This article is part of a series of player reviews for the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a surprising and marvelous year for the team as they won 84 games to make the postseason. They advanced all the way to Game Five of the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. There are 54 players in all that had at least one at-bat or pitched at least one inning for the team this past season. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR (average WAR-Wins Above Replacement) produced, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR. These are their season stories.
The veteran left-hander was signed to a one-year, $6.5 million reunion deal with the Diamondbacks in February. Chafin was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2011, and spent his first six major league seasons with Arizona, before pitching for three different teams from 2020-2022. Most recently coming off a stellar 2.83 ERA season with the Detroit Tigers in 2022, General Manager Mike Hazen signed the familiar face to add much-needed support to a struggling Diamondbacks bullpen.
Chafin pitched generally very well in his first three months of work, pitching mostly high leverage innings and taking on part-time closing duties. His first outing with the Diamondbacks was a scoreless save against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The left-hander sported a 2.61 ERA through April, allowing runs in just one of his first 12 appearances.
In May, Chafin encountered a slight bump, seeing his ERA jump over 3.00 with back to back rough outings early on, despite an impressive 16/2 K/BB in 14 innings of work. Manager Torey Lovullo continued to trust Chafin, giving him multiple save opportunities. Chafin was 8-for-10 in saves for his first two months.
Cahfin's June looked excellent, as he pitched to a 2.35 monthly ERA and lowered his season ERA to 2.89. Opponents were hitting .222 against him, and although he did walk five batters over the course of 7 2/3 innings, he struck out 10 batters while allowing just two earned runs.
Chafin had a rough July, as did many of the rest of the Diamondbacks. In a tight 1-0 game against the New York Mets, Chafin entered for the save, only to give up a two-out, full-count solo home run to Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez. Chafin later allowed the go-ahead run, and the D-backs were swept by the Mets. His next save opportunity was even worse, as he allowed five runs in just 2/3 innings to the struggling St. Louis Cardinals.
Chafin's rough month spotted him a 9.95 monthly ERA and 2.05 monthly WHIP. This would be his last month in Arizona, as the Diamondbacks traded him to Milwaukee at the August 1st deadline in exchange for right-handed reliever Peter Strzelecki. Strzelecki, 29, appeared in just one game for the Diamondbacks--the second of a doubleheader in San Diego--but tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander spent the majority of his time in AAA, pitching to a 8.76 ERA with Reno in 13 appearances.
Although the end of Chafin's tenure with Arizona was less than ideal, he was a very effective late inning reliever for the Diamondbacks in his first several months, with 37 scoreless outings in 43 appearances. A thin Arizona bullpen led to high usage in his earlier months, and his season deteriorated even more once heading to Milwaukee.
Despite finishing with a solid September, Chafin's 12.79 August ERA ballooned his season numbers to a 4.73 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He did not make Milwaukee's playoff roster.
While his ERA with the Diamondbacks was 4.19, his FIP was over a full run lower, sitting at 3.11. Chafin struggled, no doubt, in later months, but was an overall solid bullpen arm for the early portion of his D-backs reunion. He finished 2023 with a 0.41 aWAR despite his season descending rather quickly.
2024 Status and Outlook
Chafin is 33, coming off his worst statistical season since a shortened 2020 year. He was recently signed to another reunion deal, returning to the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. Although the veteran lefty pitched well for most of his half-season with the Diamondbacks, Arizona's bullpen has emerged and solidified behind the likes of Thompson, Ginkel and Sewald. The Sheriff is one who likely won't be riding back into town again.
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