The Diamondbacks briefly reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 16th after defeating the Phillies in the series opener this weekend. However, two subsequent losses have left them in a familiar position—a few games below .500.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As of June 24th, the Diamondbacks are one game back from a National League Wild Card spot, with fewer than 20 games remaining before the All-Star break in mid-July. This Thursday, June 27th, marks the halfway point of the 2024 season as the team plays Game 81.
Despite the ups and downs, the Diamondbacks gained five spots in Will Leitch’s MLB Power Rankings this week, moving from 19th to 14th. Leitch attributes their climb to Ketel Marte’s performance, stating, “Slowly but surely, the Diamondbacks are crawling their way back to relevance, helped by the NL Wild Card scrum but also by an offense that’s starting to resemble the scary one we saw last October. Since his outburst last postseason didn’t make him the national figure he deserves to be, maybe this excellent season will finally do it for Ketel Marte: His 137 OPS+ is the second highest of his career — and highest in a full season since he finished fourth in MVP voting in 2019 — and he has been the rock the D-backs have relied upon for a decade now. How has he made only one All-Star Game?”
On another bright note, the D-backs are expected to get their ace, Zac Gallen, back on the mound this weekend, along with Alek Thomas out in right field.
Elsewhere in the Power Rankings, the New York Yankees stood tall in the #1 spot, this is despite them losing 7 of their last 10, including three series losses in a row. Behind New York are the Philadelphia Phillies who are back to holding the best record in baseball after their series win over the Diamondbacks over the weekend. Only the Guardians have allowed fewer runs this season than Philadelphia, this loaded pitching staff was put on full display as they held Arizona to a combined two total runs in the final two games of the series.
The top five in Leitch’s Power Rankings are rounded out by the Orioles at #3, Dodgers at #4, and Guardians at #5. Notably, the Guardians now hold the best record in the American League, riding a five-game winning streak led by Steven Kwan, who boasts a league-leading .390 batting average
Do you agree with these rankings?
