Posts by: Ryan P. Morrison
Yasmany Tomas is a good player, and signing him was a good move. It seemed like a particularly great idea for the D-backs to sign Tomas as far back as early last September, because it represented a way to add talent without subtracting talent — signing him did not mean forfeiting a draft pick, and unlike most free agent …
Continue Reading →I’m not sure which thing was more unexpected: that Zack Godley pitched an absolute gem on Thursday last week, or that he was called on to make the start in the first place. There are no flaws in the box score: 6 scoreless innings, in which Godley faced just three batters more than the minimum, striking out 7 while yielding …
Continue Reading →It’s starting to look like the D-backs may end up having discussions about Jeremy Hellickson — something we thought in our Midseason Plan would be a good idea to initiate. Hellickson followed a rocky April with a solid May, but had his worst month in June. So far in July, he has a 2.50 ERA in three starts. Not enough …
Continue Reading →Jamie Romak is 29 years old. There, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can marvel together: Romak currently has a .301/.381/.570 line at Triple-A. If it’s OPS you like, that’s a .951 — which ranks him fourth in OPS at the Triple-A level, including both the Pacific Coast League and the International League. Romak isn’t a …
Continue Reading →If you read everything Eno Sarris writes (recommended), you already learned about the Mets and the Dan Warthen slider about 10 days ago (required). If you don’t and/or haven’t, go do that. I’ll still be here when you hopefully get back. And actually, knowing the title of this piece, I’m pretty sure you’ll come back if you do go do …
Continue Reading →We may not always have agreed with their priorities or their choices, but the D-backs front office did one thing this winter that was smart as all hell: acquire a heap of MLB-ready lottery tickets. A good plan is a good plan regardless of the outcome, because these players are human beings, full of limitless adjustments and personality quirks and …
Continue Reading →Almost a year and a half ago, MLB Advanced Media announced a major update in its tracking of baseball games: a system that would supersede (and, eventually, replace) PITCHf/x and its non-public derivatives. We’ve had such amazing fun out here in the public with PITCHf/x that I think we’ve all been completely drooling over the possibilities that the new system, …
Continue Reading →The D-backs are pitching differently this year. The trend showed up early: the staff was re-designed to become much more ground ball oriented, it seemed. Several pitchers are throwing more sinkers than they have in the past, and the grounders have continued. But more than anything else, as Jeff examined yesterday, the team is pitching down in the …
Continue Reading →Considering the context, the D-backs sprung a very smart little trade yesterday. Under the current CBA (which also provides for an international draft that hasn’t happened yet), international amateurs, all of whom are free agents, are lumped into a single system for MLB teams. You know the rest, by now; in busting last period’s pool by signing Yoan Lopez, …
Continue Reading →Of all of the things the D-backs have done well since the front office was assembled in September, the most impressive thing may be the timing of their decisions. Three, or four, or six weeks into the season, it would have been easy to pull the plug on Nick Ahmed playing everyday shortstop, but they stayed the course, and that …
Continue Reading →Call it whatever you like, but it’s not easy being a D-backs starter lately. Allen Webster followed up a strong debut with 9 ER in his next 9.2 innings, and Jeremy Hellickson, Rubby De La Rosa and Chase Anderson sport ERAs of 5.45, 5.35 and 5.35 in the last month, respectively. Through all the murk, though, Robbie Ray stands …
Continue Reading →Dear Commissioner Manfred,
Right off the bat: I’m not asking for you to act with respect to the Diamondbacks’ trade of Touki Toussaint with Bronson Arroyo to the Braves for Philip Gosselin. I understand that your office has already approved it, and its impact is not great. Nonetheless, it’s not often that we perform the exercise of asking whether …
Continue Reading →Money. It makes the world go ’round. But not all dollars are equal — we’ve seen some baseball teams with top payrolls spend extra when not restricted, like paying a posting fee for Daisuke Matsuzaka or Masahiro Tanaka because it’s not money that could impact luxury tax, like ignoring the old slot system for the Rule 4 draft before the …
Continue Reading →With a .225/.307/.320 slash line through 201 PA, Nick Ahmed‘s major league resume doesn’t exactly scream “franchise cornerstone.” The fact that he didn’t get the starting shortstop role until after his 25th birthday sends more or less the same message. Ahmed has been a Guy at least since his inclusion in the trade that sent Justin Upton to Atlanta, …
Continue Reading →A funny thing happened at the start of the season: even though the rotation was to be manned by three fly ball pitchers, by the end of April the D-backs staff was fourth in the majors in ground ball percentage at 49.1%. It wasn’t all Brad Ziegler. Archie Bradley was a big part of the sharp change in the …
Continue Reading →Chase Anderson has a 2.82 ERA, thanks in no small part to seven innings of one-hit ball on Friday. He’s had only two blowups this season, a 5 ER, 5.1 inning performance against Colorado at the end of April and the 6 ER stinker he put up in Milwaukee. With Tuffy Gosewisch out for the season, it was Jarrod Saltalamacchia…
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 @TheAthleticAZ: Who were those two main parts #Dbacks acquired in the Goldschmidt trade? Here's a detailed breakdown of just what t… https://t.co/ttfvcEDTwY, 
RT @ZHBuchanan: After getting a pick as part of the package for Paul Goldschmidt, the Diamondbacks will have seven of the top 80 se… https://t.co/gHS3jVymOC, - Which Pacific Northwest baseball team makes the playoffs first?,
- Jerry gonna Jerry, even if it literally kills him https://t.co/dxUmkHovxf,
RT @RyanDivish: Yes. Jerry Dipoto finalized the trade for Encarnacion from his hospital bed with assistant GM Justin Hollander stan… https://t.co/YbPfVOzCcK,
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