clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Countdown to Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day: D-49, Joey Krehbiel

A largely forgotten trade is potentially beginning to pay dividends for the D-backs.

By Jim McLennan
Joey Krehbiel, via Twitter

We asked you to rank the 40-man roster along with the 16 non-roster invitees to spring training, and every day between now and the eve of Opening Day, we’ll have a profile of one of those Diamondbacks.

D minus 49: Joey Krehbiel

  • Date of birth: December 20, 1992
  • Ht/Wt: 6’2”, 185 lbs
  • Position: Pitcher
  • Status: Non-roster invitee
  • Bats/Throws: R/R
  • 2016 MLB numbers: DNP
  • SnakePit Rating: 2.95 [pattern of votes below]

He came to the Diamondbacks from the Angels, in a June 2014 trade. We gave them Joe Thatcher and Tony Campana, receiving Krehbiel + Zach Borenstein. So, while neither prospect has yet reached the majors, it’s likely still a win for us: Thatcher gave Anaheim an 8.53 ERA while Campana got only 15 PA [and didn’t even steal a base], before both became free-agents. Outfielder Borenstein spent all last year in Reno, hitting .272, and will be playing for Israel in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. But he didn’t get a spring training invite, so it’s Krehbiel we’re interested in here. Signed out of high-school by the Angels after they picked him in the 12th round of the 2011 draft, Joey has been young for his level everywhere he has played.

But the reliever, who turned 24 in December, has posted a 3.36 ERA over all 270.2 innings, with an impressive K-rate of 10.7 per nine innings. In 2016, he was with Double-A Mobile, and handled the transition well. Krehbiel was particularly effective early, torching his way to a 1.09 ERA on June 3, and getting selected for the Southern League All-Star Game, where he fanned the side in the 8th inning. Overall, he kept the K-rate at 10.7 for 2016, while giving the BayBears a 2.75 ERA over 52 appearances and 55.2 innings of work. He held right-handed batters to a .187 average, and was only moderately helped there by BABIP (.258).

Like yesterday’s player, Josh Taylor, Krehbiel finished the season off with the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. He finished the season strong, throwing 13.1 innings and striking out 20 batters (only fellow prospect Jared Miller had more for the Rafters) while walking six and posting a 2.70 ERA. Below, there’s video of Krehbiel in action there.

Previous entries

More From AZ Snake Pit