did his top 100 prospects list at the end of last season, Anderson was ranked only #47. But he got his chance in the majors at the beginning of May, and took full advantage, throwing more innings for the Diamondbacks than any other rookie last season. He won his opening five major-league appearances, becoming the first player to do that since Jared Weaver in 2006, and 14 starts into his career, he was 7-4 with a 3.01 ERA. Anderson did seem to flag down the stretch, not lasting more than six innings after July, and was rested for his final scheduled start. But for someone who came out of nowhere, his overall performance was more than satisfactory.

Ender Inciarte

447 PA, .278/.318/.359 = .677 OPS, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 3.7 bWAR, 2.9 fWAR

Ranked #26 last winter, Inciarte was called up in late April, as Roger Kieschnick proved an unsuitable replacement for Mark Trumbo. He took some time to find his feet: after 19 games, he was hitting .111 with one walk and no extra-base hits. But the team persevered and Ender's game [hohoho] improved. His defense was stellar, and both bWAR and fWAR have his fielding value more than twice as much as the next-best Diamondback. His bat came around too; he had his first multi-hit game on June 4, and thereafter, his line was a thoroughly respectable .293/.335/.384, culminating in two four-hit games during the final week and a 15-game hit streak.

Evan Marshall

49.1 IP, 4-4 record, 2.74 ERA, 54:17 K:BB, 0.9 bWAR, 0.7 fWAR

Coming in at #37, Marshall was called up Reno after J.J. Putz had to go on the DL with forearm tightness, and got the win in his major-league debut against the Brewers in Milwaukee. But perhaps his most memorable outing of the season also came versus Milwaukee, on June 17, when he first threw behind and then hit Brewers' slugger Ryan 'Fedex' Brain, getting him ejected and earning himself a high-five from Kirk Gibson. He struck out more than a batter per inning, and his ERA was the lowest (min 40 IP) among Diamondbacks' rookies who did that, since Jose Valverde in 2003.

Vidal Nuno

83.2 IP, 0-7 record, 3.76 ERA. 69:20 K:BB, 1.0 bWAR, 0.8 fWAR

Received from the Yankees in exchange for Brandon McCarthy, Nuño's winless streak became the stuff of legend, as he couldn't buy himself a W, right from his debut where he threw seven scoreless innings and got a no-decision. He also had the biggest Win Probability performance of the year for us, at +43.8%, and was still not involved in the final result. That wasn't even his best game of the year, which came on August 20, as he retired 20 batters in a row against the Rockies (below), and gave up two hits in eight innings. The result? A loss. At 14, Vidal broke the National League record for starts in a season without a win, set by Stump Wiedman, all the way back in 1880.

Chris Owings

332 PA, .261/.300/.406 = .706 OPS, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 1.9 bWAR, 1.8 fWAR

The only one of the candidates to be on the Opening Day roster, Owings started at shortstop, after being ranked only behind Archie Bradley on John's list. Unfortunately, Owings' season was hampered by the injury bug that bit so many Diamondbacks last year, limiting Chris to only 91 games. The main culprit was a strain of his left shoulder sustained on June 20 while sliding into home. This caused Owings to miss all of July and August, and it seems he was also mis-diagnosed as surgery was required in October. But health permitting, he seems to be set as the long-term solution at shortstop for Arizona, and performed well enough when healthy to justify that position.

David Peralta

348 PA, .286/.320/.450 = .770 OPS, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 1.7 bWAR, 1.2 fWAR

If you want a real "out of nowhere" story, Peralta's your man. A failed pitcher, signed by the team out of indie ball, and not even listed in our top 100 prospects a year ago, but he ended the season tied at fifth in the National League for triples. And David wasn't even called up until June 1, coming from AA Mobile to replace A.J. Pollock. He hit the ground runn...er, hitting, with 16 knocks in his first 11 major-league games, including six multi-hit contests. Peralta scarcely let up thereafter; his OPS+ of 112 is tied with Alex Cintron in 2003, as the best in team history by any rookie (min. 250 PA). He has already received the Play of the Year 'Pittie for his theft of home against the Rockies.