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Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Taylor Rashi against the Boston Red Sox at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

These 3 D-backs Relievers Pitched Much Better Than Their Results

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks' battered, underperforming pitching staff certainly did not put forward generally-positive results in the 2025 season.

Despite some late-season resurgences from a number of key arms and some unlikely contributions from journeyman relievers and starters alike, the D-backs still sat in the bottom end of ERA figures for both their rotation and bullpen.

With that said, ERA can often be a flawed stat. Sometimes, pitchers fall victim to poor defense, poor batted ball luck and small sample sizes.

With that in mind, below are three D-backs relievers who performed much better than their ERA numbers might suggest.

1: Diamondbacks LHP Brandyn Garcia

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Left-hander Brandyn Garcia, Arizona's primary return in the Josh Naylor trade posted a 5.84 ERA over his 12 games with the D-backs, but his peripherals were significantly better than that.

His FIP number was a stellar 2.49, and his and 3.47 xERA told a much different story about his short season with Arizona.

Garcia struck out 13 batters over his 12.1 innings, and his combination of high velocity and high movement make him an arm to watch, if he can command the ball more consistently.

Garcia allowed eight earned runs while pitching for the D-backs. All eight were spread between three blowup outings. Outside of those performances, he hung eight zeroes and allowed one unearned run.

2: Diamondbacks RHP Kevin Ginkel

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kevin Ginkel had a difficult 2025 season in general. Overall, he was not very effective in his limited action, but his results were still quite inflated beyond how well (or how poorly) he pitched.

He only made 29 appearances and pitched 25.1 innings for Arizona — dealing with multiple injuries after throwing 135.1 regular-season innings between 2023 and 2024.

Ginkel did, admittedly, have a significant walk problem in 2025, with 4.56 free passes per nine compared to 1.93 in 2024. His fastball averaged over a full MPH less than 2024.

But beyond the ugly 7.36 ERA, Ginkel's peripherals were significantly better. His FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) was 3.64 — not just passable, but above-average.

His expected ERA (xERA) was 4.48: certainly not an excellent number, but still nearly a three-run improvement. Ginkel also struck out 10.17 batters per nine, the second-highest clip of his career.

Opposing hitters racked up a .360 Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) against Ginkel. League average for the 2025 season was .291. While he did not pitch well as a whole, Ginkel was beset by bad luck and bad defense, as well.

Unfortunately, Ginkel's season was cut short by a shoulder sprain before he had a chance to even out his numbers. And at 31 years old, it may be difficult to regain his 2023 or 2024 form.

3: Diamondbacks' RHP Taylor Rashi

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Righty reliever Taylor Rashi was a surprise contributor to the 2025 Diamondbacks. He pitched to a 4.41 ERA over a small sample size of 10 games (16.1 innings).

However, Rashi's peripherals are quite intriguing. His xERA was nearly a full run lower, at 3.65. Similar to Ginkel, Rashi was striking out batters at a high clip (12.12 K/9) despite barely reaching 90 MPH on his fastball, but was hammered by an inordinate .381 BABIP against.

Rashi's FIP is the biggest surprise of all. That number is a minuscule 1.91. He did not give up a single home run in his major league action.

Of course, that is unlikely to continue if Rashi maintains a spot in Arizona's bullpen, but he was still able to stack six scoreless appearances in his 10 outings — three of which were multi-inning affairs.