Odds and Sods

Despite having the NL Cy Young winner with Brandon webb, 2006 was a disappointment for the Diamondbacks. After being in contention much of the season, the Diamondbacks faded down the stretch, losing 18 games in the month of August. They limped into the finish at 76-86, 12 games behind the Padres.

Starting Pitching

Brandon Webb, last year’s Cy Young winner, is obviously the ace on this staff. He had a great year last year (16-8 3.10 ERA). He is 27 years old and just coming into his prime. Unless he goes down to a fluke injury, he shouldn’t be an area of concern for the D-Backs.

The reacquisition of Randy Johnson was the big move of the offseason for Arizona. Despite a 34-19 record on his 2 year stint with the Yankees, Johnson never relived the dominant form that New York had required (posting an ERA of 5.00 last season). This year he will try to return from back surgery, a daunting task for any pitcher, particularly someone who will turn 44 in September.

Last year’s midseason acquisition Livan Hernandez will fill in the 3rd slot. Though one feels like he has past his prime, remembering his remarkable run for the 1997 World Series Winning Marlins, his best statistical stretch came from 2003-5. His 4.83 ERA last year was rather pedestrian, but it was 3.76 after the trade to Arizona and he could finally settle down to business. He has the potential to be a very effective third starter.

The back end will feature Doug “.500″ Davis, who has successfully posted consecutive records of 12-12, 11-11, and 11-11 the past 3 seasons for the Brewers. His ERA jumped more than a run last seasons to 4.91 which should be a bit of a concern. Youngster Edgar Davis will hope to nail down the 5 spot.

Arizona looks to have a solid starting staff with both talent and experience, and won that could be overpowering if Randy Johnson can be reinvigorated by his return.

Bullpen

The bullpen shouldn’t be that bad either. Jose Valverde is set to be the closer again this season, though he is far from a sure thing. He has never saved 20 games in a season, and his 5.84 ERA last season could be troublesome. Though, he did rack up 69 strikeouts in only 49 innings so if he can get his stuff under control he should be decent.

They have guys like Medders and Lyon who can be pitch in the set-up role in the 8th inning. Doug Slaten has had a phenomenal run in AA and AAA, and can give them a good left-hander to throw into the mix as well. Human trade-bait Jorge Julio (extremely attractive potential but lack of performance to cement spot at any stop) provides them with some depth, as well as a tradeable commodoity.

Lineup

The youth will arive en force for Arizona this season. Only Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson can really be considered veterans in what should prove to be an extremely young lineup. Highly touted prospect Stephen Drew will be at the head of the list. J.D’s younger brother hit over .300 in 200 AB last season, and will hope to project that pace over his first full season. First Baseman Connor Jackson will hope to develop into more of a power threat afte 15 HR in his rookie campaign. They also have two rookie outfielders with Young and Quentin.

They have some depth provided by signing ex-Angel and super sub Jeff Davannon. They also have Tony “the Tiger” Clark to serve as a backup 1st baseman and a DH in AL parks. The lineup is talented, but due to the youth and inexperience they may prove a bit inconsistent. They also lack a true power threat to consistently produce and anchor the cleanup position.

The Scuttlebutt

New Unis! After nine years, Diamondbacks management finally realized that purple and tourquoise might not be the most traditional or aesthetically pleasing. They kept similar logos (the A and the D) but replaced the color scheme with “sonoma red” and black, which has largely been considered both uninspired and unappealing. They have also added an edgy new “db” logo, not in any way superfluous. They look a bit like older model Astros jersey knockoffs. This might be what happens when your marketing and developing department still considers U2 to be young, hip, and modern.

Outlook:Not Quite Yet

The D-Backs have a good veteran pitching staff. However, they have an incredibly young lineup with no stabilizing veteran presense in the middle. They also have a decided lack of power. They could still compete in a weakened National League, but would probably need a veteran bat or two at the deadline to sustain a challenge. The future looks bright, but the emphasis should be on “future.”