Posts by: Ryan P. Morrison

Ziegler’s Extremely High Value, and Why He Shouldn’t Be Traded

On July 16, 2014 By

It’s not that often that relievers like Brad Ziegler come along. Many teams have lefty relievers with low arm slots whose mission is to get lefty hitters out — but few have righty matchup guys, and fewer still have righty matchup guys who can generate ground balls at a rate even approaching Ziegler’s. This is, in large part, why we …

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Roundup: Trevor Cahill Back; Celebrating An Inside the ‘Zona Anniversary

On July 14, 2014 By

We sometimes — maybe even often — write editorial or opinion material here at this site. But the site’s soul is sabermetric research, and even the editorial content is informed first and foremost by sabermetric principles and lessons from the past. I’m quite proud to say that the four writers who write regular content grew up as fans of four …

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Evidence Suggests David Peralta’s Hot Hitting Could Be For Real

On July 11, 2014 By

After skipping Triple-A Reno completely, David Peralta was called up on June 2 to replace A.J. Pollock on the active roster, hitting .325 in 131 plate appearances. His extremely unusual case, though, makes it difficult (but not necessarily impossible) to tell whether his scorching start is for real.

How unusual? Consider this: like fellow Venezuelan Gerardo Parra, Peralta started …

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D-backs’ Slap-Hitter Offense Decent, But Unusual

On July 9, 2014 By

Say what you will about the D-backs’ beleaguered pitching staff, but even with injuries to Mark Trumbo and A.J. Pollock, the D-backs’ offense has been slightly better than average — you might even say good, in some ways. But they’re accomplishing that while being among MLB’s worst in taking walks and driving the ball. And although it fights against …

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Roundup: McCarthy, Thatcher, Campana Traded; Goldy an All-Star

On July 7, 2014 By

Say this for GM Kevin Towers: he knows how to pull the trigger on a trade. The last few days have seen plenty of D-backs news that has little to do with the team’s play on the field.

On Saturday, Towers spun LOOGY Joe Thatcher and speedster Tony Campana for a modest but extremely reasonable return. Jeff Wiser broke down …

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D-backs Trade McCarthy for Least Useful Player in the Majors

On July 6, 2014 By

Today, news broke that the Diamondbacks have traded Brandon McCarthy and cash considerations to the Yankees for Vidal Nuno. It was absolutely a good move to trade McCarthy, and to do so as soon as possible — but a terrible move to do so for Nuno, who is the least useful type of player that the D-backs could possibly …

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What If: There Was No Paul Goldschmidt This Season?

On July 4, 2014 By

Even after an offensive outburst in the ninth inning last night, the D-backs are playing miserably. Although the Australia trip may be at least partly to blame for the 9-22 start that essentially killed the season, the team hasn’t been great since: 27-29. A.J. “Action Jackson” Pollock was a bright spot this season, particularly in the D-backs’ 14-13 May, but …

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Roundup: Nick Ahmed with D-backs; Eric Chavez Done?

On June 30, 2014 By

A whirlwind month of transactions continued in the last week, with Chris Owings hitting the DL with his shoulder injury, a brief cameo by Zeke Spruill, and the return of Nick Evans. But to put Nick Ahmed on the 40-man (and 25-man) to replace Owings, Eric Chavez was transferred to the 60-day DL. Is that the end of …

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What’s Wrong with Gerardo Parra?

On June 27, 2014 By

Last year, Gerardo Parra finished with a stunning 4.5 WAR, which was 30th among all MLB players and 7th among all NL outfielders. This year, he’s struggled to a 0.2 WAR in more than half of his 2013 plate appearances — so what’s wrong with Gerardo Parra? Anecdotal evidence suggests that Parra has been “slower” this year, and we’ve seen …

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Should Paul Goldschmidt Avoid the Home Run Derby?

On June 25, 2014 By

Paul Goldschmidt has already indicated that if he were invited to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, he would say he wasn’t interested. But would it hurt Goldy’s swing if he did participate, given that he’s an all-fields hitter?

I don’t want to put words in Goldy’s mouth — in my opinion, when this story “broke” yesterday, everyone was …

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Roundup: Welcoming New Writer Jeffrey Bellone; Putz DFA’d

On June 23, 2014 By

First thing’s first: please join me in welcoming Jeffrey Bellone to the Inside the ‘Zona team! Jeff has been writing baseball for quite a while now, most recently at Beyond the Box Score, and we’re really excited to have him. He’ll be writing regularly at both sites for the foreseeable future. Click here for more about Jeff, here to see …

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How Does Jordan Pacheco Fit In?

On June 18, 2014 By

On June 12th, the Colorado Rockies placed Jordan Pacheco on waivers, and the D-backs put in a successful waiver claim. The D-backs’ press release calls Pacheco an “infielder/catcher,” and on a team with Martin Prado and other moving parts, I think it’s natural to wonder how Pacheco fits in. Note: I’m kind of a sucker for complicated time shares and …

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Interleague Play and Unbalanced Schedule Favor D-backs, So Far

On June 13, 2014 By

Back in the good old days of the balanced schedule, teams played other teams in their league about equally, regardless of whether they were in the same division. The quality of one’s opponent can change drastically depending on the starting pitcher, but even though three-game series aren’t a perfect match with five-man rotations, it’s hard to say that the old …

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Getting Lucky By Design

On June 11, 2014 By

The D-backs outfield has been in flux over the last two seasons. Entering 2013, Justin Upton and Chris Young were out, and Cody Ross and Martin Prado were in. Coming off a 30-HR season, Jason Kubel would also start, with Adam Eaton slated to man center. Gerardo Parra would once again be the swing man, playing mainly against RHP and …

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Roundup: Trevor Cahill DFA’d; Things Looking Up?

On June 9, 2014 By

The D-backs demolished the Rockies in a three-game sweep in Denver last week before taking two of three from the Braves at home — their plus-14 run differential during the six games was enough to bump the run differential for the season to minus-51. The D-backs are 23-19 since April 22, winning at almost the exact rate we expected before …

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Ranking D-backs Trade Assets

On June 6, 2014 By

Building a major league roster is a lot like building a sandcastle while the tide is coming in. Focus on some positions to the detriment of others, and you’ll never complete it adequately. Take too little care in order to complete it sooner, and you’ll never win the contest. One must be methodical and effective — and also realistic about …

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