Posts by: Jeff Wiser
Yesterday, the third and final installment of the Diamondbacks Top 30 Prospects was released. Dansby Swanson grabbed the top spot ahead of familiar names Aaron Blair and Braden Shipley. Fellow 2015 draftee Alex Young came in fourth and Brandon Drury rounded out the top five. Ranking Young ahead of Drury wasn’t easy, but it came down to the value …
Continue Reading →We’ve looked at the bottom of the 2016 Top 30 Prospect List. We’ve seen the middle of it, too. I’ve talked about how I do this and why I do this, so there’s that, too. A ton of names have been dropped, tools talked about and projections detailed. And while none of the aforementioned prospects cracked the forthcoming top 10, …
Continue Reading →Everyone knows the Diamondbacks will be searching for pitching this offseason. That’s because they should be. Above average offense? Check. Above average defense? Check. Even with a few warts, the position players have the situation locked down for the most part. But the pitching staff, and the rotation in particular, is a different story. So it stands to reason that …
Continue Reading →The time has come to rank the top 30 Diamondbacks prospects as we head into 2016. A season that started in March for over a hundred minor league players has wrapped up (except for the handful of guys in the AFL) and there have surely been some big seasons. There have been a few disappointments, too, but that’s the nature …
Continue Reading →It’s important to do a good job. The internet is littered with opinions of every shape and size. At Inside the ‘Zona, we do our best to steer away from that by focusing on the facts – that is, largely the data around baseball. We look for insights, we look for clues and we look for information that can help …
Continue Reading →The third part of four reveals some surprising breakouts for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league system. Recent draftees have spent a few years in the minor by this point and several posted careers highs and put their names on the map. The ultimate upsides can be debated, but there’s plenty to see here, a good sign for a mediocre system.…
Continue Reading →On a Thursday we took a look at the top prospects and performers for the DSL D-backs and AZL D-backs. Continuing that trend, we’ll dive into part two of the four part series, this time evaluating the Missoula Osprey and Hillsboro Hops where things look much, much better. Let’s get started.
Missoula Osprey (Pioneer League)
- 42-33 – 1st (out
There are a lot of theories about what drives offense in baseball. We know that on-base percentage is good, but not every team builds it’s team to maximize OBP. Some teams are low-OBP in nature but hit for boatloads of power. Other teams are low-power but also low-strike out. Both approaches can work – just ask the Astros (big …
Continue Reading →It’s that time of year again, the time to look back at the minors and see who broke out, who fizzled and who’s fulfilling their promise. To make this digestible, I’ll break this into four pieces: the Rookie Leagues in two parts (DSL D-backs and AZL D-backs, the Missoula Osprey and Hillsboro Hops), A-Ball (Kane County Cougars and Visalia Rawhide) …
Continue Reading →Evaluating managers is really, really difficult. There are so many moving parts, so many factors and so many pieces that it’s seemingly impossible to really understand why every decision is made. Some things are obvious – entering the ninth inning with a two-run lead, bringing in Brad Ziegler makes sense. But putting on the hit-and-run? Creating the lineup every day? …
Continue Reading →Look, the Diamondbacks need a shot in the arm from the pitching staff. While a lot of the offseason talk is sure to focus on which starter the team can sign or trade for, they’ll still need help from within. And a man, now somewhat forgotten in this post-hype world, who may provide that boost is Archie Bradley. You …
Continue Reading →There’s this book called Moneyball. You may have heard of it. Oh wait, you saw the movie? Well there was a book before the movie and it was better than anything even Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill could produce. People know I like baseball and most of the time, they start conversation like, “Oh, you write about stuff like …
Continue Reading →Closers are overrated. Think about it: saves are a made up stat and all closers really are are the best reliever on their respective teams. Can you name a team who used their best reliever consistently in the 8th inning? Yeah, neither can I. And I think we’d all agree that Brad Ziegler was Arizona’s best reliever in 2015. So …
Continue Reading →@ryanpmorrison
Best part of Peralta’s 108 mph fliner over the fence, IMHO: that he got that much leverage despite scooping it out… https://t.co/ivBrl76adF, 
RT @OutfieldGrass24: If you're bored of watching Patrick Corbin get dudes out, you can check out my latest for @TheAthleticAZ. https://t.co/k1DymgY7zO, - Of course, they may have overtaken the league lead for outs on the bases just now, also...
But in 2017, Arizona ha… https://t.co/38MBrr2D4b,
- Prior to the games today, there had only been 5 steals of 3rd this season (and no CS) in the National League. The… https://t.co/gVVL84vPQ5,
- RT @OutfieldGrass24: Patrick Corbin has a WPA of .318 and it's only the fifth inning.,
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RT @MLBPipeline: Correction:
Oldest players on the #Top100Prospects list:
#Astros' Josh James, 25 (3/08/1993)
#Dbacks' Jon Duplanti… https://t.co/IpgOEtfUrh, - Diamondbacks MiLB affiliate the Missoula Osprey will transition away from the "Osprey" in 2020. Fans can vote for a… https://t.co/czwu2A1T3Q,
- Old Friend Alert https://t.co/vZFngGVaFF,
- Winning defensive MVP of the NFL Pro Bowl is something that should not actually be possible,
- Bill Swancutt (2005 draft, Lions) and Alex Brink (2008 draft, Texans). Swancutt was a DE and TE that I had to cover… https://t.co/7PvKgIVkD3,
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