Arizona

Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Player Review: Ryan Thompson

Published

1 year ago

November 5, 2024

Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Player Review: Ryan Thompson

This article is part of a series chronicling the individual seasons of players who appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

Reviews for players who still have rookie eligibility for 2025 will appear in our prospect season reviews. Players are presented in the reverse order of their aWAR, an average of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs WAR.

2024 Contract status: Arbitration, $1,350,000

Ryan Thompson 2024 and career statistics / Alex D’Agostino | Diamondbacks On SI

When the Diamondbacks signed right-handed reliever Ryan Thompson to a minor league deal midway through the 2023 season, no one, except perhaps general manager Mike Hazen, had any idea of how impactful the move would be.

Thompson brought consistent stability to Arizona’s bullpen, immediately stepping into a high-leverage role, with his devastating arsenal and confounding sidearm angle baffling opposing hitters and pitching to a stellar 0.69 ERA with the D-backs in the regular season.

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.

He was quite effective in June as well, up until June 28, where he gave up three hits, a walk and a home run, leading to a three-run day against the Oakland A’s. He settled back in quickly enough, giving up just two runs in July, and giving up just a .143 average for the month.

Unfortunately, like many of the D-backs’ other arms, his effectiveness took a hit as the latter months began. And, as with much of Arizona’s pitching staff, once Paul Sewald began to stumble out of his closer’s role, the rest of the high-leverage arms lost their groove.

It was oddly definitive for Thompson when this began to break down, correlated directly with Sewald’s removal from the ninth inning.

On July 31, Sewald had loaded the bases with a thin lead on the Washington Nationals. To avoid disaster, manager Torey Lovullo pulled his closer, and turned to Thompson to finish the job. It was a nail-biting finish, but the sidewinder sealed the win, and the sweep.

Two days later, Sewald was officially demoted, and Thompson’s struggles began to take hold. He allowed a run in his first three outings to begin August (including a blown save), and while the right-hander’s ERA was still an objectively excellent number at 2.30, it had more than doubled in just over a month.

He gave up just one unearned run over his next three outings, but on August 16, he suffered a blow to his confidence.

Facing the Tampa Bay Rays, in what was a sloppy series, filled with errors, the normally lockdown reliever gave up a walk and four hits. While a couple of them were cheap hits that could or should have been outs, Thompson only managed to record two outs, giving up three runs and giving up the lead.

He then delivered six more scoreless appearances, though they did look more labored. His pitch counts saw some spikes, and his command looked less sharp than it normally had been, with location mistakes on his slider and sinker frequently flying way outside the zone.

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.

His once-sparkling ERA ballooned to a still-respectable but closer to average 3.26 as the season closed, with September marking his second straight 6.00+ ERA month.

Now, the illustration of these late struggles aren’t to say his season should be looked at negatively. Thompson was, by all metrics, a very effective arm for the D-backs, and, in many cases, he was asked to carry a major part of the bullpen workload.

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.

Both his slider and sinker, two of his primary soft-contact pitches, began to lose some of their movement. Fatigue appeared to be taking its toll on the righty, and some poor luck made it a bit of a difficult stretch.

That said, the D-backs’ bullpen would certainly have been in worse shape without Thompson’s efforts. He may have struggled as the year progressed, but remains one of the most important members of Arizona’s relief corp, dating back to his contributions to 2023’s World Series run.

2025 Contract status: Arbitration, estimated $3,070,000 per Spotrac

The big right-hander is still arbitration eligible, and is estimated to earn $3,070,000 next season. There’s very little doubt he’ll return to the D-backs in 2025, and will likely retain his spot in higher-leverage situations, even if an addition is made.

Despite being 32 years old, Thompson won’t be a free agent until 2027. Barring injury or severe deterioration, Arizona will be happy to see the big sidewinder back on the mound at Chase Field next season.

With an off-season to recover, and hopefully a more permanent ninth-inning solution, it’s quite possible Thompson pitches closer to his 2023 and early-2024 self than his poorer recent months.

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Arizona

Arizona restaurant named most romantic in US, and 5 others in top 100

Published

2 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Arizona restaurant named most romantic in US, and 5 others in top 100

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the biggest date night of the year, Yelp revealed its list of the 100 most romantic restaurants in the U.S., and six Arizona restaurants made the cut.

The list was compiled using data from reviews posted by Yelp’s Elite members, ranking restaurants that offered features like “candlelit ambiance, breathtaking views, or indulgent culinary creations” based on the total volume and ratings of reviews.

How many dates have you been on at the cozy Arizona restaurants that made Yelp’s 2026 list? Here’s a closer look at the six date-night-approved restaurants that got a shout-out this year, including one named best in the U.S.

Cafe Monarch

Cafe Monarch has once again been named the No. 1 most romantic restaurant in the U.S. by Yelp. The Old Town Scottsdale restaurant offers prix fixe four-course dinners. It is known for its elegant architecture and the staff’s fine attention to detail. A strict dress code is enforced.

Details: 6939 E. First Ave., Scottsdale. 480-970-7682, cafemonarch.com.

Cibo

Cibo, an intimate Italian restaurant nestled inside a historic bungalow in downtown Phoenix, was No. 3 on Yelp’s list. Guests can choose to sit inside the cozy house or outside on the patio, draped with twinkling string lights and greenery. The menu includes wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, saltimbocca bread, salads and crepes.

Details: 603 N. Fifth Ave., Phoenix. 602-441-2697, cibophoenix.com.

Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano

Chef Lisa Dahl’s Sedona fine dining restaurant was No. 14 on Yelp’s list. Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano was praised by Yelp Elites for its “elegant ambiance, ornate decor, and welcoming, attentive service.”

Details: 2321 W. Highway 89A, Sedona. 928-282-5219, dahlanddiluca.com.

LON’s at the Hermosa Inn

LON’s restaurant at the Hermosa Inn was No. 83 on Yelp’s list. Yelp Elites shouted out the restaurant for its “Southwestern fine dining with adobe-chic elegance and stunning desert views… contemporary American dishes, from mesquite-grilled steaks to cactus-fed lamb, amid a lush patio garden.”

Details: 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley. 602-955-7878, azhideawaycollection.com/hermosa-inn.

Different Pointe of View

Different Pointe of View, located at the Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort, was No. 85 on Yelp’s list. The hotel and restaurant reside atop North Mountain in Phoenix. Menu highlights include prime beef tenderloin tartare, 30-day aged ribeye, prickly pear miso-glazed salmon, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a surprise daily feature from the chef.

Details: 11111 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 602-866-6350, tapatiocliffshilton.com/dining.

The Mission Old Town

The Mission Old Town was No. 92 on Yelp’s list. Yelp Elites especially liked the restaurant’s “tableside guacamole, slow-roasted meats, and killer margaritas” as well as the “vibrant ambiance and top-notch service.”

Details: 3815 N. Brown Ave., Scottsdale. 480-636-5005, themissionaz.com.

Reach the reporter at eddie.fontanez@azcentral.com. Follow @ERFontanez on Instagram.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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Arizona

Jordan Burks’ clutch plays enable UCF to edge Arizona State

Published

14 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Jordan Burks’ clutch plays enable UCF to edge Arizona State

January 28 – Jordan Burks hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and forced a turnover in the final 34 seconds as UCF rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to pull off a 79-76 Big 12 win over Arizona State on Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla.

Riley Kugel paced the Knights (16-4, 4-3 Big 12) with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Burks added 15 points and three steals while Jamichael Stillwell posted 14 points.

Maurice Odum produced 18 points and six assists for the Sun Devils (11-10, 2-6), who never trailed in the second half until 1:11 to go. Anthony Johnson added 12 points and Bryce Ford had 11.

UCF took its first lead of the second half on Carmelo Pacheco’s 3-pointer with 1:11 to go. Odum answered with a pair of free throws to regain a 1-point edge.

Burks then took a diagonal feed from Kugel and canned the wide-open 3-pointer for a 78-76 lead. After Burks swiped an Odum pass, Themus Fulks tacked on a free throw. Ford’s deep ball at the buzzer was errant to give the Knights the comeback victory.

UCF shot 45% from the floor and held a 40-28 advantage in rebounding. The Sun Devils hit 47% from the field and made 10 of 23 (43%) from deep.

UCF sprinted to a 9-2 lead behind Bol’s layup and dunk, but the Sun Devils battled back and grabbed a 12-11 lead on Johnson’s 27-footer three minutes later.

Nearing the 10-minute mark, Kugel faked a defender, drove to his right and threw down a vicious dunk for a 16-14 lead to bring the UCF crowd to life as part of a 7-0 run.

Allen Mukeba’s tomahawk dunk on a 3-point play put the Sun Devils up 24-22 at the 6:13 mark. Odom’s deep ball at 5:34 gave the visitors their largest lead at 27-22 on the way to a 39-35 lead at the break.

The second half was played tightly over the first eight minutes, with the Sun Devils holding a slim lead that extended to five, 52-47, on Andrija Grbovic’s trey at 11:22.

Grbovic stroked another 3-pointer and Noah Meeusen converted three free throws. Odum’s 3-pointer with 8:26 capped a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 61-51.

With 6:09 remaining, the lead grew to 70-58 on Massamba Diop’s two freebies — Arizona State’s largest advantage — but the Knights mounted a charge and tied it with 2:39 left on Fulks’ pair of free throws that wrapped an 11-0 run.

–Field Level Media

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Arizona

Data centers are good for Arizona. Here’s why | Opinion

Published

1 day ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Data centers are good for Arizona. Here’s why | Opinion

Data centers have gotten a bad rap lately, but here’s why we think they are actually good for Arizona. It starts with jobs.

Stephen Richer and Josh Heywood
| For The Republic

Arizona data centers have generated a lot of political heat in recent weeks.

At her State of the State address, Gov. Katie Hobbs questioned the social benefit of data centers and signaled an interest in reinstating a sales tax on data center equipment purchases. Neal Carter, a Republican state legislator, agrees with Hobbs. So too might Republican state legislator Leo Biasiucci.

A month ago, the Chandler City Council unanimously rejected a proposed data center despite the lobbying efforts of former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Hundreds of Chandler residents filled the auditorium for the vote, and 256 residents submitted online comments opposing the data center.

In Tucson, the city council unanimously rejected connecting a large data center (Project Blue) to the city’s water system. Attorney General Kris Mayes is now looking deeper into Project Blue, Tucson Electric Power and the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Here at The Arizona Republic, the opinion section published an editorial on Jan. 20 (Arizona data centers bring hidden water risks), and the news section printed an article on Jan. 18 (Gas power plant for data center project stirs concerns in Surprise), both of which cast data centers in a less-than-flattering light.

And earlier this week, handfuls of speakers at the Corporation Commission blamed data centers for proposed APS rate hikes.

Each situation has its own complexities and justifications (and I’ll get into some of them in future weeks). Some opposition is more factually substantiated than others. But they’re all rooted in a suspicion that these large warehouses of computer servers that power the modern world are no longer great things for Arizona.

Arizona data center benefits starts with jobs

If we may be so bold, and to set the stage for future articles here at the Republic, here are a few reasons why Arizona should celebrate our position as a top 10 state for data centers:

Jobs. It’s not just the people employed by data centers (many of which are high-paying jobs), but the ancillary jobs needed by data centers: contracted electricians, carpenters, pipefitters, HVAC technicians, etc. PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”) found that data centers accounted for 81,000 jobs in Arizona as of 2023.
Taxes. It’s the start of the state legislative season and, sadly, this is going to be one of those years in which we hear lots about the things we can’t afford. But data centers help that equation. According to the same PwC report, data centers generated $2.3 billion in state and local tax revenue from 2017 to 2021. That means money for schools and roads. Or lower state income taxes (as happened).
Tech center. It’s a truism that tech begets other tech. We’ve said this as we’ve celebrated the massive expansions of TSMC and Intel. It’s also true of data centers. And if proprietors of data centers – companies like Amazon and Microsoft – are happy with Arizona as a data center home, they’ll likely consider Arizona a home for other tech investments.
Buying unwanted power. Normal businesses use power during the day (8 am-5 pm). Homes use power during the evening (5-11 pm). But few users demand power overnight (11 pm-8 am). This means we often have to dump unsold power. But data centers need power around the clock, and they can buy that overnight power, generating revenue for Arizona utility companies that then doesn’t have to be generated from Arizona households.

Those are the benefits.

Detractors focus on power, water and land. They’re all important, but solvable.

On power, public utilities can, and should, ensure data centers pay for all the power they use–not the public. The Salt River Project (SRP) website states this explicitly on its website. APS announced a proposed 45% increase on data center electricity costs to “make sure that (data centers) will continue to pay their fair share.” The recent agreement between Tucson Electric Power and Project Blue intends to do the same. And some data centers are even looking at generating their own power.

Data centers aren’t our biggest water worry

Regarding water, data centers have gotten so efficient at water use that, in some cases, they would use less water than vacant warehouses (of which there are, sadly, many). The Project Blue data center before Tucson City Council promised to be water-positive for the city, and other cities, such as Chandler have proposed caps on water usage by data centers. These caps are the same that apply to other businesses; data centers don’t get a special water deal. And, really, if you’re looking to pin water woes on any industry, it’s not chip-manufacturing, and it’s not data centers. It’s farming (over 70% of Arizona’s water supply goes to agriculture).

Lastly, regarding land, of course people don’t want to have neighborhoods disrupted by massive warehouses. And nobody should feel like they got into a bidding war with a data center for a home in a cute, quiet neighborhood. That’s why we have noise ordinances and zoning laws. Arizona still has plenty of space. The smart people in city planning can figure it out. And unlike big box stores, data centers don’t have 18-wheelers constantly delivering supplies.

Arizona is a state known for growth. We’ve grown massively in residents. We’ve grown massively in housing (and need to do more). We’ve grown massively in tourism. We’ve grown massively in healthcare. We’ve grown massively in education. And we’ve recently grown massively in semiconductors.

There’s no reason we can’t keep growing in data centers.

Stephen Richer is the CEO of Republic Affairs, a fellow at the Cato Institute, and a former Maricopa County Recorder. Josh Heywood is operations manager at Republic Affairs.

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