As we approach the final award of this season, there’s palpable excitement surrounding the nominees for this prestigious accolade. The traditional format generally ensures that both the Pitcher and Rookie of the Year receive automatic nominations, leaving room for three additional slots to be determined through community input. This year’s automatic selections are Ryne Nelson and Andrew Saalfrank, both talented pitchers; however, the competition for the remaining nominations will likely lean towards position players. Interestingly, the Arizona Diamondbacks boast a trio of standout position players who have significantly outperformed their peers.
Reflecting on the team’s offensive performance, it’s essential to acknowledge that the bats were the driving force that kept the D-backs in contention through the critical final weeks of the season. While the offense didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous year—scoring 95 fewer runs and yielding three fewer runs in pitching—it still managed to rank sixth in the majors for runs scored. Their OPS+ also mirrored this ranking at 108, marking them as a formidable offensive group. Impressively, they secured the third spot in slugging percentage, and while it inspires confidence, there are looming concerns about next season due to the potential departure of key figures like Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. The heart of the offense was clearly formed by Geraldo Perdomo, Corbin Carroll, and Ketel Marte, who collectively achieved an impressive 17.2 bWAR. In contrast, the rest of the roster combined for just 6.3 bWAR, showcasing the importance of these standout players in the team’s success. To emphasize, the Chicago Cubs were the only team with more players boasting a 4+ WAR.
In the spirit of keeping our discussions grounded in objectivity, it’s essential to evaluate the key statistics of Arizona’s position players who have distinguished themselves in 2025, as indicated by both bWAR and fWAR rankings. While there’s no obligation to restrict nominations to this featured list, it would be a distinct surprise if any nominations emerged beyond these names. Of notable mention, the rankings yielded striking agreement, with the top four players being identical across both metrics. The consistency continued through the top nine, with the only variance occurring at the #10 slot, where bWAR recognized Tim Tawa while fWAR highlighted Pavin Smith, who closely followed at #11 according to bWAR.
To facilitate further discussions, I’ve included a link for those who desire a closer look at the statistics table that underscores these contributions. (If the image appears too small on mobile, please try this link.)
Now, as we embark on the nomination process, a few customary guidelines deserve reiteration:
-
Head over to the comments section.
-
If you see a name you like already mentioned, feel free to give it a “rec.”
-
For names not listed yet, drop a new comment with their name, making your case to inspire additional recs!
-
Please nominate one player per comment.
-
Duplicate nominations will be removed.
-
On Wednesday, I’ll compile the recs to help form a shortlist of five nominees.