'Believe that': The Arizona Diamondbacks may be the best team in baseball

PHOENIX − They are one of baseball’s most dangerous teams.

They can slug, run, walk, make contact, pitch, play lights-out defense and are brimming with confidence.

They very well could be the Arizona Diamondbacks of a year ago, who snuck into the postseason, and made that magical October run to the World Series.

That team this year?

Well ... the 2024 Arizona Diamondbacks.

Don’t look now, but the way the D-backs are playing, the way they are built, the way they’ve shown surreal resiliency, they may be back in the World Series.

Yes, the Diamondbacks are that good.

“I know we went to the World Series last year, but I think this team is better this year,’’ Diamondbacks veteran starter Merrill Kelly told USA TODAY Sports. “Really, we’re a lot better, especially with our bullpen. It’s the best since I’ve been here.

“We’ve gone through our struggles. We’ve gone through our injuries. But the fact where we are now only confirms that we are a better team. There’s no reason we can’t take it a step further this year.

“We all believe that.’’

In the words of Philadelphia Phillies All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper: “They ain't scared. They go about it the right way. They play the game hard. They've got guys that walk, guys that hit, good pitching, good bullpen. They're a good team.’’

Perhaps even a great team, one that could be playing deep into the month of October once again, only this time being the last team to spray champagne.

“They’re as good as anybody,’’ Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said. “They can beat you in a lot of ways. They have some guys with power. They can beat you with their legs. They have five guys who are legit base stealers. Defense, maybe the best in baseball. The outfield coverage is exceptional. And they got good arms throughout the bullpen and the rotation.

“You can make the case they’re better than last year, and that’s pretty scary.’’

The postseason starts in five weeks. There is no clear-cut favorite. No team is on pace to win 100 games. For the first time since 1959, there may not even be a team that wins 95 games.

This is why the D-backs, who lulled everyone to sleep the first three months of the season and had a loud wake-up call just one month into the year with an emotional team meeting, are making their presence known, loud and clear.

For the past two months, no team in baseball is playing better than the Diamondbacks (72-56). Since July 3, the D-backs are 31-12, leading the major leagues in victories, OPS (.844), on-base percentage (.351), slugging percentage (.492), runs per game (6.49) and total bases (759). They have hit a major-league leading 36 homers in the month of August.

The scary part?

They’re showing no signs of letting down, sitting firmly in a wild-card position while threatening to end the Los Angeles Dodgers’ NL West dynasty. They just swept the Miami Marlins and are now tied with the San Diego Padres for second place in the NL West, heading into Fenway Park for the first time in eight years this weekend to play a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

The D-backs' offense is absolutely lethal, even with stars Ketel Marte and Christian Walker on the injured list. Center fielder Jake McCarthy is hitting .388 with five homers and 24 RBI in his last 24 games, while right fielder Corbin Carroll has 12 homers since July 7, a .964 OPS in August, and a career-high 31 consecutive starts reaching base. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez has a league-leading 35 RBI since July 7.

Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez returned to the rotation in August for the first time since April. Their bullpen is among the deepest in the game with the acquisition of A.J. Puk and Dylan Floro at the trade deadline. And even with Walker injuring his oblique July 29, catcher Gabriel Moreno going on the IL on Aug. 8 with a strained groin, and MVP candidate Marte playing just one full game since Aug. 8 with a sprained ankle, the D-backs haven’t blinked. They’ve gone a major-league leading 17-5 since July 29.

Whether it’s first baseman Josh Bell hitting four home runs in his first six games after his Aug. 2 arrival, or rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo being called up on Aug. 6 and driving in 14 RBI in his first nine games (one shy of the major-league record), or utility infielder Kevin Newman hitting .346 during Marte’s absence, there’s a new hero every night.

“I think that’s just kind of the culture that we cultivated here,’’ D-backs ace Zac Gallen said. “Outside of Ketel, being on an MVP pace this year, there’s been a different guy step up every night and get a big hit or whatever it is. It’s not the same guy every night. And I think that’s what you see from a really good team.’’

This mindset, this resiliency, winning 15 games when trailing in the seventh inning or later, can be traced back to May 4, when D-backs manager Torey Lovullo called a team meeting.

The D-backs had just been clobbered by the Padres, 13-1, in Phoenix, dropping them to 14-20. Lovullo had seen enough.

“It really wasn’t about the play that was going on,’’ Gallen said, “but it was more about the vibe that was going on. It was like, 'even though we're missing these guys, this is still a good ballclub. There’s still good talent in here.'

“Since then, it was like, 'Hey, we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves because we lost these guys, there’s a lot of good talent in this room so let’s just do what we got to do. Let’s not give games away.'

“Things started to click.’’

Said Lovullo: “I was upset. I just told them, they’re a good team and there’s no excuses. Don’t use the absence of other players as an excuse for our failures. The lack of focus was unacceptable. The group in here is good enough to hold serve. Let’s just be within striking distance at the All-Star break and we’ll be fine because I knew good players were coming back.

“They responded to that.’’

And they haven't looked back.

The D-backs had climbed to one game over .500 (49-48) by the All-Star break, seven games behind the Dodgers.

“We turned the page quick,’’ Suarez said. “That was the point of the meeting that day. We changed our energy right after that meeting. We all knew we had big talent, but we talked about trust. We were dealing with so many injuries. We knew at some point things were going to change, and it did.

“Look at us now.’’

This was a team that went 5-20 after the All-Star break a year ago, nearly costing themselves a playoff berth, but this time around, they've gone 23-8, with World Series dreams dancing in their heads.

And, as they proved to the baseball world a year ago, don’t let them get hot.

“I think this team is better than a year ago,’’ said Carroll, invaluable in the D-backs’ turnaround, hitting nine homers with a .612 slugging percentage and .951 OPS in the second half after having just two homers with a .310 slugging percentage on July 6. “Our rotation is better. Our bullpen. Our offense with the new guys. When we go out, we’ve got a chance to play with anyone.’’

A year ago the D-backs were the last team to get into the postseason, and stunned the baseball world. They swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round, swept the Dodgers in the NL Division Series, beat the Phillies in seven games in the NLCS, before finally faltering to the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

The D-backs' front office and ownership vowed they would use that postseason revenue bonanza on the team, and delivered. They signed Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million contract, outfielder/DH Joc Pederson to a one-year, $12.5 million deal, and traded for Suarez and the $13 million left on his contract. When Rodriguez went on the IL in spring training with a strained shoulder, they hit the free agent market again, signing Jordan Montgomery to a one-year, $25 million contract with a player option that will vest for at least $22.5 million in 2025. When Walker went down on the eve of the trade deadline, they didn’t blink, acquiring first baseman Bell from the Marlins and paying $2.5 million of his salary.

The D-backs, with a franchise-record $175 million payroll, are gambling that another deep run will not only give them another bump in attendance, but that a World Series trophy could help their cause for a new ballpark.

“The World Series and postseason run played a huge role in our decision to increase player payroll as much as we could,’’ Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said. “All the unexpected revenues were recommitted to our 2024 product.’’

The D-backs’ success, after losing 110 games just three years ago, has awoken their fanbase. They’ve had baseball’s second-largest increase in attendance, 16.4%, behind only the Baltimore Orioles. The Diamondbacks are drawing 27,569 fans a game. They’re projected to draw their most fans since 2008.

If you win, particularly in this desert town, they will come.

And, if they happen to win the NL West, ending the powerful Dodgers’ supremacy (10 division titles in the last 11 years), well, this town knows how to party, too.

“It might not matter as much as it used to, but our goal is to win the division,’’ Kelly said. “Obviously, the Dodgers have had a monopoly on winning the division for the last decade. So, it would be cool. It would really be awesome for the fans to see.’’

It would be quite the pool party at Chase Field if they can win the division for the first time since 2011, finally knocking off the powerful Dodgers, who will be coming to town for a four-game series on Labor Day weekend.

“As you saw last year, and in years past,’’ Gallen said, “it doesn’t matter if you win the division or you’re the last wild-card team. You just want to get in, and then do some damage when we get to October.

“We’ll be ready.’’

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diamondbacks may be the best team in baseball