{"id":667652,"date":"2026-04-07T04:30:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/667652\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T04:30:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:30:34","slug":"espn-ranks-diamondbacks-as-16th-most-watchable-team-in-mlb-but-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/667652\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN ranks Diamondbacks as 16th most watchable team in MLB, but why?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2155\" height=\"1437\" src=\"https:\/\/burncitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28666499_168398863_lowres.jpg\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9 Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>PHOENIX \u2014 Arizona Diamondbacks fans are no strangers to the memorable moments their team can provide, but ESPN doesn\u2019t seem to buy into them this season.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for reading this post, don&#8217;t forget to subscribe!<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117014\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-117014\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28638156_168398863_lowres.jpg\" alt=\"Arizona Diamondbacks Gabriel Moreno (14) congratulates Corbin Carroll (7) on his 3-run home run against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field on March 30, 2026. \u00a9 Joe Rondone\/The Republic \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-117014\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arizona Diamondbacks Gabriel Moreno (14) congratulates Corbin Carroll (7) on his 3-run home run against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field on March 30, 2026. \u00a9 Joe Rondone\/The Republic \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"313\" data-end=\"719\">Ranked 16th on David Schoenfield\u2019s MLB \u201cMost Watchable Teams\u201d list, Arizona offers flashes of star power but struggles to deliver consistent thrills. Schoenfield\u2019s ranking system emphasizes star power, young talent, baseball fundamentals, and even ballpark atmosphere and uniforms. The Diamondbacks scored 10 out of 15 in star power, thanks to the trio of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"721\" data-end=\"854\">The D-Backs also earned bonus points for their City Connect uniforms, highlighting the growing importance of branding and fan experience.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117015\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-117015\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28613538_168398863_lowres.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-117015\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) throws to first for an out during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"856\" data-end=\"1184\">However, Schoenfield writes that the team struggles in other areas. Young talent scored just two out of 10, while baseball fundamentals received a seven, as Arizona has added veteran defense but continues to struggle with slow starts on offense. Schoenfield also touched on the team\u2019s starting rotation, particularly ace Zac Gallen.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1186\" data-end=\"1324\">\u201cZac Gallen has always been one of my favorite pitchers to watch,\u201d Schoenfield writes. \u201cBut his best days might be behind him, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1326\" data-end=\"1586\">While this is Schoenfield\u2019s perspective, it reflects the current state of the team and the mix of excitement and concern fans have seen this season. High expectations from stars clash with inconsistency, leaving fans between hope and frustration.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117013\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-117013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28666496_168398863_lowres.jpg\" alt=\"Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) two run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-117013\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) two run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1588\" data-end=\"1932\">This push and pull adds another underrated layer to Diamondbacks games: watching them is as much about emotion as it is about on-field action. Star power alone can\u2019t compensate for uneven execution, and while Schoenfield suggests the club will produce high-level highlights, it\u2019s unlikely to sustain a pace that makes them consistently \u201cfun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1934\" data-end=\"2276\">At 5-5 to start the season, Arizona has already delivered excitement, including a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, rookie Jos\u00e9 Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s two-home-run debut, and Marte\u2019s walk-off win Sunday. But that excitement has come with tough moments, including being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and suffering a 17-2 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Braves.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">ESPN ranked the Diamondbacks as the 16th most fun team to watch in MLB \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/P5fN1IDLmu\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/P5fN1IDLmu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Logan\ud83c\udf35 (@phxlogan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/phxlogan\/status\/2041218607359590664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">April 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2278\" data-end=\"2473\">In an emotional start to the year, the D-Backs are on the path to once again provide big moments in MLB \u2014 it\u2019s just a matter of time before fans see how the rest of the season will unfold.<\/p>\n<p>*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content.<a href=\"https:\/\/burncitysports.com\/subscription-plan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> SIGN UP HERE<\/a> to unlock our premium content!*<br \/>\nWendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/burncitysports.com\/2026\/04\/06\/rasheer-fleming-gets-love-from-nba-a\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Suns rookie Rasheer Fleming is turning heads among top NBA analysts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitleddesign-2024-03-07T132916.020.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a9 Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images PHOENIX \u2014 Arizona Diamondbacks fans are no strangers to the memorable moments their team&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":667653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2404],"tags":[146,22,4314,5,38,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-667652","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arizona-diamondbacks","8":"tag-arizona","9":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","10":"tag-arizonadiamondbacks","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-diamondbacks","13":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116361549869451926","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}