The D-backs are here because their young stars arrived ready to be the present — not just the future
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
PHOENIX — Tonight, under the roof of Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, a scene few predicted months, weeks or even days ago will play out: The Arizona Diamondbacks will host Game 3 of the World Series.
How did Arizona shock the baseball world and get to this point?
It all starts with a young core led by right fielder Corbin Carroll and catcher Gabriel Moreno, a pair of 23-year-old emerging stars who arrived ready to play like seasoned veterans despite their age. The bright lights of October haven’t changed that.
“I think that’s what gets me excited about this team, not only for this year but moving forward,” Game 2 starting pitcher Merrill Kelly said. “You would expect in the years coming that all those guys … they’re already pretty close to elite players. And I think they’re only going to get better. That gives me excitement not only for going into this series, but also moving forward.”
It’s a sentiment felt throughout the organization. Most teams — this side of Baltimore, at least — wouldn’t be playing in October while starting four position players age 24 or younger, but that’s exactly what Arizona did in Game 2 of the World Series. In a 9-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday, Carroll, Moreno, 23-year-old Alek Thomas and 24-year-old Geraldo Perdomo combined for six hits, three RBIs and three runs scored — highlighted by Moreno’s fourth home run of the postseason.
Carroll, Thomas and Perdomo were all originally drafted or signed by the D-backs and climbed the minor league ladder together as part of a highly touted wave of prospects who had fans in Arizona hopeful better days were coming, even as Arizona lost 110 games just two years ago. It was Moreno’s arrival in an offseason trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that proved to be the final piece in turning that hope into what’s playing out now. He has become an elite player in his first full season, combining with Carroll to become the faces of the franchise who continue to outperform their age.
“Gabby is 23, but I feel like he’s 33,” Game 1 starter Zac Gallen said. “Just the way he’s super cool, super calm, collected. The moment doesn’t seem to faze him. And the talent is just off the charts.”
Exhibit A: Instead of being overmatched by his first taste of October, Moreno hit three home runs in his first five playoff games, off a trio of experienced postseason pitchers in Corbin Burnes, Clayton Kershaw and Lance Lynn. Exhibit B: He added another name to the list Saturday night when he broke a scoreless tie with a solo shot off a 3-2 curveball from Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery.
But power at the plate is just one part of his dynamic skills. Behind it, his game calling skills have gotten better and better while he already possesses one of MLB’s strongest arms.
“I joke that when I’m 50 years old, I’ll be watching Gabi Moreno still playing in the big leagues,” Kelly said with a laugh. “He’s that kind of talent.”
Reliever Joe Mantiply perked up when asked to pick the one moment that stands out from Moreno during the postseason.
“The homer against the Dodgers (in Game 3 of the NLDS),” Mantiply said. “He hits the home run foul and the next pitch, to be able to turn on one and hit another homer, that’s something only the best players in the world can do. That takes an unbelievable amount of talent and slow heartbeat to be able to execute in that moment. That’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on a field, to be honest.”
Moreno had already rounded the bases and was in the dugout when the umpires — after a delay — declared the would-be home run was a foul ball. On the very next pitch, he took Lynn deep — again. The smiles in the dugout were ear-to-ear as he circled the diamond again. It instantly became a signature moment for the young catcher and the D-backs, who hit a record four home runs that inning.
“I love playing,” Moreno said through the team interpreter. “I want to be there for my teammates as much as possible.”
In less than a year, Moreno has gone from playing in another organization to an essential part of Arizona’s future. The trade that brought him to the desert came as the result of a surplus of young outfielders in Arizona’s system and catchers on the Blue Jays’ major league roster. Because both sides were dealing from depth, several iterations of potential swaps were discussed. But as the D-backs did their homework, it became clear that Moreno was the player they wanted — and they were willing to give up Daulton Varsho, who produced 4.8 WAR with 53 extra-base hits (27 home runs) and 74 RBIs in 2022, to get their guy.
“What I heard back was essentially he was their Corbin Carroll,” Diamondbacks special assistant Jason McLeod said of Moreno. “That’s how they felt about him in terms of the person and makeup.”
That was an easy sell for the D-backs, who were well aware of the talent they had in Carroll, the heavy favorite for NL Rookie of the Year honors. His name has been in the No. 1 spot on prospect lists since he was taken with the No. 16 pick of the 2019 draft.
His teammates marvel at his maturity, saying he approaches the game like a grizzled veteran with a game that is more rounded than “most 30 year-olds.” It’s a theme heard often when talking to the veterans in the Diamondbacks clubhouse.
Though less heralded than Caroll and Moreno, Thomas and Perdomo have also impressed with their poise throughout October.
“Maybe it’s all in our DNA where we’re not really phased by it,” said Thomas, who hit a pinch-hit home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the National League Championship Series. “Also, we learned from some negative moments during the season. And now on the big stage, we’re learning how to take a big breath and relax a little bit.”
Asked how the Diamondbacks have cornered the market on mature, young players, general manager Mike Hazen made it clear that it is no accident that their prospects arrive ready to perform in the majors.
“I think our player-development people do a really good job raising our players, quite frankly,” he explained. “We put a lot of effort into developing them all the way through from the second they get here to their families, to understanding who they are and trying to pour every ounce of energy into making them the best they can be.”
That process has paid off with a group making history with every feat as Arizona attempts to close out perhaps the most improbable playoff run ever. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Diamondbacks are the third team in postseason history with a home run from four players 23 or younger. Moreno is also the youngest catcher to hit three home runs in a single postseason, let alone four.
With their young hitters seizing the moment, the D-backs have taken down two division winners and last year’s NL pennant winner. They’ve stolen home-field advantage from the hottest team in the AL. Mantiply — who was in High-A when he was 23 years old — was asked if he ever stops to appreciate what his young teammates are accomplishing this month.
“All the time,” he said. “Pretty much every day. I was fortunate to be around Alek and Corbin at the alternate site in 2020, when they were 18 years old. And the level of talent that they showed at that age was already unbelievable — and maturity. I remember thinking, Corbin specifically, was just on a different level of player that I’ve seen at that age. And the success that they’re all having is no surprise.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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