SB Nation - John Hester

2009 Draftee Report Card, Part Three: Outfielders and Catchers

Zephon — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:07 -0000

The Diamondbacks entered the 2009 draft with 4 extra draft picks in the first round and the 1/2 sandwich round, and came out of the draft with 37 out of 55 picks signed. Kieth Law ranked the D-backs as having the best draft in 2009, and other reviews of the Diamondbacks' draft have been positive as well. With so many quality players signed, this draft certainly has the potential to be best draft the Diamondbacks have had in their short history, and the team had a nice balance of high-upside high school talent and safer college picks at each stage of the draft. In this series of articles, we're going to take a look at each signed draftee's debut season, and see how they performed. If a scouting report on a player is available, we'll also take a look at that.

For week three of our 5 part prospect extravaganza we're looking at outfielders and catchers. I know someone is going to ask why we chose to stick the outfielders with the catchers, so I guess i should explain. The Dbacks just didn't draft all that many outfielders or catchers, so we chose to put them together to make the articles even in size. Next week we're looking at the first half of the whopping 19 pitchers the organization selected and subsequently signed. Then, when we're all done with the five weeks of '09 additions, both of us will offer our respective 2010 Amateur-opinion Diamondbacks top prospect lists.

The grades we used in this article are relative to the league average statistics and the average age of the players in the league that the player was in. In addition, each player's draft position and personal strengths and weaknesses are taken into account (i.e. how they were supposed to do). It's best to remember that the draft is generally a crap-shoot - you can never know which guys will make it and which won't. Some players' careers may be lost to injuries, others just may never be able to make the adjustments to the more advanced levels of hitting or pitching. If two or three players out of a draft become solid major leaguers, the draft is generally thought a success.

It's not that uncommon for a team to have a draft where none of the players drafted have any significant impact on the major league club (just ask Pittsburgh). It happens. It's why the draft is 50 rounds long and teams have 25 players on their big-league rosters. If one major league player out of this draft became an all-star and a handful of them became regular big-league players, the organization got a good haul. So when you see these grades, imagine that they're in a perfect world, where there's no injuries, and players don't regress. These are absolute best-case scenarios. We can't predict the future.

When you discuss outfielders for the Diamondbacks, the great trio the Snakes trotted out in the 2001 World Series season has to be mentioned immediately - Luis Gonzalez in left, Steve Finley in center, and Reggie Sanders, who we let leave the following offseason, in right. Prior to the arrival of the 2009 Turbo-Charged Justin Upton, these three were arguably (with the debate between Sanders and Danny Bautista being a toss-up) the best players the Diamondbacks had ever had at the three respective positions. Runners-up to the Big Three include Shawn Green, Bautista, Jose Guillen, and Devon White.

Ever heard of Chris Jones, Hensley Meulens, and Matt Mieske? We thought not. Well, they're also just a small sampling of the numerous unheard-of outfielders the D-Backs have trotted out in their short history. And for 2010 we have a promising group of young outfielders, with the likely starters being that aforementioned 22-year-old guy named Upton in right, 26-year-old Chris Young in center, and a platoon of 26-year-old Conor Jackson and 22-year-old Gerardo Parra in left. And there's a healthy competition for the fifth outfield spot quietly stirring between Alex Romero, Cole Gillespie, and the one man almost nobody wants to see remain in a Diamondbacks uniform, Eric Byrnes.

So the major-league outfield appears set for quite a while, and it's a good thing that it is, as there really isn't much talent other than Gillespie in the upper-levels of the minors ready to fill in. AAA, if Gillespie is headed to the major-league roster, will contain no outfielders of note, unless Romero, Cyle Hankerd, and Chris Rahl put a banana in your pants. AA will be where some of the higher-upside guys in the system start next season, most noteably Collin Cowgill and Ollie "Lightning" Linton, of completely different skill sets, but equally potent. Cowgill is a good power hitter despite his 5'9'' frame, and can get on base. Linton has almost no home run power, although he used his ridiculous speed to accumulate 28 doubles and a whopping 10 triples last season, reached base at a .394 mark, and stole 28 bases. Further, Linton's speed makes him a plus defender in center, and he plays with the kind of reckless abandon that fans used to love about Byrnes.

They may ready for the majors just in the nick of time, as Cowgill, a more advanced hitter than Linton, could step in to backup/platoon with Parra when Co-Jack is a free agent in 2012, and Linton could be ready to start when CY is a free agent in 2014 (team has option for 2015 season). But the team clearly didn't want to count on Cowgill has their only plan to replace Jackson, especially given the questions surrounding whether or not Jackson will return to his old levels of production, so it decided to use a few of its earlier picks in the draft on college outfielders with advanced bats and tool sets who could rise quickly and provide insurance for the outfield. Then, to add a high-risk, high-reward outfield prospect to the lower ranks of the system, the team picked tool-shed Keon Broxton after solidifying the quick-rising ranks of the system.

Now, to move on to the catchers. While usually a difficult position to solidify for many years, catcher has been a fairly stable position for the Diamondbacks throughout their history. While we haven't had enough luck to find a Jorge Posada or Joe Mauer with a plus bat for the position for a dozen years, and we played too well last season to bank on Bryce Harper in the 2010 draft, we have been able to get six years (and counting, for now) from Chris Snyder, five years from Damian Miller, four years from Kelly Stinnett (although in two stints with the team, from '98-'00 and '05), and one real stop-gap starter in Johnny Estrada. Further, we've even received some good consistency with backups, from Robby Hammock to Rod Barajas to Chad Moeller. And, even though Snyder's clock in Arizona may be winding down, it appears that we have ourselves set at the position for many years once again with Miguel Montero's breakout season and a good cameo from John Hester, who appears to be a fairly capable backup for years to come.

So, even though the system lacks any real high-upside catchers outside of 20-year-old Rossmel Perez, especially with the lackluster seasons just put in by former Sandwich-round pick Ed Easley and Rule 5 draftee James Skelton, the team didn't need to spend a high pick on a backstop. However, it is important to note that minor-league catchers are very important commodities. It is in the minor leagues that catchers begin to actually call games for pitchers, and the way a catcher handles a top prospect pitcher may have a huge impact on that pitcher's development. Therefore, it is crucial to have a solid group of organizational catchers who can call a good game for your pitchers and utilize each pitcher's strengths. So, while the team had the opportunity to address other organizational needs first, it chose to select Tyson Van Winkle in the tenth round, and signed two catchers taken in the eighteenth and forty-fourth rounds, respectively.

Round 1, Pick 17 - A.J. Pollock

Born: December 5, 1987 in Hebron, Connecticut School: University of Notre Dame Height: 6'1'' Weight: 200LBs Position: Center Field Bats: Right Throws: Right

Mid-A South Bend: ABs: 255 AVG/OBP/SLG: .271/.319/.376 XBH: 12 2Bs/3 3B/3 HRs K:BB: 36:16 ISO: .106 BABIP: .306 SB:CS 10:4 Errors: 1

Zephon: Pollock was one of our "safe" picks at 17 overall, a college bat that's should move quickly through the minors. Pollock is considered one of the better pure college hitters in this draft. He's a gap to gap line drive hitter who won't hit a ton of homers, maybe 10 to 15 at most. However, he does make up for that with his speed on the base paths. As he gets more experience he should become an excellent stolen base threat. Since he's recently converted from shortstop to the outfield, he still has a lot to learn defensively , but he should end up being a plus defender. Pollock got off to a slow start, heated up in July, had a poor August, and then had an excellent September to finish the year. Although his on base percentage isn't all that great, he does have a pretty solid 2:1 strike out to walk ratio. Pollock's slugging percentage was really dragged down by the miserable August. Overall, I think Pollock had a pretty solid debut, and I think it'll be interesting to see how he does next year in (most likely) Visalia. Grade: C+ (Short-term: C, Long-term: B)

IHSB: The way to describe the first pro season for the most oddly named man alive (Allen Lorenz Pollock = A.J. Pollock?) is solid but unspectacular, which is disappointing given that the organization expected him to rip through Mid-A South Bend given that Midwest League Competition wasn't foreign to Pollock, given that Notre Dame plays an exhibition game against the SilverHawks at the beginning of each season. He’ll nevertheless rise to Visalia because the organization wants to push him through quickly after a standout career and Notre Dame, and his age requires this for his top-prospect standing. Still a top-ten guy for the organization with his tools (speed, good contact bat, fielding, decent arm, light power) and occasional encouraging flashes of brilliance, but needs to show more consistency (or maybe some BABIP regression - his number for South Bend was .303, which, given his speed, may be low for Pollock), especially since the California League, which he’ll be entering, is a hitter’s paradise (although not quite to the proportions of the PCL). The acquisition of Tony Abreu likely means that the middle infield of the future is jammed up with Abreu, Taylor Harbin, and Pedro Ciriaco, so the once-possible move to second-base, which, in my unprofessional opinion, would have made Pollock's bat more valuable and saved outfield spots for power hitters, Justin Upton, and Chris Young's contract, now becomes nearly a complete a non-possibility unless the team starts to clear a couple prospects for major-leaguers at next year's or 2011's trade deadline. Good news with the stay in the outfield for Pollock is that his defense there is plus, as can be derived from his tool set. It can be thought of this way: you can get a plus bat with solid defense at second, or a solid bat with plus defense in center field. Grade: C+ (Short-term: C, Long-term: B-)

Round 2, Pick 64 - Marc Krauss

Born: October 5, 1987 in Deshler, Ohio School: Ohio U Height: 6'3'' Weight: 235 Position: Left Field Bats: Left Throws: Right

Mid-A South Bend: ABs: 115 AVG/OBP/SLG: .304/.377/.478 XBH: 12 2Bs/1 3B/2 HRs K:BB: 21:14 ISO: .174 BABIP: .359 Errors: 1

Zephon: With Justin Upton manning right field for as long as we can hopefully hold on to him, and Chris Young signed till 2013, left field is going to have a lot of guys competing for the job the next few years until someone completely locks down the position. Unfortunately for Marc Krauss, there's already Conor Jackson, Gerardo Parra, and A.J. Pollock ahead of him competing for the job. In addition, that doesn't even factor in a guy like Keon Broxton who's less projectionable, or guys like Borchering who may end up getting moved to the outfield. Getting past that, Marc Krauss put up a very nice season in South Bend, with an above average batting, on base, slugging, and isolated slugging percentages. I'd like to see a few more homers out of him next season honestly, all though I don't mind a high BA doubles hitter (see Conor Jackson). He's got a very solid almost 3:2 K:BB ratio, not too many strikeouts. For the season, Krauss was 21, a touch younger than league average. Hopefully he'll be able to move through the system quickly. Grade B+ (Short term: B Long Term: B+)

IHSB: There were two big concerns about Marc Krauss going into his first professional season. First was how he would handle the transition from aluminum bats and crappy, in-conference pitching to wood bats and good, professional-level pitching. Welp (misspelling intended for dramaticish effect), so much for that little dilemma. Second was where, and how well, could he play defense. Sadly, that one still hasn't been quite figured out. Nonetheless, he raked in his time in Mid-A fresh out of college, so it wouldn't be at all far-fetched if he ends up mashing the hitter-friendly California League and ends up in Mobile by the end of next season. Still, it's in cases like this where being an American League team would be really helpful. Especially since the position it appears he is most likely going to end up playing, left field (since right field is currently and hopefully forever-ly manned by a man named Upton), is home to Conor Jackson and Gerardo Parra (who is only going to be 23 next season to Krauss' 22) in the majors and guys like Cole Gillespie, Collin Cowgill, and South Bend teammate A.J. Pollock in the minors. Could definitely see this being a high-quality bat used as a trade chip in a year or two. Grade: B- (Short-term B, Long-term: C+)

Round 3, Pick 95 - Keon Broxton

Born: May 07, 1990 in Lakeland, Florida School: Santa Fe (Fla.) CC Height: 6'3'' Weight: 187 Position: Center Field Bats: Rights Throws: Right

Rookie-level Missoula: 272abs AVG/OBP/SLG: .246/.302/.474 XBH: 11 2B/9 3B/11 HRs K:BB: 93:19 ISO: .228 BABIP: .333 SB:CS: 6:1 Errors: 4

Zephon: First, I must note that Keon Broxton is NOT related to the Dodgers reliever. Keon Broxton is a player I'm probably a little too high on. I seem to always end up loving players that share my birthday(See Conor Jackson). Broxton is a multi-tooled outfielder who was raw but fast-improving during his junior college season. Physical comparisons have ranged from Rondell White to Matt Kemp. His strike zone judgement is sketchy, but it's obvious from his numbers that he not only has some serious power, but some serious wheels as well. I think this guy is definitely a diamond in the rough. As IHSB notes, he's basically Chris Young. If this guy figures out the strike zone, he could be something special. Take a look at his XBH numbers, especially the ridiculous 9 triples. Then look at his excellent .228 ISO. This is a guy I think you should be keeping an eye on over the next couple years. Grade: B (Short Term: B Long term: B+)

IHSB: Although it's worth noting that Zephon has a moderately unwarranted solid man-crush on Keon Broxton, it's not like Keon Broxton is bad. Quite the contrary - he plays a solid center field, has wheels, hits for power, and strikes out a ton. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, we've found Chris Young again. He's just 19 years old, just finished slugging all over the Pioneer League, and will definitely be in line for a slow path through Yakima next season to work on those on-base skills. It'll take a lot of work, but if this guy figures out that his bat doesn't need to go below his knees or above the letters, he'll do some special things. Grade: B+ (Short-term: B, Long-Term: B+)

Round 10, pick 306 - Tyson Van Winkle

Born: February 2, 1988 In Vancouver, Washington School: Gonzaga Height: 6'1'' Weight: 190 Position: Catcher Bats: Right Throws: Right

Low-A Yakima: ABs: 156 AVG/OBP/SLG: .244/.367/.308 XBH: 10 2B K:BB: 35:25 ISO: .064 BABIP: .314 SB:CS 4:2

Mid-A South Bend: ABs: 17 AVG/OBP/SLG: .059/.111/.059 XBH: None K:BB: 2:1 ISO: .000 BABIP: .067

Zephon: First I have to say it: Tyson Van Winkle is a funny name. Now to the analysis. At first glance, Tyson had a relatively mediocre season, but he did have two bright spots: His on base percentage in Yakima was 123 points higher than his batting average, and his strike out to walk ratio is a pretty decent 7:5 ratio. I'm not even going to bothering discussing his time in South Bend, other than the fact that it appears he was the victim of extremely bad luck, sporting a BABIP of .067. Winkle is the highest drafted catcher in the Dbacks' 09 draft. With the offensive skillset he's shown, i would think he'd best succeed as a defense first catcher in the mold of Chris Snyder, a guy who can draw walks and maybe hit for a little pop, although the latter he has yet to show. Grade: C (Short term: C- Long term C)

IHSB: 17 at-bats is too few to make any judgment on, so people should only bother to look at the Yakima numbers. From those numbers, we find one thing that Van Winkle needs to really improve upon in order to make himself a solid catching prospect. He needs to find some sort of power that can make him into an OPS "Moneyball" guy (hearkening to Oakland GM Billy Beane's book about deeper statistical analysis of baseball players, although the original definition of a "Moneyball" guy has been stretched to be anybody with a high OPS and low BA), the type of player that casual fans will hate because he'll have low batting averages, but the type of guy that the stat nerds (like me) will like because he gets the job done without making a whole lot of contact. And, of course, he needs to know how to handle a pitching staff. However, the Diamondbacks have historically been good at developing good defensive/game-managing catchers (see Chris Snyder, Rod Barajas). This makes the biggest question the Van Winkle's power, which is crucial to his development. Without power, Van Winkle flops, no questions asked. Grade: C- (Short-term C-, Long-term: C-)

Round 18, Pick 546 - Roidany Aguila

Born:10/22/1990 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico School: Colegio Nuestra Senora de la Providencia HS Height: 5'10'' Weight: 175 Position: Catcher Bats: Right Throws: Right

Rookie-level Missoula: 13 ABS AVG/OBP/SLG: .000/.000/000 XBH: 0 ISO: BABIP: .000 K:BB 6:0

Low-A Yakima: 42 ABs AVG/OBP/SLG: .119/.156/.143 XBH: 1 double ISO: .034 BABIP .172 K:BB 13:1

Zephon: I won't bother with a grade for this one. Roidany Aguila did absolutely nothing in his 57 ABS. Even if he raked in those at bats, it wouldn't mean much, since it's such a small sample size. It does he appear that he was a victim of bad luck with a BABIP of 000 in Missoula, and BABIP of .172 in Yakima. The big positive for Aguila his age. He was 18 during the whole season, and only turned 19 after the season ended. Latin American prospects tend to be quite raw, and seem to take a while to develop, but Aquila does have youth on his side. Grade: Incomplete

IHSB: Nothing else to say here that Zephon didn't already. 57 ABs is too few, but the kid has time. Young catching prospects are always intruiging, but, especially coming from Latin America and having a position that requires a good relationship with the pitching staff, lots of development is a must. Grade: Incomplete

Round 26, Pick 786 - Daniel Kaczrowski

Born: 06/17/1987 in St. Anthony, MN School: Hamline U Height: 5'9'' Weight: 170 Position: Left Field Bats: Right Throws: Right

Low-A Yakima: 274ABS AVG/OBP/SLG: .266/.345/.343 XBH: 16 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homerun ISO: .077 K:BB 42:28 BABIP: .312 SB:CS 12:3

Zephon: Another one of the 'owskis selected by the Dbacks this year, and another one I'm rooting for purely based on his last name. In college Kaczrowski was a shortstop, but after signing with the Dbacks, Kaczrowski was moved to the outfield. I'm not sure if the move was permanent, or just to get him playing time, but it does reduce the value of his offense. Looking at his offensive statistics, there really isn't that much to say. The batting average isn't bad, but it's not that good. His on base percentage is pretty decent considering the low batting average, and his strike out to walk ratio is a respectable 4:3. In addition, all though his power numbers aren't that great, Kazcrowski makes up for it a bit with his excellent 80 percent success rate on the base paths. If Kaczrowski doesn't develop more power, he's going to have to succceed at the major league level by basically being the good version of Juan Pierre: a guy who hits for contact, draws a lot of walks, and swipe lots of bags. If he could get moved back to the infield, he'd be worth a lot more, but who know if that's even an option. Grade: C (Short term: C Long term: C-)

IHSB: Doesn't have the bat to make in the outfield, so even though it's where he played this year, he'll likely be found in the middle infielders section when it comes time to check back in on these guys. I can only speculate that the 5'9'' Kaczrowski was put in the outfield because, of the plethora of middle infielders that the Osprey had available to it, Kaczrowski was the one that the team has the least invested in, as he's a 26th round pick. However, given

his draft spot, putting up an OPS just shy of .700 while probably uncomfortable playing out of position is pretty solid. Another guy whose career goal is to be Augie Ojeda, the fact that the team is juggling him around the diamond already is absolutely detrimental to the part of his game he needs to focus on the most, his defense. It's a bit of shame when a team's handling of a player has a negative impact on the player's development, but in this case, given the sheer quantity of middle infielders covered last week, it's understandable that Kaczrowski was juggled. Grade: B- (Short-term: B, Long-term: C)

Round 44, Pick 1326 - Zach Varnell

Born: 06/25/1986 Pine Bluff, AR School:: U Arkansas Pine Bluff Height: 6'1'' Weight: 200 Position: Catcher Bats: Right Throws: Right

Low-A Yakima: 37abs AVG/OBP/SLG: .108/.267/.135 XBH: 1 double K:BB: 20:8

Zephon: The very last pick to sign with the Diamondbacks was Zach Varnell, a catcher out of Arkansas. There's really not all that much to say about the guy, as he had a pretty poor debut season. I think the only thing worth mentioning is the fact that his on base percentage is 159 points higher than his batting average, and he does have a pretty decent 2 to 1 strike out to walk ratio. Other than that, there's not a whole lot of a positives for this guy. He'll more than likely end up being minor league organizational filler, all though then again, there's been some other catchers that teams have signed in the last round that have turned out pretty well... Grade: Incomplete. And Pointless.

IHSB: There's a reason that Varnell was picked later than any other kid we signed - he's an organizational guy. Catchers are always valuable commodities, as mentioned in the introduction, and that's what Varnell is here for. The bat is pretty much irrelevant, as we can't have any real expectations of him ever reaching the major leagues. All we can honestly hope for is for Varnell to handle the pitching staff of Yakima, South Bend, or wherever the heck the team decides to put him (it really doesn't matter) well. And since I have no information on how Varnell handles a pitching staff, there is no grade that I feel I can assign here. Grade: Incomplete (and Irrelevant)

The Diamondbacks seem to be pretty set in the outfield with Justin Upton, Chris Young, Conor Jackson, Gerardo Parra, and Cole Gillespie. However, there's still some concern about Chris Young's offense, and Conor Jackson will be a free agent in 2012. Although the outfield is not the most pressing of needs for the Diamondbacks at the major league level, in the minors there's a lack of impact talent, so they took two promising (and hopefully fast moving) college bats in A.J. Pollock and Marc Krauss. In addition they added a high ceiling, toolsy and young raw prospect in Keon Broxton. Daniel Kaczrowski was drafted as a shortstop and will most likely end up being moved back to the middle infield next year.

Moving onto the catching position, the Diamondbacks seem to be pretty set with Miguel Montero, Chris Snyder (who will most likely be moved during this offseason), and John Hester at the major league level. While the team had the opportunity to address other organizational needs first, it chose to select Tyson Van Winkle in the tenth round, and signed two catchers taken in the eighteenth and forty-fourth rounds, respectively. Tyson Van Winkle has a chance to be a high OPS catcher in the vein of Chris Snyder; 18th rounder Roidany Aguila is a young Latin American talent that is a total wild card, and Zach Varnell fills the need for an organizational catcher.

Next week we'll begin looking at the whopping 19 pitchers taken in the draft, starting with pitchers A through Hale. Before we close, I, Zephon, would just like to once again make note of the resources we used to create this series of articles: Milb.com, Fangraphs.com, and Baseball-Reference.com; plus a special thanks to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and emilylovesthedbacks for doing the final edits to the article. I'd also like to thank IHateSouthBend for collaborating with me on these articles. With out him, this series of articles wouldn't be possible, and wouldn't be nearly as good... So thanks dude. And to the everyone else on Snakepit, I'd just like to thank you all for the positive feedback you've given us so far. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next week for part three!

2010 in Arizona: Catcher

Jim McLennan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:00:13 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Montero gets up-close and personal with Todd Helton at home plate in Denver on July 4.

View full size photo »

Having completed the review of last season, it's time to turn the spotlight forward and look at what 2010 might bring for the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'll be doing this on a position-by-position basis, each Monday, and hope to keep them updated as we move through the winter, hence the imminent presence of a handy reference list on the sidebar. I'll be taking a look at what we got out of the spot in 2009, whether we might be looking to strengthen ourselves at the spot during the winter, and coming up with our depth-chart at the position for 2010.

We start off by going behind the plate, a spot which saw a definite shift in focus last season. Chris Snyder, with a solid contract extension, was the everyday starter, and there had even been discussion of shifting backup Miguel Montero to third-base during the preceding off-season. Circumstances, however, would end up driving the team in an entirely different direction, one that will likely persist into 2010. After the jump, we'll go into more detail about who'll be catching for the Diamondbacks next year.

2009 Performance
1. Miguel Montero - 101 starts .294/.355/.478
2. Chris Snyder - 51 starts, .200/.333/.352

Randy Johnson might have been right. Back during spring training, he said of Montero, "I really like him... I think if he was to play every day, he'd probably hit 25 home runs, bat .265 to .270 and probably have 65 to 70 RBIs. He's that good of a hitter." At that time, it seemed an empty projection with Snyder cemented as our everyday starter behind the plate. However, in 2009, Montero got the chance, thanks to Snyder's back, and took full advantage. Starting less than two out of three games, he smacked 16 homers, drove in 59 runs and came within three hits of batting .300 on the season. Indeed, after becoming the #1 in late June, Montero was even better, posting a line of .318/.363/.520.

Poor Chris Snyder. If there's one thing you wouldn't wish on a catcher, it's back problems [well, that and a badly-bruised testicle, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone...]. However, he struggled with a spinal disk from May, hampering his production all year, and eventually forcing him out of the line-up on June 21st. Snyder managed only 37 PAs the rest of the season, and underwent surgery to relieve pressure on a nerve in late September. He should be fine for spring training, but appears to have lost his position as the Diamondbacks' everyday catcher.

Top Free Agents
Name	Age	2009 Sal.	2009 OPS+
Bengie Molina	35	$6.25m	86
Miguel Olivo	31	$2.7m	103
Yorvit Torrealba	31	$3.75m	87
Gregg Zaun	38	$1.5m	99
Ivan Rodriguez	38	$1.5m	73
Chance of AZ free-agent activity: none at all.

2010 Depth-chart and Projections

Miguel Montero (.266/.333/.435)
Chris Snyder (.233/.333/.410)
John Hester (.242/.285/.388)

We've already seen the team plan, with the trade discussions involving Chris Snyder between Arizona and Toronto. The problem is not so much Snyder, as Snyder's contract. The extension signed in December 2008 means that he is due to be paid $4.75 million in 2010 and $5.75 million in 2011. While not bad for an everyday starter behind the plate, it's far above what you would want to pay for a back-up at the position. The combination of that deal and his back surgery will also hamper any attempts to trade Snyder. The team don't "need" to trade him (though the salary relief would be welcome), and if nothing acceptable can be worked out, we'll likely keep Chris and he'll be a more-than acceptable second-string catcher.

It does seem another premature contract extension offered to Diamondbacks, on the basis of a single good season - see also Chris Young, Chad Tracy and Eric Byrnes - and implies a dismissal of any possibility Montero would prove better long-term. I can see the purpose of these moves, at least for the young players: provide cost certainty and lock them in at a rate that works for the team. However, the results so far of this tactic have been mixed, to put it mildly, and one wonders whether somewhat more caution will be exercised going forward. I note there has been little public discussion of extending Mark Reynolds, who already has almost 1,700 PAs under his belt, more than Young, Tracy or Snyder when they were inked.

Montero enters 2010 anointed as the #1 for the first time in his career, with all talk of moving him to third-base completely silenced. One very encouraging thing about last season was how Miggy hit LHP and RHP with almost equal ability - his OPS against left-handers was actually 14 points better, albeit in only 88 PAs. Any scheduled days off will still likely come when we face southpaws, but it doesn't appear Montero will be an automatic out if he has to see one due to the game situation.

It'll be interesting to see how Montero's defense evolves. This was originally a major knock against him, and it was a nerve-wracking experience when he threw down to second. However, he increased his caught stealing percentage from 21% in 2008 to 26% this season, not far below the National League average (29%). He also seemed to get more comfortable with calling games, as he became more familiar with the pitching staff, and one would expect this aspect of his game to continue improving next season, with additional experience. He came in to 2009 with only 106 career starts at the major-league level - he has now almost doubled that.

Unless Snyder is traded, John Hester will likely be stashed down in Reno, inside a case stating "In case of emergency, break glass." At the present time, he won't be expected to see playing time otherwise, but didn't disgrace himself in his brief major-league stint last season, and seems like a credible enough third option, or even an occasional back-up should Snyder depart. I doubt he'd be much worse offensively than Luke Carlin, who occupied the same slot at the start of 2009.

Chris Snyder for Lyle Overbay? Apparently not

Jim McLennan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:26:57 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

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An interesting report by Nick Piecoro regarding a possible trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. This would see prodigal first-baseman Lyle Overbay return to the Diamondbacks. He was traded to the Brewers as part of the Richie Sexson trade in December 2003, and has been with the Blue Jays since the end of 2005. The deal is reported to involve Chris Snyder, now deemed expendable because of the blossoming of Miguel Montero. While Snyder is generally seen of as a superior defensive catcher, the output from Montero's bat is just too great to be ignored, and he will also be a lot cheaper than Snyder in the coming seasons.

After the jump, we'll take a look at the possibilities this might present, and what the trade could mean for Arizona next season - both at catcher and first-base.

[Update]. Per Nick Piecoro, "Concerns about catcher Chris Snyder’s surgically repaired back caused the Toronto Blue Jays to nix a trade that would have brought first baseman Lyle Overbay to the Diamondbacks. Not sure if Snyder "failed" the physical exam he was scheduled to undergo today or what the exact terminology is here, but we know that his condition was the reason Toronto called it off." So it seems the two teams were pretty close to a trade, before it fell through. I suspect the news will make other teams think twice about Snyder too, so it may be hard for Josh Byrnes to trade him this winter.

From a salary point of view at least, I like the basic concept of the deal, though my feelings will depend on the specifics of any trade - for example, do any money or other prospects change hands as a result Assuming, for the moment, that it's a straight-up swap, Overbay will earn $7 million next year, and then become a free-agent. Snyder is scheduled to receive $4.75m in 2010, $5.75m the season after that, with a $6.75m team option in 2012 (the buyout for that is $750K). So, it will lead to Arizona taking on about $2.25 million in additional salary - however, first-base was definitely one of the areas the team was looking to solidify, and doing so for that amount seems fairly cheap at the price. By the end of next season, we might have a better idea whether Brandon Allen is the 1B of the future.

Overbay had a very solid 2009, posting a line of .265/.372/.466 for an OPS+ of 120, including sixteen homers. It would initially seem he'd be a defensive upgrade too, having committed only two errors in 117 starts at the position last season. However, UZR is less impressed, scoring him at -0.6 in 2009, though his three-year average at the position is better, at +2.1. I also wonder how long it'll take him to adjust from the artificial surface on which they play in Toronto, back to 'real' grass in Phoenix? Looking at the UZR for Orlando Hudson, when he made the same transition, it's not good, as O-Dawg went from +8.2 to -1.3 his first season here. Hard to be sure if that's due to the change in conditions, aging, or something else.

One aspect which does surprise me is that Overbay is a left-handed bat. I would have been expecting us to look for a right-hander, someone with whom Allen (also a LHB) could team up. However, Overbay's career splits against left-handed pitching are mediocre: an OPS of .711, compared to .847 versus right-handers. And he's been even worse the past couple of seasons - over 228 at-bats against LHP in 2008-09, Overbay is hitting only .206 with one home-run. If he does arrive, it does nothing to address that gap in our line-up. One wonders if the plan would be to play Jackson at 1B against southpaw starters, with Eric Byrnes in LF for those games? [Assuming he's still about - if not, it'd be Gerardo Parra, and that's another guy who CHLFS.]

The departure of Chris Snyder would probably leave John Hester as the backup to Miguel Montero. The 26-year old catcher was 7-for-28 in fifteen appearances at the end of last season, replacing Snyder after Chris returned to the DL with back issues. Hester batted very well down in Reno - in 92 games, he was .328/.375/.535, an OPS of .910 - though as we all know, hitting there is like getting laid at the Bunny Ranch. No-one is very impressed and it doesn't exactly prove much. Still, Montero will be seeing the vast bulk of the starts; I hope his defense and game-calling continue to improve, as they seemed somewhat to do after he became the regular starter last year.

Your 2009 Triple-A Diamondbacks?

Jim McLennan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:00:30 -0000

More photos » by ED ZURGA - AP

Gerardo Parra, probably the biggest 'impact rookie' for the Diamondbacks in 2009.

Browse more photos »

When John Hester came to the plate as a pinch-hitter last month - and promptly homered - he became the ninth player to make his major-league debut this season in an Arizona Diamondbacks shirt. It seems like we'd seen that happen quite a lot this year. But how does the number of rookies, and the playing-time they have received, stack up against previous Arizona seasons? Does this indicate 2009 was a 'rebuilding year' - a notion rejected by Derrick Hall in a recent chat - or is just the normal turnover resulting from injury and other issues?

Firstly, let's just take a look at the players who made their major-league debuts with the Diamondbacks. I've divided these into two categories: those called up during the bulk of the season, and September call-ups, as the latter likely deserve separate consideration. [* = 2009 wins total is extrapolated to 162 games]

Year	Main	Sept.	Total	Wins
1998	10	2	12	65
1999	5	1	6	100
2000	4	0	4	85
2001	6	5	11	92
2002	2	0	2	98
2003	10	0	10	84
2004	11	2	13	51
2005	3	1	4	77
2006	7	2	9	76
2007	7	2	9	90
2008	6	1	7	82
2009	9	0	9	70*

It's probably no great shock to see that 2004 had the highest number of AZ debutants and 1998 the next most - indeed, the opening game in franchise history alone, was the first appearance of three players, Travis Lee, Scott Brow and Edwin Diaz. Generally, it seems true that the more rookies that you need to use, the fewer games you end up winning. This probably makes sense; mid-season call-ups are needed to replace those who are injured or ineffective, and they will be, almost by definition, replacement-level players.

Given this, a couple of aberrations stand out. Our World Series team in 2001 saw a record number of September call-ups, though the players concerned contributed zero at-bats or innings to our post-season performance. Indeed, only one of the eleven newcomers all year saw any playoff action: Troy Brohawn ended Game 6 in the World Series, when we were 15-2 ahead. 2003 is also interesting: we'd used ten rookies by the All-Star break, but still had a winning record. However, their quality was generally more than replacement level, especially pitchers Brandon Webb (a 2.84 ERA in 180.2 IP), Oscar Villarreal (2.57 ERA, 98 IP) and Jose Valverde (2.15 ERA, 50.1 IP).

However, not all debutants are created equal. Their impact ranges from the 562 at-bats by Travis Lee in 1998, all the way down to the one (and a strikeout, at that) from Ken Huckaby in 2001 - hey, at least he can stil say he played for a World Series-winning team. I wonder if he got a ring? So, let's narrow it down with an (admittedly arbitrary) standard of what constitutes an 'impact rookie' - 100 plate-appearances or thirty innings pitched. How does the numbers stack up then?

Year	# Rookies	Hitters	Pitchers
1998	2	Travis Lee Danny Klassen
1999	1	Erubiel Durazo
2000	1		Geraldo Guzman
2001	3	Junior Spivey	Troy Brohawn Bret Prinz
2002	1		John Patterson
2003	8	Robby Hammock Matt Kata	Jose Valverde Oscar Villarreal Stephen Randolph Brandon Webb Andrew Good Chris Capuano
2004	10	Doug Devore Andy Green Tim Olson Scott Hairston Chris Snyder Chad Tracy	Brian Bruney Lance Cormier Casey Daigle Greg Aquino
2005	1		Brandon Medders
2006	4	Stephen Drew Carlos Quentin	Enrique Gonzalez Tony Peña
2007	3	Justin Upton Mark Reynolds	Micah Owings
2008	3	Alex Romero	Leo Rosales Max Scherzer
2009	3	Gerardo Parra	Clay Zavada Esmerling Vasquez

That's an average of 3.3 impact rookies per year. Given this, the degree to which the team relied on its young players in 2003 and 2004 becomes very apparent from the chart above, with as many or more 'impact rookies' in each season as from 1998-2002 combined. As noted above, one can only wonder how awful our 2003 record might have been, had we not got 329 innings at an ERA+ around 175 from Brandon Webb et al. I also note that very few of the relatively large raw number of 2001 rookies qualified as having an impact.

If we've been rebuilding of late, there hasn't been quite the same influx of newcomers to the big leagues in the past couple of seasons. While we're not done yet this year, with only 18 games left, Brandon Allen has about the only chance of joining the list for 2009, with 67 PAs before today. While Trent Oeltjen has a few more, his playing-time has all but evaporated with the return of Chris Young and Eric Byrnes. Bryan Augenstein (15 IP), could possibly also get there, especially if he ends up replacing Max Scherzer down the stretch.

As a final measure, we can add up the number of PAs and IP by debutants, to give an overall measure who reliant the team was on newcomers. For this measure, I'm allowing September call-ups to count both in their first season and the one which followed, since the September playing-time is often more a token gesture than anything. It'd be nice if baseball-reference.com allowed you to restrict results to rookies in its Play Index. Would certainly have made compiling this chart a good deal easier. Note that if a player was a Sep. call-up on another team, his second year stats in AZ aren't counted. I can't think of many such cases, though I have included Kevin Mulvey, who debuted for the Twins earlier this year, before being traded to Arizona. PA's by pitchers aren't included.

Year	IP	PA	RF
1998	261.1	755	1,884
1999	73.2	253	571
2000	76.0	199	527
2001	128.0	238	791
2002	96.0	10	425
2003	506.2	542	2,731
2004	186.1	1,496	2,301
2005	87.1	99	476
2006	153.2	559	1,222
2007	211.2	849	1,763
2008	107.0	182	644
2009	125.0	767	1,307

The last column, 'Rookie Factor', is a measure which combines the two numbers, innings pitched and plate-appearances. In 2008, the average inning lasted 4.32 PAs, so I multiply the rookie innings pitched by 4.32, and add the number of rookie PAs. This gives a number approximating the total number of Diamondback PAs, for which our debutants were responsible during the season, on both sides of the ball.

Again, this shows how vital the farm system was to the Diamondbacks in 2003 and 2004 - in the former year almost 35% of the innings pitched were by players in their first major-league season, more than twice as many as in any other year. Similarly, 24% of the at-bats in 2004 were from new players, a figure six hundred above the highest other mark, even allowing for what's left in 2009. This isn't necessarily a bad thing: it depends on the quality of the players, and any team will always have injuries in the course of the season - these holes needed to be filled, whether with veterans or not.

As a measure of rebuilding, it seems that this season, while it has had its moments, falls short of what the team went through in 2003-04, and looks to end about the middle of the pack, in franchise history. If I had to predict for next year, I think/hope that we will have a fairly-stable core of players, at least as far as the starting roster goes. There are certainly questions over a number of positions, but in most cases, it appears to be more a question of choosing between a number of (more or less qualified) candidates for the spot, rather than having an absolute questionmark.

NL West parks: Advantage offense

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

If you thought AT&T Park was a pitcher's park, you would be wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. Yer wrong!

Browse more photos »

The NL West has gotten a reputation for utilizing the most pitcher-friendly parks in the league. That reputation might not be so well-deserved. Here's a look at Baseball-Reference's park factors for the NL West stadia. Bold indicates the high mark of the data set, and italics indicate the low mark. Also, instead of showing the batting/pitcher park factor splits, I averaged the two for simplicity of presentation.

West	2009	Multi-year
AT&T Park	103.5	102
Chase Field	108	107
Coors Field	105.5	107
Dodger Stadium	94.5	99.5
PetCo Park	88.5	89
Average	100.0	100.9

Given that 100 is deemed neutral, it is interesting to note that the division's parks are playing at exactly neutral this season in spite of the blatantly manipulative ways of PetCo. Looking at multi-year factors, three parks are strongly on the offensive side (including the two most offensive in the league), while Dodger Stadium has historically been pretty neutral, though it has been acting particularly squirrely this season. How about we compare to the other NL divisions:

Central	2009	Multi-year
Busch Stadium	98	99
Great American Ballpark	104.5	104.5
Miller Park	97.5	100
Minute Maid Park	103	98.5
PNC Park	94.5	95.5
Wrigley Field	103	105
Average	100.1	100.42

East	2009	Multi-year
Citi Field	99.5	99.5
Citizens Bank Park	101.5	102.5
Land Shark Stadium	97	99
Nationals Park	101.5	101.5
Turner Field	101	99
Average	100.1	100.30

Check out the multi-year average among all divisions. The NL West favors offense more than the other two divisions. Granted, Coors Field and Chase Field are the top two offensive parks, which skews the numbers a bit, but PetCo does so in the other direction nearly by itself. The NL West may have a greater range of ballparks than the other divisions by double, but overall it favors pitching no more than the other division.

Naturally, regarding the Rockies only, the picture changes slightly. Eliminating Coors Field from the equation, the Rockies maintain the most pitching-friendly road schedule other than the Diamondbacks.

NL West Report

Arizona (59-72, 4th, W4, 19 GB)

Last Week: 4-2. 1-2 @ Giants. 3-0 vs Astros. After winning just one of eight, the Diamondbacks have won four straight, their best streak since taking five straight at the Mets and Pirates in early August.

Pace: 73-88.

Divisional Change: No change.

This Week: 4 game road series @ Dodgers, 3 game home road series @ Rockies. If Colorado still wants the division title, Arizona could help out a lot by extending their win streak to eight before losing three in a row.

News: Luis Gonzalez has officially retired, and now will have a role as the D-backs' new special advisor. His retirement conference was Saturday.

AZ Snakepit includes a video interview in a game thread this weekend.

Conor Jackson's future with Arizona is in doubt. Jackson went from the Diamondbacks' primary cleanup hitter last season to missing nearly the entire season with Valley Fever. Now, he might be non-tendered at the end of the season, forcing his comeback to come with another team via free agency.

Conor Jackson

#34 / Left Field / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 07, 1982

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Conor Jackson	30	99	8	18	4	0	1	14	11	16	5	0	.182	.264	.253

Script is flipped for D-backs catchers. Miguel Montero has made the most of Chris Snyder's injuries as the new starting catcher for Arizona, which is making Snyder expendable. Look for the Diamondbacks to look for a trade opportunity with Snyder, who received a three-year deal in the offseason.

Chris Snyder's injury forced the club to call up catcher-of-the-future John Hester, who responded by homering in first Major League at-bat.

Transactions: Optioned LHP Daniel Schlereth and OF Trent Oeltjen to AAA Reno. Traded RHP Jon Rauch to Minnesota for a PTBNL. Called up C John Hester and OF Chris Young.

Injuries: Activated OF Justin Upton and placed C Chris Snyder (back inflammation) on 15-day DL. RHP Chad Qualls is day-to-day but might miss the rest of the season with a dislocated knee. He will have an MRI in coming days.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric Byrnes	hand	06/26/2009
Chris Snyder	lower-back	08/23/2009
Scott Schoeneweis	other-excused	08/10/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Conor Jackson	pneumonia	05/12/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

News on the other three divisional teams after the jump.

Los Angeles (78-53, 1st, W2)

Last Week: 4-2. 2-1 @ Rockies. 2-1 @ Reds. Los Angeles overcame an opening game loss to both series but overcame it both time to win both difficult road series as the Rockies dropped 5 of 6, thereby giving the Dodgersa comfortable cushion in the NL West.

Pace: 96-66.

Divisional Change: Gained three games on COL.

This Week: 4 game home series vs Diamondbacks, 3 game home series vs Padres. LA has an opportunity to add to their lead by beating up on the two divisional teams that have been looking to future season for months.

News: Dodgers Regain Control Of NL West. If you're a masochist, check how TrueBlueLA responded to arguably the biggest storyline in the division.

The Nationals traded former Rockie Ronnie Belliard to the Dodgers

Ronnie Belliard

#10 / Second Base / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 5-10

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 07, 1975

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Ronnie Belliard	86	187	26	46	7	1	5	22	14	40	2	0	.246	.296	.374

True Blue LA reacts to the trade.

Belliard is not enough though. LA wants to improve their bench with a power threat, preferably from the left side. Kudos to Dan O'Dowd for scooping up Jason Giambi already, who is 7-for-16 wwith 5 BBs and 2 HRs in 5 games with Colorado Springs.

Peter Gammons doesn't like the Dodgers, citing their third starter and a trade deadline reliever as reasons for being a playoff team:

"If it weren’t for Wolf and the trade for George Sherrill, they would not make the playoffs."

Transactions: Optioned IF Tony Abreu to AAA Albuquerque and called up RHP Vicente Padilla. Acquired IF Ronnie Belliard from Washington for minor league pitcher Luis Garcia and a PTBNL.

Injuries: Transferred Jason Schmidt (shoulder) from the 15-day to 60-day DL. LHP Ohman threw an inning in AAA Aug 26 and could return in mid-September. Hiroki Kuroda threw a successful simulated game Saturday and should return within a couple weeks.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009
Hiroki Kuroda	concussion	08/16/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009
Xavier Paul	ankle	05/21/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	08/06/2009
Eric Milton	lower-back	06/28/2009

San Diego (56-76, 5th, L2, 22.5 GB)

Last Week: 4-2. 2-1 @ Braves, 2-1 @ Marlins. The Padres at least did their part in helping Colorado by winning both series against a couple Wild Card hopefuls.

Pace: 69-93.

Divisonal change: None.

This Week: 3 game home series vs. Nationals, 3 game road series @ Dodgers.

News: Jake Peavy is having injury problems for the White Sox in AAA. He took a line drive off his elbow August 24. He then pitched Saturday and left after just 68 pitches with elbow soreness.

In related news, MLB.com's Adam Roseberg writes that the Friars reap Rich-ard rewards of trade. Naturally, Richard went and got lit up for six runs in 2.1 IP against Atlanta after Rosenberg's column. That's the nature of the Padre rotation this year.

Clayton Richard

#41 / Pitcher / San Diego Padres

Height: 6-5

Weight: 240

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Sep 12, 1983

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Clayton Richard	3-1	6	6	0	0	0	0	29.1	33	17	17	3	20	22	5.22	1.81

A member of GasLampBall, aptly named plunkeveryone, wrote a fanpost noting that Kevin Kouzmanoff tied franchise record Wednesday. He is now the Padres' all-time leader in HBP with just 35.

Here's a Q&A with outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr, who is the only player in MLB with his unique situation.

Transactions: Recalled RHP Adam Russell, LHP Wade LeBlanc, and OF Drew Macias. Optioned RHP Cesar Carillo to AAA Portland.

Injuries: Placed RHP Mike Adams on the 15-day DL (shoulder) retroactive to Aug 22. Adrian Gonzalez is day-to-day with a sore biceps in his throwing arm but singled in a pinch hit AB last night. Kyle Blanks was set on the 15-day DL Saturday with a strained arch in his right foot. He is in a walking boot and is eligible to return Sept 13. I know how that injury feels. It's bizarre and annoying.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Brian Giles	knee	06/19/2009
Edgar Gonzalez	concussion	07/19/2009
Kyle Blanks	foot	08/29/2009
Mike Adams	shoulder	08/22/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Chris Young	shoulder	06/15/2009
Cliff Floyd	shoulder	06/18/2009

San Francisco (72-59, t-2nd, W3, 6 GB in Div, t-1st in WC)

Last Week: 5-2. 0-1 vs Rockies. 2-1 vs Diamondbacks. 3-0 vs Rockies. San Francisco took advantage of the first series of the season that Lincecum, Zito and Cain all pitched in to sweep Colorado and pull even for the wild card lead, a very commendable achievement after the gutpunch they received Monday night.

Pace: 88-74.

Divisional Change: Gained 0.5 in NL West (LAD), gained 3 games in WC (COL).

This Week: 3 game road series @ Phillies, 3 game road series @ Brewers. The Giants earned their way to top of Wild Card Mountain, and they'll have to continue to earn staying there. The Rockies get to face two NL creampuffs at home while SF hits the road to face the World Champs and fading but strong Brewers.

News: Jon Heyman tweets the Giants are interested in Brad Penny, along with the Marlins and Yankees.

John Perotto notes that the Giants are one of two favorites to land favorites to land Penny.

Fans cheer as Kent gets Giant honor, being enshrined in the Giant's Wall of Fame. Said Kent:

"The only place I ever cared about and gave my heart to was San Francisco." - Jeff Kent

The Big Unit is willing to return as reliever. After being on the 60-day DL for since July with a trapezius injury, Randy Johnson would be unable to contribute as a starter unless he had a long rehab assignment. The Unit coming out of the pen is a wild card if ever there was one.

Randy Johnson

#51 / Pitcher / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-10

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: L

Born: Sep 10, 1963

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Randy Johnson	8-6	17	17	0	0	0	0	91.2	90	51	49	18	31	80	4.81	1.32

The Giants claimed Trevor Hoffman on waivers, though some have specualted it was more to prevent a team like the Rockies from claiming him. Regardless, Hoffman appears to be staying with the Brewers.

Transactions: Optioned Joe Martinez to AAA Fresno. Recalled LHP Alex Hinshaw and IF Ryan Rohlinger.

Injuries: Randy Johnson will throw from 90-100 feet Tuesday or Wednesday - the Big Unit hopes to return this season as a reliever. Rich Aurilia is set to come off the 15-day DL but indications are he won't join the big league club when he does. Bengie Molina has been available to pinch hit and will likely return to the lineup at some point in Philadelphia from his torn right quad. Freddy Sanchez will make a couple rehab starts and then return Sept 2.

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Freddy Sanchez	shoulder	08/18/2009
Rich Aurilia	ankle	08/12/2009
Andres Torres	hamstring	07/31/2009

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Randy Johnson	trapezius	07/06/2009
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Kelvin Pichardo	shoulder	06/28/2009
Henry Sosa	shoulder	08/05/2009

San Francisco Giants Injuries

15-Day

Player Injury Type Injury Date

Freddy Sanchez shoulder 08/18/2009

Rich Aurilia ankle 08/12/2009

Andres Torres hamstring 07/31/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player Injury Type Injury Date

Randy Johnson trapezius 07/06/2009

Noah Lowry ribs 03/27/2009

Kelvin Pichardo shoulder 06/28/2009

Henry Sosa shoulder 08/05/2009

Diamondbacks 14, Astros 7: The Magnificent Seven + Seven

Jim McLennan — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:39:25 -0000

More photos » by Rick Scuteri - AP

Just another first at-bat home-run in the majors by a new Diamondback. Yawn...

Browse more photos »

Record: 57-72. Pace: 72-90. Change on last season: -11.

The Diamondbacks had their biggest offensive night at Chase in almost six years, highlighted by a seven-run third inning, their biggest single frame this campaign. We scored as many runs there, before making an out, as over the entire Phillies series plus the first two games in Houston. This proved enough to overcome another wobbly outing by Max Scherzer, who allowed six runs, yet still got the W - the first Arizona starter to do that in more than three seasons. Doug Davis could be seen in the dugout, wondering whether some kind of iris transplant would help his W-L record.

Oh, and John Hester became the second Diamondback player this season to hit a home-run in his first major-league at bat. That's more than the other 29 major-league teams have managed between them.

Obviously, this means the team will score 17 times tomorrow night at SnakePitFest. Arguments against this view can be placed after the jump.

Yeah, that was fun. The last time this team put so many runs up on the board, was July 31, 2006 in a severely wind-assisted game at Wrigley, which we won 15-4, behind a team-record six home-run barrage. The game before that - and the last time we did it at Chase - was all the way back in September 2003, when we blasted the Rockies 16-6. The 25 total runs scored last night and this, are the most in back-to-back games for Arizona since the last couple of contests in 2002, mauling Colorado 17-8 and 11-8.

But it didn't look very promising to start with. Scherzer was in trouble from the get-go, walking both of the first hitters he faced and only getting the first out when Berkman tried to turn his two-run double into a triple. Fortunately, he settled down, and the Diamondbacks bounced right back, their first four batters reaching, including a bases-loaded walk to Mark Reynolds. A double-play by Miguel Montero leveled the score, and in the second, Stephen Drew gave us the lead with an RBI single.

His credit for that was wiped off the board immediately, as the first of his two errors allowed the pitcher to reach, and Scherzer then allowed a homer to give Houston a 4-3 lead. Oh-oh... I think we were all shifting nervously in our seats at this point - but it's surprising how comforting it is, when your next seven batters the next time up all, not only reach base, they also get to trot across home-plate. Reynolds had an RBI single; Montero an RBI double; Gerardo Parra a two-run double; and Alex Romero capped things off with his first home-run of the year, a three-run shot into the pool.

Keep scoring? Oh, go on then - if you insist. Stephen Drew legged out an infield single to score another in the fifth - that was #11 if you're counting them. Montero then got just enough on a pitch, leading off the sixth, to get it just into the bleachers, for his twelfth home-run of the year. And the newest Diamondback, John Hester, was called upon to pinch-hit for Scherzer later in the inning, and promptly cranked a pitch off the batter's eye in straightaway center for a two-run homer - and that was the first time he had stood at the plate as a major-leaguer.

Brandon Allen made a great home debut, reaching safely four times on three hits and a walk, while Drew, Ryan Roberts and Upton each had two hits and a walk, Montero a pair of hits, and Reynolds a hit and a walk. The final tally: 14 runs on 16 hits - between last night and this, we're hitting 31-for-79, a .392 clip with five home-runs. I don't think it's any coincidence at all, that these two games are the first in quite some time where we've been able to see both Upton and Reynolds in the same line-up.

Scherzer was hardly dominating, despite striking out eight in his six innings. All five hits he allowed went for extra-bases, and one senses again he is definitely tired beyond his raw season numbers. Still, he got the W, the first Arizona starter since Miguel Batista in June 2006 to do so when allowing six runs or more. Leo Rosales allowed one run in his two innings of work, and Juan Gutierrez mopped the ninth in short order, allowing a hit and retiring three batters on only ten pitches.

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Master of his domain: Mark Reynolds, +18.9%
Honorable mentions: Upton, +14.2; Drew, +11.6%; Roberts, +10.1%
God-emperor of suck: Max Scherzer -24.0%

And, after a somewhat wobbly start, this is pretty close to as perfect a home Fangraph as you could want to see, red-lining by the end of the third. 'Skins led the way in the comment thread, with Kishi posting about half his total, and hotclaws returning around half of his in turn. Also present: snakecharmer, 4 Corners Fan, katers, AJforAZ, Wailord, BattleMoses, soco, emilylovesthedbacks, piratedan7, Diamondhacks, Muu, PioneerSkies, mrssoco, njjohn and Sprankton. Though the last-named was present only at SnakePit Towers where he popped round with his missus to pick up his ticket for SnakePitFest tomorrow.

I was kinda hoping the Cardinals would get hammered tonight, so I could roll out numbers on the last time they and the Diamondbacks played on the same day, and the baseball team scored more [dunno about pres-season games, but on September 14, 2003, the Cardinals were shutout by the Seahawks and the Diamondbacks blanked the Rockies, 5-0]. Still, a more than satisfactory victory, and one that really gets my appetite up for SnakePitFest. Part of me thinks this team has now used up all their offense for the week, but I've little doubt that the joint will be jumping, with a near-full house and the team is bound to respond. Should be a lot of fun, either way.

Montero vs. Snyder - decision time looms

Jim McLennan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:00:10 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Montero calls his shot, pointing to home-plate to indicate he'll be crossing it shortly.

Browse more photos »

With Chris Snyder now rehabbing at Triple-A, it won't be long before he returns to the big-leagues, setting up an difficult decision for management - albeit one that they probably are happy to have. Snyder has been the #1 catcher for the Diamondbacks since 2007, but Miguel Montero has been a revelation since taking over in that role, after Snyder went on the DL with a back problem in the middle of June. Since taking over, Montero has been the hottest hitter on the team, and the most productive catcher in the major-leagues, with a line of .352/.373/.598, for an OPS of .971.

What will the team do when Snyder and Montero are both healthy and available? Details after the jump...

At the moment, it seems the Diamondbacks dodged - or avoided, I'm unsure which - a bullet by not trading Montero to the Red Sox in the off-season, as was seriously discussed at the time. While the reasons why negotiations broke down are uncertain, it seems likely Arizona had a higher view of Montero's value than Boston, and the gap proved unbridgeable. If that was the case, score one for us. Know how many NL catchers with 200 PAs have a better OPS+ than Montero? That'd be one: the Braves' Brian McCann. [Full list] Miggy's 116 is miles ahead of such touted players as Russell Martin (84), Geovany Soto (89) - and even the man whom the Red Sox preferred, at a cost of $5m, Jason Varitek (100).

The case for Snyder

Long-term consistency. Since Montero reached the majors in 2006, Snyder has an OPS+ of 97, five points better than Montero's 92. Sure, Montero has had a great month, but two words for you there: Ryan Roberts. Montero's BABIP in the past 28 days is an unsustainable .400.
Plate discipline. While Montero has hit for both average and power slightly better than Snyder in the past four seasons, this has historically been outweighed by Snyder's much better eye. He walks about once every eight PA's; compared to Montero's 11.6. This has continued in 2009: while Montero's BA is much better than Snyder's .224, their OBP is almost identical. .357 for Montero, .354 for Snyder.
Superior defense. While difficult to measure for catchers (there's no UZR available), all the career numbers suggest Snyder is the better man with the glove:
   Caught stealing: 33% vs. 23% [2009 League average: 28%]
   Fielding percentage: .999 vs .986 [Avg: .993]
   Range factor/9: 7.80 vs. 7.53 [Avg: 7.55]

The case for Montero

He'a a left-handed bat. This is perhaps less an issue now than it was, with the arrival of Gerardo Parra and Josh Whitesell to semi-permanent roster spots. However, Eric Byrnes will be back, and that'll likely reduce Parra's playing time. Another LHB is always welcome.
The face of the future? We pretty much know what Snyder can do. Montero never had 50 PAs in a month before May this year. He had 81 in June, and will almost certainly get more in July, despite the break. Without a pennant race, it's a great chance to evaluate him and see whether he can be a #1 in 2010.
Practice makes perfect. The main knock on him has been defense: regular playing-time in game situations is probably the only way that will get better. There already seems to have been an improvement, particularly in his throwing - his CS% is up five points on last season to 26%, almost league average.

As you can tell, there are arguments in favor of both players, and I think this is likely to be reflected in what happens when Snyder returns, probably at the end of the week. Hinch will attempt to get both players into the line-up as much as possible. Snyder will likely start whenever we face a left-hander, though Montero has handled them pretty well in his career - while we're only talking about a hundred PA's, he actually has a higher BA, though with much less power [only two career HR].

My instinct is that we won't see either player traded before the deadline. Snyder's injury and Montero's hot streak make it difficult to deal them, and I think we will see the rest of the season as an evaluation period, see whether Montero is "for real". While it'd be nice to retain both men, I suspect we will see one or the other dealt during the off-season, as having a great back-up catcher is a luxury rather than a necessity. There are more obvious holes which need to be filled - in particular, second-base and probably starting pitching - and either man would be a useful chip in these areas. See IHateSouthBend's excellent review of Snyder's trade potential, as much of what is said will likely still apply off-season.

One idea which we may get resurrected is the concept of shifting Montero to third-base. This is an area into which the team dipped its toe last winter, with Miguel playing some at the position in the Venezuelan Winter League. With the departure of Felipe Lopez, second-base is once again a question-mark for 2010, so I wonder if we might see Mark Reynolds shifting there, with Montero replacing him at third and Snyder remaining the everyday catcher? If so, it's something I think should be started sooner than later - this season is basically a dead year, and I'd rather see everyone concerned use the remaining 65 games to get accustomed to their new positions.

If one or other does get traded, however, the question would still need to be addressed of a back-up catcher, which is likely more important than a sub at any other position, as they'll see more action. Since 2001, here's the median number of games played by a front-line player:
    C: 119
   1B: 144
   2B: 136
   SS: 145
   3B: 142
   LF: 137
   CF: 140
   RF: 142
That includes pinch-hit appearances, so odds are, your back-up catcher will start 50 or more games, about twice as many as at most other spots. I don't know about you, but I don't feel confident in that being Luke Carlin, a 28-year old with a career .153 batting-average in the big-leagues and .693 OPS in the minors. I'm thinking John Hester might be a better shot - he's hitting .324 for the Reno Aces, and has an OPS over .900. Aged 25, he might be the man for the job in 2010.

[All stats through Saturday night]

Some more kids that you ain't used to: the Diamondbacks non-roster invitees

Jim McLennan — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:25:47 -0000

Here we go with phase two of a look at the lesser known Diamondbacks who you may see in spring-training. Having filled out the back end of the 40-man roster in the previous installment, this time we look at the seventeen non-roster invitees who got an invite to enjoy spring in Tucson - at least for the next couple of weeks. These are a combination of players from the low minors, who didn't yet need to be added to the 40-man roster, and independent free agents. Odds against anyone here making the Opening Day squad, we're mostly looking at the free agents with the intent of using them to fill out the ~~Sidewinders~~, oops, make that the Reno Aces Triple-A roster.

I note one name not on the list. Jarrod Parker, one of only two from Arizona to make Kevin Goldstein's top hundred prospects at Baseball Prospectus last week [Parker was #32 and Daniel Schlereth #89. MLB.com rated him even higher, at #18 in their recent survey] He was our first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2007 and posted a 3.44 ERA at South Bend in his first full pro season - and that figure was after the pitching staff forced Parker to work on his secondary pitches, in particular, his change-up. With a 97 mph fastball and control of four pitches [he walked only 2.52/9 IP, while striking out almost a batter per inning], it's a little surprising he didn't get an invite, especially since he was there last year. Some reckon he'll be in the majors as soon as 2010, and he has drawn comparisons to a young Lincecum. We can but hope. Anyway, here are the rest: no numbers for these guys as yet, details after the jump.

Pitchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DoB
Hector Ambriz	L/R	6'1"	220	5/24/84
Tony Barnette	R/R	6'2"	190	11/9/83
Brooks Brown	L/R	6'3"	212	6/20/85
Seth Etherton	R/R	6'1"	195	10/17/76
Reid Mahon	R/R	6'3"	215	6/1/83
Daniel Schlereth	L/L	6'0"	210	6/1/83
Catchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DoB
Luke Carlin	S/R	5'10"	195	12/20/80
Ed Easley	R/R	6'1"	180	12/21/85
John Hester	R/R	6'4"	210	9/14/83
Infielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DoB
Ryan Roberts	R/R	5'11"	190	9/19/80
Rusty Ryal	R/R	6'2"	195	3/16/83
Josh Wilson	R/R	6'0"	175	3/26/81
Outfielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DoB
Evan Frey	L/L	5'11"	166	6/7/86
Trent Oeltjen	L/L	6'1"	190	2/28/83
Gerardo Parra	L/L	6'1"	186	5/6/87
Chris Roberson	S/R	6'2"	180	8/23/79
Brandon Watson	L/R	6'1"	170	9/30/81

Hector Ambriz. One of the starters for Mobile (Double-A) this year, Ambriz had a 5-13 record, and saw his ERA rise to 4.89. His HR rate almost doubled, though that may partly be due to park factors - Mobile rated a monstrous 1.21 for homers, and 14 of the 22 he allowed were at home there. He also allowed eight homers and a .358 BA in the first inning, so seems he needs to warm up more.

Tony Barnette. Another member of the Mobile rotation, Barnette was the only one to have a winning record (11-7) and posted a decent 3.87 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a .246 average. While similarly hurt by the park, allowing only four home-runs on the road, he had a good K:BB ratio, of better than 3:1. Like Dan Schlereth, he was born in Anchorage.

Brooks Brown. Not to be confused with the Columbine killers' pal [Google is not your friend], Brown struggled later on in the season, and on into the Arizona Fall League. He's a sinkerballer - only one home-run on 75.1 road innings in 2008 - though his ground/fly rate has been going the wrong way in recent years. He is only 23, and if he can find a change-up to go with his fastball and slider, he could still make the rotation.

Seth Etherton. A former first-round pick in 1998, he has appeared in the majors in four seasons since 2000, with four different teams, and also in Korea. He missed most of 2008 after Tommy John surgery, and his only work last year was two games in August for the indy Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League. On first glance, would appear to be prime roster filler for the Reno Aces.

Reid Mahon. He started off as the closer in Mobile, being perfect in 18 save chances there, which got him a promotion up to Tucson. He added six more saves there down the stretch, though his ERA ended up at 5.25. Likely he'll start 2009 off in the same role for Reno, and could be one of those in line for a potential call-up if the bullpen needs some fresh arms.

Daniel Schlereth.After being drafted by the Diamondbacks in the first round last June, it took him a month to sign, so there wasn't much time for him to make a mark in the minor-leagues. He threw just three innings in Missoula before getting sent up to South Bend, for another brief stint. "I only threw 12 innings, but they were pretty good innings," he said. Double-A ball is likely in Schlereth's immediate future, and he might find himself stretched out over multiple innings there.

Luke Carlin. Made his major-leage debut last May for San Diego, and it was a memorable one, as he caught Greg Maddux's 350th win. However, he hit only .149 in 36 games for the Padres, and is generally regarded as someone whose strengths are much more on the defensive side. Will probably act as the backup to Russell Martin on the Canadian squad for the WBC.

Ed Easley. Also a non-roster invitee last season, Easley struggled somewhat at Visalia in 2008. He started well enough, hitting .313 in April but ended with an OPS of just .649. Given his offense is generally regarded as being superior to his defense [and, in particular, his arm], that has to be seen as a disappointment, even if he only turned 23 in December.

John Hester. The regular catcher in Mobile, he didn't get as much help from the park there as you'd think - indeed, his OPS was 121 points better on the road, at a very respectable .833. Could do with some more walks though, his K:BB a swingtastic 78:16. He nailed 30% of base-stealers this season.

Ryan Roberts. May be the ultimate utility guy - during 2007, he played eight positions including the DH, for Triple-A Syracuse. Mostly a second-baseman, he produced a home-run for his first major-league at bat in 2006, but has only one more hit in 26 subsequent ABs. He's got over 30 tattoos, so can trade ink tips with Jon Rauch this spring, and had seven RBI in an inning on July 27, homering twice off Josh Towers.

Rusty Ryal. Could he be our second-baseman in 2010? Solid enough performance for Mobile this year, batting .274 with 16 homers. He also had only eight errors over 97 games at 2B, in his first year playing mostly at that position [he was originally a 3B and occasional SS]. Perhaps a little old for his level - he'll be 26 next month - but we don't really have many other internal options at this point.

Josh Wilson. Likely signed to help shore up the infield defense of the Aces, he was a minor part of the trade that sent Manny to the Dodgers, but the D-backs will be his seventh organization. He played 90 games for the Rays in 2007, mostly at shortstop, hitting .251, but also pitched an inning of relief against the Marlins in a blowout loss. A scoreless inning. Mark Grace, eat your heart out...

Evan Frey. Almost as many walks as strikeouts (76:84) for Frey in 2008, who ended up with an OBP for the year of .400. He has virtually no power as yet, with three homers in 784 career at-bats, but is being projected as a potential AZ lead-off hitter for 2011 or sooner, though Chris Young appears to have a solid hold on CF at the moment. Zephon will be pleased to hear that when you Google our prospect's name, his piece is the first hit, so refer to that for more info on Frey.

Trent Oeltjen. A good season for our Australian, who hit .317 in Tucson. He'd be the third Olympic medal on the current AZ roster, a 2004 silver joining Augie Ojeda's 1996 bronze and Jon Rauch's 2000 gold, and is likely to make the Oz roster for his second WBC appearance. Spent the winter at home, playing for the NSW Patriots, who reached the finals of their baseball competition, before losing, Oeltjen-less, as he'd already left for Arizona.

Gerardo Parra. Still only 21, Parra is already at Double-A, having been promoted after batting .301 for Visalia. He took a step back at the higher level, but restored his stock in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he batted .329/.404/.504, including one game where he had four of his team's six hits. He should see Triple-A this season, and then be knocking on the door of the major-leagues in spring 2010.

Chris Roberson. His father, Rick, was an NBA player including a spell alongside Wilt Chamberlain on the Lakers. This year should see his 3,000th minor-league AB, compared to just 69 ML ones for the 29-year old. In shades of The Natural, he got to make his Phillies debut in 2007 after Aaron Rowand crashed into the wall, but never quite lived up to his ranking, two years earlier, among baseball's top 25 prospects.

Brandon Watson. Had a 43-game hitting streak in 2007, and played alongside Travis Blackley on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs last season, where he batted .305, right on his career average in the minors. Not exactly a slugger - only 14 homers in ten seasons there and 4,000+ at-bats - but he does seem to have a MySpace page. Another one who'll likely be stashed down in Reno, in case of severe emergency.

The Boys of non-Summer: a trip to the Arizona Fall League

Jim McLennan — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:42:50 -0000

This is the time of year where it is no longer a chore to live in this state: while the rest of the country buckles down and prepares for winter and the shoveling of snow it will entail, we Arizonans are finally emerging from our aestivation [look it up]. Mid-November? You might want to put on a long-sleeved T-shirt if you're going out tonight, it could get a bit chilly after 9pm. Part of the joy involved is two months of bonus professional baseball: as well as the well-known delights of spring training, we also get to enjoy the game live in October, regardless of whether or not our team makes it to the post-season. I think that makes us unique in the continental US [Hawaii also has a winter league - as if living in Hawaii needed any additional bonuses].

The Arizona Fall League started in the early 1990's as a chance for major-league teams to get some of their up-and-coming players, thought of as needing more polish, some additional at-bats or innings. A lot of famous names have played here at one time or another - Jeter, Pujols, Webb, Braun, and it was even the first stop on Michael Jordan's ill-fated attempt to make it to the big-leagues. This year, 36 of the 60 players in the All-Star Game, had passed through the AFL earlier in their career. Team managers, and even umpires, may also go on to greater things: Dusty Baker managed for the first time in the AFL, while the men in blue come from MLB's Umpire Development Program.

Unlike other winter leagues, it's very much developmental, rather than competitive; players can be sent here to work on a specific aspect of their play, and if that does improve, the AFL's job is done, regardless of their ERA or BA. Each franchise can send up to six players, typically Double-A or Triple-A, though players with less than one year's service time in the majors can participate, which is how Max Scherzer saw some action in the early part of the AFL this season. Five major-league teams combine to fill up the 30-man roster of each of the half-dozen sides in the league. This year, the Diamondbacks players were part of the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

Because of the group outing we organized to Chase earlier in the season, we got complimentary tickets to Saturday's game against the Mesa Solar Sox. [Admittedly, general admission seats are only $6, but hey, free baseball is free baseball] It looks like the Diamondbacks are trying to encourage attendance by providing these tickets to groups. It seems to be working, as our game was watched by a healthy crowd of 1,576 - as a yardstick, the other two AFL games that day, had official attendances of 289 and 474, and some of the weekday games are seen by less than two hundred.

It took place at Hohokam Stadium, and was the first time I'd been to that venue - in spring, it's the home of the Cubs, so my head spins round and I projectile vomit if I go within half a mile of the place. Amusingly, it's located opposite a cemetery, which is presumably where the last hundred seasons of North Side futility go to die. The attendees met up in the parking-lot for a spot of tailgating [thank you, Mrs. SnakePit!] before the game, with faces both old and new - apologies if I didn't get a chance to speak to everyone. You should have got there earlier. ;-) We were there from 5pm, and it was a very pleasant couple of hours as the sun went down.

We were tidying up, and lost contact with most of the rest of the group by the time we got inside, inside the surprisingly-large crowd [we were not the only group in attendance, it appeared - though the others got their names mentioned on the PA, we apparently didn't. Though I may have fallen asleep and missed it, but more on that later!] One of the perils and pleasures of general admission tickets, is that you can sit wherever you want, whether it's to chase foul balls, watch from immediately behind home-plate, or close to one of the dugouts [Ryne Sandberg seemed to be running things for the Solar Sox on this night] You could even move around, though save for a little photo-taking, that was too much like hard work for me. We did eventually locate some of our party, a little up and to the right of home-plate, and settled in with them to watch the game.

It wasn't a brilliant night for the Diamondbacks' prospects who took part in the game. Brooks Brown got the start for the Desert Dogs, and was tagged with the loss, thanks entirely to one poor inning. the third. He loaded the bases with one out, then allowed a two-run single, and a run-scoring ground-out. However, that was the only damage in his five innings, and two hits and two walks are not disastrous. Another Diamondbacks' farm member, Tony Barnette, followed Brown to the mound, and unfortunately also allowed three runs, in only one inning of work: the key blow was a three-run homer by the Marlins' Scott Cousins.

Things started brightly enough for the Arizona hitters, leadoff hitter and Phoenix center-fielder Evan Frey smacking a first-inning double over the head of the left-fielder, and coming home to score on a groundout, giving the Desert Dogs an early lead. However, between there and the ninth inning, the team managed only one more hit. Though both the other Diamondbacks' players on the Dogs' roster started - John Hester at catcher and Rusty Ryal at shortstop - neither of them got a hit, to leave the Arizona trio at 1-for-9 on the night, though Hester got a walk. Still, it was nice to see five of our six in action, the only exception being pitcher Hector Ambriz.

The game move along at a brisk page, ending just before 9:30pm. This was probably no bad thing since, even with Mrs. SnakePit's wise decision to bring along a blanket, it was getting distinctly chilly by that point. As we walked back towards the car, the realization hit that this would likely be the last live baseball we would get the chance to see, until 2009 spring training starts up again in late February next year. We have Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and Valentine's Day to get through first: maybe hibernation isn't such a bad idea after all...

Game Notes

Each player wears the jersey of his parent team, rather than that of his Arizona Fall League outfit. Makes it easier to pick out the Diamondbacks!
As shown above, the bullpens at Hohokam are right next to each, rather than in opposite corners of the outfield, a curious arrangement. No secrets can be kept from the other team there.
We were almost sent into unconsciousness by the announcer, a lady who managed to recite everything - lineups, pitching changes or sponsor adverts - in an astonishingly dull monotone, without a trace of enthusiasm. We joked that the advertising sales pitch was, "Give us fifty bucks, or else we'll announce your business."
The crowd appeared to catch the concession operations at Hohokam unaware, with the queue for soda and hot-dogs lengthy. I think there may have been only one stand open.
On a similar line, I dread to think what the parking situation is like at Hohokam when the Cubs are in town, and the stadium is filled to its 12,000-plus capacity.