Your 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks Are Bound to Surprise

If your problem with this prediction is that it is coming five games into the season, I’m glad that you didn't scoff too hard at the headline.

So why am I sitting here on my laptop on a beautiful Sunday afternoon writing about last year’s worst team in Major League Baseball? And why am I writing this five games into the season? Cause it’s not like two series are enough to judge a team, right?

Well, I am writing to you because I almost forgot I had a blog, so here I am. I hope you all didn't miss me that much, cause your favorite homer with four different homes is making a comeback during the 2015 season of America’s Past-time. 

This would explain why I give a damn about the D-backs, cause I pretty much grew up in Arizona in case you didn't know/couldn’t tell. I’ll admit, last year was extremely disappointing. And I know that might sound a bit odd coming from a fan of a small market MLB team when there are other teams that have lofty expectations that must be met if people are going to keep their jobs.

Last year, I think that the D-backs organization changed for the better. They developed a tougher skin by season’s end. One would think that with Kirk Gibson at the helm, a team would be rougher and tougher when they have him around. Except Gibby got fired with a week left in the season, a slap to the face of sorts. I think he was a good manager and I thoroughly enjoyed his time with the team, especially during the surprise 2011 season. However, I knew that things weren't going to end well during the height of the D-backs—Dodgers rivalry, c. 2013, because this was a small team baring its fangs at a billion-dollar club, and that’s a lose-lose situation. And the D-backs did lose. They lost their grip on that division to Puig and the Dodgers, who went on a historic tear, going 40-8 in a stretch during that year. Now I have no qualms about losing out on the playoffs when a team is that hot cause there isn't a whole lot that can be done. What I do have qualms about is when a team responds poorly, which the D-backs did.

In 2014, I was pretty excited to see the D-backs get that sorely needed fresh start to the season. They were going to play the Dodgers, who must have called off by now, in Sydney for some odd reason. They lost both of those games, which was no big deal at the time, but the must have been jet-lagged or something at the start of the season, because 30 games into the season, the snakes found themselves at 8-22. The offense was anemic and the pitching staff performed much worse than anyone thought they would. The D-backs could never really recover from that and the season was over before it really even began. Because, as the old saying says, you can’t win a pennant in April, but you sure as hell can lose it.

After shutting down Goldy and shipping out some players, including the weird hick pitcher Wade Miley, the offseason finally arrived. It was crew expendable from then on with the exception of America’s First Baseman. Gibby was gone. Towers was gone. In come Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart. 

The other day, I picked up a copy of Sports Illustrated to check out the MLB preview. I’ll admit, I was pretty pissed to see Max Scherzer and his heterochromia grace the cover, cause I remember when that guy was still a Diamondback. I don't blame him for getting traded or going to DC for the money, but I do blame Sports Illustrated for jinxing him, cause they're not going to win the World Series. And the Diamondbacks aren't going to finish with a 65-97 record.

Let’s take a look at the new-look snakes. I love the addition of Chip Hale. I think that he will be a good manager. Apart from the manager, I think that the most heavily scrutinized and criticized part of the team is the pitching staff, especially the starting rotation. When I heard that Josh Collmentor was going to be the opening day starter, I slowly shook my head and put my palm to my face. He’s a solid pitcher and I’m probably one of the bigger fans of The Tomahawk, so it was good to see he would finally get to shine in a starting pitcher’s role. However, he just isn't the guy that you want as a number one pitcher. He’s had success with an average fastball and good changeup all because of his goofy wind up. I think this is why he enjoyed success in the bullpen, because hitters would be confused in the batters box during the one at bat that they'd have against The Tomahawk. In a starting role, Josh will have to face these batters at least three times a game, and that won’t suit him well. There is already some evidence to his struggles when he allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings.

This sounds pretty hopeless. A struggling top-of-the-rotation pitcher who is probably best suited as a utility role in the bullpen or as a lumberjack. However, there is hope, because after trading Trevor Cahill, the D-backs finally brought up Archie Bradley.

I love Archie Bradley.

I cannot stress how high I am on this guy. I think he’s everything one would want in a starting pitcher. He's strong, intimidating, and dauntless. Last night, he took to the hill against reigning Cy Young Award Winner Clayton Kershaw from those damn Dodgers. And Bradley dazzled. Over six frames, the debutante only allowed one hit. His counterpart struggled, which showed that this D-backs offense might actually be above average. 

I think that as this season progresses, Bradley will assume the role as the top pitcher in the rotation. I think by the time he settles into a groove, Patrick Corbin will be fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery. That’ll put the young lefty in the second spot of the rotation, bumping Collmenltor down to three, which is where he belongs. I think that Chase Anderson, another young pitcher, will do well enough to stay in the rotation. I think that if he ends up being in the number five spot, the D-backs will actually have a better fifth man than most other rotations. That being said, either Hellickson or De La Rosa would have to be bumped out. Then they both might be bumped out for the flexible freak Bronson Arroyo. I think it’ll be Rubby first. Sorry Rubby.

So Bradley, Corbin, Collmentor, Hellickson, and Anderson is the potential rotation this team could have by summer. Basically a young right-handed David Price, an aspiring Andy Pettite, a poor-man’s Lance Lynn, a young pitcher who might return to top form or lose his grasp on his career, and a young strikeout machine. Or you could easily replace Hellickson for a veteran like Arroyo. I am totally fine with this rotation then. Maybe they won’t be that good this year, but I think that this group, especially with Bradley and Corbin at the top is a cornerstone to this franchise.

The other cornerstone to this franchise is Paul Goldschmidt. I think he is one of the most complete hitters from a power position because he has shown great strength to all parts of the field, which is rare from a first baseman. He’s also a great defender who has some wheels—he can swipe a bag every now and then. The one question that people had about him was whether or not he’d be as strong after breaking his hand. This is why I needed a few games to answer this question for myself, even though I didn't have much doubt that Goldy would regain his form. So far, he has hit two home runs. So what. The significance of the two was that he was able to hit a homer to the swimming pool in Chase Field, showing us that he does have that opposite field power. If he can hit homers to right field, he can hit homers to anywhere in Chase Field.

Now for the rest of the team, I like Pollock in the leadoff spot, he has great speed and he is more than just a contact hitter. The rest of the outfield contains some combination of Inciarte, Trumbo, or Peralta. That’s a crowded outfield, but I think that having an extra bat out there is always a good problem as long as the manager can use the combination of the group to the best of their abilities. Inciarte is pretty intriguing and he has shown good contact and speed so far. Trumbo is going to have a productive season on offense because simply put, he’s one of the better power hitters out there and he’s bound to get a hold of a few pitches in the hitter-friendly Chase Field. Now that brings us to Peralta. I think he is one of the better young hitters out there. He has a certain swagger in the batters box that I like to see, plus he’s a strong left-handed hitter, so that’s always nice to have.

The infield looks pretty interchangeable. I think Chris Owings is a very solid defender who can work on either side of the middle infield. Aaron Hill is your typical aging veteran, but he does offer considerable power from the second base position. I haven’t seen enough of Nick Ahmed to judge him, but I’m sure the organization knows what they're doing by putting him out there. As for Jake Lamb, I think he is a solid young hitter. Maybe he’ll relish in the third-base position with Yasmany Tomas breathing down his neck. Regardless, the winner of that competition will provide the D-backs with decent power. I don’t care who wins out, but it’d be nice to see Tomas eventually contribute, or else the D-backs would look pretty stupid for throwing $68.5 million at a glorified bench warmer. And then there’s Tuffy at catcher. I think he’s a hard worker who definitely won't bitch as much as Miggy did.

Now of course, everyone can say “what about injuries?” Of course, I never wish to see a player get injured, but I think that for every group, except for starting pitching, this team has depth. The relief pitchers of Chafin, Perez, Ziegler, and Reed looks like it will be decent. I think Daniel Hudson is the new Josh Collmentor as the workhorse in extra-inning affairs. 

Ultimately, I know that the division is loaded with talent. My money would be on the Dodgers to win the division and the Padres (yes, I think the Padres will be a good team) to win a wild-card spot. But after that, I truly believe that this Diamondbacks team could manage to finish third in the NL West. I think that will be around 75-81 wins, which would be great for a team that is technically in a rebuilding phase. I think that through the process, they'll overcome an incomplete San Fransisco Giants squad that can always get hot at the right time. And then I think the Rockies are bound to give up either Tulo or CarGo at some point. I just can't stand it when young talent is not put in a winning position. Regardless, I don't think the D-backs are going to waste their young talent anytime soon. These young guns will win games for Arizona. But as always, this is just my opinion.

Thanks for reading.

Rookie Patrick Corbin pitches the D-backs past the Marlins, win 9-5

The D-backs called up lefty Patrick Corbin to the mound on Monday to take on the Miami Marlins. The result was a solid Big league debut and a win. It looks as though Corbin will replace Collmentor in the rotation for the moment. The rookie lefty had 5.2 IP allowing 8 hits, but with 6 Ks. The d-backs jumped out to a 7-run lead thanks to two two-run shots by Cody Ransom and Justin Upton. That was a large enough cushion for Corbin and the D-back's shaky bullpen, who came away with a 9-5 win.

Miley pitches the D-backs past the Marlins, 8-4

Welcome to Wade's world, Miami. Wade Miley was just a young prospect last season who showed some talent, but nothing flashy. So far, this season has been different. He's been a solid lefty who's been promoted to the starting rotation and Sunday's performance on the mound showed us his talent. Miley pitched 6.1 innings, allowing only one hit with 6 Ks, dropping his ERA to 1.29. As a young pitcher, there was no way he would go the distance, which is why the final score is somewhat misleading. Mike Zagurski (I've never heard of him before) allowed three hits and three runs due to Giancarlo Stanton's 3-run shot while only getting one out. Bryan Shaw would eventually close out the game for the D-backs, giving Miley his third win of the season.

Marlins walk-off against the D-backs, win 3-2

Every baseball fan can agree that the worst way to lose a game is in walk-off fashion. The best way to win one is also in walk-off fashion. Too bad the D-backs are currently 0-2 in the category of walk-offs. Remember the Todd Helton blast that I blogged about a while ago? This Saturday, Hanley Ramirez broke out of his 0-26 slump by smacking a screaming liner down the left field line for a Marlins walk-off win against the Diamondbacks. Once again, the bullpen didn't deliver in the key moment of the game.

Saunders pitches a three-hitter against the Marlins, D-backs win 5-0

If I remember correctly, Saunders was awful at the start of last season. Anyways, this season he's gotten off to a much better start (maybe it's cause of the beard). The veteran of the Diamondback's rotation pitched a three-hitter against the Miami Marlins, lowering his ERA to a stellar and MLB leading 0.90. He won't keep it up, that's for sure, but the D-backs won't need their pitchers to toss three-hitters in order to win, which is also for sure.

Braves rough up Collmentor and the D-backs, 10-2

Ouch. It really is a new season, isn't it. The Braves look like a talented and young team, and Josh Collmentor looked like a talented young pitcher, but he was hammered hard by Freddie Freeman and the Brave on Thursday Night. First off, Collmentor is lucky that he's still in the D-backs rotation and losing a game like this doesn't help his argument for staying with the Snakes. His delivery is a tricky thing to handle if you haven't seen it that many times since he learned to pitch by throwing axes, but once you settle down against him, all he throws is a fastball and a change-up. I'd send him to either Reno or the Bullpen so he can develop. Baseball is a harsh game and success is short lived.

D-backs bullpen falters again as they lose to the Pirates, 5-4

Ian Kennedy hit the mound today in Chase Field to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that he's had great success against. Too bad it's a new season. Pittsburgh roughed him up early as he let up 4 runs in 6.0 IP. However, the D-backs showed off their tough and resilient snake skin nature as the struck back to tie the game off a rare Johnny Mac homer in the 8th inning. However, the D-backs Bullpen once again blew an opportunity as Andrew McCutchen singled in a run against Bryan Shaw at the top of the 9th inning. Juan Cruz, a former Diamondback, got the save for the Pirates.

Diamondbacks top the Rockies on Jackie Robison Day, 5-2

Jackie Robinson Day is a great day for baseball. Every player wears the number 42 in honor of the great pioneer of this game. The day felt better since the D-backs won, but it was only so they could salvage a win against the Rockies. Trevor Cahill got his first win as a Diamondback while wearing 42 and Chris Young homered again while wearing 42. The Diamondbacks return to Chase Field tomorrow to start a series against the Pirates.

Rockies walk-off on Arizona thanks to Helton's 2-R Homer

This game was unbelievable and disgusting. Unbelievable because the D-backs reliable reliever, JJ Putz, blew a save and a one-run cushion in the middle of a rainstorm with two outs. Disgusting because my dad called the walk-off shot. Old reliable for the Rockies delivered on a miracle two-run shot that fought the wind to sneak in for a homer. This is the second night in a row that a D-back reliever lost the game, which is odd and concerning given that the Snakes were supposed to have a solid Bull-pen. I guess both my old man and the Rockies' old man have some game left in them.

D-backs come back from six down, sweep the Giants

Lyle Overbay and Josh Collmentor both made their first appearances for the D-backs on Sunday, showing mixed results. The oldie showed he's still got some pop, but the rookie pitcher from last year had a poor start as he only pitched three innings and let up six runs, including a two-run jack from Buster Posey. Wade Miley would come into the game to relieve Collmentor, pitching 4 hitless innings. Overbay would then hit a two-run double. A couple of innings later, Ryan Roberts would hit a two-run jack, followed by an Overbay homer. In the bottom of the 7th, Pablo Sandoval and Willie Bloomquist would get into a scuffle as the bases were loaded. Miguel Montero would then hit a blooper to score one run, followed by another Chris Young blooper that scored Aaron Hill as Buster Posey came off home plate to let him score. The D-backs would not relinquish their lead, leading to their first come-from-behind victory of the 2012 season.

D-backs top the Giants again, 5-4

The Diamondbacks were on National TV for the first time in a looooooong time and they opened up the game with a loooooong Aaron Hill home run. In fact, Aaron Hill would hit two homers off of a shaky Bumgarner. The D-backs lit up Madison Bumgarner for 4 runs in the first two innings. San Fran would indeed make interesting though, as the Panda (Pablo Sandoval) would hit a two run jack off of Daniel Hudson. Other than two pitches that got away for homers off of D-Huddy, the No. 2 man in the Arizona rotation had a solid game. The Giants would eventually sneak back, down only by one run, but JJ Putz would again close the game.

Arizona Diamondbacks open the 2012 season with a win over the Giants

The Diamondback notched a win on Opening Day 2012 as Ian Kennedy out-dueled  Tim Lincecum to lead the D-backs to a 5-4 win. The day opened with the Giants threatening to score, but they did not. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Willie Bloomquist led off the game with a hit, then Chris Young stepped into the batters box. The top-hitting snake during spring training picked up where he left off, by hammering a Lincecum fastball into the outfield bleachers at Chase Field. Paul Goldschmidt later homered that inning, but the Giants would tie things up in the top of the 6th inning. However, in the bottom of the 6th, Tatman, Ryan Roberts, would tattoo a double to score two runs and put up the D-backs up for good as JJ Putz would seal the opening day victory.

Diamondbacks fall short

It's been a great year full of crazy comebacks, but Arizona couldn't finish the greatest comeback of them all in game 5 of the NLDS, as they lost in 10 innings to Milwaukee, 3-2. After the snakes scored off a Bloomquist squeeze play to tie the game, mismanagement did not allow Arizona to do any more damage against the Brewer closer, John Axford. In the bottom of the 10th, Nyjer Morgan ended the Diamondback's season with an RBI single up the middle. Milwaukee will play the winner of the St. Louis-Philadelphia series. It's been a great year and it's definitely a season to build on, but the bitterness of this loss will not leave this team till they can avenge themselves next year.

Diamondbacks offense leads them to game 5 in Milwaukee

The Diamondbacks forced a game 5 against the Brewers for Friday after they beat them 10-6 at Chase Field on Wednesday night. After getting a commanding lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a Ryan Robert's Grand Slam and a Chris Young solo homer, the Diamondbacks held a lead they would not relinquish. The Brewers actually came within inches from tieing the game when Cory Hart launched a ball to the fence with bases loaded, but Gerarrdo Parra caught the ball at the warning track to save a 4-run lead. Micah Owings earned the win and Randy Wolf had the loss as Milwaukee let up 4 home runs. This NLDS series will head back to Milwaukee as Ian Kennedy will look for revenge against Yovani Gallardo and the Brew Crew. If the snakes can win on Friday, they will become the first team in NLDS history to come back from a 2-0 series deficit and advance to the NLCS. It will be interesting to see if the D-backs can come back one more time against the Brewers. Anybody, Anytime

Diamonbacks clinch the NL West

Chris Young caught the pop-up hit by Aubrey Huff and Chase Field went crazy as fireworks went off and the words "NL West Champions" appeared on the jumbotron. Arizona had finally capped off their improbable season after a poor 65-97 season last year to winning the NL West tonight. After a 1-0 deficit, Chris Young doubled in a run off Matt Cain in the 7th inning. An inning later, rookie Paul Goldschimdt tripled in two runs to take a 3-1 lead. JJ Putz then closed out the reigning World Champions as the Diamondbacks won their division for the 5th time in their 14 year history. Welcome to the playoffs, Anybody, Anytime.

Kennedy shuts down Pirates, earns 20th win

Ian Kennedy allowed one hit against the Pittsburgh Pirates over 8 innings as Arizona beat the Bucs, 1-0. The three most valuable players for the Diamondbacks played well tonight: Kennedy got win #20, Upton hit his 31st homer of the year (the only run of the game), and closer JJ Putz notched his 42nd save of the season. The magic number is now at 4 with 8 games remaining.

Bell blows save as D-backs win on a bases loaded walk

Down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Diamondbacks hit two home runs against one of the best closers in baseball to tie the game and send it to extra innings. An inning later Lyle Overbay, the man who had the game-tying shot, drew a walk to score Upton as the Diamondbacks squeaked by the Padres to win their fourth in a row and 15th in a row at home. The ninth inning rally came seconds after the jumbo-tron showed Luis Gonzalez’s walk off bloop single against Mariano Rivera that gave Arizona its World Series championship a decade ago. Fans left happy as the red-hot team (in purple tonight) gave them memories from 2001 and a World Series Replica Ring. The San Francisco Giants slipped again as they were blanked by the Dodgers, 3-0. Arizona now has a 9 1/2 game lead and a magic number of 8 with 16 games to go in the regular season.

Kennedy wins 19th, Diamondbacks beat Padres 4-1.

Right-hander Ian Kennedy notched his 19th win of the season as he struck out 11 in 7 innings of one run ball as the Diamondbacks took the first out of a four-game homestand against San Diego. Both Goldschimdt and Upton homered in Kennedy's 19th win, the most in the National League. Arizona gained a 7 1/2 game lead over the idle San Francisco Giants.

Diamondbacks rally past the Giants, hold a 7 game lead

The Arizona Diamondbacks scored 4 runs in the 8th inning to rally past the San Francisco Giants 4-1. The D-backs now have a 7 game cushion going into their series against Colorado. Daniel Hudson picked up his 15th win of the season after pitching 7 innings of one run ball. Ryan Roberts hit a homer in the 8th off of Ryan Vogelsong to tie the game and Willie Bloomquist hit a go-ahead triple as the Diamondbacks closed out their series in the bay with a win. Their magic number is now 16 with 22 games remaining.

Diamondbacks sweep Colorado, set club record by winning 12th straight at home

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 to conclude their sweep Wednesday night. The Diamondbacks won their 9th straight and their 12th straight at home, which set a franchise mark. Miguel Montero homered for the second day in a row as he slapped a three-run shot in the first inning and rookie pitcher Josh Collmentor picked up his 9th win of the season. Arizona has today off and will travel to the bay on Friday to start a series against the defending World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants. Arizona currently hold a 6 game lead over San Fran.