The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the most surprising teams of the entire early MLB 2023 season. With a speedy, old-school approach, the team is currently vying with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West as both share a record of 35-25.
But if the young Diamondbacks hope to go stroke for stroke with the Dodgers all the way to October, they're going to need some help. It's most likely they'll be looking at pitching, whether reliever or starter. Even now, the Diamondbacks are probably already looking toward the 2023 MLB trade deadline.
So far, Arizona has been making a name for itself by taking advantage of the new rules implemented by the MLB this season. With bigger bases, fewer pick-off attempts from pitchers and pitch-clock adherence, the Diamondbacks are adding to their win column in large part due to their work on the base paths. In doing so, they're currently fifth in the league with 55 stolen bases. They're not fancy about it; they don't need home runs to score. Arizona just wants to put players like outstanding rookie centerfielder Corbin Carroll and others on base, frantically scoring runs.
Also, the banning of the shift has been a boon for Diamondbacks left-handers. They typically have at least four left-handed bats in their lineup in a given night, with two more being switch hitters.