Posts by: Ryan P. Morrison

Fitting Outfield Pieces Together

On December 30, 2016 By

More than with any other positions, the path to outfield playing time tends to look like a revolving door. That’s been particularly true for the D-backs, who have played no less than 29 different outfielders in the last three years, from stalwarts like David Peralta and A.J. Pollock to short- and medium-term fill-ins, like Chris Owings and even Shelby Miller…

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Several Reasons to Believe Patrick Corbin Can and Will Be Much Better in 2017

On December 21, 2016 By

The D-backs have several starting pitchers who fell short of expectations in 2016, and while Shelby Miller most likely headlines that list, Patrick Corbin was arguably the bigger disappointment. Before yielding 32 ER in his final 36 innings in 2013, Corbin was that ultra-rare thing: a pitcher who outperformed expectations in a D-backs uni. Since returning from UCL reconstruction …

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Offseason Plan Thoughts From the Cutting Room Floor

On December 8, 2016 By

We have fun with the Offseason Plan, but we do try to take the project seriously — in November, we hashed out our offseason priorities and then tried to examine each of the other 29 organizations through that lens. As we were trying to turn goals and fits into actual transactions, things kept happening — the Taijuan Walker trade was …

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Welington Castillo Out, Jeff Mathis In: Fighting the D-backs’ Biggest Problem

On December 5, 2016 By

Let’s say you took over a baseball club with a recent history of some severe struggles. The main culprit, it appears, is pitching—only a handful of pitchers have broken through for the team in recent memory, and most have done quite a bit worse than expected. The fact that many pitchers have struggled at the same time has caused a …

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Taijuan Walker a Sign of Smarter Pitching Strategy

On November 25, 2016 By

Weeks after Tyler Wagner was disappeared off waivers by the Rangers, former GM Dave Stewart’s signature acquisition, Jean Segura, was parceled off to Seattle. With Segura went Mitch Haniger, half of the return former GM Kevin Towers extracted from Milwaukee in the last throes of his reign. In exchange? Taijuan Walker, the pitcher that Towers didn’t get for Justin Upton …

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Front Office Turnover: Hyper-Traditional Tools Fail in Extra-Traditional Conditions

On October 3, 2016 By

GM Dave Stewart and Manager Chip Hale were fired today, about two weeks after cutting ties with Senior VP De Jon Watson. As of this writing, Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa‘s role was still up in the air, but as expected, the D-backs have made a loud statement about moving in a different direction. The team finished …

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Mitch Haniger: the Next Jake Lamb?

On August 29, 2016 By

There have been few times when stats have screamed something at us the way they did with respect to Jake Lamb‘s work at High-A and Double-A; it seemed nearly certain that his minor league BABIPs revealed a sustainable source of extra bases, even though he didn’t have the home run numbers a power hitter typically shows at those levels. …

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D-backs and Run Scoring Efficiency

On August 17, 2016 By

In recent history, the D-backs’ penchant for taking extra bases seems to have them at or near the top of many base running leaderboards. As of this writing, the team is second in Baseball Prospectus’s Base Running Runs, trailing only San Diego, and last year, the D-backs finished third. It’s not like they’ve always been the NL’s top team in …

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In Need of Radical Change, D-backs Should Turn to Humidor

On August 11, 2016 By

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for this weekend’s series in Boston, where the hot, soupy air has had me drenched in as much perspiration as precipitation. Don’t be surprised if we see more than one player wilt over the next few days, and you can bet that most starters will get at least one of the games off. You can’t …

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Is Jake Barrett Really This Good?

On July 21, 2016 By

33.1 innings into his career and the 2016 season, Jake Barrett sports a 2.97 ERA. The D-backs have had fourteen pitchers throw as many as 20 innings this season, and Barrett’s ERA stands out — only one of the other thirteen pitchers has bested that 2.97 ERA, and he’s currently wearing a Red Sox uniform. Barrett, then, stands alone. And …

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What Makes a Good D-backs Reliever?

On July 19, 2016 By

We all handle grief in our own ways. For me, the unceremonious trading of Brad Ziegler — as well as news later that he had signaled a willingness to sign an extension, as well as news they didn’t engage him in settlement talks, and as well as news later that other teams were shocked that the Red Sox price …

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Daniel Hudson’s Misses and Swings

On July 14, 2016 By

The D-backs celebrated the ten year anniversary of becoming World Champions, Brandon Webb attempted a comeback in the Rangers organization, and Katy Perry taught you that you are a firework. Do you remember 2011? That was the season that Daniel Hudson threw more than 80 innings for the organization that traded for him at the 2010 trade deadline, nearly six …

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Tyler Clippard: Splitting the Difference

On July 5, 2016 By

There’s been more failure than success for D-backs pitchers recently (6.4 runs allowed per game, last 12 games), but a handful of pitchers have seemed immune. Brad Ziegler has kept up his old tricks, and while the reasons are interesting — we all know how he does it. Tyler Clippard is just as fascinating, however — and while he could …

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Robbie Ray’s Improvement Looks Legitimate

On June 30, 2016 By

Robbie Ray started the season with three very good starts, rolling through good Cubs, Dodgers and Giants offenses to allow just 4 earned runs in 18.1 innings, good for a shiny 1.96 ERA to start the year with a strong 8.34 K/9. From late April to early June, things weren’t quite so rosy, as Ray averaged under 5 innings for …

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What the D-backs Can Learn From the Rest of the West

On June 28, 2016 By

The NL West is an odd place. Home to the majors’ two most offense-friendly environs and its two most pitcher-friendly parks, it’s also got Dodger Stadium for variety. Thanks in large part to the unbalanced schedule, navigating the division successfully is paramount for the teams that call it home, including the D-backs. Despite the differences, the division’s parks all have …

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Finding Another Brad Ziegler

On June 23, 2016 By

In a land where few pitchers succeed, the consistent dominance of Brad Ziegler is positively tantalizing. Since Ziegler’s first full season with the D-backs, Ziegler has managed a 2.52 ERA, 20th among the 160 relievers with at least 150 innings in that span, and second to just Josh Collmenter on the team. But ERA is ill-equipped to measure the value …

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