The D-backs' sidewinding reliever was a godsend for most of the season, but began to break down as the season progressed.
This article is part of a series chronicling the individual seasons of players who appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.
When 2024 began, Thompson slotted back into his high-leverage role. And for the first several months, the righty was just as dominant as he had been the prior season. He allowed just three earned runs over his first 22 appearances, pitching to a 1.14 ERA through May. It was oddly definitive for Thompson when this began to break down, correlated directly with Sewald's removal from the ninth inning.
He gave up just one unearned run over his next three outings, but on August 16, he suffered a blow to his confidence. After a two-run outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers to close down the month, Thompson's August ERA was an unsightly 6.17. Unfortunately for both he and the D-backs, September would open with his worst outing of the season, as he gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in San Francisco.
The sidewinder eclipsed his previous season-high innings by 23.2, pitching 66.1 innings over 67 appearances in 2024. His FIP was 3.30, suggesting he pitched about as well as his results showed, though, as a pitcher who thrived on weak contact, he was susceptible to plenty of cheap hits, and occasionally bitten by poor defense.
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