PHOENIX — In 2021, the Diamondbacks lost 110 games, and it looked like a complete rebuild was in order. However, the organization decided to continue on the path designed and developed by general manager Mike Hazen and president Torrey Louullo. There was an effect A playoff spot for the first time since 2017 On Saturday, the Reds’ loss to the Cardinals came in the middle of Arizona’s slump against Houston at Chase Field.
Starting Tuesday, the Diamondbacks will face either the Phillies or the Brewers as the visiting team in a best-of-three wild-card series, depending on their seeding.
“I’m very proud of this team for the way it represented this organization and this state,” said Lovullo, who led the Diamondbacks to 84 wins in 2023, good enough for the second or third wild card in the National League. Their and the Marlins’ results on Sunday. “It’s sweeter every day to finally get the chance to do this.”
In fact, Arizona is only the third team to go from 110 losses to the playoffs in three seasons, matching the Orioles this year and the Astros from 2013 to 2015.
The last time the Diamondbacks qualified, they won a wild-card game at home against the Rockies before being swept by the Dodgers in the Division Series. Since then, the team’s entire roster has left the team, except for Dominican Ketel Marte, Nick Ahmed and Christian Walker. Refreshing pitching talent like Jack Gallen and Merrill Kelly, plus Cuban Lourdes Curiel Jr., Venezuelan Gabriel Moreno, Puerto Rican Geraldo Perdomo and, of course, new star Corbin Carroll, have paid off before people expected. I expected that.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in us, but thank God, we kept working and doing the little things,” said Marte, who joined the Diamondbacks for the 2017 season. “My first year here. A lot of fun. Honestly, it’s great to be in the playoffs.
Aside from the talent that came in the draft (see Carroll) and other youngsters who grew up in the minor leagues, one of Hazen’s smartest moves was the winter trades of Dalton Varshaw to the Blue Jays for Kuriel and Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Moreno. The Best Defensive Catchers in the Major Leagues in 2023
“Happiness, it’s unbelievable,” said Kuriel, Jr., who has contributed 24 home runs and 81 RBIs in the desert this year. “No one thought we were going to be here in spring training. It means a lot. We know how to fight and we’ve come from down a lot of times.
On an individual level, one guy who knows how to come off the bottom is Perdomo, who hit just .195/.285/.262 through one test in 2022. This year, he’s hitting .248/.356/.361 (.717 OPS), playing excellent defense at shortstop as Lovullo’s reliable man at that position.
“Great feeling,” Perdomo said of the qualifier. “There is no comparison. This is the best. We must continue to fight; No other. Let’s go upstairs.”
Now, neither Philadelphia nor Milwaukee—two talented and polished teams—waiting for the arrival of the Diamondbacks will have no easy task. But the change from 2021 is significant, and no one can imagine this team returning to the postseason this way.
“We have a drive that no other team in the league has,” commented outfielder Tommy Baum, who gave Arizona a great boost by hitting six home runs in 50 games after arriving in the desert from the Mets. “We have to use that to our advantage. We’re a team with a lot of athleticism, and we have to play like that.”
Added Lovullo: “We’re a well-knit group. They deserve it. “We want to do good for this community.”
