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As discussed last weekend, we’re working towards an all-time top 50 Diamondbacks. We’ve already chosen the 25 position players who will be ranked: now it’s time to move to the mound. We begin with the starting pitchers. Firstly, a starting pitcher is someone who was a starter in at least 1⁄3 of their games with Arizona. If they fell short of that, they’ll qualify for the relief pitcher category, next week. Their value, however, is tallied over ALL appearances, whether in the rotation or bullpen.
This week’s quiz asks you to name the 33 starting pitchers (as defined above) worth more than one bWAR over their time in Arizona. What stands out to me is the steep drop-off in talent we’ve had. #1-3 combined to be worth 102.3 bWAR. The next thirteen combined were worth only 99.8 bWAR. There’s also a severe lack of drafted talent: of the top thirteen starting pitchers by bWAR, only a couple were originally drafted by the Diamondbacks. There is, of course, at least one guy who went on to far greater success after departing... But that’s enough of a clue!
We’ll have a poll on Tuesday to decide which sixteen of these (and a possible 17th wild-card selection) qualify to go into the ranking section. But, for now, see how many of the 33 you can name. You get their seasons and bWAR total as clues. If you remember more than 25, you’re doing pretty well. Link to quiz, if mobile users are having issues.