As a final vote will be who the team captain of the 20th anniversary team. The requirement is the player has to be someone who cleared 90% or more votes in their position race. That breaks it down to these 3 guys:
- Paul Goldschmidt
- Randy Johnson
- Luis Gonzalez
Gonzo and RJ already have their numbers retired by the organization, the latter an MLB Hall of Famer, with Goldy’s 44 likely following suit. In terms of bWAR, Randy Johnson (51) crushes the competition although Goldy (34) could close some ground in 2018. In terms of hardware, RJ has more Top 5 finishes with the Cy Young vote than Goldy has for the MVP. The accolades that RJ had in his first 6 years in Arizona makes him a tough candidate to beat. Those include a 20-strikeout game, a 16-K game in relief, a perfect game, 4 Cy Young Awards, and the oldest pitcher to hit their 1st career HR until Bartolo Colon’s internet-breaking shot topped him in 2016.
Gonzo’s case is he’s the fan favorite and the most recognizable player in the community. He provided the team with their only World Series to date with a game winning hit off likely future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera in Game 7. Gonzo’s story is prety good where a middling player comes to Arizona and transforms into an MVP candidate. Gonzo’s biggest moment is the biggest moment in franchise history and will continue to remain that way until the franchise wins another World Series.
Goldy is the homegrown player, drafted by the team in a very good 2009 draft that produced multiple contributors on the 2017 playoff team. The fact he’s never played for anyone else does have its sentimental value. Goldy has a good amount of playoff moments which include a big homer to kickstart the 2017 Wild Card game and a grand slam in Game 3 of the 2011 NLDS. Like Gonzo, Goldy had a remarkable knack of delivering big hits when the chips are down almost to the point where we take it for granted.
Vote for who you want to be team captain of the Diamondbacks 20th Anniversary Team:
Poll
20th Anniversary Team Captain
This poll is closed
-
23%
Randy Johnson
(32 votes) -
35%
Luis Gonzalez
(47 votes) -
38%
Paul Goldschmidt
(52 votes) -
2%
Other (State in Comments)
(3 votes)