Amidst a rebuild, the Arizona Diamondbacks are finally seeing the fruits of their labor. Led by promising starters Zac Gallen, 2.54 ERA in 184 innings, and Merrill Kelly, 3.37 ERA in 200 1/3 innings, and backed offensively by a quartet of promising young outfield talent, Alek Thomas, Daulton Varsho, Jake McCarthy, and Corbin Carroll, the D-Backs are quickly re-entering a competitive window.
However, the Diamondbacks’ bullpen is still falling flat. After signing Mark Melancon to a 2-year, $12MM contract ($5MM mutual option for the 2024 season, $2MM buyout) and Ian Kennedy to a 1-year, $4.5MM contract ($4MM club option for the 2023 season, $250K buyout), the D-Backs’ pen posted the sixth-highest ERA (4.58), the eighth-most blown saves (27), the lowest strikeout rate (19.7%), and allowed the third-highest batting average (.254). Veterans Melancon and Kennedy did not fare much better. Melancon pitched to a 4.66 ERA in 56 innings with a paltry 14.2% strikeout rate and a career-worst 43.2% ground ball rate, while Kennedy pitched to a 5.36 ERA in 50 1/3 innings with a weak 19.0% strikeout rate and an extremely low 24.4% groundball rate.
However, the breakout of lefty journeyman Joe Mantiply was a bright spot among an otherwise weak bullpen performance. Mantiply, a former 27th-round pick from Virginia Tech by the Tigers in 2013, reached the majors for a quick stint in 2016, before shuffling around various minor league teams and undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona in 2020, making another short appearance in 2020 before eventually joining the team in a more long-term fashion during the 2021 season, in which he pitched 39 2/3 innings to a 3.40 ERA with opponents hitting a strong .292/.358/.448 against him.
In the 2022 season Mantiply, who is controllable through the 2026 season, improved his 2021 numbers. Pitching to a low 2.85 ERA in 60 innings with a solid 25.1% strikeout rate, a sparkling 2.5% walk rate, and missing hitters’ barrels (99th percentile for Chase Rate, 94th percentile for Barrel %), the 31-year-old earned a trip to the All-Star game in his second full season. Left-handed hitters have found limited success against Mantiply, slashing a poor .247/.297/.282 against him, while righties are hitting a slightly better .260/.272/.404. The unsightly .252 combined average may be cause for concern, however, Mantiply is tied for the 27th lowest Hard Hit%, among relievers to pitch 50+ innings, and is in the 89th percentile for Average Exit Velocity.
The Diamondbacks will likely look to address their bullpen again this offseason, but with a high-leverage lefty reliever in Mantiply, they will have one less bullpen spot to fill.
Adding Mantiplay to your fine staff thereby getting rid of the weakest links is addition by subtraction
Or Mantiplaycation within your division.
Winner winner
If you like Mantiply but want someone younger, you could also opt for fellow Diamondbacks lefty Kyle Nelson. I really wanted the Phillies to pick both of them up on August 2nd (at least I got to see O’Hoppe’s last R-Phils game…)
You know another team that might be interested in Kyle Nelson is the Diamondbacks. >=}
What’s even stranger to me is Mantiply is 31 years old and has been in baseball for quite some time and going unnoticed at the same time.
“Mantiply, a former 27th-round pick from Virginia Tech by the Tigers in 2013, reached the majors for a quick stint in 2016, before shuffling around various minor league teams and undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona in 2020…….”.
This is how teams build a bullpen – by coaching up pitchers no one saw an having a chance to contribute. Most bullpen guys are up one year, down the next. Trading for guys or paying for guys in free agency that were once good doesn’t work the majority of the time. As the article notes, the DBacks overpaid for Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy. Was a waste of money.
Brent Strom and his assistants: Dan Carlson and Barry Enright are going to have to continue to work with some pitchers and develop more Mantiply’s. People that do acquisition for the DBacks need to bring in some candidates for them. Orioles built one of the best bullpens in MLB in 2022 out of waiver wire and DFA pitchers. Guardians found Trevor Stephan in the Rule 5 draft.
Teams have to develop their own.
A good chance the DBacks pass the Giants in the NL West in 2023,
I agree Sam. It’s going to ruffle some feathers, but I like Arizona’s emerging core more than I like SF’s deep pockets.
I’d take Melancon and Ian Kennedy on the Mets, they are both much better than what the Mets have right now. Change of scenery for both
What’s Melancon? A convention for aspiring East European escorts?
Using the eyeball test, Mantiply did not look so good the last couple months of the season.
P.S. NLCS is over, one R. Suarez saved the game and another R. Suarez lost the game.
will boone get canned fot Mattingly?
This guy isn’t a trade candidate rn if he’s under control through 2026 so there’s no reason for a trade rumors site to be writing a feature on him. And this piece is barely three paragraphs long. It’s not even a deep dive into him or anything. It’s pathetic.
His skill is mantiplying.