There might not be a better rotation, top to bottom, than that of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ace Zac Gallen is a perennial NL Cy Young candidate with top-five finishes the past two years. Right-hander Merrill Kelly has been one of the most consistent starters in baseball the past few seasons. And the team added one of the best free-agent arms available this offseason in left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

But the arm that might be the key to unlocking the Diamondbacks rotation’s full potential is second-year right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt burst on the scene during the team’s run to the 2023 World Series and was arguably their second-best starter in October, behind Kelly.

However, Pfaadt’s arrival in the big leagues was neither the easiest nor the smoothest. The first start of his career, on May 3, 2023, against the Texas Rangers, didn’t go his way, as the then-24-year-old allowed nine hits and seven earned runs, including four homers, over 4 2/3 innings. Through his first five big-league starts, all in May, Pfaadt carried an 8.37 ERA, leading to the first of his two demotions to Triple-A last year.

“I feel like every young player, even veteran players, have a series of graduations,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo told Yahoo Sports this week. “You get to the big leagues. How are you going to stay? … He got sent down, I think, two or three times last year, and with each one, each one of those sendouts, he got some messaging. He took that in stride and came back improved.”