Oakland Athletics
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Diamondbacks Notes: May 24, 2009
Justin Upton doesn't get a lot of credit for his glove because (a) his bat commands so much attention; and (b) he makes mistakes of inexperience that create the false impression he's a poor defender. But the same talent that makes him a monster at the plate is being harnessed in the field.
See here, as Upton dives for a liner in the gap, similar to a ball he'd muffed earlier in the evening.
On the first attempt, the lights of the football stadium in which the Oakland Athletics play baseball blinded him to the ball. With a second run at it, Upton was able to pluck from the air a dying drive that would have been a double or a triple against a less rangey fielder.
That sequence from Arizona's 8-7 comeback victory on Saturday night represents in microcosm Upton's rapid development. His youth and 0-for-14 after two weeks had some ticketing him for AAA. One month later, Upton is recognized as the obvious choice to bat third in the order.
The trick for the Diamondbacks is not asking...
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Nick Adenhart: 1986-2009
In the early hours of Thursday morning, a car accident in Southern California took the life of 22-year old Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two other passengers riding in the same vehicle.
Baseball fans know Adenhart because he has for several years been recognized as one of the better pitching prospects in the minor leagues. He had initially struggled to establish himself in the Los Angeles rotation, but seemed to have made a breakthrough this year. After a strong spring, Adenhart was named the club's No. 3 starter to open the season.
Pitching last night in his 2009 debut, Adenhart threw six scoreless innings. He struck out five Oakland batters and left the contest with a lead. As testimony to his talent on the baseball field, Adenhart's final performance was worthy.
In deference to Adenhart's teammates, Major League Baseball has appropriately postponed the final game of the Angels-Athletics series originally scheduled for tonight.
The death of any young person is...
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Diamondbacks Notes: April 3, 2009
* BONES BRIGADE - Diamondbacks Nation was introduced to James Skelton when Arizona snagged him from the Tigers in the Rule 5 draft. He got a fair bit of play in the Cactus League, showing the defensive versatility to man multiple positions. Unfortunately for Skelton, his bat didn't come to play this spring: he finished just .150 / .244 / .175 in 40 AB. That was not nearly good enough to earn Skelton a roster spot, but the spike in the middle of that line highlights part of what the Diamondbacks saw in Skelton in the first place. The young man draws a mean walk. He had 5 BB in 45 PA this spring, despite failing to demonstrate enough power in his skinny 165 lbs frame to scare opposing pitchers. (With his distinctive surname and slight build, Diamondbacks Nation proposes that "Bones" is an ideal nickname.)
Skelton possesses a keen plate discipline that belies his age. The 23-year old has advanced no higher than AA, where he has appeared in just 24 games, but he commands the strike...
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Farm Bureau: April 2, 2009
* DEXTER FOWLER - The Colorado Rockies, the last hold-outs with the Diamondbacks in the Old Pueblo, got a big spring from one of their brightest prospects: Dexter Fowler. At 23 years old, with a charismatic smile and a rangy 6'4", 173 lbs build, the Rockies' center fielder is a player who compares favorably to Arizona's own Chris B. Young.
The greatest likenesses are in the field, where each uses speed and instincts to play premium defense. Like Young, Fowler glides to the ball with grace, so he is well suited to patrol the spacious middle garden at Coors Field. Both can throw powerfully and accurately, although Fowler's arm is rated higher by scouts. Each saw his ML debut as a 22-year old after posting large numbers at his final minor league stop; Young made the leap from AAA Tucson in 2006 and Fowler was called up last season from AA Tulsa.
| NAME | AGE | TM | LVL | AB | R | H | ...
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