All Diamondbacks team 1965-2017, position players

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In putting together this Diamondbacks team, I was surprised to see how few great players have played in Arizona. True, the team began play in 1998, but they won a world series in 2001. That was due, in large part, to the work of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, and other Dbacks pitchers. Having said that, the Diamondbacks haven't been entirely devoid of outstanding players. Here we go.

Catcher: Miguel Montero Before base runners were going wild on him when he was with the Cubs, he was a pretty good catcher for the Diamondbacks. In 9 seasons In Arizona, Montero's WAR was only 12.6, but he did had a WAR of 4.1 in 2011 and 2012. In those seasons hit .280 and ,282. Throw in some power and decent defensive metrics and you have a pretty good player. Montero gets the nod over Damien Miller, who had a couple of decent seasons, including being part of the Dbacks 2001 championship season.

First base: Paul Goldschmidt Paul Goldschmidt could well be the best player in the history of the franchise. The only competition among position players would be Luis Gonzalez. And I'd take Goldschmidt. Paul can hit, hit with power and even steal a base. His best season to date was 2015 when he led the NL in homers with 36 and RBIs with 125. His OPS for that season was .952, which also led the league. His OBP for his career is .399. In 7 seasons, he has put up a WAR of 34.8. His best year in terms of WAR was 2015 when he had a WAR of 8.8. Paul should be able to adding to his totals in years to come.

Second base: Orlando Hudson Second base hasn't been a position of strength for the Dbacks, but Orlando Hudson did put up three good seasons for them, recording a total WAR of 10.5. Hudson's OBP was .814 for those three years. Add good defensive metrics and you have a nice player. Orlando won two gold gloves during his time in Arizona and made the all star team in 2007. Hudson gets the call over Jay Bell and Junior Spivey.

Shortstop: Stephen Drew If second base hasn't been a position of strength for the the same could be said for shortstop. Stephen Drew gets the nod over Craig Counsel. Drew spent 7 seasons win Arizona and put up a WAR of 13.1. His best season was 2010, when he put up a WAR of 4.0. Drew's OPS for his tenure in Arizona was a respectable .765. Drew was also a pretty good defender during his time with the Diamondbacks. Craig Counsell gets a mention by virtue of his six seasons in with the Dbacks. His WAR for that time frame was 12.7. A lot of Counsell's value was defense driven. 

Third base: Matt Williams What I said about the Diamondbacks situation at second base and shortstop also applies to the Dbacks third base situation. Matt Williams had a couple of nice seasons in Arizona, but overall had a WAR of only 8.2 in six seasons with the Dbacks. Matt does get bonus points for being a part of the Diamondbacks 2001 championship team. Matt did have a huge season in 1999 when he had a conventional stats line of .303-35-142. His WAR for that season was 4.1. He was also an all star in that season. Williams prevails over three true outcome guy, Mark Reynolds, as well as current third baseman, Jake Lamb. In a couple of more seasons, Lamb could well be the choice based in large part on his power.

Left field: Luis Gonzalez Finally, a position where the choice is easy. Luis was a decent outfielder until he got to Arizona and became a beast. From 199-2003, Gonzalez hit 26 or more home runs. He maxed out in 2001 when he hit 57 homers and had an OPS of 1.117. His WAR for that season was 7.5. In 1999, Luis led the NL in hits with 2006. And of course, his game winning RBI single in game 7 of the 2001 World Series is the most memorable hit in Diamondbacks history. Ultimately, Gonzalez spent 8 years in Arizona and compiled a WAR of 30 and an OPS of .919.

Center field: Steve Finley Finley was a good major league outfielder with a propensity for hitting triples when he got to Arizona. Upon getting to Arizona, he still hit a lot of triples, but increased his overall power. In 1999 he slugged 34 homers and upped that to 35 in 2000. In six seasons with the Dbacks, Finley hit 153 home runs and had an OPS of .851. His WAR for his time in Arizona was 18. Finley gets the nod in center field.

Right field: Justin Upton While Upton wasn't a great right fielder, he hit well enough to provide decent value in right field. In 2011, Upton put up a WAR of 6.1. During that season, Justin hammered 31 homers with a batting average of .289. Overall, Upton spent 6 seasons in Arizona with a total WAR 14.2. Upton was an all star in two of those six seasons. Not overwhelming, but at least decent. Actually, that sums up a lot of positions with the Dbacks.

So there are my picks for the position players of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Do you agree? Disagree? If so, why? Let me know.

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