3 Unsung Heroes from D-backs' Tumultuous 2025 Season

Vargas signed a reunion deal in the offseason, and was not expected to deliver much in terms of results or actual playing time.

He was heavily platooned and utilized as primarily a bench player for the majority of the first half, and suffered a fractured foot in late June that held him out of action until mid-August.

But when all was said and done, Vargas presented a playable .270/.292/.383 slash as a switch-hitter, while playing solid infield defense at a vareity of positions. Once the D-backs' first base situation became dire, he split the load there admirably alongside Tim Tawa.

And while Vargas' hitting numbers don't jump off the page, the veteran was actually quite clutch when his team needed a knock. Vargas hit .345 with runners in scoring position, and posted a 134 wRC+ in high-leverage situations (per FanGraphs).

He may not have been the most potent hitter or smoothest defender on the field, but Vargas came through when called upon.

2: Diamondbacks' RHP John Curtiss

Right-hander John Curtiss was, similarly, not expected to serve a major role in Arizona's bullpen, but the brutal slew of injuries led to a great number of relief arms getting more run than expected for the D-backs.

Curtiss signed a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training this offseason, but went down with an injury that held him out until early May.

He suffered a handful of rough outings in July, but then began to stack scoreless innings. Over 12 appearances (17 innings) in August, Curtiss posted a 2.12 ERA.

His season ERA sat as low as 2.91 with less than two weeks remaining in the season, but one rough blowup outing ballooned him to an eventual 3.93 number to close out the season.

Sure, Curtiss was nothing like a lockdown closer or true proven leverage arm, but he provided multiple innings in many of his appearances and was more than capable of putting up a zero, even in high-leverage spots.

Related Content: Diamondbacks' John Curtiss Discusses Meaningful Milestone

3: Diamondbacks RHP Nabil Crismatt

Nabil Crismatt may be the most "sung" of all these contributors, but that doesn't make what he did for Arizona any less impressive.

Related Content: How Diamondbacks' Unsung Hero is Finding Unconventional Success

Crismatt, despite not serving as a starting pitcher in the major leagues, returned to Arizona in an emergency situation, filling the fifth starter's role after Merrill Kelly was traded away and Anthony DeSclafani went down with an injury.

The colombian veteran pitched extremely well in that role, perhaps to great surprise. He made eight appearances for the D-backs (five starts, two bulk relief and one short relief). After the first seven of those appearances, he had a 2.61 ERA, allowing nine runs over 31 innings.

Unfortunately, an ill-timed blowup against the Dodgers led to five earned runs and a 3.71 season ERA. He was then designated for assignment out of pure necessity, but returned to the D-backs' organization.

Since then, Crismatt has elected free agency. Perhaps Arizona would consider an affordable return deal for one of their surprise contributors, or perhaps his success has earned him a larger role elsewhere.

Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News