Arizona Diamondbacks Receive Poor Grade in April

As we head into the second month of the baseball season, ESPN recently handed out grades for the first month of the season. For the Arizona Diamondbacks, the grade did not come in well, as they received a D.

The poor grade for the Diamondbacks certainly comes as a disappointment to their fans and the organization, as they were the National League Champs last season. While the Diamondbacks didn’t win the World Series, it was a remarkable season for the franchise in 2023.

With the grade of a “D” for their performance in April, here is what ESPN had to say about the Diamondbacks to start the season.

“The Diamondbacks have a huge positive run differential thanks to three wins by scores of 17-1, 16-1, and 14-1, but they’ve allowed five or more runs in more than half their games. Plus, they’re 5-2 against the Rockies, so they’re well under .500 against legitimate teams. Now, Merrill Kelly will miss a month — joining Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson on the IL — while Zac Gallen left his start Friday with a tight hamstring (although, he intends to make his next start). Corbin Carroll’s slow start hasn’t helped, either. The D-backs have to figure out how to stay afloat until they can get the rotation healthy.”

As mentioned in the article, starting pitching has been a big issue for the Diamondbacks this season. Injuries have hampered the team, and there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel for them in that department anytime soon.

On the offensive side of things, Corbin Carroll not playing well has hurt their lineup. Carroll is still hitting under .200 a month into the season, which is a massive difference compared to his .285 batting average last season.

For the Diamondbacks, the positive in this is that they are just a few games under .500 despite injuries and poor play from their young star. As we head into May, we will have to see if the defending NL Champions can turn it around.