Diamondbacks 2021 Non-Roster Invitees, Part 2: Left-handed pitchers

Miguel Aguilar

Aguilar has been part of the Diamondbacks organization since 2017. His most recent American appearance came at the end of the 2019 season in the Arizona Fall League, when he put up an impressive 17:1 K:BB ratio over 12.1 innings. This winter, he pitched for Yaquis de Obregon in the Mexican League, with a 2.04 ERA and team-leading eight saves; he had a K:BB of 13:3 in 17.2 IP. All told, across 110 minor-league innings, he has a 2.37 ERA and a K:BB of 126:36. The 29-year-old is a left-hander, and given the general shortage of southpaw contender for the Arizona bullpen, might well be someone we see during the season, if not on Opening Day.

Ryan Buchter

Buchter was a former 33rd round pick who surfaced with the San Diego Padres in the 2016 season. He was a solid left-handed reliever option with the Padres, Royals, and Athletics from 2016-2018 that produced quality results. He regressed a bit with his command in 2019, seeing his walk rate jump to put ugly peripherals behind a 2.98 ERA. That led to Oakland non-tendering him before Buchter signed with the Angels for 2020. After 10 games, the Angels released him and he signed with the New York Yankees but never appeared for them. For more reading, check out Jack’s piece.

Tyler Gilbert

Selected in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft, Gilbert had been traded from the Phillies to the Dodgers in February 2020, but never got to pitch for them, outside of a couple of Cactus League outings. He turned 27 last month, and seemed pleased to be out of the logjam of pitchers in Los Angeles - albeit with a bit of a backhanded compliment. He said after the draft, “I’m happy. It’s a better opportunity... The Dodgers have so many arms. That door closed and another door opened. I don’t care who I pitch for, I just want an opportunity. Arizona is in a rebuilding phase, so it couldn’t be a more perfect situation.” Oops. I thought we weren’t using the R word around here?

Joe Mantiply

A bit of a surprise to see Mantiply (pictured, top) back, having been designated for assignment by Arizona at the end of last season, and then outrighted to Reno. He appeared four times for the D-backs in 2020, but retired only seven of the fifteen batters he faced, allowing four runs over 2.1 innings on three hits and four walks, with a pair of strikeouts. Joe had decent minor-league numbers through the end of 2017, but underwent Tommy John before the start of the following season, and has been struggling to regain his previous form since. Hard to see a spot for him, though some left-handed relief pitchers appear to have the tenacity of roaches, sticking around in defiance of all obvious logic.

Sam Moll

Originally a third-round pick by the Rockies in 2013, he was sold to the Athletics in 2017, and made his major-league debut for them as a September call-up. It didn’t go well, Moll giving up 13 hits and 8 earned runs in 6.2 innings. Since then, he has bounced around the Pirates, Mariners, Jays and Giants without ever reaching the majors again. But in the last year for which we have stats, 2019, he had a 2.39 ERA over 41 Double-A and Triple-A appearances, striking out 54 batters in 49 innings. Though a left-hander, he does seem to offer some potential for length out of the bullpen, with 18 of the 41 appearances being for more than three outs.