Need something to do during weekends in the summer in Arizona? Want to be part of the mass-worship of a 21 year old phenom? Well then, let me introduce you to UPTOWN, the official section of Diamondbacks RF Justin Upton. Yes, the D-Backs have erected a section to honor Upton. Their website reads:
Spend your Friday and Saturday nights in UPTOWN, the new fan zone directly behind All-Star right fielder Justin Upton. Each ticket includes a special UPTOWN rally-towel and if you are lucky you just might catch one of our souvenir UPTOWN baseballs. UPTOWN is the place to be this season at Chase Field!
And we were impressed when we saw Justin Upton get a new $50 million contract, I wasn’t aware it came with his own section. Upton deserves it, he oozes talent. He is the most talented athlete in the Valley and has the highest ceiling of any athlete I can ever remember that played for one of our local sports teams. The only other in his class is Larry Fitzgerald. The D-Backs are selling their young star to the best of their ability. After an all-star game appearance last year and new contract this year there is already a ton of hype around J-Up, giving him his own section in a ballpark just ratcheted it up another notch. With all this hype I fear a down year, everybody has hopped on board this guy’s bandwagon. Last night my friend and I were talking about how much we were going to bid on Upton in our fantasy draft and his price kept climbing and climbing, it could never get too high. Present this exact scenario to me and remove names and cities, and I would tell you that the player was destined for a down year - the laws of hype demand it.
If there is anyone that can live up to the hype it is Upton. If not, at least we can drown our sorrows in UPTOWN this summer.
Aaron will be following the Diamondbacks all season long, follow him on twitter.
The Diamondbacks disastrous 2009 season officially started to go down hill when Brandon Webb got injured. Originally, Webb was only going to miss a start. Then he was going to miss a few starts, then a few months and eventually the entire season. It was a snowball effect and the D-Backs never recovered. But this is 2010! Our ace is back, right? Although Webb says his shoulder feels fine, I couldn’t help but have the same ominous feeling when Brandon Webb felt “stagnant” after his latest bullpen session. Now the team is already hinting that Webb will start the year on the disabled list, newbie Edwin Jackson has already been announced as the team’s #2 starter. That snowball is starting to gain steam, it’s déjà vu all over again.
I’m sure Webb will pitch at some point this season, but who knows when? Who knows how effective he will be? Right now it looks like the plan is for Webb to start the season on the DL, but probably be back sometime in April. The only good news is that Webb feels confident in his shoulder, he just needs more time to get back to his pitching form. Webb has been “tentative” in his recent bullpen sessions, with the fear of re-injuring his shoulder hanging over his head if he lets loose. With this uncertainty surrounding Webb, we are going to have to prepare ourselves for the worst. Mainly, how are the D-Backs going to get by until Webb can return to form? Danny Haren and Edwin Jackson are a formidable 1-2 punch in their own right, but without Webb the rotation lacks depth and experience. The Spring Training battle for a #5 starter suddenly became a battle for the #4 and #5 starters. Who we got?
Billy Buckner- Buckner was the frontrunner for the #5 spot in the rotation, now he might have to play a bigger role than anyone thought or hoped he would. Buckner didn’t have the greatest season last year (4-6, 6.40), but he finished strong in September - when no one was watching. Buckner had a 3.93 ERA over his last six starts, and there were games last year when it looked like Buckner had some real potential (his five hit, one run in seven innings performance against the Dodgers in September comes to mind). For Buckner, success is going to come with his cutter.
Bryan Augenstein- Augenstein came straight from Double A last year, where he was 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA. He wasn’t ready for the majors, however, as he finished the season with a 7.94 ERA in 7 games. He was tagged for six runs in 1 2/3 innings in his spring debut yesterday. Augenstein is young, he is right-handed . . . um, he is young. I’m not going to lie, I know nothing about Augenstein other than he has a career 2.88 ERA in the minor leagues. Oh, apparently he had an inflamed elbow this summer, that’s nice.
Kevin Mulvey- Mulvey was acquired from the Twins last year for Jon Rauch and he ended up pitching like Rauch. Mulvey was 0-3 last year with an ERA over seven. In his four starts he only delivered one quality game, a six inning performance against the Giants in late September when he gave up three runs. Mulvey throws a sinker, so let’s hope he picked up some pointers from Brandon Webb during the off-season.
Rodrigo Lopez- Rodrigo Lopez would seem like the best option based on history alone, he has actually had success in the majors. In the earlier part of his decade Lopez was a mainstay in the Baltimore rotation, racking up seasons of 15 wins (twice) and 14 (once). In 2006 Lopez had a disastrous year, he finished 9-18 with a 5.90 ERA and was run out of Baltimore. Lopez is this team’s best back-of-the rotation option. This opinion is not based on his skill or stats, but the fact that the last two teams Lopez has pitched on have been the NL Champions, Colorado in 2007 and Philly in 2009 (he didn’t pitch in 2008). I think it’s pretty clear: If Rodrigo Lopez is in the back of your rotation, you go to the NL Championship game.
Randy Johnson- Bring him out of retirement . . . nah, I’m just making sure you’re still awake.
The D-Backs aren’t full of back-of-the rotation options, but if Webb truly is going to miss a lot of time then the most important part of the rotation becomes Ian Kennedy. Kennedy has the talent and now he has the venue: pitching in the National League and away from the pressures of New York. Kennedy was a great college player, winning Pac-10 pitcher of the year at USC and playing on multiple national teams. It was his amateur success that caused the Yankees to make him their first round pick in 2006 and start the hype train. Since any decent Yankee prospect gets over-hyped by the mainstream media, many expected Kennedy to be a star in the Bronx. When the Yankees refused to part with him in a rumored John Santana deal, the pressure on Kennedy increased exponentially. Kennedy has been compared to Mike Mussina early in his career and we would all be very happy if he pitched like him. Kennedy has the potential to have a nice year in Arizona. He has the stuff and the New York pressure is gone, but now he many have to deal with the pressure of picking up the slack for an injured Webb.
Ian Kennedy, the key to the 2010 season . . . kind of.
Aaron will be following the Diamondbacks all season long, follow him on twitter.
It was fitting that last week in the Valley of Sun we were able to enjoy 70 degree weather and sunny skies almost everyday. It was beautiful weather, and while the rest of the country was being rocked by Snowmageddon 2010, we were hiking, having picnics, throwing early pool parties and welcoming pitchers and catchers in the unofficial start to Spring Training. If one ever wondered why Arizona is the most popular Spring Training destination in the country, last week is the prime example.
The start of Spring Training is filled with hope and optimism for almost every team, I’m sure even fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates can find something to be optimistic about. For the hometown Arizona Diamondbacks there is plenty to be optimistic about. Last year was an awful year, the kind of year that rarely repeats itself. With so many in the industry praising the D-Backs off-season moves it is no stretch to think the D-Backs could contend this year. The success of their season is going to rely on the ability of some of their key players to bounce back from uncharacteristically bad or injury plagued season last year.
One could say the D-Backs 2010 hopes start and end with Brandon Webb’s health. Webb entered 2009 coming off a three year stretch of pitching excellence rivaled only by Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in team history. When he went down for the season after the first game, not only did the D-Backs lose their best player, they lost their biggest advantage, the one-two punch of Webb and Dan Haren at the top of the rotation. Replacing Webb, who had won 22 games in 2008, with the likes of Yusmeiro Petit, Billy Buckner and Kevin Mulvey (combined 7-19 with a 6.23 ERA last year) was devastating.
I know I’m not going out on a limb here when I say Webb is the team’s most important player this season, but it’s true. Webb has to regain some of his form because the D-Backs don’t enjoy a lot of depth in their rotation. Even if Webb isn’t 100% in 2010, he just has to be good enough to be a good option behind Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson. He is certainly capable of this, but if the team wants to be a legitimate contender in the NL this year Webb has to return to his 2006-2008 form. I don’t know if that is possible, but it is too early to tell.
I don’t know much about Valley Fever but all I know is I don’t ever want to have it after I saw what it did to Jackson last year. Jackson’s absence was underrated in 2009. The year prior Jackson was arguably the team’s best hitter. For a team that has a lot of players that go down swinging, Jackson gives them the low strike-out, high average and OBP plate presence that the D-Backs crave. By now we all know what Jackson isn’t - a power hitter. What he is is a very valuable #2 hitter who can get on base a variety of different ways. Considering Jackson lost his 2009 season due to a virus, he is much more likely to bounce back to his 2007 and 2008 form.
Chris Young probably wishes he was hurt in 2009 so at least he would have somewhat of an excuse for the awful season he turned in. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a worse season. Young was the poster boy for the D-Backs’ miserable 2009. The good news is Young can only improve in 2010. If he hits .240-18-60 with 20 steals and plays the solid defense he is capable of, he will have improved greatly in the eyes of most fans. Young desperately needs to get his 2007 swagger back. In 2007 his average was very low, his OBP was terrible, yet he always seemed to deliver clutch hits and home runs. He was the team’s lead-off hitter that year, one has to wonder if Young has a better mindset when he is hitting lead-off. Whatever magic he had from 2007, he is going to have capture it this season hitting lower in the order. His train wreck of a season in 2009 will certainly net him the 7th or 8th spot in the order for most of 2010.
Stephen Drew 2009 was under-the-radar, but that’s not a good thing. So many D-Backs had awful years last year that Drew’s got swept under the rug. In reality, 2009 was a huge disappointment for Drew. He had a 30 point drop in batting average, a 75 point drop in slugging %, and hit 9 less homers. Drew was expected to be the D-Backs #3 hitter and lefty bat, he ended the season hitting lead off for a last place team. It looks like Drew is going to enter 2010 as the team’s lead off hitter. Drew isn’t a lead off hitter, but that seems to be the only spot in the order he hits well in. When counted on to be a key cog in the lineup he struggled, but when cast as a set-up man for the offense he seems to hit a lot better. AJ Hinch has to find a spot in the line-up Drew is comfortable in if Drew is to have a good season.
Kelly Johnson
2009 Stats: .224-8-29
Johnson is the D-Backs’ new second basemen last year, but his 2009 season sure resembled something we would have seen out in the desert. Johnson’s average fell 63 points in 2009 and he lost his starting job to Martin Prado, who had a great year. Johnson had some injury problems last year and was never able to regain his starting job, which always leads to a lost season. Judging by Johnson’s previous years a full time starter, there is a good chance bounces back in 2010. He’s going to be a solid bottom of the order hitter for the D-Backs, a .270 batting average and good defense is all they really need from him.
Brandon Webb is obviously the most important comeback player on the team. He doesn’t need to return to Cy Young form for the D-Backs to compete, but he needs to get close. Conor Jackson is the most likely to bounce back, since he wasn’t physically injured last year. Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson are toss-ups. If they all have bounce back years, the D-Backs are going to be a force in the National League. If they all struggle again, then there is even more pressure on Webb to return to form. Most likely two of three have bounce back years. We will get our answers next week when Spring Training starts.
Aaron will be following the Diamondbacks all season long, follow him on twitter.
Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes must have gone to a lot of swap meats and garage sales as a kid, because he has employed bargain shopping strategies this baseball off-season. For a team that has to win now but is also on a budget, I don’t know if Byrnes’ off-season could have gone any better. I, like a lot of D-Backs’ fans, spent the past season criticizing Byrnes. Now it is time to give credit where credit is due. Josh Byrnes has put together a very nice off-season.
The Trade
Plenty has already been written on this site about the D-Backs trading Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth for Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. While I still feel this was a risky move, it has grown on me. Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson and Brandon Webb (assuming a somewhat return to form) give the D-Backs one of the top rotations in the National League. The wildcard is Ian Kennedy, but if it was just the New York pressure that was causing him to not live up to his rather large billing then it’s a good trade for the team. Think of it this way: For 2010, Jackson and Kennedy are significant upgrades over Scherzer and Schlereth. This may be a much different story in 2012, but we are only focusing on the upcoming season.
Aaron Heilman and Bobby Howry
The first move the D-Backs made this off-season kind of flew under the radar, but for a team that had a terrible bullpen last season the acquisition of Aaron Heilman was huge for this team. Heilman has stumbled a little in past seasons, putting up a ERAs of 5.21 and 4.11 the last two years, but he is the kind of consistent performer this team craved last season. Heilman has appeared in over 70 games each season since 2006 and was a key reliever for the Mets in the middle of the decade.
The D-Backs also went out and acquired 12 year veteran Bobby Howry. Howry is a lot like Heilman, a consistent bullpen performer that won’t wow anyone but is exactly what this team has needed. Howry had a 3.39 ERA last year and has a 3.66 ERA for his career. I’ve already heard people refer to him as “the John Garland of relief pitchers.” That’s good enough for this bullpen. Heilman and Howry pretty much guarantee the bullpen won’t be a complete disaster in 2010 like it was in 2009. These aren’t stoppers however; they aren’t going to strike late-game fear into anyone. For the price the D-Backs got them for they were good acquisitions.
In an effort to improve their offense, which was dismal at times last year, the D-Backs added the right side of the Atlanta Braves’ infield. Kelly Johnson will man 2B for the D-Backs in 2010 (while the organization is saying he will have to compete for a starting spot it’s almost guaranteed that he is starting on opening day). Johnson had a sub par 2009 season but he has been a pretty effective lefty bat for the majority of his brief career. A typical Johnson season will find him hitting somewhere around .275 with 12 homers and about 60 RBIs, which is just fine for what the club paid.
Last month the D-Backs announced they signed Andy LaRoche, which is a real coo for this team. LaRoche gives the D-Backs a true first baseman that they haven’t had since Mark Grace in 2002. LaRoche is a plus defender, which should almost instantly help Mark Reynolds cut down on his errors. 1B is the most underrated defensive position in baseball. Most teams try to stick a poor fielder there, but there are multiple runs to be saved by having a good defender at first. LaRoche’s presence also allows the team to keep Conor Jackson in LF, where he is a much better defender. With Jackson in LF, Gerardo Parra becomes the 4th outfielder for this team. Parra had a solid rookie year, but the D-Backs are in much better shape with him being the 4th outfielder than him starting (added bonus: Eric Byrnes gets less playing time!) LaRoche is also a good hitter, a lefty power bat who is usually good for 20-25 home runs a year. For a D-Backs team that used to lack any sort of left-handed presence in their lineup, the team will have four lefties in the starting lineup on opening day (Drew, Montero, LaRoche and Johnson)
What is impressive about these off-season moves is Josh Byrnes didn’t tie up much money in them. LaRoche, Johnson and Howry were all signed to one year deals at fair value. The D-Backs put themselves in a position to compete next year without hamstringing themselves financially. If this year is a disaster like 2009, they can easily build for the future. With the signings of these players, however, I find it hard to believe 2010 will be anything like 2009.
These are just a few of the responses I got from a mass text I sent out on Friday that simply read “It’s Leinart time.” These responses weren’t from religious people, but apparently the prospect of Matt Leinart inhering the starting QB job from the now retired Kurt Warner has put the fear of God in them. It didn’t get any better the following day, as I told a life-long Cardinal fan that I had more confidence in Matt Leinart than most did. He proceeded to educate me on Cardinal history because he assumed I new nothing about the team - and nothing about football in general. The hardcore fans don’t like Leinart. The casual fans think he is a joke. Apparently Kurt Warner isn’t even that high on him. Well, I still believe in Matt Leinart. I know I’m opening myself up for ridicule here. I know almost no one has my back on this. I know the challenges of coming up with evidence to back my claims that Matt Leinart can be a decent starting QB. I’m going to try - hear me out.
First, Matt Leinart’s rookie year was considered successful by most standards. He led the Cardinals to four of their five wins in 2006. His QB rating wasn’t great, around 74, but acceptable for a rookie. He played well in his first two starts, highlighted by his performance in the famous Monday Night Football battle against the Bears. The team struggled overall, but I would place most of the blame on Denny Green, who at this point in his career seemed to care more about fishing than running an efficient football team. Going 4-7 as a rookie, on a team with a terrible offensive line and coaching staff isn’t the worst start to a career. Matt Leinart jerseys were flying off the shelves during 2006 and 2007, proving there was once a time when Leinart had support in this city.
We all remember Leinart’s career derailing in 2007, but Leinart had some success that season before suffering an injury. He started 2007 horrendously against the 49ers, but horrendous play against the 49ers isn’t just isolated to Leinart, as we have seen the past few years. The Cardinals lost that game 20-17, although they would have won had Eric Green recovered a fumble in the end zone late in the game. The next week the Cardinals notched a win over the eventual division champion Seahawks and Leinart threw for 299 yards. The following week Leinart was awful again, on the road against a very good Baltimore Raven defense. The Cardinals almost won that game because of Kurt Warner’s heroics off the bench. After that game Ken Whisenhunt went to a two-QB system, which is extremely rare in the NFL. The Cardinals beat the Steelers the following week and Leinart led a key touchdown drive late in that game. The next week Leinart got hurt in a win against the Rams and missed the rest of the season.
Leinart got a lot of criticism in 2008, but the two main episodes that stand out were photos of him partying and losing his starting job to Kurt Warner. I never got why people were outraged about Matt Leinart getting photographed doing a beer bong, in his house, during the off-season. All of the sudden Leinart had zero work ethic because he had the nerve to party. I go to graduate school, I work hard every single day, but if someone photographed some of my weekend activities and applied the same logic, I guess I don’t have a work ethic either. Fair or not, the photos cast Leinart as immature in the public eye. In training camp in 2008 Leinart failed to beat out Kurt Warner for the starting job and was heavily criticized. Last time I checked there were only a handful of quarterbacks in NFL history better than Warner, I’m not too concerned that Leinart lost out to Warner.
If 2008 was the worst year of Leinart’s career, 2009 wasn’t that far behind. The Cardinals often built big leads in road games only to squander them when Leinart came into the game. Leinart didn’t play well in these games - highlighted by a horrible pass in the Green Bay game that caused an injury to Anquan Boldin. I can come to his defense a little, however. The Cardinal offense was based almost solely on Kurt Warner’s amazing decision making and accuracy. Warner’s immense command of the playbook allowed him to call different plays at the line and his ability to almost always make the perfect pass is what makes him one of the greatest of all time. Leinart doesn’t have this ability, so of course there was a drop off when he entered the game. There was never a gameplan tailored to his skills. When he started the Tennessee game the offense was stagnate and conservative, but Leinart didn’t spend the entire week practicing with the first team (he split reps with Warner, who figured to be the starter until he scratched himself on game day). In other games when he came in relief of Warner the Cardinals had big leads and everyone on the team had a let down due to the fact that a QB change was basically signaling that the coaching staff assumed the game was over. Sure, Leinart made some bad plays, but I highly doubt anyone was giving close to 100% at those points in the game. It was especially obvious in the defense, when Leinart came they stopped trying. It was all mental.
There is no doubt there are question marks surrounding Matt Leinart entering 2010. He didn’t have a good 2009, but his sample size from that season was too small and the situations he was in were too irrelevant. So many people are formulating a “we’re doomed with Leinart” opinion based on a few meaningless snaps (minus the Tennessee game) he took this past season. If you’re one to believe 2010 is going to be a bad year for the Cardinals, it shouldn’t be because Matt Leinart is the starting QB, it should be because Kurt Warner isn’t.
I have more confidence than most in Leinart and I know I don’t have much to back it up with. I know the argument I just outlined probably won’t make the Matt Leinart haters feel any better heading in 2010. All I can say is if Leinart does surpass expectations next year, remember who was driving his bandwagon in February of 2010. If he bombs like everyone thinks he will, well, it’s not like I have any credibility anyway.
I hope you aren’t sick of all-decade lists yet, because I got another one for you. When constructing an all-decade D-Backs team one is basically constructing an all-time D-Backs team, since the team played its inaugural season in 1998. Instead of doing a traditional all-decade team, you would know exactly who would be on it, I decided to do something different. I have assembled an all-decade D-Backs team by single seasons. Therefore Luis Gonzalez makes the team, but what Luis Gonzalez? The team is sorted by batting order, and includes a pinch hitter, pinch runner, defensive sub, four starting pitchers and two relievers. Once a certain player’s season is chosen he can’t be chosen again, therefore if I put 2001 Gonzo in LF and I can’t throw 2000 Gonzo in RF. Am I making sense?
This format I am using is the only possible way Byrnes could ever make this team, his 2007 season was spectacular. I am cheating by putting Byrnes in RF even though he played LF, but it’s not that big of a stretch considering Byrnes played all over the OF in his years with the D-Backs. Byrnes would give the D-Backs a base-stealer at the top of the order as well as a bat that can hit for power and his OBP was high. By comparison Byrnes ‘07 season trumps any other corner outfielder’s season this decade whose last name isn’t “Gonzalez.” Although we can make strong cases for Reggie Sanders ‘01 season and Conor Jackson’s ‘08 season.
The switch-hitting Hudson is an ideal fit in the two spot in this order. Hudson was the team’s #3 hitter during his ‘07 season due to his high average and plate discipline (.376 OBP!). Hudson is the franchise’s best defensive second baseman and won multiple Gold Gloves at the position. Hudson was also a fantastic clubhouse leader, another reason to have him on the roster. He just edges out Craig Counsell, who played the same position and hit in the #2 spot for the 2001 World champs.
Not even remotely a surprise. Gonzo’s ‘01 campaign will probably be the greatest statistical season by a hitter in the team’s history, unless it is ever proven he was on steroids. Gonzo’s numbers were off the charts in almost every category and he even proved himself to be a clutch hitter. Gonzo had a below average arm in LF and didn’t have great range, but he almost never made an error and didn’t misplay many balls either, making him a great offensive player and an above average defensive player. Yeah, I’ll take that on this team.
3B- 2009 Mark Reynolds Stats: .266-44-102, .543 SLG%, 24 SB
The right handed Reynolds, the second biggest power threat in team history, is an ideal candidate to bat behind Gonzo. Although known for his high strikeout totals (204 in 2008 and 226 in 2009), Reynolds is still an imposing presence at the plate who won’t have to carry an offense like he had to in his ‘09 season. Teams won’t be so quick to pitch around Gonzo. As an added bonus Reynolds even stole bases in ‘09, a rarity from a clean-up hitter. His average to below-average defense can be hidden on this team.
1B- 2005 Tony Clark Stats: .304-30-87, .636 SLG%
Tony Clark’s 2005 season was maybe the finest under-the-radar hitting season in franchise history. Clark belted 30 homers and drove in 87 RBIs in only 349 ABs! Early in ‘05 he delivered clutch pinch-hit after clutch pinch-hit until he finally forced his way into the starting lineup. The switch hitter not only would have hit over 50 homers if he had the right amount of ABs, but he was also a good defensive player (thanks to his 6-7 height) and a great clubhouse presence.
Outside of 2001, Steve Finley had fantastic years for the D-Backs until he was traded in 2004. His ‘00 season might have been his finest. He made the All-Star team, hit the second most homers in his career and won a Gold Glove. What was remarkable about Finley is he often put up 30+ homer season without hitting in the middle of the lineup. 6th place in this lineup seems to suit him, and his great defense in center field is almost more valuable than his offensive production.
Drew’s ‘08 season is probably the only season of his career he didn’t disappoint. He had the finest power season in the history of D-Backs’ shortstops and played above average defense the entire year. His defense gives him the edge over Alex Cintron’s ‘04 Campaign and any of Tony Womack’s seasons. I’m not that excited about having a Drew brother on my all-decade team, however.
C- 2002 Damian Miller Stats: .249-11-42
Miller’s ‘02 season makes it because this team needs a catcher that can play good defense and handle the pitching staff, exactly what Miller did in his years with the D-Backs. I also chose his ‘02 season because he made the All-Star game that year, although that was because Bob Brenly was the manager. He also had a good chance at being MVP of that All-Star game if it hadn’t ended in a tie. Honestly, one could probably replace Miller with Chris Snyder and there wouldn’t be much difference. Just remember we probably need to pick a nameless, reserve catcher so Randy Johnson has someone to throw to.
Choosing Colbrunn’s ‘02 season hurts because I have to leave Mark Grace off the list, but Colbrunn was one of the greatest pinch hitter’s I’ve ever seen. He was always a force late in games and seemed to deliver clutch pinch-hits every night. Grace was a better player, but Colbrunn was born to pinch-hit.
Womack is the best base-stealer in D-Backs history, but starting in his ‘00 season he stopped getting on base (.307 OBP that year). Still, 45 steals and 14 triples makes him a dangerous base-runner late in games.
Defensive Replacement- 2001 Craig Counsell
Counsell never won any Gold Gloves, but he was an above average defender at almost every infield position. He’d be a good, late-game replacement for Mark Reynolds at 3B.
SP- 2001 Curt Schilling Stats: 22-6, 2.98 ERA, 293ks in 256.2 IP, World Series MVP, 6 CGs
Schilling had more wins and Ks in ‘02, but I’m going with ‘01 for the post-season success. Schilling was 4-0 in the 2001 post-season. He only won one World Series game, but he made three terrific starts. Schilling is remembered nationally for the bloody sock in 2004, but he was never better in 2001 and he might have been the best big-game pitcher of the decade. The ‘01 Schilling is definitely who I want on my team. I also give him the nod over Randy Johnson because when game mattered the most, it was Schilling I would have rather had on the mound than RJ.
SP- 2001 Randy Johnson Stats: 21-6, 2.49 ERA, 372 Ks in 249.2 IP, Cy Young, World Series MVP
The Big Unit’s ‘02 season featured more wins and a lower ERA, but his ‘01 campaign featured more strikeouts and the post-season hardware. From 00-04 Johnson was practically un-hittable, so it’s hard to go wrong with any season. ‘01 will always stand out, including his career high 13.4Ks per 9 innings! ‘01 was also the year he struck out 20 Reds in one game.
Webb may have won 22 games in 2008, but his ‘07 season was his finest as a D-Back. He improved on his controversial 2006 Cy-Young campaign and became the best pitcher on the best team in the NL. Webb even challenged Orel Hershiser’s consecutive scoreless inning streak late in the season. Webb’s sinker was never better in ‘07.
Haren was historically good in the first half of the 2009 season, but his offense was so terrible that his record didn’t reflect how well he was pitching. Haren went through a second half swoon, but he pitched well enough to finish with 20+ wins.
RP- 2007 Jose Valverde Stats: 2.66 ERA, 47 SV, 78 Ks in 64.1 IP
In 2007 Valverde set the franchise record for saves in a single season. Although his saves were often an adventure, he always found a way to get the job done and never seemed phased when he allowed a lead-off hit or inherited runners. His antics on the mound were often controversial, but they also were a display of extreme confidence in his own abilities. Valverde had the mental makeup a closer, something that can’t often be said about D-Backs relievers.
RP- 2002 Byung-Hyun Kim Stats: 2.04 ERA, 36 SV, 92 Ks in 84 IP
In the early part of this decade Kim probably had the filthiest stuff of any D-Back not named Randy Johnson, but he was also the most inconsistent. When he was on he was completely dominate (remember that frisbee slider?), but he was often frazzled in the most clutch of situations. In ‘02 Kim made the All-Star team and was one of the best closers in baseball. In the playoffs, however, Kim again self-destructed. For his playoff failures Kim makes the team as a reliever, but not he closer.
Manager- Bob Brenly
Led the team to the World Series and made some of the most epic from-the-gut managerial decisions I have ever seen while doing so. He was also entertaining, so he gets the nod over Bob Melvin.
As 2009 comes to a close so does the first decade of the 21st century. If Time can unleash 50 top 10 lists, then we can surely unleash a few Diamondbacks related top 10 lists for the decade. Here are the top 10 biggest disappointments of the decade.
10. D-Backs Give Up on Quentin
RF Carlos Quentin was one of the prized prospects in the D-Backs organization in the middle of the decade. When he was first brought to the big-leagues in 2006 he instantly made an impact. He cooled off after a hot start, but he produced enough that many felt he would be the RF of the future for the D-Backs. Quentin suffered a rough 2007, only hitting .214 and battling injury problems all year. By the end of the season the D-Backs had turned RF over to 19-year old phenom Justin Upton and locked up LF Eric Byrnes to a multi-year deal. Suddenly, Quentin had no place in the D-Backs’ outfield and was traded that off-season. In 2008, Quentin hit 36 homers for the Chicago White Sox and received MVP consideration while the D-Backs were getting underwhelming production from Byrnes and Upton. It should be noted, however, that trading Quentin secured the D-Backs the extra prospects they needed to acquire Dan Haren, which EVERYONE seems to forget.
Gonzo Never Looked Right in Dodger Blue
9. Luis Gonzalez’s Bitter Departure
Luis Gonzalez was in the final year of his contract during the 2006 season and his impending free agency was a hot button topic. Gonzo, the greatest hitter in franchise history, was clearly on the decline and on the wrong side of 30. The D-Backs were getting younger and wanted to clear outfield spots for Chris Young and Carlos Quentin. Gonzo didn’t want to go, his dream was to resign with Arizona and retire a Diamondback. Management had no interest spending money on Gonzo and chose to let him walk. What followed was a bitter departure as Gonzo was clearly unhappy with the front office and wasn’t afraid to tell the media. In the off-season he signed with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, presumably to get as many cracks as he could against the D-Backs. The two sides have long made up, and Gonzo now holds a front office position with the club, but it was sad to see the franchise’s greatest player leave with such bitterness - even though it was the right move.
8. D-Backs Cave in Spotlight
In the middle of this decade the first two months of every D-Backs’ season was overshadowed by the Phoenix Suns. In 2005 and 2006 the Suns were setting up for deep playoff runs and the eyes of almost every sports fan in the valley was on them. The Suns were always featured in newspaper’s headlines and were all anyone wanted to talk about on sports-talk radio shows or around the water cooler. While flying under the radar the D-Backs managed two solid starts to the season those two years, they resided in first place as May came to a close in both years. Once the Suns were eliminated from the playoffs each year and the attention of the Valley turned to the D-Backs, they laid an egg. The D-Backs stood at 28-19 and in first place in late May in 2005, then went on a 5-12 stretch when the spotlight switched to them. In 2006, the D-Backs were 34-22 before going 3-19 and falling out of the race. The D-Backs missed golden opportunities both of those years to snap up Valley fans that were craving for a winner. They never could capitalize on the Suns’ momentum those years.
7. 2002 Title Defense
After winning the world series in 2001 the D-Backs brought back essentially the same team, the only major changes being Danny Bautista taking over in RF for Reggie Sanders and the signing of free agent pitcher Rick Helling. The regular season was kind to the D-Backs, they cruised to their second straight division title and 98 wins - 6 more than they had the year before. It didn’t seem possible, but Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson both performed better than they did in 2001. They combined to go 47-12 with 650 strikeouts in 519.1 innings. Both notched over 300ks, the first pair of teammates to ever accomplish that feat. Luis Gonzalez fell back to earth after his amazing 2001 season, but was still named to the All-Star team and drove in over a hundred runs. Byung-Hyun Kim overcame his blown saves in the 2001 World Series to save 36 games with a 2.04 ERA. The team also got surprise contributions from 2B Junior Spivey and RF Quentin McCracken, who both hit over .300 on the season and became key cogs in the offense.
The D-Backs looked like the favorites to repeat as champions until they suffered a brutal last month of the season. The team lost arguably their most important offensive players, Gonzalez and lead-off man Craig Counsell, for the season due to injury. Factor in a season ending injury to Danny Bautista earlier in the year and the D-Backs had absolutely no offensive punch in the playoffs. They managed to score only five runs in three games, getting swept out of the playoffs by St. Louis.
Do Over!
6. The Wally Backman Fiasco
After their 111 loss season the D-Backs were searching for a new manager, having fired Bob Brenly in the middle of the season. The D-Backs narrowed their search down to ex-bench coach Bob Melvin and former major leaguer Wally Backman. The team finally chose Backman, a fiery leader that the organization thought would instill discipline into the team. Almost instantly after the hire Backman’s troubled past started to surface. There were DUI arrests and bankruptcy issues. Four days after he was hired the D-Backs fired Backman and hired Melvin. It was a stunning error by the organization who obviously didn’t do a thorough enough background check. It was also an embarrassing moment, and coming off a 111 win season and an ugly ownership takeover, the D-Backs were the laughingstock of the league.
5. The 2004 Season
The D-Backs entered the 2004 season looking to regain their top spot in the National League West. They traded star pitcher Curt Schilling, but added slugging 1B Richie Sexson to what had been a mediocre lineup in 2003. The D-Backs were competitive early, highlighted by Richie Sexson hitting maybe the most famous home run in Chase Field history - a 500+ ft bomb that broke the jumbotron. Soon after Sexson hurt himself on a check swing and was lost for the season. The D-Backs were average with Sexson, they were awful without him. The team finished with one of the worst records in MLB history, 51-111. Along the way we found out that heralded prospects Luis Terrero and Scott Hairston were average major leaguers at best, leaving the farm system devoid of any talent. The season also featured a Cy Young worthy performance from Randy Johnson, but the offense was so bad he finished with just a 16-14 record.
Mound Meetings With Russ Ortiz Never Ended Well
4. Russ Ortiz
After a miserable 111 loss season in 2004 the D-Backs, with a fresh new ownership group, decided to spend a bunch of money to make sure they wouldn’t suffer another season as bad. One of their signings that season was pitcher Russ Ortiz. Ortiz was two years removed from a 21 win season and had thrown over 195 innings in six of the seven years of his career. The D-Backs may have overpaid, but Ortiz was expected to become the team’s #3 starter and innings eater. What transpired was perhaps the most disgusting display of pitching in the D-Backs’ history. Ortiz was so bad and so out of shape that one has to assume he packed it in the second he signed the contract, never intent on giving the effort to be a consistent pitcher. Ortiz went 5-11 with a 6.89 ERA in 2005 and was 0-5 with a 7.54 ERA in 2006. He was cut early in the 2006 season and probably should never show his face in Phoenix again.
The D-Backs’ post Colangelo-era started with a rebuilding project. New GM Josh Byrnes sent pitcher Javier Vasquez to the Chicago White Sox for a package that included Chris Young, a CF prospect that Byrnes thought could develop into a key player. He came up for a cup of coffee in 2006 and instantly impressed with his defensive instincts. Thom Brennaman clamored that Young could become one of the greatest defensive center fielders ever. In his first full season in 2007 Young lived up to the hype. His batting average was low (.237) and he didn’t show much plate discipline, but he crushed 32 homers, stole 27 bases and played great defense as the D-Backs surprisingly finished with the best record in the league.
The sky seemed to be the limit for Young, but he soon regressed. In 2008 his batting average remained low, his home runs and stolen bases decreased and he stopped delivering the clutch hits that we had become accustomed to the year prior. The organization held out hope that Young was suffering through a sophomore slump, but 2009 was even worse for Young. He spent most of the year batting under .200 and was demoted in August. He came back in September and looked better, but the one-time fixture in CF for the D-Backs has become a giant question mark.
Eric Byrnes came to the D-Backs in 2006 to play CF until Chris Young was ready and he put up decent enough numbers to return as the team’s starting left fielder in 2007. Byrnes enjoyed a surprising, MVP caliber season as the best offensive player on the NL West champions. Byrnes hit over .280 with 21 homers, 83 RBIs and 50 stolen bases. His hustle won the hearts of fans and he even scored his very own TV show on Fox Sports Net. Towards the end of the season it was clear that Byrnes was going to demand a hefty contract as a reward for his career year and it seemed as though the D-Backs didn’t want to give him one. The team caved to fan pressure and signed Byrnes to a 3 year, 30 million dollar deal. The second Byrnes put his pen to the contract he has been one of the worst players in team history. He slumped down the stretch in 2007 and has suffered through two injury plagued and awful seasons since. Byrnes hasn’t played more than 84 games or hit higher than .226 in either of his last two years. Making matters worse, in 2009 Byrnes started to make an uncharacteristic number of defensive errors. Byrnes’ TV-show has been cancelled, and the organization is no doubt counting down the days to the end of his contract. How sad.
1. Fall From Grace
The D-Backs’ 2007 will forever defy statistical analysis. Their opponents scored more runs than they did, yet they finished with 90 wins and the best record in the National League. They did it without a power bat, great rotation or a true lead-off hitter. They were successful in 2007 because of a great bullpen, clutch hitting and good defense. Heading into the 2008 season the D-Backs traded for Dan Haren, giving the club the best one-two punch in baseball with he and Webb. All the young players that had stepped up in 2007 were expected to improve. The D-Backs jumped out to a 19-7 start to the year and looked poised to build off the prior season’s success. What followed was one long, agonizing fall from grace. The D-Backs played below average baseball the rest of the year, only finishing two games over .500 and two games behind the Dodgers. The D-Backs hoped 2008 was an aberration, but their 2009 was even worse. The team was never competitive, finishing in last place with 70 wins.
The baseball winter meetings have become one of the biggest events in the baseball season, even though it happens during the off-season. Every December, representatives from teams meet in a hotel and basically just talk trades. It almost always leads to one crazy trade and countless rumors. It is the World Series of the MLB off-season and this year the Diamondbacks are prominently involved.
By now you have probably heard the rumors of a three team deal between the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and D-Backs. The deal would have the D-Backs sending Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit for Edwin Jackson and they will also be receiving Ian Kennedy from the Yankees. As I write this the New York Times has reported that the deal is done. The question for the D-Backs is whether this is a good trade or not.
I’m not totally sold on trading Max Scherzer. The 25-year-old Scherzer was 9-11 with a 4.12 ERA in his first full year as a starter last year. He struck out 174 batters in 170 innings. What is intriguing about Scherzer is that he has an awesome fastball. His fastball ranges from 95 to 98 MPH and at times has wicked movement. What D-Back fan doesn’t remember his major league debut when he pitched 4.2 perfect innings while striking out seven Houston Astros? He looked unhittable then. As for his first full season there were ups and downs, but his record should have been better than it was. His pitch counts were ridiculously high (often exceeding 100 before the end of the fifth inning) which caused him to be chased out of games early. When he was locating and not toying around with the strike zone he looked like he could be an ace. His other problem is lack of pitches, he really is only a two-pitch pitcher right now with only his fastball residing above average. Still, the potential is there for Scherzer to become a legit top of the rotation guy. His worst-case scenario was probably going to be an effective reliever. It’s tough to trade a guy with so much talent.
As for Daniel Schlereth, he didn’t do much in his inaugural stint with the D-Backs last year but he was rushed to the majors. I’m not totally sure if he will amount to anything, but having a lefty in the bullpen that can throw in the mid-to-high nineties is a luxury very few teams have. Most lefty relievers are on the wrong side of 30, with fastballs that almost never touch 90 MPH. Schlereth has just enough potential to make me think that parting with him at this moment in his career could come back and haunt the D-Backs.
The prize in the deal is Edwin Jackson, a starting pitcher with Detroit last year. Jackson was a top prospect in the Dodgers organization in the middle of the decade and his career has been trending upward lately. Jackson was an ugly 5-15 with a 5.67 ERA in his first full season as a starter, but went 14-11 with a 4.42 ERA the next year with the AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays and was 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA for the Tigers last year. Jackson is only a year older than Scherzer, although he becomes eligible for free agency three years sooner than Max. Right now Jackson is a better pitcher than Scherzer. He doesn’t have the strikeout potential, but he pitches a lot of innings and has been an effective starter for the past two years. He looks very nice as a #3 option heading into 2010 for the D-Backs.
The D-Backs would also be receiving Ian Kennedy, who has had an interesting journey in his young career. Kennedy was the Yankees first round pick in 2006 and instantly became a star in their system. In 2007 Kennedy, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlin were the most talk about prospects in baseball, and the Yankees wouldn’t part with any of them in a Johan Santana trade. Already feeling pressure from pitching in New York, Kennedy had the added pressure of being compared to Santana. What followed was an awful 2008 season where his ERA soared to over 8 and he was demoted to the minors. Kennedy still has upside and it is feasible that leaving New York and coming to a much smaller market in Arizona could be a boon for his career. If Kennedy was able to live up to his vast potential in Arizona than this trade starts to look really good for the D-Backs, but this is a huge if.
It looks more and more like this deal is going to go through, but I can’t get totally behind it. Jackson will more than likely improve on his numbers in the National League and Kennedy would probably spend the entire year in the back of the D-Backs rotation, but the team is giving up on a lot of potential. Scherzer and Schlereth were both first-round draft picks that have barely played in the majors. The D-Backs better hope Ian Kennedy lives up to the hype or this is another disastrous trade by Josh Byrnes.
There has long been a divide between traditional baseball people and the new-era sabermetrics when it comes to the bullpen. The sabermetric minds of this great game don’t value the bullpen, specifically they don’t value the closer. On paper, their logic makes perfect sense. Why are they going to pay large sums of money to a pitcher they may only throw 60 innings in a year? What the sabermetric minds cant measure is the effect of a bullpen on the psyche of a team. How many times did the D-Backs suffer through this last year? How many times:
Did the 8th inning lead to disaster?
Did the site of Jon Rauch or Doug Slaten make you want to vomit?
Did the D-Backs have a three or more run lead and you didn’t feel remotely safe?
Did the D-Backs bullpen blow a crucial game that led to a multiple game tailspin?
A good bullpen is vital to a good team. A great closer has a trickle down effect on the rest of the bullpen. Without a great closer a bullpen is like a chicken without a head, aimlessly running around with no real destination. Think of the D-Backs bullpen in 1999. It was terrible until Matt Mantei arrived, all of the sudden everyone had a roll and a goal and the D-Backs cruised to a 100 win season.
Has their been a bad bullpen on a world champion team this decade? Take a look at the World Champions of his decade, the stats of their closer followed by their best two relievers:
‘02 Angles: Troy Percival (1.92, 40sv), Ben Weber (2.54, 7sv), Brenden Donnelly (2.17), Francisco Rodriguez (5-1, 28ks in 19.2 innings in post-season)
‘01 Diamondbacks: Byung-Hyun Kim (2.94, 19sv), Miguel Batista (3.36), Greg Swindell (4.53)
All of these teams had fantastic closers expect the ‘06 Cardinals and ‘03 Marlins. The ‘06 Cardinals used Wainwright as their closer in the post-season and he was unhittable. Byung-Hyun Kim was a great closer for the D-Backs, he just melted down at the worst possible time in the World Series and flamed out a year later. Many people forget how good he was (side note: When he was on only Randy Johnson had nastier stuff than BK). The rest of these world champions had great closers and they were usually preceded by great set-up men. Goes to show that the bullpen is kind of important right? The D-Backs themselves are a fantastic example. They were great in 2007, then Josh Byrnes tinkered with their bullpen and ruined it:
2007: Jose Valverde (2.66, 47sv), Tony Pena (3.27), Brandon Lyon (2.68), Juan Cruz (3.10, 87ks in 61 innings!)
2008: Brandon Lyon (4.70, 26sv), Chad Qualls (2.81), Tony Pena (4.33), Juan Cruz (2.61, 71ks in 51 innings!), Jon Rauch (6.56)
2009: Chad Qualls (3.63, 24sv), Juan Guiterrez (4.06), Jon Rauch (4.14), Clay Zavada (3.35), Esmerling Vasquez (4.42)
Let’s recap. Josh Byrnes has a great bullpen in 2007 and trades it’s alpha dog, Valverde. His thinking is that the closer is an overrated position that any pitcher can handle, so he just bumps everyone in the pen up a notch and makes Brandon Lyon the closer. Lyon has a terrible year, blows countless saves and is removed as closer (FYI, he moves on to Detroit as a set-up man and has a great year in 2009). Tony Pena’s numbers suffer in 2008 as do Qualls, although he had such a fantastic close to 2008 that his year looks good on paper. In 2009 Byrnes instills Qualls as his closer and decides to let Juan Cruz, who was probably the team’s most productive reliever the past two years, walk because he wants too much money. The bullpen, sans its best set up guy in ‘08 because Byrnes made him the closer, starts blowing so many leads that it can’t even get the ball to its closer.
Byrnes traded the bullpen’s closer after 2007, let its most filthy setup man (Juan Cruz) walk after 2008 and cost the pen its best set up men in consecutive years by forcing them into the closer’s role. The men he brought in to pitch the 7th and 8th? Jon Rauch, Tom Gordon, Scott Schoeneweis and Juan Guiterrez. All low cost guys because Byrnes didn’t think it was smart to have money tied up in the bullpen. Only Juan Guiterrez has potential, those other three couldn’t get out of town fast enough.
What’s the reason for my rant? In an article in the Arizona Republic earlier this week Josh Byrnes hinted might be willing to spend more money on the bullpen this offseason. Oh, now you think this is a good idea Josh? Where was this train of thought after the 2007? It wasn’t broke in 2007, but Byrnes tried to fix it. He’s been trying ever since.
With Halloween fast approaching now is a good time to try and figure out the scariest Diamondback of all time. We have plenty of candidates in the team’s short history. These are players that would scare the opposition, or players that would scare their own fan base. Considering this team has suffered a few highs and lows in their 11 years, it’s not surprising that they have some truly horrifying players on both sides of the ball. Let’s dive into them.
The easy choice for the scariest D-Back of all time is Randy Johnson. Just look at the dude. His serial killer looks are complimented by his nasty attitude and wicked pitching. The last thing a team wanted to see was a crazed, 6-10 man with a mullet throwing 90 MPH sliders that wereunhittable. He was an intimidating mound presence. Lefties wouldn’t even try and hit him (remember when Larry Walker used to completely duckRJ? That’s what I call scared). His surly attitude rubbed people the wrong way, would you want to approach the guy and try and get an autograph? What about hitting against him? Remember when he threw afastball over JohnKruk’sheadin an All-Star game and it causedKrukto bat from the right side? How about when he destroyed a dove with a fastball? Clearly this was a scary man. This wasn’t the only scary player the D-Backs have ever employed, let’s look at a few more.
Do we consider Curt Schilling scary? We know what he wasn’t scared of, the mystique and aura of the New York Yankees. Not only did he vanquish them in the 2001 World Series, he also shut them down in 2004 as a member of the RedSox. Schilling didn’t fear the post-season, but hitters in the pot-season sure feared Schilling. Heck, he even pitched one World Series with a bloody sock! That’s pretty Halloween-esqueif you ask me.
What about JonRauch? The embattled D-Backs reliever looked the part as he stood 6-11 on the mound with a very intimidating neck tattoo. We all know he scared the crap out of D-Backs fans whenever he found his way to the mound.
Three terrifyingly scary words: Eric Byrnes’ Contract
Speaking of scaring D-Backs fans, was there a scarier scenario when Matt Williams came the plate with a runner on first and less than two outs? Williams sure could ground into inning killing double plays. In a similar scenario, what has been scarier these past few years than Chris Young at the plate with a runner on third and less than two outs? Watching Young try and get that runner home was horrifying, but not as horrifying as his batting average last year.
We’ve had our share of scary defenders don theSedonaRed or Teal and Purple. Watching SheaHillenbrandplay first base was a choir. How about watching Justin Upton constantly take wrong angles on a fly balls? What about Mark Reynolds defensive adventures the past few years? The worst was watching ScottHairstontry to play second base. His stone hands made him a scary defensive infielder.
The most frightening moment in D-Backs history has to be whenByung-HyungKim took to the mound in a save situation in game five of the 2001 World Series. I don’t think there was a D-Backs fan alive that believed he was going to close the game out.
But the most frightening moment a D-Backs player ever inflicted on another fan base had to have been when Luis Gonzalez came to the plate in the bottom of the 9thin game seven. Yankee fans still have nightmares.
ASU Grad Student and big time Arizona sports fan. I love them all, even in the rough times. I try to find the humor in sports, because you can\'t always take things so seriously. When things get to be their worst you just have to remember, it\'s just a game. I\'m on Twitter too! http://twitter.com/a_zone
Your Views...Blog 'em
Got a Photo...Share it
Record it? Upload Video
Daily Email
Subscribe
The Diamondbacks disastrous 2009 season officially started to go down hill when Brandon Webb got injured. Originally, Webb was only going to miss a start. Then he was going to miss a few starts, then a few months and eventually the entire season. It was a snowball effect and the D-Backs never recovered. But this is 2010! Our ace is back, right? Although Webb says his shoulder feels fine, I couldn’t help but have the same ominous feeling when Brandon Webb felt “stagnant” after his latest bullpen session. Now the team is already hinting that Webb will start the year on the disabled list, newbie Edwin Jackson has already been announced as the team’s #2 starter. That snowball is starting to gain steam, it’s déjà vu all over again.
I hope you aren’t sick of all-decade lists yet, because I got another one for you. When constructing an all-decade D-Backs team one is basically constructing an all-time D-Backs team, since the team played its inaugural season in 1998. Instead of doing a traditional all-decade team, you would know exactly who would be on it, I decided to do something different. I have assembled an all-decade D-Backs team by single seasons. Therefore Luis Gonzalez makes the team, but what Luis Gonzalez? The team is sorted by batting order, and includes a pinch hitter, pinch runner, defensive sub, four starting pitchers and two relievers. Once a certain player’s season is chosen he can’t be chosen again, therefore if I put 2001 Gonzo in LF and I can’t throw 2000 Gonzo in RF. Am I making sense?
There has long been a divide between traditional baseball people and the new-era sabermetrics when it comes to the bullpen. The sabermetric minds of this great game don’t value the bullpen, specifically they don’t value the closer. On paper, their logic makes perfect sense. Why are they going to pay large sums of money to a pitcher they may only throw 60 innings in a year? What the sabermetric minds cant measure is the effect of a bullpen on the psyche of a team. How many times did the D-Backs suffer through this last year? How many times:
RSS Feeds
