Currently viewing the tag: "rotation"

Is This What Success Feels Like?

On September 27, 2017 By

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think I’ve fully come to terms with the success the Diamondbacks have experienced this season. The team was projected to win 77 games entering the season, and after what we witnessed last year, you can understand why. There were very few changes to the squad in the offseason. It was mostly the same …

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Stacking Up The D-backs Rotation

On December 22, 2015 By

We know that the Diamondbacks’ rotation will be better in 2016. Part of that is because it would have been hard to be worse, but there have also been some notable additions. You may have heard about this. I’m guessing you did. For a team with big aspirations, a boost to the rotation was at the top of the holiday …

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Handicapping the Race for the 2016 Rotation

On September 30, 2015 By

Let’s just skip the introductory paragraph. I’m not a fan of beating a dead horse and that’s what all of these starting pitching posts seem like after a while. The starters were 27th in WAR, 21st in ERA, 24th in FIP, 26th in HR/9, 22nd in BB/9 and 18th in K/9. That’s bad and …

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When the Wheels Fell Off of 2015

On September 17, 2015 By

Once upon a time, the Diamondbacks were a relevant baseball team. If it seems like that was a long time ago, it’s because it kind of was. If it seems like that wasn’t a long time ago, it’s because it kind of wasn’t. I don’t really know what that means – it was a middle amount of time ago? The …

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Roundup: Getting Ruthless About Pitching Again, Differently

On August 21, 2015 By

The more things change, the more they stay the same. With the unexpected news that Randall Delgado would get a short-term tryout in the rotation, possibly for the balance of the season, it made me think about our best-laid plans for the rotation from just before the season began. Going back to review it, I expected quite a few differences. …

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With Cahill Gone, Rotation Plans Provide for Many Contingencies

On April 3, 2015 By

The D-backs entered spring training with a dozen rotation candidates: two men with spots essentially locked up, a handful who had already broken into the majors, and an enviable group of longshots who were less likely for different reasons. In the second category were pitchers like Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Chase Anderson, and perhaps to …

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Roundup: Roster in Focus; Tomas Contract Discussions; Six Man Rotation?

On March 23, 2015 By

If you know me even a little, you can probably appreciate just how much I enjoyed thinking about the idea of a six-man rotation, a question put to us by two people (Joseph Gonzol and Jon Klingman) for the last episode of The Pool Shot. It’s not that a six man rotation would necessarily be a good idea for most …

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Can the D-backs Improve Their New, Young Pitching Assets?

On December 23, 2014 By

The 2014-15 offseason hasn’t disappointed one bit from an entertainment standpoint. There have been some massive trades (thank you A.J. Preller) and major free agent signings (remember when Jon Lester held everyone captive for two days?). Some teams were expected to push for contention this offseason (Cubs) while other clubs have surprised people with their aggressiveness (White Sox and Padres). …

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Roundup: Order Among Winter Meetings Chaos; Humidor the Key to the Offseason?

On December 15, 2014 By

If you’ve never given our podcast (The Pool Shot) a try, now would be a really good time — Jeff and I worked our way through both major trades last week, and had a ton of fun doing it. We also hit the Oscar Hernandez acquisition through the Rule 5 draft, catching in general, and the potential weakness of having …

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Why a Starter-by-Committee Approach May Work for the D-backs

On April 22, 2014 By

If we weren’t already doing it this way, is this the way we would start? Before taking over as General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Paul DePodesta explained in a presentation (which, sadly, was taken down once he became GM) that like with many other endeavors, continually asking that question could help a team win. DePo credited “management efficiency” …

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Roundup: Collmenter Switch; Delgado Playing Up in Pen; Randy Wolf Signed

On April 14, 2014 By

After some investigation, I believe the D-backs are now the first team to have been in sole possession of worst record in the majors for a season’s first ten games. It’s not altogether unusual for a team to be in sole possession of worst after one game — frequently, one game is played on Sunday before other teams play on …

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Will Arizona’s Home Run Woes Continue?

On January 14, 2014 By

In case you missed it, Ryan and I have begun contributing over at Beyond the Box Score as of three weeks ago. During our short stint there to date, we’ve published some really good stuff and I encourage you to head over there and check out our work and the writing of our saber-savvy colleagues. I’m bringing this up because …

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Diamondbacks Steamer Projections – 2014 Rotation

On December 27, 2013 By

*If you’re unfamiliar with these projections, please read the Primer on Steamer Projections

The Arizona rotation did not grade out particularly well in 2013. Although Patrick Corbin had an unexpected breakout, several rotation members disappointed. Ian Kennedy pitched himself right out of a Diamondbacks uniform, Brandon McCarthy never got it together and Trevor Cahill was wildly inconsistent. Wade Miley …

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Behind the Curve (Pt. 2)

On November 5, 2013 By

Strikeouts, again.

I feel like I’ve been harping on the K’s lately, or lack of them in the Diamondbacks’ case. But I keep coming back to the strikeouts like I keep coming back to the home runs when I try to mentally reconcile the 2013 season. In fact, last week, I linked the two of these phenomena and today I …

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Roster Breakdown: 2014 Rotation

On October 2, 2013 By

As a staff, Diamondbacks pitchers ranked 21st among 30 teams in WAR (11.0) and 17th in ERA (3.92).  D-backs starters came in 22nd in WAR (8.8) and 19th in ERA (4.13).  As with most teams, the sample was big enough that there was a pretty close match between ERA and FIP (4.15).

If the expected major league starters are healthy …

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No Need for Starting Pitchers as Trade Market in Focus for Dbacks

On July 22, 2013 By

Fans and GM Kevin Towers seem to agree: the real area of need for the Diamondbacks is on the defensive side of the ball.  Although the team is only 5th in scoring in the league, there are no obvious places for improvement in the lineup.  In the infield, the team has an MVP candidate at first, an above-average second baseman, …

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