How good was Clay Buchholz for the Diamondbacks this year? He threw 98.1 innings with an ERA of just 2.01. That’s the lowest ERA in franchise history by any pitcher with more than eighty innings of work, beating the previous best of 2.32, set by Randy Johnson in 2002. He was worth 3.2 bWAR to the team, which makes him more valuable to Arizona in 2018 than J.D. Martinez was in 2017 (2.6 bWAR). And, perhaps most importantly, he took the rotation spot previously occupied by Kris Medlen (who pitched so badly, he retired immediately after his start for the D-backs) and Troy Scribner, and turned it from a position of dread into one of strength.
Preview, #149: 9/15 @ Astros
