Arizona Diamondbacks 2017 Season: Check Out The Opening Day Roster
Are you ready for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2017 Opening Day Roster?
Like it or not, the D-backs 25-man roster for Opening Day has been announced. Arizona Diamondbacks such as first baseman Paul “Goldy” Goldschmidt and utility player Brandon Drury are returning to the roster, while one-time D-backs like outfielder Gregor Blanco and pitcher Kevin Jepsen were recently released by the team.
The Diamondbacks are also hoping a front office change will give the Arizona crew the gusto they need to log a winning season. Mike Hazen is the MLB team’s first-year general manager, having signed on with the D-backs in October of 2016 after a time as the Boston Red Sox’s GM. Will we be watching the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day? It all goes down on Sunday at Phoenix’s Chase Field against the San Francisco Giants.
As reported by Arizona Sports, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster has a little bit of everything, with players both old and new returning to the fold. While the sports site notes that Arizona’s MLB team is coming back with “many of the same core players on the 25-man Opening Day roster as a season ago,” it also mentions that “expectations have been reset” for the National League West team that was established in Phoenix in 1998.
“Zack Greinke, Paul Goldschmidt, Shelby Miller, Jake Lamb and Brandon Drury are among those who return. The D-backs also welcome back A.J. Pollock, who found out just before Opening Day in 2016 his season was threatened due to an elbow injury.”
One standout shocker from spring training was pitcher J.J. Hoover, who had previously made it to a closer position for the Cincinnati Reds. After a career-worst season last year, Hoover’s MLB hopes seemed to be fading. However, he came to the D-backs on a minor-league contract and worked his way up with his pitching prowess in the Cactus League. Hoover is on the Arizona Diamondback’s 25-man Opening Day roster as a relief pitcher.
“One of the biggest surprises for the Diamondbacks this spring was J.J. Hoover, who earned his spot out of the bullpen by not allowing a single run in 10 innings worth of work.”
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Arizona Diamondbacks fans are hoping for a red-letter season in 2017. The team has mostly struggled to make it to the postseason for well over a decade, although the D-backs did win their division in 2011 before being unseated in that year’s National League Division Series by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Arizona team’s postseason scramble is often a disappointment for Diamondbacks devotees who watched the squad become World Series champions in 2001, winning the series in seven games against the New York Yankees in just their fourth season as an MLB franchise. If you’re an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, will you be watching on Sunday for Opening Day?
Courtesy of the AZ Snake Pit, here’s the Arizona Diamondbacks’ complete 25-man roster.
Catchers
- #15: Chris Herrmann
- #20: Chris Iannetta
- #26: Jeff Mathis
Infielders
- #21: Nick Ahmed
- #17 Daniel Descalso
- #7: Brandon Drury
- #1: Paul Goldschmidt
- #4: Jake Lamb
- #10: Chris Owings
Outfielders
- #31: Jeremy Hazelbaker
- #5: David Peralta
- #2: A.J. Pollock
- #13: Yasmany Tomas
Starting pitchers
- #3: Zack Greinke
- #9: Patrick Corbin
- #8: Taijuan Walker
- #6: Robbie Ray
- #23: Shelby Miller
Relief pitchers
- #12: Archie Bradley
- #16: Andrew Chafin
- N/A: Jorge De La Rosa
- #18: Randall Delgado
- #39: J.J. Hoover
- #11: Fernando Rodney
- N/A: Tom Wilhelmsen
Feeling up to relive some MLB history? Watch the D-backs’ game seven win at the 2001 World Series below.
Are you an Arizona Diamondbacks fan? What do you think about the D-backs’ 2017 roster for Opening Day? Who’s your favorite Diamondbacks player? Let us know your thoughts on the D-backs’ upcoming 2017 season below.
[Featured Image by Norm Hall/Getty Images]
