SB Nation User Blog: Augie's Army

The Big Unit & 300

Augie's Army — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:22:46 -0000

The Unit will get 300 and while he will be wearing a Giants hat when he gets it; I hope the majority of DBacks fans will be ecstatic for him. The arguments on whether or not we should have brought him back have been discussed to death and there is no point in bringing it up again.

However, the possibility exists that the Big Unit could be going for 300 against the DBacks when the Giants come to town in early June. The Unit would just have to get a no decision or loss in his next start to make this scenario possible. My question for the board is would you go to the game and cheer for Johnson? The guy is easily the best player in franchise history and won 3 of the 4 games in the 2001 World Series. Personally, if Randy is going for 300 I will be attending and even pulling for him to get it. Our season appears to be a relatively lost cause and according to Hinch’s logic it would only be 1 game, right? If we had resigned Johnson his quest for 300 would absolutely be the highlight of the season and the chance to see a guy get 300 wins just doesn't happen that often. One cannot help but laugh at the irony about the most decorated guy in franchise history who was allowed to walk has a chance to return home to reach a historic milestone wearing a division rival’s colors.

**EDIT According to the radio, Randy has been getting a full 5 days rest between starts this year and not going every 5th day as I has assumed. Looks like the Giants will have to get a rain out in Miami for him to pitch in AZ.**

Poll

If the Big Unit is going for 300 at Chase against the DBacks I will:

Attend & cheer for the Big Guy to get 300 and stick it to management!)

20 votes

Attend for the chance to see history but Go Dbacks.

16 votes

I love Randy and our season isn't going anywhere so why not?

13 votes

I won't attend the game because 300 is just a number

1 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

Reynolds breaks bone in left hand?

Augie's Army — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:26:31 -0000

Mark Reynolds broke a bone in his left (non-throwing) hand. This may be the reason we saw him at first base last night against the Brewers.

This raises a couple of questions if the injury forces him to the DL. Who gets the majority of the AB's at 3rd? Ojeda? Tracy? I am afraid this injury leads to the Burke/Salazar/Romero black hole in left. Tracy/Ojeda at 3rd with CoJack sticking at 1B.

Our struggling offense can't afford to have Reynolds out of the lineup. This might force us to make a move.

Day of Reckoning

Augie's Army — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:18:07 -0000

I cannot believe I am saying this:

This team needs Eric Byrnes and not because of his locker room presence, veteran leadership, or that his television show is running out of material. But because the Diamondbacks own personal version of Orthrus (Romero & Burke) is hitting well below the Mendoza line.

We all know that Byrnes is overpaid and that we could have had someone else in LF but that ship has sailed. Right now the D-Backs are sinking faster than the HMS Ontario and the only life jacket in sight is Eric Byrnes.

Can Byrnes give us anything? What can we expect from him here on out? What is the bare minimum line we need from him to compete for the Pennant? Is being married screwing up his game? (They said it about Tiger)

Now making fun of Byrnes was/is easy because that well ran deep (intangibles, pop outs, double plays, etc.) but he is our best option in LF for better or worst. From this point forward I am going to try and be more patient* with EB.

*Still reserving the right to boo but will try not to post as many sarcastic posts about Byrnes. However, Micah Ownings consider yourself warned as you are on deck to become my new whipping boy.

He will bring great intangibles to the DL

Augie's Army — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:38:12 -0000

Today the Arizona Diamondbacks took the plunge and placed Eric Byrnes on the 15 day disabled list.

It was a difficult decision to make with his sub 300 on base percentage and his ability to get the pitchers back to the bump quickly with his regular double plays. Byrnes was devout in his attempts to date to blind infielders all over the NL with towering popups into the sun during the season's first two months. While it is to early to tell if his unique strategy will pay off during the pennant chase it has yet to produce any immediate results.

No official word yet if tickets sold for the next 15 days will be fully refunded as the fans will obviously have no desire to watch the first place club without its inspirational leader. Or if the team will be playing with black arm bands for the next 15 days.

All kidding aside let's hope Byrnes gets healthy during his time on the DL. That he comes back and helps the club win.

I was hoping for to see Trot Nixon with the Big Club though.

The argument for moving Max to the 'Pen.

Augie's Army — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:28:24 -0000

I, like many on the board thought Mad Max should be optioned to Tucson when Doug Davis returned Friday. On the surface it makes a lot of sense; let him go to Tucson and take the mound every 5th day, while allowing him to improve his command. We keep both Medders & Edgar in the bullpen and life would go on. However the rumor is that Max will stay with the big club and Edgar or Medders gets his walking papers. I think I'm leaning towards Edgar but expect Medders to be the one to go. Does anyone really think that Edgar or Medders are regulars on a championship squad?

So what are the positives of keeping Mad Max at the big league level? Looking for precendents I discovered many good to great starting pitchers who got extended work out of the 'pen in their rookie/early years.

90's

Johan Santana (different case because he was a Rule 5 Pick)

Roy Halladay

Pedro Martinez

Curt Schilling

80's

David Cone

Bob Welch (im starting to stretch)

Way Back

Jim Palmer

Bob Gibson

Looking at these names I am starting to warm up to the thought of Max coming out of the 'pen this year and making a spot start when needed. Earl Weaver was a big fan of letting young pitchers earn their stripes in the bullpen before bringing them into the rotation. If Max gives us a better shot of winning games I am all for him staying with the big league club.

And with Joba moving into the rotation we will have to wait and see what happens.

*I was/am a huge Kent Mercker fan so it killed me leaving him off this list but I can only be so liberal with "good".

ADD- It's official adios Medders

Poll

We know where he's going, but where SHOULD Max Scherzer be?

In the bullpen

23 votes

In the rotation

22 votes

In Tucson

22 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

How many K's for Mad Max?

Augie's Army — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:52:21 -0000

Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Probably, but damn it Mad Max is making his first MLB start and this something to get fired up about. Chase Field is going to transform into "Thunderdome". I am just glad he isn't a knuckleball pitcher or this wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

Also, anyone have good lines that are dying to use? I mean the quotes that could come from "Thunderdome" alone might need an overflow thread.

Two Men Enter, One Man Leave.

Poll

How many K's does Mad Max get tonight?

20+ (Unit, Wood, antichrist need to make room)

1 votes

15-19 (Welcome to Thunderdome)

2 votes

11-14 (Thirstbuster Time)

1 votes

7-10 (The Road Warrior)

5 votes

1-6 (The Sequels are Never As Good)

6 votes

15 votes | Poll has closed

Looking Way to Far Ahead

Augie's Army — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:53:46 -0000

What does everyone think about Bench Coach Kirk Gibson? Seems to me that if the D-Backs keep winning he would look like an awfully good hire for a team needing a manager next year.

Chip Hale as well but I think Gibson's days as a ball player give him a distinct advantage. I think Gibson would be a great manager.

Would Kirk Gibson be a good hire for a team needed a new manager next year? Perhaps the Mets?

Quentin is Killing It

Augie's Army — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:13:34 -0000

Quentin is Killing It

Carlos is heating up as he is second in the AL in slugging percentage & runs and 5th in RBI's. He might be the White Sox All-Star this year. The one thing the article doesn't mention is how he is walking more. After 80 AB's Carlos has walked 14 times while only striking out 13 times.

In Arizona, last year Quentin only walked 18 times all season while striking out much more often. While dumping Valverde at his peak value was a great move, unloading Carlos' at his lowest possible point was a bad one.

I'd rather have Carlos in LF for the Snakes compared to Eric. This move drove me nuts at the time and will continue to drive me nuts for the next three years.

Congrats to the Big Unit

Augie's Army — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:14:53 -0000

On picking up career win 285, an amazing feat as he marches on towards 300!

The greatest D-Back of all time (my opinion) and is starting to show signs that he has some gas left in the tank. 3 starts and an ERA under 3.00, lets hope he stays healthy.

Webb, Haren, Owings, Unit and hopefully DD looks damn good.

Does Randy get to 300? Can we get 25 starts out of that left arm?

And In This Corner

Augie's Army — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:58:10 -0000

I have always been a big fan of comparing numbers of unknown players, choosing one based on their numbers and then forming an unbiased opinion. Anyone want to play along? I know it is still way to early in the season for any definite conclusions but small sample sizes are no excuse for a little discussion.

Player A

(BA,SLG,OPS)

.302/.540/.920

Player B

.244/.556/.926

Player C

.214/.411/.736

Player A

Eric Byrnes

Eric just signed a brand new contract that should have him in LF for the D-Backs thru 2010. I am sure everyone has figured out Player B is Carlos Quentin and Player C is Scott Hairston. The thing to watch over the next couple of years is if the D-Backs kept the right guy. Of course he brings a lot more on the base paths and the "intangibles" to the locker room than Quentin or Hairston. My only worry that Byrnes' best tool is his speed and that tool is often the first one to diminish as a player ages.

Player B

Carlos Quentin

Carlos is on a tear as he currently is 4rth in the AL in RBI's, 5th in HRS and 7th in R's. Perhaps I am being liberal using the word tear, seeing how he is hitting .244 but Carlos is driving the ball. Of course, AL pitchers might adjust over the course of the season and Carlos could struggle as he did for the Snakes last year after his solid second half of '06. At only 25 I think the Snakes made a mistake in letting Carlos go in favor or Byrnes. It might not be noticeable this year but come 2010, I feel we will really regret this decision.

Player C

Scott Hairston

I think Scott is a solid guy of the bench but not an everyday corner OF.

What does everyone think?

Poll

Which hitter would you want for your lineup? (Based on the 2008 numbers to date)

Player A-Eric Byrnes

15 votes

Player B-Carlos Quentin

11 votes

Player C-Scott Hairston

0 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed