I think I would have looked at you very strangely, if you’d told me at the start of the year, that the two best plays would be made by Blaze Alexander in the outfield, and Ryne Nelson at the plate. Yet, here we are, with the results of the first SnakePit award of the season being as follows:

9/6: Blaze Alexander’s home run robbery: 39%

3/30: Ryne Nelson records RBI single in first career at-bat: 24%

7/18: Alek Thomas’ sensational catch: 15%

8/13: Ketel Marte’s go-ahead homer, down to our final out: 15%

7/26: Eugenio Suarez’s barehanded throw: 7%

A wide spread of voting, but in the end, Alexander was a worthy winner. Not least because, as noted in the ballot thread, I think it was the first ever out in his professional career he had recorded at the position. It would have been a very good play by someone with years of experience in the outfield, rather than the few innings Alexander had. And most of that time had been in center, where the need to leap at the fences is less common. It’s the kind of play you really can’t practice. You just have to trust your instincts and your athleticism, in order to make the leap at the right time, to meet the ball at the highest part of your trajectory.

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It’s somewhat ironic that, while it was a well-deserving play of the year by a Diamondback, it arguably wasn’t even the best play of the game. For it came just a few outs after Ceddanne Rafaela’s no less audacious bit of grand larceny, over by the Chase Field pool. Though personally, I would say that Alexander’s lack of experience has to be considered as a big factor in his favor when comparing the two plays. I was also a big fan of the swarm of disappointed Red Sox fans in the first couple of rows. You’d have been forgiven for thinking the games was taking place at Fenway Park, rather than Chase Field.

“The ball went up, I just thought in my head ‘Go get it’. “I knew it was going to be at the wall or close, I made that little spin-around, got to my athletic jumping side, I just made the jump and felt it stick right away. I also felt the Red Sox fan, me and him were kind of battling for that ball. That’s for Jalen Beeks: got him.“ — Blaze Alexander

“For him to come up with a catch in a big spot like that, I don’t know. I love Blaze. I hope he never changes. I hope he continues to play the game for the rest of his life the way he does now. He’s one of those guys that energizes the rest of the dugout,” McCann said. “He makes plays. He has at-bats that just pick everyone up. He’s one of those guys, that’s all you can say about him. He’s going to find a way. He may be 0-for-4 in the box score, but he’s going to help the team win some way or somehow. There’s nothing false about this hustle. It’s real, and it’s every single night. It’s constant.” — James McCann

“I think he’s just such a natural athlete. I think he can go kind of do whatever he wants on the field. He’s probably good at every sport that he plays. He’s just one of those guys. Very thankful he’s on our team.” — Jalen Beeks

Previous winners

The full list of award winners