When the Arizona Diamondbacks took an early NL West lead in April, most people (fans and analysts) expected the Los Angeles Dodgers to overtake them in no time.
Well, they did.
However, some people thought the D-Backs would disappear from the playoff picture.
They saw them as a talented, but immature team not ready to hang with the best of the best, at least not yet.
Well, a lot of people were wrong.
Arizona not only is hanging with the elite teams in the National League, but entering Thursday they are just half a game out of first place in the NL West, occupied by the Dodgers.
With their 33-23 record so far, the Snakes have been better than many squads that were supposed to be superior before the season started.
They have a better record than the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals, and even the San Diego Padres.
Those are only teams in the National League.
Their +23 run differential indicates they are legit, too.
It’s the first time they are 10 games over .500 in a few years, as MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.
THE D-BACKS!
10 games above .500 for the first time since being 76-66 on Sept 8, 2018 https://t.co/tz9wbqLRkx
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 1, 2023
The D-Backs, believe it or not, are here to stay.
They are a young, hungry team that is full of talented hitters and pitchers.
With their victory against the Rockies on Wednesday, they have won four in a row and seven of their last 10.
Corbin Carroll (.290/.376/.519, nine home runs, 16 stolen bases, 2.0 WAR) is already leading the charge as far as position players are concerned, and the excellent and still-underrated Zac Gallen (2.72 ERA, 3.0 WAR) has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a couple of years now).
They lead an incredible team that already has playoff aspirations.
NEXT: Zac Gallen Is Matching Elite MLB History
