Team News
[Burn City Sports] Corbin Carroll falls short of Gold Glove but makes defensive statement – Carroll’s emergence showcased his adaptability and growth into a multidimensional player. Already known for his bat
and speed, the Diamondbacks outfielder led National League right fielders with +9 Outs Above Average and posted +7 Defensive Runs Saved, tied for third. The D-Backs outfielder had only committed one error in 1,189.1 innings and posted a .997 fielding percentage. These defensive improvements highlight Carroll’s commitment to addressing what was once a weakness during his first two seasons in the majors. Despite not winning the award, fans and voters alike are expected to keep a closer eye on him next season, now that Rawlings has recognized him as a finalist.
However, there was this:
[D-backs Under Review] David Hagaman Reflects on Endless Opportunities in Arizona Fall League – “You get to face a bunch of really good hitters. You get to talk to a bunch of really good guys on the pitching side and on the offensive side. You get to kind of learn from them and see how you can adjust your game.” After ripping off a dominant, three-inning masterpiece his first time out, he’s struggled to find the same consistency in his next three starts. “I came out here the first week, and it was right where I wanted to be. And then ever since then, it’s kind of been a little bit of an uphill battle.”
[SI] Veteran Catcher’s Free Agency is Perfect Opportunity for D-backs – A statement by the MLB Players’ Association listed every free agent who will hit the market this offseason. [James] McCann, along with Zac Gallen and Jalen Beeks, was listed. For the next five days (known as the “quiet period”) only the D-backs are permitted to sign McCann, Beeks or Gallen. This provides Arizona with the perfect opportunity to fill a legitimate roster need before the need even manifests. Arizona should, without a doubt, take advantage of the opportunity to negotiate exclusively with McCann… It was his calming, veteran presence that infiltrated Arizona’s clubhouse. His pitch-calling and ability to work with a struggling D-backs pitching staff earned him plenty of praise from manager Torey Lovullo — and even a larger share of the catching duties down the stretch.
[Cronkite News] Diamondbacks pitching prospects in Arizona Fall League may bring relief soon – One of these pitchers is reliever Kyle Amendt, 25. A tall right-handed pitcher standing at 6-feet-5 with a hard fastball and good strikeout stuff, Amendt has a funky delivery that emphasizes his arm coming quickly from a top-down motion. “Well, the funky delivery is just deception,” Amendt said. “I kind of hide the ball a little bit and then throw from the other side of my head as a righty. The curveball and slider, they’re both pitches that I can throw late in the count for put-away pitches, but they’re also really good early, steal a strike. So offspeed is early and late, and heat is just trying to throw it by guys.”
And, elsewhere…
[The Torch] Baseball’s Sickness and What Can be Done About It – The average start in the 2025 postseason is 4.35 innings, down a 16.1% decrease from the regular season, which was 5.19 innings. In 2015, the 5.81 regular season innings average was just a 5.2% increase of the postseason’s 5.51. Over the course of a decade, starting pitching’s stock has plummeted, especially in the playoffs. For a position that is so central to the game and as valuable as ever, organizations have dramatically changed its concept. Several factors are to blame: analytics, pitcher health, youth baseball and more have all created a very real problem.
[MLB] 9 first-timers highlight 2025 Gold Glove winners – Since moving from shortstop to right field in 2023, Tatis has been one of the best defensive right fielders in the game. He won a Gold Glove Award at the position that year, and he has his second this year after another stellar performance this past season.By winning the award this year, Tatis became the fifth outfielder in Padres history to win multiple Gold Gloves. Tatis led all NL right fielders last season with +15 DRS, and his +8 OAA trailed only the +9 produced by Arizona’s Corbin Carroll. Known for his cannon of an arm even from his days at short, Tatis was tied for fifth with an average arm strength of 95.5 mph.
[ESPN] Dodgers’ World Series win extends streak of a Will Smith winning a ring – The Dodgers accomplished the feat in 2020 and 2024 with catcher Will Smith, while the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers swapped reliever Will Smith among them from 2021-23. What’s even odder about this stat is that Will Smith doesn’t even need to dominate in the World Series to win. While Will Smith the pitcher has put up a respectable 3.38 ERA in his three World Series, Will Smith the catcher has a batting average of .194 with 14 hits, four homers, 10 RBIs and nine runs scored in 80 career Fall Classic plate appearances.
