NL Wild Card 2017: 5 reasons Diamondbacks will win
The Arizona Diamondbacks will face one of their biggest rivals in the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday night.
One year removed from flopping spectacularly after signing Zack Greinke to the richest contract in MLB history and trading most of their farm system for Shelby Miller, the Arizona Diamondbacks have things figured out and are heading back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Arizona’s pitching came back strong, with Greinke rebounding with an All-Star season and Robbie Ray and Taijuan Walker turning in the best seasons of their young careers. The offense was good as advertised and one of the best in the National League.
Don’t let the Diamondbacks relegation to the Wild Card Game fool you. This team has a real shot at going to the World Series, especially considering their late-season dominance of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies. Arizona might have the most second-most complete team in the National League behind the Washington Nationals considering how deep their lineup is, its raw power, the starting rotation and the presence of Archie Bradley who can pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen.
None of that will matter, however, if the Diamonbacks cannot get past the Rockies in the Wild Card Game on Wednesday night. They do hold the upper hand in the season series and outscored the Rockies by a margin of 101-69. Here are the five biggest reasons a Diamondbacks victory is in the cards when the two teams square off in their biggest game of the year.
5. J.D. Mart’s Power
Giancarlo Stanton had a season for the ages, nearly hitting 60 home runs. With all due respect to the big man down in Miami, J.D. Martinez may have actually had the better year. In only 119 games, Martinez posted numbers that would win the MVP most seasons. He finished the year with a .303/.376/.690 line with 45 home runs and 104 RBI. It took him only 432 at-bats to hit all those dingers.
Martinez was incredible with the Diamondbacks after being traded by the Detroit Tigers. He hit 29 home runs in only 62 games — one every eight at-bats — including a four-homer game. The man has set himself up to rake in a boatload of cash in free agency, and the Diamondbacks need one more big game out of him. The D’Backs were no slouches at the plate before trading for Martinez, but he adds an explosive element that is the perfect complement to Goldschmidt’s quiet, consistent production.