Look, we didn’t expect this either.
Of all the possible World Series matchups, the 90-win Texas Rangers against the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks isn’t exactly at the top of our wish list. It’s already been denounced as a battle of who doesn’t care, and we get it.
But we don’t agree either.
Is this World Series custom-made for primetime? Of course not. But when asked to give some reasons to watch, it took about two minutes for a small group of baseball writers to rattle off more than a dozen storylines, personalities and raw talents worth watching for. next time however. -long-it-.
Give us another Game 7, we say, because it might not be the series we’re hoping for, it might not be the series we deserve, but it’s going to be a series worth watching.
And here’s why.
These teams really have star power…
If you’re expecting Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, you definitely haven’t been paying attention for the past decade.
But Rangers shortstop Corey Seager did a good job compelling case for American League MVP this season (non-Ohtani division), and Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen will finish somewhere near the top of the National League Cy Young career (he’s already started the All-Star Game), and he helped beat his hometown Phillies to get here, even reflecting the declining quality of the local Wawa institution. That’s sad.
… and the hardware to prove it
Speaking of All-Star Game starters, the Rangers had one five of them this year, including three-quarters of their everyday infield. The Diamondbacks have three All-Star starters, with their 23-year-old shortstop coming off the bench.
And you may not have noticed, but Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi has the track record of a postseason ace, and he’s on a mission. to avenge his one loss in the World Series. Casual fans may not know their names, but the league knows these guys can play.
It’s a matchup of power against…
Sure, it will be interesting to see all those big boppers in the Phillies lineup, but the Rangers have hit the third-most home runs in baseball this season, led by Adolis García, a man who has twice been designated for assignment then. becomes a must-see offensive beast who went deep 39 times this season and then went on a rampage for five more home runs and an MVP award in the ALCS. Whatever you do, don’t hit this guy with a pitch.
… speed.
The Diamondbacks don’t have the offensive thump of the Rangers, but they have stolen 166 bases this season (second most in a game) while leading the majors with 44 triples. These guys can and will run wild — they stole four bases in the decisive NLCS Game 7 — and their second baseman, Ketel Marte, has quietly become one of the best up-the-middle players of game over the past half-decade (top 40 in position player WAR as of 2019) and is earning his spot among the best players in franchise history. When the Diamondbacks need a homer, they still have Christian Walker, who was Claimed off waivers three times in his career but has hit 69 longballs over the past two years.
The Diamondbacks may have the most exciting young player in baseball…
Corbin Carroll mixes elite speed with legit power. (Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Diamondbacks may not have many names right now, but give it a few years and their leadoff hitter, Corbin Carroll, may be the name you remember from this series. The 23-year-old is a shoo-in for National League Rookie of the Year and has a tremendous blend of speed (54 stolen bases) and power (25 home runs) that could make him one of the great players of the game for the next decade.
… but he is not alone. There are young stars all over the place.
Carroll isn’t the only one just starting to make a name for himself. Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (he and Carroll were drafted within eight picks of each other in 2019) was an All-Star as a rookie this season, and Rangers left fielder Evan Carter (who turned 21 in August) reached the big leagues in September and the one of the best hitters of the game in the last month of the regular season. Carter is currently ranked no Baseball America’s 10th best prospect throughout the sport.
Diamondbacks infielder Jordan Lawler (a bench player for now) ranks ninth on that list, and his teammate Gabriel Moreno (one of the best young catchers in the sport) who was ranked 12th when the season began but has since accumulated too much big-league time to qualify. Second-year center fielder Alek Thomas is 23 and already has an all-time postseason moment.
The Rangers are all in on the deadline to get here…
This year’s trade deadline was a disappointment for many teams, but not for the Rangers, who spent big over the past two offseasons and still added to their round of deals at the deadline for both Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery. They also traded for Royals flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and Pirates backup catcher Austin Hedgers.
… while the Diamondbacks are built from within.
The Diamondbacks made smaller deals at the deadline — closer Paul Sewald was their biggest addition — but mostly grew their team from within. All told, the Diamondbacks’ postseason roster includes four different players (Lawler along with pitchers Brandon Pfaadt, Andrew Saalfrank and Slade Cecconi) who made their big league debuts this season (and two of them aren’t in the majors until September). Saalfrank only pitched 10 times in the regular season, and has made eight appearances in the playoffs.
Old-timers ride off into the sunset…
I didn’t call Scherzer old, you did! But seriously, Mad Max is 39, joined the Rangers at the trade deadline, and you haven’t done much this postseason. He has won three Cy Young awards and a World Series ring in his career, but another dazzling performance in October will be an exclamation point.
… while chasing one last shot at a ring.
38-year-old Evan Longoria is in the other dugout. He hasn’t played in a World Series since his rookie year with the Rays in 2008, and these days he’s more of a complementary role player than the hot-corner superstar he was a decade ago, but he has a legitimate chance. win a ring in what could be his final season.
“Usually, when you hear about men’s heirlooms, it’s about a ring,” Longoria said this month. “It’s about a World Series. It’s about the impact they made in the playoffs. That’s more of a legacy thing for me.”
Here comes the fantasy football fight guy…
There’s also 35-year-old Diamondbacks outfielder Tommy Pham, a gritty veteran perhaps best known to casual fans for his role in a fantasy football-inspired fracas last season, in search of his first championship. He joins 34-year-old Rangers reliever Will Smith, who is chasing his third straight title (all with different teams).
… while a big lefty with massive postseason credentials is not.
And, if you’re the type who roots for awkward ring ceremonies, Madison Bumgarner might win his fourth career ring after the Diamondbacks released him in April with a 10.26 ERA.
The Diamondbacks front office is worth rooting for…
Seven years ago, the Diamondbacks cleaned house and brought in longtime Boston Red Sox executive Mike Hazen to run the show. He brings several Red Sox connections with him — including manager Torey Lovullo — and many in the industry are rooting for him after his wife, Nicole, died of a rare type of cancer in 2022.
“Great, real people,” one longtime executive said of the Diamondbacks’ top decision makers.
Hazen was against it the curse of The Athletic’s own Ken Rosenthal to get his team to its first World Series since 2001.
… but believe it or not, the Rangers’ front office is fascinating, too.
Chris Young delivered in his first full year as Rangers GM. (Jim Cowsert / USA Today)
No one tunes in to see the general manager clapping in his suite, but Rangers general manager Chris Young should be in the mix for Rookie of the Year at 44 years old. Young is in his first full year on the job having moved into the top seat at the end of last season. He’s still playing — he’s a good big league pitcher — in 2017, has worked in the league office for two years, and has only been a front office executive for three years, but Young was aggressive at the trade deadline to help propel the Rangers up and into this position.
And if you can’t get to the man behind the curtain, there’s always Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, back in the dugout after a three-year semi-retirement, trying to win his fourth World Series title and force another line on his inevitable Hall of Fame plaque.
Just watch because … it’s the World Series.
OK, we’ll admit this wasn’t the matchup anyone outside of Dallas and Phoenix wanted when the postseason started. The Braves are the alleged juggernaut, the Orioles are the bright youth beginning, The Dodgers are the iconic franchise with the all-time ace, and the Phillies had a world-beating offense a rocking home-field advantage.
But this is the Fall Classic! Using a pitch clock, for the kids to watch more than half an inning before bed!
Consider Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe’s mother and watch with a sense of optimism. Think about it all surrender key players who are not your favorite team and watch with a healthy dose of vindictive cynicism. Or just watch because baseball is in October, a team hasn’t won in two decades, and one did not win. The Rangers are trying to make history. The Diamondbacks are trying to shock the world. Kindness, live snakes!
(Top photo of Evan Longoria: AP Photo / Brynn Anderson)
