Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #66: 6/12 vs. Phillies

Roster moves

• Reinstated C Carson Kelly (right forearm fracture) from the 60-day injured list.
• Reinstated LHP Joe Mantiply (strained right hamstring) from the 15-day injured list.
• Reinstated OF Kyle Lewis (illness) from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Reno following yesterday’s game.
• Optioned RHP Kevin Ginkel and C Jose Herrera to Triple-A Reno following yesterday’s game.
• Designated LHP Anthony Misiewicz for assignment.

Eagle-eyes will have spotted one of the above in tonight’s line-up which sees Kelly making his first start of the season. A slew of changes to make room for the return of him and Mantiply. That should definitely boost production at catcher and gives the bullpen additional depth too. Bit of a surprise to see Ginkel being the one optioned down to Reno, but that may be why he was used quite heavily yesterday. Might give him a chance to rest, as his 29.1 innings out of the bullpen trails only Scott McGough among the regular relievers. Lewis has recovered from the mysterious “illness” which had kept him on the IL for more than two months, but is staying in AAA for now.

Corbin Carroll named NL Player of the Week

• Carroll claimed his first weekly honor and joined his teammate Zac Gallen (April 17^th) as D-backs to win this season. Additionally, Carroll is the first Arizona position player to win the award since Kole Calhoun in September 2020.
• The 22-year-old hit .500 (11-for-22) with three homers, eight RBI, two doubles, a triple, nine runs, three stolen bases, a 1.091 slugging percentage and a .542 on-base percentage.
• The 16^th overall pick 2019, who also made a pair of incredible catches during the week, led NL batters in hitting, slugging, on-base percentage, runs scored and total bases (24); tied for first in hits; ranked second in stolen bases; was tied for second in home runs; and was tied for fourth in RBI.
• Carroll delivered a career-best four hits in a 6-2 road win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, posting a home run, two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base in the win.
• The Seattle native, who collected at least three hits in three of his five contests, followed up his four-hit outing with a three-hit, two-homer performance in Friday’s 11-6 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Carroll connected on his first career grand slam in his first career multi-homer contest.
• The dynamic outfielder closed out his award-winning week with another three-hit performance on Sunday, falling a home run shy of hitting for the cycle while notching his third stolen base of the week in a 7-5 victory, leading Arizona to its fifth straight victory.

Ranking the power rankings

This is the first year I've been doing these, but I imagine it has been a very long while since the Diamondbacks were ranked as the best team in the National League West. Yet that's where we fund ourselves today, in four out of the five systems (and ESPN published on Friday, so can perhaps be forgiven). It is, of course, a result of the D-backs surging to the top of the division. A win today, with LA off, would give Arizona a 4 game margin, and that would be their biggest lead in over five years (since May 3, 2018 to be precise). The national media has finally noticed, and the consensus is that the D-backs are not going away any time soon. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

• MLB.com: #5 (last week #8) - "For the first time in what has to be nearly a decade, it’s now the Dodgers looking up at the D-backs, not just in the standings but now in our Power Rankings. Arizona continued its ascent, rising all the way to No. 5, up one spot from last week [actually two, but who’s counting?]. The Fangraphs Playoff Odds might not be ready to anoint the D-backs, but they have the attention of the baseball world. This team is absolutely not going away. Perhaps someday, the Dodgers will forget what the front of the D-backs’ hats look like.

The excitement of Corbin Carroll, the resurgence of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the dominance of Zac Gallen have obscured another nice aspect to the D-backs’ season: Ketel Marte being excellent, again, as always. He has bounced back from his disappointing 2022 season with an .812 OPS through Sunday; he’s also three homers away from matching his home run total (12) last year. Marte has been underappreciated in Arizona for many years now — a consistent player on an overlooked team. He and Christian Walker are the only D-backs still around from the 2017 playoff team, though Walker only played in 11 regular-season games that year. If they return to the postseason this year, it’ll be impossible not to be happy for the pair."

• CBS Sports: #5 (last week: #8) - “I, like many others, predicted Corbin Carroll would win Rookie of the Year this season. It seems almost in the bag already, but I’m looking higher. I’m ready to declare that he’ll win an MVP at some point. The D-Backs have never had a Rookie of the Year OR MVP.”
• USA Today: #5 (last week: #9) - “Just watch the way they decimate inferior teams.”
• FOX Sports: #5 (last week: #8) - “Much like the teams above them on this list, Arizona should have multiple newcomers representing them in Seattle. You can’t tell the story of the upstart D-backs’ first half without mentioning Corbin Carroll, who’s a front-runner for National League Rookie of the Year. Aside from Ronald Acuña Jr., Carroll’s arguably the most valuable outfielder in the NL this season, which his WAR total reflects. And by FanGraphs’ WAR, there hasn’t been a more valuable pitcher in baseball this season than Zac Gallen, who has a strong argument not only to make his first ever All-Star appearance but also to start.”
• ESPN: #8 (last week: #8) - “With every passing week, Arizona continues to show staying power in the NL West, no small task with perennial division winner Los Angeles playing well. Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen continue to lead the way on the mound, allowing just five earned runs in 25 1/3 innings over their past four starts combined. Arizona will have to lean on them, as the rest of the rotation has been shaky. Improved performance by Ryne Nelson could help — three of his past four outings have been OK but not nearly good enough for a division contender. Same goes for Tommy Henry, who gave up five runs in 4.1 innings against Washington on Tuesday.”

Combined NL West rankings

1. Diamondbacks: 5.6
2. Dodgers: 6.6
3. Giants: 16.2
4. Padres: 18.4
5. Rockies: 28.0