It’s been a rough decade for the Arizona Diamondbacks with only one postseason appearance in their history and a series win that took place 13 years ago. However, there are signs that things could soon start to look up.

The Diamondbacks have been ranked amongst the best in the major league for their farm system in each of the last five polls, including pre and midseason rankings, which shows that they have an impressive selection of young talent being developed and ready for making an impact at the major league.

3 Young D-Backs Aim to End Postseason Drought

Among the young and promising players of the Diamondbacks, we single out 3 particularly prominent ones, Alek Thomas, Druw Jones, and Jack McCarthy. Here’s what you should know about the young talentsץ

Alek Thomas

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been suffering from a postseason drought, but they have managed to rekindle hope with the debut of rookie outfielder Alek Thomas in early May. This Chicago native from Mount Carmel high school was not only talented but also extremely committed to making his way into the major leagues as he skipped out on playing for Texas Christian in order to focus on the pro ball.

Thomas has been showing off his aggressive bat and solid defensive plays, demonstrating that he is ready to contribute toward meeting the team’s goals. With the likes of him and others from top baseball high schools contributing their talents, Diamondbacks fans can look forward to their team ending their current playoff drought.

Druw Jones

Druw Jones‘ major league career is sure to be one of great excitement, as the youngster was selected second overall in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft and holds the 12th spot on MLB’s top prospect list for 2022. With his dad, Andruw Jones, also having a successful tenure in baseball (10 Gold Gloves + 5 All-Star appearances over his 17-year career), Druw appears well positioned to reach the bigs in no time at all.

Back when he was in high school Druw already earned notable recognition for being Georgia Player of the Year, and even though he committed to Vanderbilt University as a sophomore, he left shortly thereafter with the massive $8,189,400 signing bonus, 3rd hird-highest in MLB Draft history.

Jake McCarthy

Jake McCarthy is an exciting addition to the Arizona Diamondbacks outfield core, showing strides toward his potential as a great player. His rookie season numbers were solid but not remarkable, with a batting average of .220.

However, McCarthy’s hard work has paid off throughout this season, and he has remarkably improved from .220 all the way up to a .283 average under his belt at the end of the play. Taking more at-bats than usual in 2022 allowed him to seize opportunities for himself and realize his true potential as a big leaguer — something he touched on when reflecting on his burst of success late in the year. 

“A little more experience, a little more at-bats under my belt — I wouldn’t say there’s a glaring change in my game, just understanding that I’m capable of playing at this level,”
McCarthy said.

What to Expect With the D-Backs?

The Diamondbacks are making strides toward a bounce-back season, having improved their team ERA from the second-worst in 2021 to the eighth this year. This feat largely can be attributed to budding ace Zac Gallen and his excellent 2.54 ERA.

With the new 12-team playoff format this year there are good chances to bet on the Diamondbacks to reach a postseason push, though some tough decisions and changes need to be made for that dream to become reality. The time is now for Arizona and they have a real opportunity here to end their playoff drought; all they need is a little ambition and opportunity.