The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a lot of their games last year in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. In fact, their record in one-run games was 17-29, the worst in the NL, and 29th in MLB. The only worse team was the Texas Rangers who were 15-35. Yikes.
Now that Spring Training games are set to begin, who could the Dbacks trot out onto the mound to solidify the job as the “closer”? Here are 3 potential options who I think could most likely fulfill that position:
#3- Mark Melancon
Before signing a 2-year, $14 million contract with the Diamondbacks in December of 2021, he led the MLB in saves during the 2021 season and was a dominant pitcher for the San Diego Padres. Melancon’s performance during the 2022 season was not what anyone expected from the highly-touted free agent.
Melancon struggled during the 2022 season in which he posted a 3-10 record with a horrendous 4.66 ERA across 56 innings pitched and recorded 18 saves. The bad news about Melancon is that he is currently 37 years old and will turn 38 right before the season begins and if Melancon cannot prove he still has gas left in the tank during Spring Training he could be designated for assignment. The good news is that although his younger days are behind him, he is still a solid veteran presence on a very young Dbacks team. Melancon will need to rebound from a down year and show again what made him so dominant in the past.
#2- Scott McGough
After playing his college years at the University of Oregon, Scott McGough was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. McGough spent time in the Minors with the Dodgers but ultimately was traded to the Miami Marlins and on August 20th, 2015, after spending 4 years in the minors, McGough would make his major league debut. He struggled, allowing 3 runs and only recording two outs. After 6 appearances he had a 9.45 ERA and was subsequently released in April of 2016 after being sent to the Triple-A and recorded a 13.50 ERA across 2 games.
McGough would go on to spend time with the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies but couldn’t manage to get back to the major leagues. After years of struggling in affiliated baseball, McGough elected to go to Japan and signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2018. This would end up being the best decision McGough made for his career. McGough had a massive resurgence in Japan becoming a 3x All-star in Japan’s top professional baseball league and won the Japan Series Championship in 2021. The right-handed pitcher enjoyed career years in Japan recording a 3.15 ERA, 11 saves, and a 6-3 record across 65 games in 2019 and then in 2020 followed up his career year with another monster year in which he had a 3.91 ERA, 52 strikeouts and a 4-1 record in 46 innings pitched. McGough credits his Splitter with the reason why the Dbacks signed him and what helped him be so dominant in Japan.
If McGough can expand upon his resurgence over the last two years, he could become the de facto closer for the Dbacks. However, he could be another bullpen option if the Dbacks decide that they want to see more major league innings from the Japan league star. McGough should be at the top everyone’s watch list as they watch the rest of Spring Training unfold.
#1- Andrew Chafin
At the top of this list, I have Andrew Chafin. Chafin originally began his career in Arizona after the Dbacks selected him in the first round of the 2011 draft. The lefty pitcher would make his debut with the Dbacks 3 years later in August of 2014. Although Chafin performed solidly as a starter, the Dbacks converted him into a reliever before the 2015 season. In his first season as a reliever, Chafin finished 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA across 66 games for the Dbacks. However, while he had a strong season, during his next 4 seasons, he could not manage to find the same magic and finished his first stint with the Dbacks with an 8.10 ERA. After Chafin’s decline in play, the Dbacks dealt him to the Chicago Cubs where he finished out the 2020 season. The following year, he decided to return to the Cubs on a one-year contract where he recorded a 2.06 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 39.5 innings of work. Then after a solid year, Chafin was dealt again, this time to the Oakland Athletics where he finished his year with a 1.83 ERA and and 64 strikeouts across 71 games.
After the 2021 season, he signed a 2-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. Chafin would go on to post 3 saves in 64 appearances and a 2.83 ERA with 67 strikeouts across 57.5 innings . After the season he opted out of the second year of his contract and became a free agent until recently on February 15th, Chafin signed a one-year deal with the Dbacks. What has made Chafin a solid reliever was his four-seam and two-seam fastball that average 93 mph and his ability to top out at 97 mph with the addition of his low 80’s slider. The combination of his two-seam fastball and slider made Chafin re-emerge as a solid option out of the bullpen for the many teams he’s played for.
Chafin is an experienced veteran which will help him in high-pressured situations and if he can re-capture the same performance he has had in his most recent seasons, he could prove to be a reliable option for the Dbacks out of the bullpen. I think the best is yet to come for the 32-year old pitcher and he could be a very reliable option for the Dbacks this season. However, if this is true, Spring Training will look to tell the tale on how much the lefty pitcher has left in the tank.
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