Posts by: Inside the 'Zona

The Inside the ‘Zona 2016-2017 Offseason Plan

On December 7, 2016 By

Change is inevitable, and it seems as if there’s been nothing but change for the Diamondbacks since their disappointing, 69-win 2016 season came to a close. Out went Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa from lead roles, and in came Mike Hazen, Amiel Sawdaye, Torey Lovullo and others. After pushing hard for contention in 2016 under Stewart, the …

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The Inside the ‘Zona 2016 Midseason Plan

On July 7, 2016 By

There are very few circumstances in which it makes sense to stand pat during any trade season, be it in the offseason or in July. This July, however, the D-backs are about as far on that end of the spectrum as a team can be. Currently sitting in 4th place in the NL West and in need of an historic …

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How the D-backs Can Make the Playoffs Without A.J. Pollock

On April 4, 2016 By

No one ever said it was going to be easy and, well, it just got harder. The Diamondbacks will be without star centerfielder A.J. Pollock for the bulk of 2016 season, if not all of it. That’s a bitter pill to swallow for a team that has postseason aspirations. Those aspirations are still intact, however. Don’t for a second think …

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Opening Day and Bold Predictions

On April 3, 2016 By

It’s that time, sports fans: Opening Day for the Diamondbacks and 19 other teams. If you follow the D-backs, you’ve survived a slow death to the season in 2013, a 2014 that was derailed before it got going, and a 2015 season that included some long-lasting experiments that were at least as frustrating to watch as they were smart to …

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From Spring Training: Will the D-backs Outperform Projections?

On March 21, 2016 By

Projection systems do not seem bullish on the D-backs in 2016, including PECOTA, which has projected 78 wins. There are few guarantees in baseball, but are there reasons to think that projections are more dubious of the D-backs’s prospects this season than they should be?

The guys talked through some of the angles from Salt River Fields at Talking Stick …

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The Inside the ‘Zona 2015-2016 Offseason Report Card

On March 10, 2016 By

Where were you when you heard the D-backs signed Zack Greinke? What were you doing when you found out about the Shelby Miller trade? A year ago, we were assessing the D-backs’ choices and execution in blowing up part of the roster to try a whole bunch of experiments. Only part of the roster stayed intact: Paul Goldschmidt and …

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Diamondbacks Sign Japanese Lefty Nakaushiro

On March 7, 2016 By

This is a guest post from friend of the website and Japanese Baseball expert, Kazuto Yamazaki. He was nice enough to share his insights or Nakaushiro from his college and NPB (professional) career. You’ll find more information about the author at the bottom of the post. For now, enjoy the insights!

The Diamondbacks have made the rounds in the …

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The Pool Shot: Shelby Miller Trade, Future of the Franchise

On December 11, 2015 By

Whether a trade is “good” or “bad” may not usually have to do with how “big” it is. When we’ve done offseason report cards in the past, we’ve taken care to try to evaluate impact separately from quality, and for good reason: the smallest decisions can still be approached with care. The questions in the wake of the Shelby Miller…

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The Pool Shot: Understanding the Zack Greinke Signing, and Where the D-backs Go From Here

On December 5, 2015 By

The six year, $206 million terms agreed on between the D-backs and Zack Greinke is a shock. The fact that Zack Greinke signed with the D-backs at all is a shock. But the signing is not hard to understand. Due to the talent levels of players up and down the roster, it was going to be very hard to upgrade …

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The Inside the ‘Zona 2015-2016 Offseason Plan

On November 25, 2015 By

The Contention Window is upon us. Over the past fourteen months, the team has gambled again and again on contention in 2016 and 2017, going all in on college players in the 2015 draft (especially relievers) and mortgaging the very distant future in signing Yoan Lopez this spring and the less distant future in trading Touki Toussaint to …

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Roundup: Trade Deadline Notes

On July 31, 2015 By

It’s nearly two hours to go before the trade deadline, and while the D-backs haven’t pulled the trigger on a trade at this point, they are actively working the phones. We’ll continue to update this page as/if more D-backs related business happens during the day.

2:25 (JW): The trade deadline was fun, as it usually is, even though the Diamondbacks …

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The Inside the ‘Zona 2015 Midseason Plan

On July 7, 2015 By

This July, the D-backs are less at a crossroads, as they may have been last year, and more at a mountain peak, finally seeing the journey ahead with a high degree of clarity. The team has built for 2016 and 2017, and never at the expense of this season. But as of this writing, twelve efforts to climb back to …

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The Touki Toussaint Trade Discussion w/ Special Guest Mauricio Rubio

On June 25, 2015 By

The biggest news in quite some time was Saturday’s deal with the Braves in which the Diamondbacks shipped away Bronson Arroyo‘s remaining dollars to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Phil Gosselin. Of course, to get Atlanta to swallow Arroyo’s money, the D-backs threw in 2014 top draft pick Touki Toussaint, which drew a ton of criticism across the …

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Inside the ‘Zona 2014-15 Offseason Report Card

On March 12, 2015 By

The end of the offseason and the start of the new campaign is hard to define. You might think it’s the moment pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. Maybe you view it as the time when all players arrive in camp. Is it when the first Spring Training game is played? In truth, the offseason sort of bleeds into …

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The Pool Shot, Episode 12: Podcasting the Yoan Lopez Signing and the D-backs’ Status as a True Baseball Team

On January 17, 2015 By

The Yoan Lopez signing marks a sea change for the D-backs organization. Is it a commitment to searching out talent from every corner, or is it the exact opposite? On Episode 12 of The Pool Shot, the guys talk through the Lopez signing: his worth and whether he was worth the price, and how they can minimize the opportunity …

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The Pool Shot, Episode 10: Happy New Year

On January 1, 2015 By

A new year is upon us and we took the opportunity to ring in 2015 with a fresh episode of The Pool Shot. Hope abounds with a disastrous 2014 campaign firmly in the rear view window as we discuss World Series odds, recent injury research and Pitch Arsenal scores for Diamondbacks starters. With nowhere to go but up, Ryan …

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