Posts by: Jeff Wiser
There’s always more than one way to accomplish a goal. Most often, we hear people asking if the Diamondbacks can get back to contention. The short answer is yes, but the real question isn’t if they can become contenders again, it’s how do they get there. As we all know, there are multiple routes to NL West competitiveness. We’ve weighed …
Continue Reading →Over the All-Star Break, while Braden Shipley was representing the Diamondbacks in the Futures Game, the team announced that right-hander Aaron Blair has been promoted to AA Mobile. Blair began his 2014 campaign in Single-A South Bend with the Silverhawks where he made six starts. His ERA was ugly due some shoddy work by the bullpen, but he was effective …
Continue Reading →You’ve probably already noticed this, but I’ll just throw it out there: the Diamondbacks aren’t hitting the ball hard. Sure, Paul Goldschmidt and some of his friends get into one from time to time, but comparatively across the league, Arizona is struggling to make hard, meaningful contact at the plate. Losing A.J. Pollock and Mark Trumbo doesn’t help the cause …
Continue Reading →The Diamondbacks have only played 16 major league seasons since being added in MLB’s most recent expansion efforts back in 1998 (along with the (Devil) Rays). In that short time, however, the team has seen some extremely notable performances, accumulating 35 All-Star Game bids. The organization hasn’t been without it’s stars: Randy, Schill, Gonzo, Webb, JUp and Goldy. They’re not …
Continue Reading →The Diamondbacks have too many infielders. Still. This logjam has been well-documented, but there have been no moves to relieve the pressure. Depth isn’t a bad thing, per se, but when the team has glaring needs, there’s no reason to be building a large reserve of infielders. Because first base is spoken for, there are three infield spots …
Continue Reading →When looking at the Diamondbacks’ trade assets, Brandon McCarthy, Joe Thatcher, Oliver Perez, Cody Ross, Aaron Hill and a healthy Bronson Arroyo were no-brainers. Brad Ziegler and Gerardo Parra were in the depends-on-what-we-get-back category. Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock were clearly in the get-your-damn-hands-off-my-young-stars category. In Ryan’s previous discussion of trade assets, one guy that …
Continue Reading →When Ian Kennedy was traded to the Padres last summer, the main, known quantity the Diamondbacks received in return was veteran lefty Joe Thatcher. After all, the D-backs at that point were hoping to hang with the Dodgers in the division and were making win-now types of moves. While Thatcher was once again sent packing over the weekend, …
Continue Reading →In a less-than-stunning move, the Diamondbacks have traded left-hander Joe Thatcher and minor league outfielder Tony Campana to the Angels. Thatcher was a member of the Arizona bullpen while Campana had been toiling away in AAA Reno. In return, Anaheim (as an Angelino, I will not count the Angeles as being from Los Angeles) will complete the trade by sending …
Continue Reading →There are a lot of headlines to cover in this edition of the Minor League Update. The Diamondbacks’ minor league affiliates have been playing well on the season and there have been some notable tidbits to emerge over the last couple of weeks. In case you missed it, we posted a “Who To Watch” version of the update last week …
Continue Reading →If there’s one pervasive description for the Arizona Diamondbacks, it’s that they’re an old school organization. The fan base has resonated with this in the past and the franchise is run with a unique, albeit perhaps outdated style. The question is whether or not this is working, and it’s something that deserves to be discussed. Taking a break from the …
Continue Reading →The minor league season is in full swing, as all eight minor league affiliates are now playing. After the draft, the Hillsboro Hops (SS-Rookie Advanced) Missoula Osprey (SS-Rookie), Arizona Rookie League D-backs (Complex) and Dominican Summer League D-backs (International) all started their seasons, with the exception of the Dominican team who had started just prior. They’re all underway now, and …
Continue Reading →Can we all just accept that 2014 is a lost cause, already? I’m not trying to ruin your day, but it seems like with each series win there were calls to maintain hope. Unfortunately, Arizona has gone 2-5 over their last two series, dropping three of four to the Astros and two of three to the scuffling Dodgers. As of …
Continue Reading →Are the Diamondbacks a “clutch” team at the plate? I know their record would seem suggestive on it’s own, but humor me for a moment. If they were a clutch team, what would that look like? It’s generally accepted that clutch teams, or better yet, a clutch player, would come through in high leverage situations with an unusually high frequency. …
Continue Reading →It’s easy to get lost in Diamondbacks’ 16-12 record over the last month. The schizophrenic nature of the season has left fans scratching their heads, but I’m sure it’s also caused quite a problem for the Diamondbacks’ brass. What’ the true ability of this team? If they won 16 of every 28 games played for an entire season, they’d be …
Continue Reading →Major League Drafts are perhaps the most difficult of all drafts to gauge. Think about it: a prep pick can take four or five years to mature and arrive to the majors right on time, then take two or three more years of major league growth to become the player everyone thought he’d be. In case you’re not counting, that’s …
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.,
Powered by: Web Designers@outfieldgrass24
- If they weren’t inundated with such pithy language on nat’l television, I’m sure America’s kids would stop eating T… https://t.co/hNqLvGxMA3,
- I won’t be shocked if the #Dbacks are immediately in the market for #Mets’ Lagares.,
- This is disgusting https://t.co/Pq0YARVTsn,
- Mood https://t.co/CtyFHPwBfP,
RT @based_ball: What If Patrick Corbin Were a Trendsetter? https://t.co/YTgT6GL0vi,
Powered by: Web Designers
