Diamondback Fire Starters & Grill Masters

Introduction.

This March of 2021 article is an oldie but a goodie. It talked about types of hitters:

• Fire Starters/Builders. These batters often get on base.
• Grill Masters. With men on base, these batters often get RBIs.

Let’s look at Diamondbacks’ batters who excel at getting on base (Fire Starters/Builders) and who excel at hitting RBIs (Grill Masters).

The Data Tables.

The demarcations of excellence will be .14 RBIs-per-PA and .340 OBP. When the statistic is better than the demarcation, the number will be green. For each of the two statistics, let’s look at 2022, the 28 days ending on 6 July, and the 7 days ending on 6 July.

The following table shows RBIs-per-PA.

Minimum 100 PAs in 2022. Minimum 20 PAs in the 28 Day period. Data from Baseball Reference.

The following table shows OBP .

Minimum 100 PAs in 2022. Minimum 20 PAs in the 28 Day period. Data from Baseball Reference.

The Batters.

Ketel Marte. In March 2021 he was a top-5 batter for each skill (Fire Starter, Fire Builder, and Grill Master). In 2022 his batting broadly slumped; his OBP and RBIs-per-PA fell below the demarcation lines.

This season his batting broke out to near his career best. In the recent 28-day period, his .423 OBP was second best among D-backs and his .196 RBIs-per-PA was the best among D-backs. In that same period, with men on base his OBP was an incredible .535.

A case could be made that he would be a great All-Star selection, but it has not happened as these words are typed.

Then, in the last 7 days (18 PAs) his results again slumped. I am confident his batting will bounce back.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. In 2022 his RBIs-per-PA fell below the demarcation line. In December, the Diamondbacks acquired him (and Gabriel Moreno) for Daulton Varsho.

This season his batting is strongly bouncing back. In the recent 28-day period, his RBIs-per-PA increased to .152. In the more recent 7-day period, his RBIs-per-PA further increased to .200. On 7 July, he hit 4 RBIs thereby increasing his 8-day RBIs-per-PA to .300 (by far the highest on the Diamondbacks).

He is headed to the All-Star game. His bat is on a hot streak. How many RBIs will he hit?

Corbin Carroll. His speed on the basepaths is exciting to watch. In the recent 28-day period, his .194 RBIs-per-PA was the second best among Diamondbacks. In the more recent 7-day period, his .167 RBIs-per-PA continued to exceed the demarcation of excellence.

Fans voted him a starter in the All-Star Game. How many bases will he steal? How many extra bases will he take on balls-in-play?

Geraldo Perdomo. This season, his OBP is a career best. In the recent 28-day period, his .371 OBP was excellent. In that same period, with men on base, his OBP was an incredible .548.

In the more recent 7-day period, his OBP slumped to .250 (20 PAs). He was selected for the All-Star game. I hope he gets on base more than a third of his PAs. That would be success in the All-Star game.

Christian Walker. In the recent 28-day period his .363 OBP and .186 RBIs-per-PA exceeded the demarcations for excellence. Although in the more recent 7-day period (26 PAs) they were below the demarcations, I am confident that his batting will bounce back.

Evan Longoria. In the recent 28-day period his .429 OBP and .167 RBIs-per-PA exceeded the demarcations for excellence. In the more recent 7-day period, his .364 OBP continued to exceed the demarcation of excellence. However, his RBIs-per-PA fell short (.091 in 11 PAs). I am confident he will continue his excellent batting.

Jake McCarthy. In the recent 28-day period, and in the more recent 7-day period, his OBP was excellent (.395 and .400).

Carson Kelly. He started the season late due to a broken arm. His RBIs started slow (1 RBI in 7 games) before he reached his stride (4 RBIs in 5 games). If he continues at his recent pace, by the end of the season he will be a Grill Master.

Summary.

This season, three Diamondbacks could be called Grill Masters and Fire Starters/Builders. They are Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Evan Longoria.

This season, two Diamondbacks could be called Grill Masters (RBIs-per-PA of at least .140). They are Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll.

This season, two Diamondbacks could be called Fire Starters/Builders (OBP of at least .340). They are Jake McCarthy and Geraldo Perdomo.