(This is part of a series on retired numbers, with somewhat of a focus on Retired Number Bandits — players who wore a number that was later retired at any point after the person for whom it was retired first wore it. See the introduction for more information and explanation on Bandits.)
The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of seven teams that have retired at least one number and never had a Retired Number Bandit. Like most of those seven, this is mostly due to not retiring very many numbers.
[table “” not found /]Luis Gonzalez, 20
Gonzalez hit 224 home runs in eight seasons in Phoenix and played a huge part in the DBacks’ 2001 World Series championship. He ranks first or second in nearly every offensive category on the Diamondbacks leaderboards. Gonzalez played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Florida Marlins after his time in Arizona was done, but since his retirement he has worked for the D-Backs in various capacities.
Gonzalez’s number 20 was taken out of circulation as soon as he left Arizona, and it was officially retired in 2010.
In 2001, Gonzalez had the biggest hit in Diamondbacks history:
Randy Johnson, 51
Johnson spent more time in Seattle than he did with the D-Backs, but he won four of his five Cy Young Awards in Arizona and was the big star on the 2001 championship team. He is the only pitcher in baseball history to record at least 2,000 strikeouts with two different teams (2,162 with the Mariners, 2,077 with the Diamondbacks), and the only Hall of Famer with a Diamondbacks hat on his plaque.
Johnson’s number 51 was never issued after he left, and it was officially retired in 2015 after his election to the Hall of Fame.
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