1/8/11 – As It Stands Now
Yesterday, I posted a rambling of different teams that may not be in the same spot in the division in 2011 as they were in 2010. I used the Rays and Padres as examples, who I believe will be a lot lower in their divisions. I would also like to bring up something I didn’t yesterday, which was the Brewers’ good offseason. We have to remember that they have a good core in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, and will have a good new closer in 2011 in John Axford. What will make them better in 2011 is the addition of two great pitchers; Zack Grienke and Shaun Marcum. They have also added Takashi Saito and Yunieski Betancourt. The Brewers quite possibly could compete legitimately with the Cardinals and Reds this year if they can have consistency in their offense and bullpen.
Anyway, I would like to talk a little bit about the Diamondbacks (after all, this is The Open Roof). They’ve done quite a bit this year with their team, and they look fairly different from last year. They will still have the core of Upton, Drew, and Montero, but when you look at the team as a whole, it looks dramatically different from the ’09 team, and certainly different in some areas when you compare it to the 2010 team.
In 2009, the outfield wasn’t that different from what it will be in 2011, but the infield was Reynolds, Drew, Lopez, and Clark/Jackson/Reynolds from left to right. Now, the infield is Mora/Blum, Drew, Johnson, and Miranda/Allen/Nady left to right. The catching situation was mostly just Chris Snyder with a little bit of backup duty from Miguel Montero. Now, Snyder is in Pittsburgh, Montero is the starting catcher, and Henry Blanco is the backup. The pitching rotation was Haren, Davis, Garland, Buckner, and Petit. In 2011, the rotation looks to be Saunders+, Enright, Duke+, Kennedy, and Hudson (maybe in a slightly different order).
(+ denotes a left-handed pitcher)
My point with all of that is that the team that finished dead last in the NL West in 2009 and again in 2010 just simply doesn’t exist anymore. The Hinch regime has ended, and Kirk Gibson will fire up the troops and get them going, the bullpen will see new names like JJ Putz and David Hernandez, and the infield has a big more offensive capability, and the middle infield features great range.
Projected Lineup:
Drew, SS
Parra, LF
Young, CF
Upton, RF
Miranda/Allen, 1B
Johnson, 2B
Mora, 3B
Montero, C
Pitcher’s Spot
I don’t know Kirk Gibson well enough yet to be able to accurately predict the way he will construct my lineup, but this arrangement is what makes sense to me. It is a tough call for me as to whether the starting left fielder will be Gerardo Parra or Xavier Nady. Even though Nady might not be starting caliber, he does have more experience than Parra. However, Parra did more than prove himself both offensively and defensively last year. He was not at all afraid to lay out for a diving play, or through out a runner from the outfield. This kid is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game and will see plenty of time in the outfield next year. I think Parra will probably get the starting spot.
I have pretty high hopes for the Diamondbacks next year and hope that their new roster can turn the team around. The only concern I have is one that I expressed yesterday’s post, and that is that I don’t know if the additions of a couple of no-name relivers is enough. JJ Putz to me is the only notable bullpen addition. Other than that, its just Kam Mickolio and David Hernandez, who combine for 205 innings in their whole careers. Brian Sweeny was claimed by the Diamondbacks off waivers, but the likelihood of him seeing time in the pen seems low to me. I would’ve liked to see maybe one big signing in addition to what we already did, like maybe a 2-year deal to Grant Balfour, or maybe a Rafael Soriano or Joaquin Benoit. Unfortunately, those hopes are gone now, and Kevin Towers has said that he is likely done making moves. We will now have to wait and see what happens in 2011 with our new team.
The Open Roof 