Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #61: 6/6 @ Nationals

Ranking the Power Rankings

• MLB.com: #7 (last week: #8)
• CBS Sports: #8 (last week: #10) - “Heading into the season, I thought the D-Backs would be a total pest to contenders and possibly a sneaky sleeper to hang around in contention for a while. Ultimately, though, I didn’t think they’d be a long-term contender as much as, again, a team that gives actual contenders fits. Instead, they have the look of a contender. The offense is exciting. They have five players in double digits in doubles, decent home-run power and run the bases very well. Newcomer Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is having a huge year just as is must-watch rookie Corbin Carroll. It’s possible there will be down stretches, but overall to be 10 games over .500 is a huge accomplishment for these D-Backs on June 5. They’ve gone 15-7 since May 11, too... [But] Man, that Eddie Rosario grand slam in the ninth Sunday was a gut punch. The D-Backs were set to enter this week with the best record in the NL.”
• USA Today: #8 (last week: #8) - “Manager Torey Lovullo gets one-year extension through 2024, aligning him contractually with GM Mike Hazen.”
• FOX Sports: #8 (last week: #8) - “Lourdes Gurriel Jr. might not have been the headliner in the deal that brought top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno to Arizona in exchange for Daulton Varsho, but all Guerriel has done is hit. After lifting just five homers for Toronto last year, the left fielder already has nine this year in Arizona. His .909 OPS is higher than any player on Toronto’s roster.”
• ESPN: #8 (last week: #9) - “A lot is going right for the D-backs, who came off Memorial Day weekend with a 31-23 record and a plus-13 run-differential that put them only 1½ games behind the Dodgers within a highly competitive NL West. But their top pitching prospect needs to get right. Brandon Pfaadt, 24, posted an 8.37 ERA through his first five major league starts, allowing eight home runs in a stretch of 23⅔ innings. The D-backs optioned Pfaadt back to the minor leagues on Saturday. They’re hopeful this was just a rough start to what will blossom into a great career, but they need him to get on track pretty quickly. They’re still looking for starting-pitching depth beyond Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.”

Definitely a consensus now forming, with four of the five ranking the D-backs eighth, with the sole outlier being MLB.com, who have them one spot higher. It’s quite the turnaround, considering that at the start of the season, the average mark had them outside the top twenty teams in the league! The Dodgers still have the edge. Both they and the Padres didn’t move in the average rankings, while the Giants and Rockies both dipped slightly.

1. Dodgers: 4.4
2. Diamondbacks: 7.8
3. Giants: 17.4
4. Padres: 19.0
5. Rockies: 27.6

Also worth noting, at the 60-game point last year, two-thirds of the 12 playoff spots were occupied by teams who would go on to take part in the 2022 post-season. Seven of those eventual playoff sides were at or above the 35 wins posted by Arizona so far. NO TEAM WHICH FAILED TO MAKE THE POST-SEASON LAST YEAR, HAD 35 WINS TO THIS POINT. The best non-qualifiers were the Giants and Twins, both 34-26 through 60 games.