Arizona DBacks

11/20/06..Report Card
2006 Full Season Grade: C-
The DBacks regressed in 2006. They were so bad that they even decided to change uniform colors for the 2007 season. The franchise is only nine years old and already they are attempting to change their identity.

Actually, they weren't as bad as all that. In fact, they recovered nicely after the Jason Grimsley affair in early June and even stayed in the hunt for a postseason spot as late as mid-August. When it became apparent that a post season birth was out of the question, they worked more of their younger players into the lineup and the results were promising. First baseman Conor Jackson (.291 average, 79 RBI) established himself as a solid everyday player, and fellow rookies Stephen Drew (.316) and Carlos Quentin (nine homers in 166 at-bats) showed why the team considers them integral parts of its future and gave fans a good taste of what will be in store for 2007 and beyond.

The biggest surprise was Eric Byrnes in centerfield. He led the team in home runs and stolen bases and his all-out playing style and love for the game also had the fans cheering for him. It'll be interesting to see if they re-sign him for the 2007 season because of Chris Young who was tagged as the CF of the future.

The rotation needs lots of work behind Cy Young award winner, Branden Webb, as does the bullpen. The D-backs don't figure to make a long-term investment in an expensive free agent, even though their pitching staff has issues to address. Parting with Russ Ortiz during the season while still owing him $22 million might be enough to persuade them to seek other avenues to bolster their staff. Also, the loss of fan favorite Luis Gonzalez to free agency will hurt in the middle of the lineup.

But the main reason behind Arizona's reluctance to enter into the free agency frenzy is because of the over baring deferred contract mess created by the previous owner, Jerry Colangelo. They lost $353 million from their inaugural season of 1998 through the 2004 campaign, according to audited financial reports. In addition, he said the club was responsible for $254 million in deferred payments to 18 players, 15 of whom were no longer with the organization and are paying $25 million to $30 million a year towards those contracts.

6/28/06.. Rox Head
The Diamondbacks are not a good team. They have no rotation and spotty offense. How they went on that nice run in May was beyond me but since even before the Jason Grimsley affair, the team began to show its true colors. I predicted below that they would win around 73 games for the season and that mark appears to still be accurate by going 3-17 in their last 20 games.

The DBacks should not be in the hunt for trades to improve their team by trading prospects. They have one of the best farm systems in baseball, so why bother. They have every opportunity to get better and quickly if they keep those young players in the fold.

2/1/06... Rox Head.com opening statement
The Diamondbacks biggest concern remains their pitching. They dealt disappointing starter Javier Vazquez, a top of the rotation type pitcher, to the White Sox for Orlando Hernandez, who is a 4th or 5th starter at best, and lost Shawn Estes in free agency. They did pickup Miguel Batista but then traded two bullpen pitchers for catcher Johnny Estrada. The trade of third baseman Troy Glaus and commitment to first baseman Conor Jackson means that the team will be losing a ton of homers.

Basically, the DBacks are in a rebuilding mode. They will not only have trouble scoring runs but they will also have difficulty getting outs. The middle of the lineup still has some bite with Shawn Green, Chad Tracy, Luis Gonzalez and newcomer Jackson, but the rest of the group is weak at best.

Prediction:
Look for the D'Backs to fall to last in the west behind the Rockies with a record of 73-89.

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2005 Full Season Grade: C+
Arizona improved a lot record wise from 2004 to 2005 by winning 26 more games. They also finished the year very well going 41-32 in the last 70 games or so. However, they did it by signing veteran players that have a limited shelf life. Signing Craig Counsell and Shawn Estes was fine but the big money free agents, Troy Glaus and Russ Ortiz, was not smart economically. This pattern of spending money they don't have in order to buy playoff spots is commendable but isn't a way to build a long-term successful franchise. Oh sure, they will have some good years here and there, but those seasons will always be followed by crummy ones such as the 2004 team.

The DBacks are in the process of hiring a new GM, so it will be interesting to see if this one will change the old philosophy and start building from with in and staying out of the free agent market (only one player of the starting eight is home grown) or continue on trying to plug holes with the current crop of hot, yet over priced free agent.

Mid Season Grade: C-

Some good things happen for the Phoneys in the first half of the season. In the power department, they have six hitters who have at least 10 homers apiece with the team as a whole is third in the league in homers (with 102). Brandon Webb, Brad Halsey and Javier Vazquez have had decent first halfs. The team is also playing extremely wellon the road with a 21-22 record. However, their team ERA of 4.81 is fourth worst in the NL and have only 2 complete games. Also, they have lost two of their starting rotation to the DL in Russ Ortiz and Shawn Estes and they are playing under .500 ball at home.

The division is so weak that if they could get things together and possibly make a good trade or two in the next month or so, then they can still make a run at San Diego but can you really take seriously a team that has been outscored in the first half by 85 runs??

Preseason prediction:

It's hard to tell how the Diamondbacks will do this year because of all the changes. This years team is so completely different that even diehard Phony phans will need a program for quick player reference. Most think that losing Randy Johnson will hurt their staff, but they lost 111 games with him so it's doubtful they could do worse this year. In fact, the D-backs will make a turnaround similar to the 1999 team that qualified for the playoffs. The difference being that this year they won't be playing in October because probably won't even win half their games.

12/10/06
East Valley Tribune: "Mark Mulder is high on the Diamondbacks wish list, but he is not the only left-handed starter in their sights. The D-Backs have inquired about veteran free agent David Wells, according to major league sources, as another possible addition to their starting rotation."

12/9/06
Arizona Republic: "The Diamondbacks would like to add another starting pitcher and had discussed trade options with Chicago for Jon Garland and with Colorado for Jason Jennings, but a deal never materialized and Arizona is now turning its attention to trades that can bolster its bullpen. Signing free-agent pitcher Mark Mulder remains a strong possibility despite the fact that the left-hander will not be ready for the start of the season due to shoulder surgery."

12/1/06.. What the DBacks could be focusing on during the winter meetings from basballprospectus.com:
Arizona: Their young, everyday lineup is pretty much set, so much so that they could and should move Eric Byrnes after his career year. The Doug Davis deal shores up the front of the rotation; the next focus has to be a bullpen that has been a problem of late, especially from the left side. Re-signing Miguel Batista makes sense, but there�s not much news on that front.

11/28/06
The Diamondbacks think their improved defense should benefit left-hander Doug Davis, whom they acquired from the Brewers in a six-player trade. Davis had a .314 batting average on balls in play last season, 11 points above the league average. He figures to be less afraid of contact if he is more confident in his defense, and that should lead to a lower walk total. Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Webb had a high walk rate when his defense was shoddy in 2004. FOXSports.com

11/26/06
East Valley Tribune: "Meanwhile, the D-Backs appear to have interest in Valley resident Mark Mulder and did not rule out bidding on Japanese League left-hander Kei Igawa, whose rights are available by private bid through Monday."

11/21/06
Arizona Republic: "Infielder Andy Green is still on the roster but may not be for long. He is in discussions with the Japan Series champion Nippon Ham Fighters, and is expected to reach an agreement to play for them next season, at which point the Diamondbacks would receive financial compensation."

11/16/06
PhillyBurbs.com: "The Arizona Diamondbacks are hot for Randy Wolf and planned to make a substantial first offer this week, said a team source, who speculated the proposal could be in the three-year, $21 million range."
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East Valley Tribune: "The D-Backs, whose first mission is to add a No. 2 or No. 3 starter, have had exploratory talks with the agent for free agent right-hander Tomo Ohka and have more talks planned. They also have had internal discussions about Japanese League free agent left-hander Kei Igawa, and could enter the bidding process when he is put up for auction by the Hanshin Tigers."

11/4/06
Arizona Republic: "The Arizona Diamondbacks have filled one coaching vacancy with the addition of former Royal Kevin Seitzer as hitting coach. Next up is hiring a bench coach to serve as Bob Melvin's right-hand man. Some possibilities include Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo and New York Yankees first-base coach Tony Pena."

10/26/06
The Diamondbacks will not be among the big spenders this offseason, so in an effort to create some payroll space they are dangling catcher Johnny Estrada. Post

10/26/06
East Valley Tribune: "An interesting name has crept into the D-Backs discussions for their bench coach vacancy: Matt Williams. 'We�ve kicked around a lot of names, and he�s certainly one of them,' Josh Byrnes said."

10/18/06
East Valley Tribune: "The D-Backs scouted several of Daisuke Matzusaka�s starts in Japan last season but are not believed to be in the market because his price is expected to be in the Barry Zito-Jason Schmidt stratosphere. The total package for Matzusaka could be in the $100 million range."

10/11/06
East Valley Tribune: "While there is still a chance that one of the young guns could be dealt if the D-Backs can land a top starter, odds are that Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin and Chris Young will enter spring training as starters and Miguel Montero could form part of a platoon at catcher."

9/23/06
Arizona Republic: "The Diamondbacks and Josh Byrnes' agent have started trying to get a new deal for the outfielder, although nothing is imminent."

9/14/06
Arizona Republic: "Luis Gonzalez and the Diamondbacks will use today's off day to open discussions about the left fielder's future with the organization when the sides meet this morning for the first time to address a delicate situation that has been simmering for several months."

9/9/06
East Valley Tribune: "If the D-Backs opt for their two younger catchers, Estrada would be a candidate to be traded for the second time in as many offseasons. San Francisco is among the teams likely to be in the market for a catcher over the winter, although teams seldom trade within their division."

9/6/06
Arizona Republic: "Craig Counsell isn't ruling anything out. He's not angry. He's just telling it like he sees it, and right now, he doesn't see himself with the Diamondbacks in 2007."

9/1/06
Chad McDonald, assistant scouting director in Arizona, is considered general manager Josh Byrnes' personal favorite to take over as scouting director for the Diamondbacks. McDonald originally was hired by Byrnes in Cleveland and worked with Byrnes in Boston before coming with him to Arizona. Others getting lots of talk among scouts are Dave Finley of Boston and DeJon Watson of Cleveland. Rocky

8/22/06
USA Today: "The New York Mets still remain in trade talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks for outfielder Shawn Green, but have yet to agree on how much of Green's contract the Mets will assume, according to an official with one of the teams."

8/13/06
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Rumored interest by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a healthy Mulder has percolated for months... Yet it remains difficult to say how the Diamondbacks' recent trade for Washington Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez might affect their pursuit of Mulder."

8/12/06
Newsday: "The Mets have asked about Arizona's Shawn Green, a baseball official confirmed Friday night, but any deal could be held up by the fact that the outfielder has a no-trade clause that includes New York."

8/11/06
ARIZONA addressed its biggest need last week with the acquisition of right-hander Livan Hernandez, although it cost the Diamondbacks two of their top five pitching prospects. Now they�d like to unload the $9.5 million guaranteed outfielder Shawn Green for next year. The urgency of that was lessened, however, because Carlos Quentin was called up when first baseman Tony Clark injured his shoulder. Rocky

8/10/06
Arizona Republic: "General Manager Josh Byrnes says there's no urgency to fill his scouting director's vacancy but does plan to start interviewing candidates soon. Beyond the likely in-house possibilities, some names making the rounds in the scouting community as potential candidates include Kasey McKeon, Colorado's special assistant to the general manager; Cleveland cross-checker Paul Cogan; and Boston cross-checker Dave Finley."

8/1/06
Arizona Republic: "Another deal that fizzled had the Diamondbacks acquiring Oakland A's left-hander Barry Zito in a potential three-team trade, but the third team backed out and the A's held on to Zito, who also was being heavily courted by the New York Mets."

7/29/06
Arizona Republic: "t won't be a sure thing until Monday's trading deadline comes and goes, but all indications seem to point to left fielder Luis Gonzalez staying with the team through the end of the season."

7/16/06
Arizona Republic: "The Diamondbacks could be on the verge of losing Mike Rizzo, the highly regarded scouting director who helped stock what most consider one of the best farm systems in baseball. According to major league sources, Rizzo is expected to interview for a pair of assistant general manager positions in the coming weeks, one of which is with the Washington Nationals."
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Eric Gagne has likely thrown his last pitch as a Dodger following season-ending back surgery. He's told past teammates that his first choice as a free agent would be Arizona, where he lives in the offseason. Post

7/15/06
The Diamondbacks might not just move position players like Counsell and right fielder Shawn Green if they choose to get younger. They could also trade right-handed starter Miguel Batista and any number of candidates from their bullpen. Right-hander Dustin Nippert could join fellow rookie Enrique Gonzalez in their rotation and right-hander Tony Pena - he of the mid-to-upper 90s fastball and 91-mph slider - could join the bullpen. FOXSports.com

7/13/06
East Valley Tribune: "Manager Bob Melvin�s contract extension will be worth approximately $3 million if the Diamondbacks exercise their team option for 2009, according to sources who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity."
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Arizona Republic: "Trading Shawn Green might be easier said than done, although one option the club is said to be exploring is a trade of right fielder Green. Such a deal would get the team out from under Green's contract - he's still owed about $16 million through 2007 - and open a position for an outfield prospect such as Carlos Quentin or Scott Hairston."

7/10/06
Arizona Republic: "The Diamondbacks are expected to announce later this week that they have agreed on a two-year contract that would keep manager Bob Melvin locked up through at least 2008. Although Melvin, Melvin's agent Alan Nero and Diamondbacks General Partner Jeff Moorad all declined comment, the deal is believed to include a club option for 2009."

7/2/06
Brandon Webb snapped his three-game losing streak and improved his record to 9-3 this season with a complete-game victory at Oakland. Webb avoided becoming only the second pitcher in the last 35 years to lose four in a row immediately following a start-of-season winning streak of at least eight decisions. Dennis Martinez began the 1995 season with nine straight wins for Cleveland before dropping his next four decisions.

Shawn Green snapped a ninth-inning tie when he drew an RBI walk from Barry Zito. When was the last time you saw a starting pitcher given enough rope to force in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk that late in a game? No starter had been allowed to do that since Kenny Rogers, for the Yankees, in a 1-0 loss to the Angels in May 1996 -- a ninth-inning walkoff walk to Chili Davis (three years before Rogers, in relief, walked Andruw Jones to end the 1999 NLCS). ESPN.com

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