Top 5: Reasons To Be Happy About The Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks Nation has been feeling a bit frustrated about the start to the season for the Snakes.
Perhaps our expectations were too high. Our sense is that this team is capable of much more than they have consistently shown so far. But we have not lost faith.
Rather, we think the team is capable to achieve great things in 2009. We only want to see the Diamondbacks play to the true level of their abilities.
There are plenty of reasons to be happy about the Arizona Diamondbacks. Here are our Top 5 --
1. The Rotation Is Strong. The win-loss record does not show it, but the Snakes' starting pitchers have been incredible in 2009. Through thirteen games, Arizona’s rotation has made five quality starts (defined as at least six innings pitched with three runs or fewer allowed). But even when they've not met the QS-standard, the starters have kept the team in games.
Only twice in the first thirteen have the Diamondbacks starters really taken it on the chin. Those games featured thirteen runs, all earned, in seven and two-thirds innings. Set aside the two blow-outs and the rotation has a 2.75 ERA over 68.2 IP. That is a fantastic performance – and does not include any work from the Diamondbacks’ best pitcher, Brandon Webb.
Webb was roughed up in Opening Day start and has not appeared since. His rehab from a shoulder ailment is reportedly progressing well. With Webb’s return from the DL imminent, the Arizona rotation shapes up as the best in the division and one of the best in baseball.
2. The Roster Is Deep. Part of the challenge for the Diamondbacks involves finding playing time for all the players on their depth chart. Bob Melvin likes to rewrite the batting order daily based on match-ups, which allows everyone to get work. A drawback is that the practice may also contribute to Arizona's failure to find an offensive rhythm so far.
The outfield features four guys -- Conor Jackson, Chris B. Young, Justin Upton and Eric Byrnes -- who merit an everyday role. Jackson has received some at-bats at first base, where Chad Tracy and Tony Clark also battle for starts. Tracy (.306 / .325 / .500) has proven productive at the plate and healthy enough to spot starter Mark Reynolds at third base.
The Snakes have a pair of staring-caliber backstops in Chris Snyder and Miguel Montero. That luxury allows Arizona to fill any need that might arise by dangling Montero as trade bait. If he continues to display the power he demonstrated last night, teams hungry for catching help will line up to raid the Icebox.
Augie Ojeda, who can play three infield positions, has been an offensive sparkplug (.444 / .450 / .556 in 20 plate appearances). Ryan Roberts showed in the spring that he can contribute, too.
3. Help Is On The Way. If Webb continues to progress in his rehab, he should make his return early in May. Also close to returning is Tom Gordon, whose arsenal from the left side should be a big boost to the bullpen. The man called "Flash" is on a rehab assignment AAA Reno.
On offense, Stephen Drew has been sidelined since Friday with a hamstring strain. Drew was the Diamondbacks’ best regular player in 2008. He will be a fixture in the top third of the order this year and should continue to develop chemistry with new double play-partner Felipe Lopez.
4. The Farm Is Producing. The minor league system was regarded with some derision entering the season. Emptied by the graduation so many players to the majors and by trades (especially the deal to acquire Haren), the cupboard looked almost bare. Early returns, however, indicate the hatchlings in incubation on the Snakes’ farm are growing up in a hurry.
Top prospect Jarrod Parker is having no trouble with his promotion to Class A+. The organization has prudently limited his pitch counts, so Parker has thrown just nine innings in his first two starts of the season. His performance has been impressive; he has allowed four hits, no runs and one walk while striking out eleven over that span. As a team, Visalia is 11-1 and sits atop the California League standings with Parker scheduled for his third turn tonight.
A selection of other stand-outs follows.
| POS | PLAYER | LVL | KEY STATS |
| 1B | Josh Whitesell | AAA | 36 AB, 10 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 10 BB, 7 K, .389 / .522 / .667 |
| LHP | Hector Ambriz | AA | 2 W, 17.2 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 20 K, 1.02 ERA, 0.68 WHIP |
| LHP | Daniel Schlereth | AA | SV, 5 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP |
| OF | Gerardo Parra | AA | 40 AB, 9 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 12 BB, 5 K, 5 SB, .400 / .538 / .550 |
| OF | Collin Cowgill | A+ | 41 AB, 12 R, 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K, 2 SB, .293 / .463 / .634 |
| LHP | Wade Miley | A- | 10.2 IP, 9 H, BB, 11 K, 2.53 ERA, 0.94 WHIP |
| RHP | Trevor Harden | A- | W, 10 IP, 12 H, BB, 11 K, 4.50 ERA, 1.30 WHIP |
5. It’s Early, Baby! Thirteen games in, the Snakes have at least 149 more to play. We mean not to discount the importance of April outcomes. In a tight race, a single game can make the difference between clearing out lockers or playing into October. But we have seen so far only a fraction of the season in full. It’s early enough that the San Diego Padres (9-4), a team likely to finish with one of the worst records in baseball, are only a game behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers (10-3).
Offensive futility, the club’s biggest concern so far, is in part a product of small sample sizes and flukey bounces. Arizona has hit .221 / .286 / .383 as a team, an absurdly low level of performance. Those numbers are partially the product of an unlucky .257 BABIP, the lowest mark in the National League.
In 2008, a .298 BABIP was the NL-average. Variations off the league-average mark are typically the result of chance. Historical trends suggest that many more of those batted balls will fall in for the Snakes over the balance of the season. As their luck evens out, the offense and the club’s record should improve.
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