Currently viewing the category: "Player Profile"

Keeping this whole spring preview thing rolling right along, we make our way today to the Diamondbacks’ outfield. Last year was, shall we say, not what they had in mind? A second busted elbow for a prized centerfielder derailed things before they ever got off the ground. Further injuries and ineptitude took their toll and when it was all said …

Continue Reading

Since the heyday of Miguel Montero, the Diamondbacks have struggled to field a quality catcher. Tuffy Gosewisch clearly wasn’t a solid option as he can’t hit and wasn’t great defensively, especially in the framing department. I still shake my head when I think of Josh Collmenter throwing to Gosewisch on Opening Day of 2015. Welington Castillo was one of …

Continue Reading

It’s been fun profiling a couple of upcoming spring battles lately. There’s going to be some kind of rotation battle between some young, talented starters, and it’ll be intriguing to see how all of the infield pieces fit together. Avoiding the bullpen has been purposeful to date given the team might not be done adding there (more acquisitions today!), …

Continue Reading

The Arizona Diamondbacks are getting a little less buzz this offseason than they did a year ago. Spending big and falling on your face with do that to you. They’re not a sleeper like the Rockies may be, and they’re surely not front runners like Dodgers. The biggest move was trading away arguably their most productive player from last season’s …

Continue Reading

How do you know if something is broken? Usually, you give something a go and don’t get the desired effect. Maybe you try again and still get an error. Other times, after a second try, everything works just fine. There always little blips on the radar of life. I mean, we all have to cycle our routers once in a …

Continue Reading

What are some things you love? Maybe it’s special people, maybe it’s a good cup of coffee, maybe it’s a cold one after a long hard day, maybe it’s a trip on the water to wet a line. Maybe you love that perfect song, a perfect steak off the grill, an evening on the patio watching the sun slip below …

Continue Reading

It’s easy to look at a complex situation and see it as a problem. We do this all the time — some might even call it a habit. When the answer to a question is jumbled and convoluted, we tend to see it through a lens of negativity. The Diamondbacks have too many starting pitchers at the moment. But that’s …

Continue Reading

We’ve known for a very long time that the Diamondbacks were in need of bullpen reinforcements. Things looked kind good in early 2016 with Daniel Hudson, Tyler Clippard, and Brad Ziegler all being better than average relief arms. That group was due to make something like $14.3 million in 2016, and while the triumvirate proved effective more often …

Continue Reading

Get to Know Ketel Marte

On December 1, 2016 By

The D-backs’ early blockbuster trade has mostly been panned as the Jean Segura for Taijuan Walker deal. You can see why — those players are likely to have the biggest impact on the long-term evaluation of the deal. They’re the most talented players in the swap, but this narrative clearly leaves the peripheral pieces on, well, the periphery. The Mariners …

Continue Reading

You surely know The Saga of Daniel Hudson by now. He’s been through more than his fair share of ups and downs — going from excellent young starter to double-Tommy John-recipient to nearly-washed-out big leaguer to very effective relief pitcher. The journey of his baseball life has weighed heavy on Hudson over the years, a fact revealed in his demeanor …

Continue Reading

Last night, Jean Segura capped off a remarkable season a little early. I don’t mean to suggest he won’t be playing the rest of the season, as futile as it may be. He notched his 200th hit last night off of Gio Gonzalez (below), an infield chopper that Danny Espinosa couldn’t field cleanly and, in truth, a ball that would …

Continue Reading

It’s been a season full of growing pains in Arizona, a trend that applies almost universally. Perhaps only Jean Segura has been immune from performance issues in his reemergence. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting for less power. A.J. Pollock and David Peralta couldn’t stay on the field. Zack Greinke hasn’t lived up to expectations. Patrick Corbin is pitching well — …

Continue Reading

Jake Lamb has had an interesting breakout season in 2016. There have been some obvious highs and some unsightly lows. That’s how it goes for most guys, but with Lamb finally earning some time in the spotlight, we’ve had plenty of time to notice the trends one way or the other. There’s no denying he’s been good and his approach …

Continue Reading

Chris Owings is Useful Again

On September 12, 2016 By

The Diamondbacks are going to have a good dilemma on their hands this winter: figuring out where and how to utilize Chris Owings in 2017. Entering the season, it looked like Owings was more or less a lost cause. He was on the active roster because A.J. Pollock wasn’t and his valued was limited to just that of a oh-shit …

Continue Reading

It’s funny how easy it is to lose sight of a great player when that player is routinely great. As good as Paul Goldschmidt is, one can lose sight of his production when looking for storylines. It’s only when he gets off to a slow start or hits a walk off home run that we stop and take notice. One …

Continue Reading

I’ve been excited about Brandon Drury for quite some time. When Justin Upton was sent to what would become a receptacle for useful Diamondbacks (also commonly referred to as “the Braves”), Randall Delgado was sort of “the big get” in return. While rumors swirled that Kevin Towers had his choice of Delgado or Julio Teheran, it was Delgado that …

Continue Reading