3 D-backs Pitchers Ended Their Season Strong

The Arizona Diamondbacks ultimately fell shy of their playoff hopes. Undeniably, poor pitching throughout the season was a major source of the unfortunate outcome.

But that doesn't mean the D-backs didn't get some exceptional pitching efforts over the final stretch of the season.

Some young arms, some veterans, and some breakout stars each painted their own sliver of positivity amongst Arizona's overall-poor pitching staff.

Below are three D-backs pitchers who carried their success through the final days of the 2025 season.

1: Diamondbacks' RHP Ryne Nelson

Ryne Nelson was discussed quite frequently this season, thanks to his emergence as an exceptional force out of the D-backs' rotation.

The young righty began his 2025 in the bullpen, and was only afforded a starting role after ace Corbin Burnes went down with an injury.

After that, Nelson was outstanding, pitching to a 3.16 ERA in 23 starts. But his final month was perhaps the most impressive of all.

Nelson made five starts in the month of September, in an extremely critical month of baseball. He completed six innings in four of those five starts, and did not allow more than three runs in any of them.

In 29 September innings, Nelson posted a 2.79 ERA. He allowed 23 hits, walked nine and struck out 24. Even though he continued to rely nearly entirely on his trademark fastball, he was able to blend strikeouts with soft-contact outs.

Nelson figures to be a large part of the D-backs' rotation future. Depending on where Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly end up in the offseason, Nelson may be the leading candidate to start on 2026 Opening Day.

2: Diamondbacks' RHP Ryan Thompson

Veteran sidewinding reliever Ryan Thompson gave up a run on three hits in his final outing of 2025. Prior to that, he had not surrendered an earned run in seven straight outings.

An ugly defensive meltdown against the Boston Red Sox on September 7 provided the only other runs scored against him, and only one of the three were earned.

For the month of September, Thompson posted a 2.00 ERA, allowing only six hits and one walk in 12 appearances.

Thompson was a crucial addition to the 2023 squad, but stumbled throughout 2024 and began 2025 on a down note.

He went down with a scapular strain on July 6, but looked completely dominant and much like his old self (despite averaging just over 88 MPH on his fastball) the moment he came off the IL.

3: Diamondbacks' LHP Andrew Saalfrank

Andrew Saalfrank, one of Arizona's 2023 postseason heroes, had simply an incredibly 2025 season. In his final month's worth of outings, he threw to a 1.17 ERA over eight games, despite battling shoulder fatigue down the stretch.

Saalfrank's entire season was a pleasant surprise. He was able to fill a leverage role admirably, allowing four earned runs over 29 innings — a minuscule 1.24 ERA.

Having a reliable, controllable soft-contact left-hander in the bullpen was quite the boost for the D-backs. With his gambling suspension behind him, Saalfrank is presenting the best version of himself, and Arizona could certainly use more of that in the coming seasons.

Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News