bama4256
05-26-2005, 02:12 PM
Prior to the start of the 2005 Major League baseball season it appeared most experts were picking the Arizona DiamondBacks to finish near the bottom of the heap in the NL West again. Why?
Because if 2004 is any indication of what may happen in 2005 it may not
be anything nice.
As you well know Arizona finished 2004 with a 51-111 record. Worse in the major leagues. Ugh! So why should the Arizona fans have any hopes of winning in 2005?
Especially after losing ace pitcher Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees and longtime veteran outfielder Steve Finley to the Los Angeles Angels.
But guess what? So far this season the Diamondbacks have fooled the experts and a lot of baseball fans, even in Arizona. At the end of all baseball action for May 25th, the Diamondbacks lead the NL West by one half game over the San Diego Padres. Currently, Arizona's record is 28-19.
I must be honest I didn't give Arizona much of a chance either. But maybe we should have. They did acquire third baseman Troy Glaus during the offseason. Yes, Glaus was hurt most of last year while playing for the Los Angeles Angels, but everyone knows when he is healthy he can hurt you offensively.
In 2000 while playing for the Anaheim Angels Glaus hit 47 homeruns and in 2001 he hit 41.
Currently, Glaus has hit 13 homeruns and driven in 35 runs, while batting .272. He leads the team in homeruns and runs driven in.
The Diamondbacks made another good pickup in outfielder Shawn Green. Though his career has been up and down I believe he is worth the risk. He's paying decent dividends right now. He is fourth on the team in RBI's with 20. He has hit only four homeruns so far, but that could change quickly. He's capable of hitting 40 homeruns or more in a season.
Outfielder Luis Gonzalez has played quite well so far this season. Gonzalez is batting .310 and ranks second on the team in RBI's with 31. His OBP is a good .407.
First baseman Chad Tracy has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. Tracy has hit six homeruns while driving in 23 runs so far this season. He's batting .282. Tracy is only 24 years old and should only improve on offense and on defense.
Another first baseman for the team Tony Clark has played well when called upon. He is currently batting .306 with four homeruns and 20 runs batted in.
Second baseman Craig Counsell is a very dependable player. Counsell is batting .316 with 15 runs driven in. His OBP is .426 which leads the team.
One person on the team that needs to produce more on offense is shortstop Royce Clayton. Clayton is batting .241 with one homerun and 16 runs driven in. He is usually good for 50 to 60 RBI's a season. So I guess he's not doing too bad.
Outfielder Jose Cruz Jr has played well coming off the bench. He has four homeruns and 12 runs driven in.
One of the biggest surprise this season for the Diamondbacks is pitcher Brandon Webb. Webb is currently 6-0 with an ERA of 3.32. In 2004, Webb went 7-16 with an ERA of 3.59. Hopefully, 2005 will be much better for him. He is only 26 years old.
Pitcher Russ Ortiz who was acquired from the Atlanta Braves during the off-season is pitching well. His record is 4-3, but his ERA is a bit high at 5.20 This guy is good for 15 to 16 wins a year. In his two years with Atlanta Ortiz won 36 games.
The Diamondbacks did acquire one pretty good pitcher after sending Johnson to the New York Yankees, that being Javier Vazquez. He is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.49. This guy has great potential.
Pitcher Shawn Estes is 4-3 with an ERA of 3.56. Estes best year was in 1997 while playing for the San Francisco Giants. That year Estes went 19-5 with an ERA of 3.18. Last year he won 15 games while pitching for the Colorado Rockies.
Look for southpaw pitcher Brad Halsey to improve. I feel like the more he pitches the better this kid will get. He is only 24 years old. His record as of now is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.34.
Closer Brandon Lyon has been an effective closer for Arizona so far this season. Lyon is tied for the lead in saves with 13 in the NL. His ERA right now is 1.96.
Lance Cormier has been excellent coming out of the bullpen. His record is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.88.
So overall this pitching staff is quite decent. Even though they rank 13th overall in pitching in the NL, they find a way to win.
Manager Bob Melvin is doing an excellent job with this ballclub. Arizona is playing well at home with a record of 15-9. Their road record is at 13-10.
Do I expect Arizona to win their division? Not really, but if they keep playing like they have been anything is possible.
See you at the game.
__________________
Because if 2004 is any indication of what may happen in 2005 it may not
be anything nice.
As you well know Arizona finished 2004 with a 51-111 record. Worse in the major leagues. Ugh! So why should the Arizona fans have any hopes of winning in 2005?
Especially after losing ace pitcher Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees and longtime veteran outfielder Steve Finley to the Los Angeles Angels.
But guess what? So far this season the Diamondbacks have fooled the experts and a lot of baseball fans, even in Arizona. At the end of all baseball action for May 25th, the Diamondbacks lead the NL West by one half game over the San Diego Padres. Currently, Arizona's record is 28-19.
I must be honest I didn't give Arizona much of a chance either. But maybe we should have. They did acquire third baseman Troy Glaus during the offseason. Yes, Glaus was hurt most of last year while playing for the Los Angeles Angels, but everyone knows when he is healthy he can hurt you offensively.
In 2000 while playing for the Anaheim Angels Glaus hit 47 homeruns and in 2001 he hit 41.
Currently, Glaus has hit 13 homeruns and driven in 35 runs, while batting .272. He leads the team in homeruns and runs driven in.
The Diamondbacks made another good pickup in outfielder Shawn Green. Though his career has been up and down I believe he is worth the risk. He's paying decent dividends right now. He is fourth on the team in RBI's with 20. He has hit only four homeruns so far, but that could change quickly. He's capable of hitting 40 homeruns or more in a season.
Outfielder Luis Gonzalez has played quite well so far this season. Gonzalez is batting .310 and ranks second on the team in RBI's with 31. His OBP is a good .407.
First baseman Chad Tracy has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. Tracy has hit six homeruns while driving in 23 runs so far this season. He's batting .282. Tracy is only 24 years old and should only improve on offense and on defense.
Another first baseman for the team Tony Clark has played well when called upon. He is currently batting .306 with four homeruns and 20 runs batted in.
Second baseman Craig Counsell is a very dependable player. Counsell is batting .316 with 15 runs driven in. His OBP is .426 which leads the team.
One person on the team that needs to produce more on offense is shortstop Royce Clayton. Clayton is batting .241 with one homerun and 16 runs driven in. He is usually good for 50 to 60 RBI's a season. So I guess he's not doing too bad.
Outfielder Jose Cruz Jr has played well coming off the bench. He has four homeruns and 12 runs driven in.
One of the biggest surprise this season for the Diamondbacks is pitcher Brandon Webb. Webb is currently 6-0 with an ERA of 3.32. In 2004, Webb went 7-16 with an ERA of 3.59. Hopefully, 2005 will be much better for him. He is only 26 years old.
Pitcher Russ Ortiz who was acquired from the Atlanta Braves during the off-season is pitching well. His record is 4-3, but his ERA is a bit high at 5.20 This guy is good for 15 to 16 wins a year. In his two years with Atlanta Ortiz won 36 games.
The Diamondbacks did acquire one pretty good pitcher after sending Johnson to the New York Yankees, that being Javier Vazquez. He is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.49. This guy has great potential.
Pitcher Shawn Estes is 4-3 with an ERA of 3.56. Estes best year was in 1997 while playing for the San Francisco Giants. That year Estes went 19-5 with an ERA of 3.18. Last year he won 15 games while pitching for the Colorado Rockies.
Look for southpaw pitcher Brad Halsey to improve. I feel like the more he pitches the better this kid will get. He is only 24 years old. His record as of now is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.34.
Closer Brandon Lyon has been an effective closer for Arizona so far this season. Lyon is tied for the lead in saves with 13 in the NL. His ERA right now is 1.96.
Lance Cormier has been excellent coming out of the bullpen. His record is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.88.
So overall this pitching staff is quite decent. Even though they rank 13th overall in pitching in the NL, they find a way to win.
Manager Bob Melvin is doing an excellent job with this ballclub. Arizona is playing well at home with a record of 15-9. Their road record is at 13-10.
Do I expect Arizona to win their division? Not really, but if they keep playing like they have been anything is possible.
See you at the game.
__________________