Currently viewing the tag: "Nick Ahmed"

Early Reflections on the Jean Segura/Taijuan Walker Trade

On May 22, 2017 By

The Diamondbacks’ trade of Jean Segura made sense. Sure, Segura had just put together the best season of his career, his lone season in the desert, and was the team’s most valuable player by fWAR in 2016. It hurt to see him go, no doubt, as Jean’s infectious attitude on the field gave fans a reason to smile. His performance …

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The Diamondbacks’ Infield Defense Is An Issue

On April 20, 2017 By

On Tuesday we checked in on one potential problem for the Diamondbacks: a bullpen that was expected to be terrible. Good news! They’ve been, well, not terrible. That’s not to say they’ve been really good either, but you get the idea, they’ve exceeded expectations. Tom Wilhelmsen gave up another run, but thanks to Shelby Miller‘s dominance and some …

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2017 Spring Preview: Fun and Uncertainty in the D-backs’ Infield

On February 8, 2017 By

The Diamondbacks have shuttled infielders around like nobody’s business over the last few years. There’s been little consistency, though there are holdovers from year to year. Gone are Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hill and Jean Segura. You can actually add Dansby Swanson to that list, too. There are plenty of new faces, and as of today, I count 11 …

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2017 Preview: Position Player Forecasts

On January 24, 2017 By

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 …

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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 …

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Historic Strikeouts Plaguing the D-backs Offense

On July 20, 2016 By

I like to cook a little bit, and over time, I’ve gotten better at it. But I remember those early days, when I’d get wild hair to cook something and half-way through, I’d taste the batter or the sauce and determine it was too sweet, too salty, or didn’t have enough spice. Next thing I know, I’m pouring in the …

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One Weird Trick to Fix Nick Ahmed!

On May 18, 2016 By

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 …

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Why Nick Ahmed is Better Hitting Ninth

On May 12, 2016 By

A.J. Pollock is one inspiring fellow. He’s helped Chris Owings with center field, even donating an outfielder’s glove to the cause in the early going. When Jake Lamb changed his swing a bit over the winter, he patterned his approach after Pollock, in part. And Nick Ahmed did the same thing, noting the similarities between his body and Pollock’s. An …

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The D-backs Have the Best Defensive Infield in Baseball

On May 11, 2016 By

It feel like just yesterday (actually it was Monday) that we were all roused up about how bad the Diamondbacks’ outfield defense is. Let’s face it: Yasmany Tomas is really just Mark Trumbo again. Well, in fairness to Mr. Trumbo, Tomas’ career UZR/150 in the outfield is far worse, but there are some sample size issues there. Chris Owings…

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Has Nick Ahmed Improved at the Plate?

On April 20, 2016 By

The beginning of the season is such a weird time for all of baseball. There are guys like Jeremy Hazelbaker, who played seven minor league seasons without seeing the majors until this year at the age of 28, hitting .351/.381/.730. There are also guys like Kyle Seager, a multi-time All Star, hitting .119/.245/.238. Our intuition tells us that …

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When Batting the Pitcher Eighth Will Make Sense

On March 21, 2016 By

If you needed a reminder that D-backs have their baseball operations helmed by Tony La Russa, you’ve gotten it most games this spring in the lineup card. After Zack Greinke was signed, there was immediate speculation about the D-backs experimenting with the pitcher’s spot in the order again, just as they had on a more limited basis last year. We’ve …

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What Jean Segura Does, and Doesn’t, Bring to the Table

On February 2, 2016 By

Saturday’s news of the trade that sent Aaron Hill, Chase Anderson, Isan Diaz and cash from the D-backs to the Brewers for Jean Segura and Tyler Wagner  was shocking without a doubt. The team had tried hard to upgrade second base – the price was too steep for Howie Kendrick (apparently) and Brandon Phillips  vetoed a trade (thankfully) …

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D-backs Have a Ground Ball Plan, Accumulating Next Generation of Ground Ball Pitchers

On December 16, 2015 By

Whenever decisions don’t seem to make sense, it may always be because of missing information. Over the last year, there have been very many decisions by the D-backs front office that have been hard to understand. A staggering number of them suddenly make sense, though, with a single bit of information: this team has prioritized ground balls. With their recent …

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On-Base Percentage Driving the D-backs Offense Once Again

On October 8, 2015 By

There’s this book called Moneyball. You may have heard of it. Oh wait, you saw the movie? Well there was a book before the movie and it was better than anything even Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill could produce. People know I like baseball and most of the time, they start conversation like, “Oh, you write about stuff like …

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Low and Away Explains Some D-backs’ Seasons at the Plate

On October 5, 2015 By

Want to flummox one of baseball’s best offenses? Try pitching low and away. It seems obvious, and it’s probably true of most teams, to some degree. But only three teams struck out at a higher rate on those pitches than did the D-backs — a 19.4% K rate is not very good. They’ve also avoided doing big time damage in …

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Diminished Plate Discipline is Undoing Nick Ahmed

On September 2, 2015 By

Ups and downs are part of the game of baseball. Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s this series of changes that helps make baseball so compelling. Without the ebbs and flows, the waxing and the waning, the ever-changing currents, the game would be far too static. This a lot easier to admit when you’re working with that …

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