Diamondbacks fire 3 coaches after late-season collapse
10/03/2024 04:31 PM
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2024 season did not go to plan after the team reached the World Series in 2023. Arizona fell just short of a postseason spot, as the Diamondbacks’ pitching struggled throughout the ’24 campaign. The Diamondbacks didn’t waste too much time after their season came to an end, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the ball club fired three coaches.
“The Arizona Diamondbacks, whose pitching staff took a step backwards and struggled, fire pitching coach Brent Strom, assistant pitching coach Dan Carlson and bullpen coach Mike Fetters,” Nightengale wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In all reality, the Diamondbacks had a respectable season overall. Sometimes the MLB standings picture just doesn’t work in a team’s favor.
For example, the Diamondbacks narrowly reached the postseason in 2023 after winning just 84 games. In 2024, they fell short of a postseason spot despite winning 89 games. The 2023 team caught fire after clinching a postseason berth and they ultimately found themselves in the World Series. Although they were defeated by the Texas Rangers in the 2023 Fall Classic, the Diamondbacks were excited about the future.
Sure enough, the team emerged as a contender once again in 2024. They were in the postseason picture until the very end of the season before the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets clinched the final two National League Wild Card spots.
Will Diamondbacks bounce back in 2025?
Arizona still features a competitive team with potential. They will need to make some pitching upgrades, however. Perhaps pressing the restart button by moving on from the three aforementioned pitching coaches will help the situation as well.
The Diamondbacks’ 4.62 team ERA was 27th overall in the big leagues. Their 1.35 WHIP was tied for 26th overall. Diamondbacks pitchers simply did not miss many bats, turning in 1,313 total strikeouts which was 26th overall in MLB.
Zac Gallen pitched fairly well across 28 starts, recording a 3.65 ERA and 156 strikeouts. Merrill Kelly underwhelmed for the most part, while offseason acquisitions such as Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez did not pitch up to their full potential by any means.
The Diamondbacks’ pitching rotation had the ceiling of a quality unit. In the end, Arizona’s pitchers did not get the job done with the exception of Gallen’s respectable performance. Even Gallen, though, features a higher ceiling than a 3.65 ERA pitcher.
It will be interesting to see if Arizona opts to make any drastic changes in the rotation during the offseason.
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