As you may recall, the 2015 MLB Draft left us with some concerns about the Diamondbacks. The biggest concern was due to the fact that Arizona had the largest bonus pool of any team and, with a soon-to-expire CBA in place that left future draft allocations uncertain, failed to utilize that pool of money for competitive advantage. Aiding the …
Continue Reading →Weathering the storm is a term that seems to have a palpable meaning for fans. If the team can just weather the storm, things will be ok. In reality, it’s quite an incomplete sports cliché. Yes, a good team is usually one that can keep themselves afloat until the conditions turn back into their favor, but what happens after that? …
Continue Reading →When the Diamondbacks traded Aaron Hill, Chase Anderson and Isan Diaz to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jean Segura and Tyler Wagner, I didn’t exactly like the deal. I can’t say I hated it either, but losing Diaz seemed like yet another instance of the team shipping away a talented young player for present value. Given the contention window, …
Continue Reading →As we noted last week, minor league baseball has been in action for two months now, and with the draft just days away, we’re only a couple weeks out from all affiliates getting under way. There’s enough of a sample for us to finally dig into, enough for us to draw some conclusions about where things stand right now. Right …
Continue Reading →You’re new here if you’re not familiar with Jake Lamb‘s penchant for an unusually high frequency of hard hit balls, the special sauce that completely changes an otherwise unremarkable minor and major league record. This season, Lamb ranks an incredible 4th in the majors per ESPN’s Well Hit Average metric, hitting the ball unusually hard in 24.3% of at …
Continue Reading →Chase Field is a strange place to play baseball. It’s Coors Field that is widely (and rightly) considered to be the most offense-friendly environment in the game; that’s due in large part to the thinness of the air (less drag on a baseball in flight), but also because it’s one of just two parks in a place with humidity significantly …
Continue Reading →Minor league baseball has been quietly roaring along for two months now. There’s enough of a sample for us to finally dig into, enough for us to draw some conclusions about where things stand right now. Right now is just that, right now. Things always change, but it’s time we examine what has taken place to date. As we …
Continue Reading →Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray have more in common than pitching left-handed. This season, both have doggedly stuck with a changeup, despite poor results in the past. And while Corbin’s slider had been one of the best in the game and Ray’s had been one of the worst, they’re both using a fourseam fastball, sinker, breaking ball, and changeup, in …
Continue Reading →The game of baseball is in very good hands. With the influx of young talent over the past several years, baseball has been lent an opportunity to turn the chapter from the awkward post-Steroid Era years and entrust the game to an exciting crop of diverse talent. Young phenoms Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper…
Continue Reading →Happy Memorial Day, folks, and enjoy the weekend. Here at Inside the ‘Zona, we’re getting an early start. The idea was to post some graphics in lieu of a post, and maybe add to that as the mood strikes later today, and over the weekend — I wouldn’t have written any kind of explanation here at all, but I need …
Continue Reading →When you think of base running, the first thing that comes to mind is usually stolen bases. Of course you want to avoid any and all TOOTBLANs (Thrown Out On The Bases Like A Nincompoop), but steals are front and center. As long as guys are getting around alright, this just isn’t something that often under the scrutiny of fans. …
Continue Reading →We’re still waiting to hear that Jean Segura is all right after he was beaned in the 7th inning last night by the Pirates’ Arquimedes Caminero, but Caminero didn’t wait long to pitch high and inside again — in the 8th, he caught Nick Ahmed in the jaw with a pitch that glanced off the top of Ahmed’s …
Continue Reading →Has Robbie Ray been unlucky this season? He sports a weirdly high .343 BABIP this season, and a staggering 27.0% line drive percentage — both numbers that few pitchers maintain over the course of a season. Last year, the highest BABIP for a qualified starter was Gio Gonzalez‘s .341 — and even after getting shelled last night, Gonzalez has …
Continue Reading →Few things in life seem to make sense. Why do bad things happen to good people? What makes rational people do irrational things? How do I always manage pick the slowest checkout lane? Well, at least there’s an answer for that last question. That notwithstanding, life loves to sprinkle in little bits both of mystique and brooding.
Nevertheless, this is …
Continue Reading →Nick Ahmed‘s stats are really bad at the plate. Like, really bad. Entering Tuesday, Ahmed had the 6th-lowest wRC+ of any qualified hitter and even though he’s changed his swing a little and is possibly the most valuable defensive asset in the entire National League, there’s still the distinct possibility that he’s in the process of swinging his …
Continue Reading →When Michael Bourn was signed to a minor league deal a week ago, that had no impact on the 40-man roster — the D-backs do those kinds of signings all the time. To bring him up to the majors on Sunday, though, the team had to add him to the 40-man to add him to the 25-man. Since the 40-man …
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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- This Portland/Memphis game is all kinds of sloppy,
- I know we're all hyped about the Tanners and stuff but how do the Angels fit in Bour?,
- For a Wednesday evening, the Winter Meetings are anything but Bouring https://t.co/NMhs94Cy9x,
- Dance moves are legit https://t.co/sjgyLUZsOf,
RT @sung_minkim: @michaelsclair @Mert_723 @Dbacks oh this was easy
https://t.co/TQqwV2QaN2,
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