azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 17, 2005 12:00 AM
TUCSON - The moving vans arrived late last week. The equipment is in place. The fields are manicured. The chefs have already planned a week's worth of clubhouse "spreads."
All that's left now for the Diamondbacks as they embark on spring training is the players, and they began showing up Wednesday, when pitchers and catchers reported at the Kino Sports Complex.
New manager Bob Melvin met in the morning with his coaching staff, and players started arriving by the Porsche-loads.
Their first workout is scheduled for this morning and by Monday, the rest of the team will be here, ready to try to quickly erase any effects of last season's 51-111 finish.
As the new-look Diamondbacks hit camp, here are five questions facing the team that the franchise hopes to answer by Opening Day:
• What's the health status?
All eyes will be on slugger Luis Gonzalez, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right throwing elbow. Gonzalez has been on a throwing program since early December and said his arm feels great, but Melvin and the training staff will be monitoring him closely and are expected to limit his play in Cactus League games.
Several others are returning from season-ending injuries or surgeries, including infielder Matt Kata (torn labrum), catcher Koyie Hill (fractured ankle) and pitchers Jose Valverde (torn labrum) and Oscar Villarreal and Brandon Lyon, who each underwent nerve transposition surgery.
All of them are expected to be able to participate. Ditto with sluggers Troy Glaus and Shawn Green, who will hit fourth and fifth in the lineup behind Gonzalez. Glaus, the new third baseman, missed most of last season after shoulder surgery. Green, the new right fielder, appears healthy after having shoulder surgery the previous year.
That's three big bats in the heart of the order, all of them with recent long stays on the disabled list. They are each giving the thumbs up. But it could be an area to watch.
• Who's the catcher?
Melvin insisted early on that it likely would be a head-to-head competition between youngsters Hill and Chris Snyder.
The loser stays behind in Triple-A Tucson.
Veteran Kelly Stinnett, who previously spent three years with the franchise (1998-2000), was brought back as a free agent to offer stability and experience in a backup role. He's on a make-good, minor league contract.
Barring any surprises, Stinnett should be on the 25-man Opening Day roster.
So who has the edge between Hill and Snyder? When the Diamondbacks acquired Hill in the Steve Finley trade last summer, they basically called him their new catcher of the future.
He has the potential, too. A switch-hitter, he batted .356 with 42 runs scored, 10 home runs and 41 RBIs in 48 home games at Triple-A Las Vegas before joining Arizona.
He was just starting to shine in his first genuine taste of the majors when a home-plate collision with Pittsburgh's Ty Wigginton left him with a mashed right ankle that ended his season Aug.16.
Snyder, meanwhile, opened eyes by making the jump from Double-A, where he ranked second in the Texas League with a .520 slugging percentage.
He hit .240 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 29 games for the Diamondbacks after the injury to Hill.
• The fifth starter?
The first four spots in the rotation are set with newcomers Javier Vazquez and Russ Ortiz. Fellow right-hander Brandon Webb, back for his third year at the major league level, is slated for No. 3, followed by another new addition, southpaw Shawn Estes.
But No. 5 is up for grabs, and it figures to be an even heartier competition than the starting catcher's job. The top four candidates entering camp appeared to be left-handers Michael Gosling and Brad Halsey, hard-throwing right-hander Ramon Antonio Peña, and Villarreal, who spent the past two seasons as a reliever after compiling a 15-15 mark the previous two years as a starter in the minors.
• Is Aquino the closer?
The closer's job isn't supposed to be available.
Melvin said last month that the job belongs to Greg Aquino, who converted his first 10 save opportunities last season and recorded 16 overall as a rookie.
The former shortstop showed poise, a strong mental makeup and plenty of confidence during his 34 appearances (3.06 ERA), but he's young and relatively inexperienced.
Will he be able to handle the role and mature into an automatic stopper?
If Aquino stumbles or is hurt, look for a host of others to battle for the role, including youngsters Brian Bruney and Valverde, along with Jose Jimenez, a late-winter addition, and fellow veteran relievers Donovan Osborne and Juan Acevedo.
• How many walks?
Randy Johnson is gone, and three of the top four starters - Webb, Ortiz and Estes - issued 336 walks last season. Those three ranked 1, 2 and 3 atop the National League in free passes (Webb had 119, Ortiz 112 and Estes 105) and will have to cut those numbers significantly.
The relievers weren't all that great at control last season, either, issuing 295 walks in 523 1/3 innings, which helped bloat the bullpen ERA to 4.69.
With a presumably stronger defense behind them, specifically up the middle with shortstop Royce Clayton and second baseman Craig Counsell, the pitchers should be able to focus more on throwing strikes.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/special3/articles/0217dbacks0217.html
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 17, 2005 12:00 AM
TUCSON - The moving vans arrived late last week. The equipment is in place. The fields are manicured. The chefs have already planned a week's worth of clubhouse "spreads."
All that's left now for the Diamondbacks as they embark on spring training is the players, and they began showing up Wednesday, when pitchers and catchers reported at the Kino Sports Complex.
New manager Bob Melvin met in the morning with his coaching staff, and players started arriving by the Porsche-loads.
Their first workout is scheduled for this morning and by Monday, the rest of the team will be here, ready to try to quickly erase any effects of last season's 51-111 finish.
As the new-look Diamondbacks hit camp, here are five questions facing the team that the franchise hopes to answer by Opening Day:
• What's the health status?
All eyes will be on slugger Luis Gonzalez, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right throwing elbow. Gonzalez has been on a throwing program since early December and said his arm feels great, but Melvin and the training staff will be monitoring him closely and are expected to limit his play in Cactus League games.
Several others are returning from season-ending injuries or surgeries, including infielder Matt Kata (torn labrum), catcher Koyie Hill (fractured ankle) and pitchers Jose Valverde (torn labrum) and Oscar Villarreal and Brandon Lyon, who each underwent nerve transposition surgery.
All of them are expected to be able to participate. Ditto with sluggers Troy Glaus and Shawn Green, who will hit fourth and fifth in the lineup behind Gonzalez. Glaus, the new third baseman, missed most of last season after shoulder surgery. Green, the new right fielder, appears healthy after having shoulder surgery the previous year.
That's three big bats in the heart of the order, all of them with recent long stays on the disabled list. They are each giving the thumbs up. But it could be an area to watch.
• Who's the catcher?
Melvin insisted early on that it likely would be a head-to-head competition between youngsters Hill and Chris Snyder.
The loser stays behind in Triple-A Tucson.
Veteran Kelly Stinnett, who previously spent three years with the franchise (1998-2000), was brought back as a free agent to offer stability and experience in a backup role. He's on a make-good, minor league contract.
Barring any surprises, Stinnett should be on the 25-man Opening Day roster.
So who has the edge between Hill and Snyder? When the Diamondbacks acquired Hill in the Steve Finley trade last summer, they basically called him their new catcher of the future.
He has the potential, too. A switch-hitter, he batted .356 with 42 runs scored, 10 home runs and 41 RBIs in 48 home games at Triple-A Las Vegas before joining Arizona.
He was just starting to shine in his first genuine taste of the majors when a home-plate collision with Pittsburgh's Ty Wigginton left him with a mashed right ankle that ended his season Aug.16.
Snyder, meanwhile, opened eyes by making the jump from Double-A, where he ranked second in the Texas League with a .520 slugging percentage.
He hit .240 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 29 games for the Diamondbacks after the injury to Hill.
• The fifth starter?
The first four spots in the rotation are set with newcomers Javier Vazquez and Russ Ortiz. Fellow right-hander Brandon Webb, back for his third year at the major league level, is slated for No. 3, followed by another new addition, southpaw Shawn Estes.
But No. 5 is up for grabs, and it figures to be an even heartier competition than the starting catcher's job. The top four candidates entering camp appeared to be left-handers Michael Gosling and Brad Halsey, hard-throwing right-hander Ramon Antonio Peña, and Villarreal, who spent the past two seasons as a reliever after compiling a 15-15 mark the previous two years as a starter in the minors.
• Is Aquino the closer?
The closer's job isn't supposed to be available.
Melvin said last month that the job belongs to Greg Aquino, who converted his first 10 save opportunities last season and recorded 16 overall as a rookie.
The former shortstop showed poise, a strong mental makeup and plenty of confidence during his 34 appearances (3.06 ERA), but he's young and relatively inexperienced.
Will he be able to handle the role and mature into an automatic stopper?
If Aquino stumbles or is hurt, look for a host of others to battle for the role, including youngsters Brian Bruney and Valverde, along with Jose Jimenez, a late-winter addition, and fellow veteran relievers Donovan Osborne and Juan Acevedo.
• How many walks?
Randy Johnson is gone, and three of the top four starters - Webb, Ortiz and Estes - issued 336 walks last season. Those three ranked 1, 2 and 3 atop the National League in free passes (Webb had 119, Ortiz 112 and Estes 105) and will have to cut those numbers significantly.
The relievers weren't all that great at control last season, either, issuing 295 walks in 523 1/3 innings, which helped bloat the bullpen ERA to 4.69.
With a presumably stronger defense behind them, specifically up the middle with shortstop Royce Clayton and second baseman Craig Counsell, the pitchers should be able to focus more on throwing strikes.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/special3/articles/0217dbacks0217.html
