The Arizona Diamondbacks had 24 different players take an at-bat and 42 different players pitch at least one inning in 2025 on their way to a disappointing 80-82 record.
As we continue to chronicle the seasons that each of these players had, good, bad, and ugly, you can following along every individual player review article at the link below:
Related Content: Breaking Down Every Diamondbacks Player’s 2025 Season
This edition is in review of one Anthony DeSclafani. The 35-year-old right-hander was signed as a free agent on June 15 after being released by the Yankees. He missed all of 2024 due to flexor tendon surgery.
Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 Player Review: Anthony DeSclafani
Anthony DeSclafani 2025 and Career Stats | Jack Sommers
The veteran pitcher had been pitching as a starter for the Yankees Triple-A Scranton affiliate, and signed with the Diamondbacks with the intent to get an opportunity as a starter.
DeSclafani showed up in the D-backs clubhouse on June 15, and spoke about adding three new pitches to his repertoire: a split-change, a sweeper, and a gyro slider. His hope was to get more swing-and-miss after getting to two strikes, in other words looking for a put-away pitch.
DeSclafani’s first four outings came in long relief, however.
He got off to a rocky start, allowing six runs in 4.1 innngs while striking out three. That was followed by two successful long relief appearances, including being credited with a three-inning save in a 10-0 victory over the White Sox on June 23.
He finally was given the opportunity to make a spot start against the Royals. He started off well, throwing three scoreless innings. He was bit by the long ball in the fourth, giving up two solo homers, and then was charged with two more runs in the fifth, ultimately taking the loss in 4-0 game.
DeSclafani enjoyed his best stretch of the season following that outing, however. In three long relief appearances he pitched 10 innings and allowed just one run. He struck out nine batters in the process, and lowered his season ERA to 3.86.
He also picked up his second three-inning save, and five days later recorded his lone victory of the season. That came thanks to a heroic four innings in an 11-inning game against the Pirates.
Moved into the rotation on August 1, DeSclafani made three starts. One of those starts was good, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings against the Padres in a no-decision. But the other two were short and poor.
On August 13 DeSclafani was placed on the injured list with thumb inflammation, and missed four weeks. He returned September 8 to make two more relief appearances, and was knocked around in each, allowing six runs in 5.2 innings.
DeSclafani was released on September 18, ending his tenure with the Diamondbacks. He did manage to up his strikeout rate slightly above his career average (8.4/9 compared to 7.9/9 for his career). His 36 to 12 strikeout to walk ratio was excellent.
But he gave up an eye-watering 11 homers in just under 39 innings. It was the long ball that just kept getting him into trouble. Five of those came on his slider, and four came off the sinker.
His knuckle-curve and splitter were surprisingly effective. He didn’t give up any homers on those pitches and batters hit just .156 and .071 respectively.
Anthony DeScalfani: 2026 Outlook
DeSclafani is a free agent, and may still find a spot in a major league organization if he wants to continue pitching. His fastball velocity was still averaging around 94 MPH.
Considering the effectiveness he showed with the splitter and knuckle-curve, if he can find a way to get to those pitches more, he could still have some utility for some team.
Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News