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2k13: Arizona Diamondbacks

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  • 2k13: Arizona Diamondbacks

    Nobody has started a D-Backs thread yet, so I'll give it a try. They have some moderately interesting position battles going on.

    Catcher

    Miguel Montero is a stud, borderline top-5 catcher. Wil Nieves might be the backup. Or Hot Rod Barajas. If it's Barajas, get ready to start your basestealers whenever they play the D-Backs. Either way, expect Montero to get as many PAs as he can handle.

    Infield

    Paul Goldschmidt is a stud at 1B, though some of his value comes from his unusual SB ability. I'm not sure if he can take another step up with the bat (.280-20-82 isn't the most exciting for a 1B, even if it was only 514 ABs). Aaron Hill is also a stud, underrated both offensively and defensively. He has had a little bit of Alex Rios in him, since you never knew where he'll end up in a given year, but I think he's settled down nicely. Martin Prado should be the regular 3B and gets a nice bump in park factor. If he ends up in the 2-hole I like his R/RBI potential a lot. Shortstop is a hot mess - Cliff Pennington is probably the starter and gives you cheap steals (and a nice glove), but Willie Bloomquist and Didi Gregorius could be in the mix too. I don't know about Goldschmidt, but if Pennington is playing, the D-Backs have a hell of an infield defense at 2B/3B/SS. They also signed Eric Chavez and Eric Hinske as bench players; they'll be strictly 3B/1B, and John McDonald will handle 2B/SS duties. Chavez or Hinske could be worth a buck in NL leagues for their DH/PH abilities. Matt Davidson is a slugging 3B prospect who could see the majors, but it would help if he wasn't arguably the most blocked prospect in baseball.

    Outfield

    The purging is complete, and Adam Eaton (CF) and Jason Kubel (LF) are entrenched as starters. Eaton had a monster OBP in the PCL and his upside is a solid Brett Gardner impression (.350 OBP, 40 steals). Kubel probably had his last great year in 2012. Cody Ross will probably get most of the starts in RF, since he's paid like a starter even though he's mostly a lefty-masher. Gerardo Parra is relegated to 4th OF duties again, and that might not be so bad since he wasn't quite as good in 2012 as he was in 2011. Maybe his ceiling is a good 4th OF. He'll still get plenty of ABs if Kubel gets hurt, Eaton isn't quite as good as expected, or Ross sucks against righties. AJ Pollock is more of a Parra-lite, jack of all trades 5th OF, and Tony Campana is in the mix. If Campana is deemed gritty enough to overlook his flaws (basically everything but baserunning), he could be the 5th OF and justify a $2-$3 investment with 20 steals.

    Rotation

    Ian Kennedy, Trevor Cahill, Wade Miley, Brandon McCarthy. When those 4 are healthy, they're the clear top 4. Cahill is a groundball machine with a rising K rate. Love, love, love him as a sleeper. Too many people think Miley is Collmenter 2.0 and will fall off after a rookie season; I don't. If you're in a league that lives and dies with xFIP, Miley could come cheaper than expected. IPK probably isn't as bad as he looked last year, nor is he as good as he was in 2011. Split the difference. McCarthy is moving to a much tougher park and has injury red flags everywhere. A saber darling, but overrated in saber-heavy leagues. The 5th spot is a race between Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs and Randall Delgado. Skaggs doesn't have the upside of a Gerrit Cole but he projects as a solid #2. Corbin doesn't even have that upside, but he has more experience and solid K/BB and GB rates. Don't overlook him. Even if he doesn't win the job, someone in the top 4 will get hurt. Delgado is the wild card, he could probably use more time at AAA. Daniel Hudson is returning from TJ and could get some starts in the 2nd half.

    Bullpen

    JJ Putz is awesome when healthy. David Hernandez is a borderline double-digit guy in NL-only leagues because of his awesome ratios and the likelihood that he gets 10 saves for an injured Putz at some point. Heath Bell, who knows? I still think he's solidly behind Hernandez if anything happens to Putz, but there's always the small risk of "let's leave DH in the 8th inning where he's effective and jump Bell to the 9th" which is really only a concern if Bell is anything resembling effective. I like Brad Ziegler (RH worm killer) as a $1 guy or NL reserve, he isn't a K monster but he gives you great ratios for a couple weeks when you have an injured guy. Matt Reynolds was brought over from the Rockies, Tony Sipp from the Indians, and they are both usable LH relievers. Josh Collmenter is the long man, probably not going to get back into the rotation.

  • #2
    Thanks for the write-up. keep 'em coming
    This pitching staff looks like it could have 9 pitchers drafted in NL-only keeper leagues (Kennedy, Cahill, Miley, McCarthy, Corbin, Skaggs , Hudson, Putz, and Hernandez).

    Comment


    • #3
      Nice write-up JC...I think that it shows that the D-Backs have the potential to be much better than most think. Really nice pitching and an underrated infield lead the way for a team that's now molded in a fashion that Kirk Gibson can really get behind.
      "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
      - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

      "Your shitty future continues to offend me."
      -Warren Ellis

      Comment


      • #4
        I don't watch much West Coast baseball, and this team's outfield thoroughly confuses me for roto purposes. Eaton and Kubel have the fewest July plate appearances, but they were the ones supposedly entrenched as starters. Anyone with 2014 insight?

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by james33 View Post
          I don't watch much West Coast baseball, and this team's outfield thoroughly confuses me for roto purposes. Eaton and Kubel have the fewest July plate appearances, but they were the ones supposedly entrenched as starters. Anyone with 2014 insight?
          Was Eaton healthy the whole month? They might be easing him in.

          Comment


          • #6
            Kubel has stunk it up all year. Parra was hot early, but has stunk it up for the last month. Pollock was OK for a while, but not so good lately. Naturally, they're the Arizona OFs I have on various rosters. I haven't been following the others, except to note that Ross is what he usually is, good but not overwhelming in any area.
            Only the madman is absolutely sure. -Robert Anton Wilson, novelist (1932-2007)

            Faith is believing what you know ain't so. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

            A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
            -- William James

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by joncarlos View Post
              Was Eaton healthy the whole month? They might be easing him in.
              Eaton was not in a game until July 10. They were definitely easing him back. Guy went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored last night. Probably had some rust and some butterflies. I bet he'll be solid now.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Sharky View Post
                Eaton was not in a game until July 10. They were definitely easing him back. Guy went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored last night. Probably had some rust and some butterflies. I bet he'll be solid now.
                What has happened to Eaton's speed??? ZERO stolen bases in 26 games.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Ryno84MVP View Post
                  What has happened to Eaton's speed??? ZERO stolen bases in 26 games.
                  Arizona only has 43 SBs as a team all year.
                  I'm just here for the baseball.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by chancellor View Post
                    Arizona only has 43 SBs as a team all year.
                    very strange given the fact Gibson was very aggressive last season with the running game. They've attempted exactly half as many steals this season as they did all of last season

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Moonlight J View Post
                      very strange given the fact Gibson was very aggressive last season with the running game. They've attempted exactly half as many steals this season as they did all of last season
                      Maybe the fact that they had a mediocre steal percentage last year made them rethink the strategy. Better to keep the runners on base than to run yourself out of innings...
                      "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
                      - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

                      "Your shitty future continues to offend me."
                      -Warren Ellis

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Jason Kubel DFA'd.

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