Arizona Diamondbacks: November confidence poll

October results

When we last checked in, the D-backs had made the playoffs for the first time in six years. But they had done so in unconvincing fashion, “backing in to the post-season” according to some, on a four-game losing streak and going 15-13 over the final month. Not many gave them a shot, with +4900 odds against them winning the World Series, even after 60% of teams had been eliminated. But being the last man into the dance was still further than the team had gone since 2017. So how was that reflected in the confidence scores as we headed into the playoffs?

• 6% - 1 (not confident in the slightest)
• 2% - 2
• 5% - 3
• 10% - 4
• 12% - 5
• 16% - 6
• 29% - 7
• 7% - 8
• 12% - 9 (very, very, VERY confident)

With a spot locked up in the post-season, there was an uptick. This was mostly the result of a sharp drop-off at the end, and a big bump in the “9” category. Indeed, the 3, 4 and 6 votes were the same percentage as the previous month. But 12% for the top block is only the third time since May 2020 that had got into double digits. On the other hand, the trauma of August still lingered, and seems to have muted the improvement. Overall confidence did increase, going up by more than a point from an average of 4.75 to 5.88. But that is still well below the figure the last October before we went into the playoffs. At this point in 2017, we stood at 7.33, almost a point and a half higher.

Below, you can see the breakdown for the past 12 polls’ results, followed by the line graph showing the trends over this and previous seasons.

November poll

The Arizona Diamondbacks are the 2023 National League Champions. That’s where we end the season, and it’s almost certainly beyond the expectations of any except the most ridiculously optimistic of fans. So how does that make you feel? I think it’s clear that the team is not perfect, and we all have a pretty good idea of the area in which the team can, and perhaps needs to, improve. I suspect these are closely aligned with Mike Hazen’s. But where do you stand in terms of confidence, after our improbable run to the first World Series games in Phoenix for 22 years?

That would be what the poll is for. As ever, feel free to explain your choice in the comments, especially if it has changed from the previous one.