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2014 Team Previews – Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks could have been content with an 81-81 season a year ago and simply allowed some of their young talent to continue to developing which would have likely been enough to at least carry the team to a Wild Card spot this season.
Instead, general manager Kevin Towers was very active in the offseason, shipping away some young talent in favor for some slightly older (but not old) talent that is in a position to help the team now.
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The moves have created quite the stir around the Diamondbacks, as the team appears to be in a position to make some noise in the crowded N.L. West. How much noise will depend on whether or not some of their young players can take the next step.
Bovada’s Odds to Win
NL West: +700
National League: +2200
World Series: +5000
Key Additions
Moving youngsters Matt Davidson, Adam Eaton, and Tyler Skaggs was a bold decision by Kevin Towers, mortgaging the team’s future for a few more wins this season.
The additions: Addison Reed to close and Mark Trumbo to play left field, should really give the club a boost this season though. The purse strings were loosened to bring in perennially underappreciated Bronson Arroyo to fill out the rotation, and Oliver Perez will provide some depth out of the bullpen. Bringing back Eric Chavez was a move that won’t grab a lot of headlines, but the veteran drew plenty of interest from other clubs in the offseason.
He’s hit for a solid .281/.341/.488 slash line over the last two seasons, and can play both corner infield positions. His injury woes have been tempered by his reduced role.
Projected Starting Lineup
1. A.J. Pollock, CF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Miguel Montero, C
5. Mark Trumbo, LF
6. Martin Prado, 3B
7. Gerardo Parra, RF
8. Didi Gregorius, SS
Cody Ross is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season as he continues to recover from a hip dislocation suffered last season.
Upon his return, he’ll offer a solid right-handed platoon-mate for Gerardo Parra in right field. Keeping Miguel Montero and Aaron Hill healthy will go a long way in deciding how this lineup fairs this season.
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Montero in particular offers a much-needed left-handed bat to break up Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo in the heart of the order. That duo is going to crush balls this season, and could prove to power one of the more potent lineups in the big leagues.
Projected Starting Rotation
1. Trevor Cahill
2. Wade Miley
3. Brandon McCarthy
4. Bronson Arroyo
5. Randall Delgado
Losing Patrick Corbin in Spring Training really hurts this team’s chances of making a run this year, though the addition of Bronson Arroyo really helps to smooth some of that over. Having said that, Arroyo could miss time at the start of the year with a back issue, and even Cahill has been forced to miss some time with a knee injury, though his status for the start of the year isn’t in doubt.
Delgado steps into the fifth spot in the rotation and was a serviceable option for the team a year ago. Josh Collmenter could also taking a starting slot if called upon.
Bullpen
Closer: Addison Reed
Setup men: David Hernandez, Brad Ziegler
Reed’s base numbers weren’t great last season because his stat total was suppressed after playing for a bad White Sox team last year, but he has shown an ability to get guys out, and could thrive given more opportunities with the Diamondbacks – Arizona ranked in the top five in baseball in save opportunities for its bullpen a year ago.
The guys in front of Reed are quite formidable as well. David Hernandez and Brad Ziegler have thrived in set-up roles, and J.J. Putz is around to get some of the tough outs as well. Oliver Perez has revived his career out of he bullpen.
2014 Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction
It’s a shame that Corbin’s injury hadn’t taken place a week earlier, because then the team could have taken a run at Ervin Sanatana.
As they stand now, the Diamondbacks don’t appear to have enough pitching to get over the hump in the West.
