2016 Arizona Diamondbacks Unsung Hero: Nominations open

For by giving an award to an unsung hero, they’re no longer unsung, rendering them ineligible for the award, which therefore gets rescinded, meaning they’re unsung again, rendering them eligible for the award once more... Really, this is like the “going back in time to kill your own grandfather” thing, and so is best not thought about too much, because your brain will explode.

Still, I’ve got a few notes of people on the 2016 Diamondbacks, who did not receive as much love as they perhaps should have. This one is generally an open nominations category, so if there’s someone else you feel deserving of a nod, please make the case in the comments, and if there’s room, I’ll see if I can fit them in.

• Randall Delgado. Led the team in games pitched and relief innings. Not much of a stretch to see him becoming the #2 all-time for Diamondback appearances by this August. Only Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin have been with the team longer. Still only 26 - the same age as Steve Hathaway!
• Brandon Drury. Started 79 games in the outfield this year, at both left-field and right-field, two positions he had never played as a professional before 2016. Made only two errors in over 700 outfield innings. Received more plate appearances (499) than any Arizona rookie since Chris Young in 2007.
• Chris Herrmann. Started games at all three outfield positions as well as behind the dish; I think Eli Marrero is the sole other NL player to do that in a season since 1970! .845 OPS was surpassed on the team only by Goldschmidt and Jean Segura. Despite only 56 games, ranked fifth on the team by fWAR (1.5).
• Chris Owings. Became the 2016 Arizona Diamondbacks center-fielder on Opening Day, despite his previous outfield experience being one start in left at High-A Visalia as a 19-year-old, and the final pre-season exhibition game. Cut K-rate down from 26.1% to 18.7%; OBP increased by over fifty points.