Predicting each NL Wild Card winner just weeks before spring training
By Curt Bishop
NL Wild Card No. 2: Arizona Diamondbacks
The defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks can't be counted out as they prepare to defend their crown.
Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll is ready to take the next step. They've also surrounded him with stars such as Joc Pederson, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno, Eugenio Suarez, and Christian Walker.
They already had Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly heading up a powerful starting rotation, which only got better with the emergence of Brandon Pfaadt and addition of Eduardo Rodriguez.
The Diamondbacks were already a team on the rise, and they are continuing to get better. While they may not be favored to take down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, they are a team that should not be slept on. They've proven that they are capable of taking down some of the National League's powerhouses. They defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series with ease before sweeping the Dodgers in the NLDS.
They went on to the NLCS and pulled off an upset, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games to advance to their first World Series since 2001.