While Arizona baseball hasn’t always impressed, the team has been nearly unwatchable for the better part of a decade now.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, since their introduction as an expansion-era team in 1998, have had some very impressive seasons – including a World Series victory in 2001.

Despite this, success has been incredibly difficult to find for the Diamondbacks, as they have only had a winning record in 13 of their 25 seasons – and only 6 playoff appearances.

After a disappointing 2021 season, in which the Diamondbacks won only 52 of their 162 games, the team dedicated only $20.5 million to free agents during the offseason, ranking 22nd in the league for offseason spending. Not only this, though all 3 free agent signings were right-handed pitchers.

Entering the season, ESPN ranked the Diamondbacks as the fourth-worst team in baseball, anticipating a 66-win season. 

The Diamondbacks showed early promise, ending their first two months with records of 10-12 and 25-26. After this, however, the wheels fell off.

The team faced a tough June, in which they only won 9 of their 25 games. This, along with a similarly brutal July, led the Diamondbacks into yet another Trade Deadline of trading away stars.

Luke Weaver, a large piece of the Diamondbacks relief pitching, was sent to the Kansas City Royals for a minor league infielder. Diamondbacks outfield star David Peralta, a slugger recording 12 home runs for the team, was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays for a young catching prospect.

After these trades, the Diamondbacks were placed in fifth on MLB.com’s midseason prospect rankings, with three of baseball’s top-13 minor leaguers.

The Diamondbacks ended the season in fourth place among a competitive NL West division, recording 74 wins along the way. 

While it’s unlikely that anybody will overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres in the division, the Diamondbacks have been put in a place to compete for a playoff spot in the near future. Assuming their prospects perform as intended, and production continues from utility fielder Ketel Marte and pitcher Zac Gallen, the Diamondbacks could get interesting very soon.