So, in the process of researching for a forthcoming post about the Diamondbacks pitching staff, I somehow stumbled across some information that I hadn’t really synthesized prior to tonight.

The following is the list of the players who led the National League in 2011 in intentional walks (information taken from baseballreference.com):

Not that any of these players need introduction, but there are some facts that are interesting when you consider this group of players.

Fielder was 3rd in MVP voting this season, he was an All-Star (and All-Star MVP), and won the 1B Silver Slugger award. Kemp was 2nd in MVP voting, also an All-Star and winner of a Silver Slugger award this season, as well. Berkman was an All-Star, 7th in MVP voting and won NL comeback player of the year. Howard, the NL MVP in 2006, came 10th in voting in 2011 this year, and is the current active leader in at-bats per home run.

Pujols was 5th in MVP voting and would have likely been an All-Star if not for his wrist injury. Votto, 2010′s NL MVP, was 6th in MVP voting in 2011 and was also an All-Star.  McCann was an All-Star in 2011 and, while he didn’t wrangle any MVP votes this year, he picked up the Silver Slugger for catchers – his 5th in the last 6 seasons. Bruce was an All-Star this season and, in addition to having the 8th most IBBs, he was also 8th best in the NL in RBIs and home runs. And, Tulowitzki came 8th in the MVP race this past season, was an All-Star and the NL shortstop Silver Slugger.

That’s some impressive company to find yourself in.

» Continue reading “Gerardo Parra Hits Well Enough To Win A Gold Glove. Or: Statistical Ruminations”

For those of you who are doing the countdown to spring training, Snakes on the Grass has come to provide you with a calendar to help you count down the days. It will hopefully keep you busy and, by the time the season rolls around, you will be so prepared for 2012, that you could probably jump in and cover third base if they asked!

All comments, questions, suggestions and updates on your progress are welcome!

Have fun!

And, while Snakes on the Grass is new to the aeryssports.com family, I would like to wish the site a happy first birthday.

And, just when I thought I was going to have trouble coming up with things to write about today, this happened:

While I’m not opposed to the idea of a veteran starter on a 1 year contract as a general principle… This one just seems really, REALLY weird. (How’s that for in-depth baseball analysis?!)

Also, consider:

Trevor Cahill – Age 23

Daniel Hudson – Age 24

Josh Collmenter – Age 25

Ian Kennedy – Age 27

… Bartolo Colon – Age 38

./`  One of these things is not like the other…
One of these things just doesn’t belong… ./`

Is there any situation that can’t best be described by LOLcats? I’m beginning to think not.

(Edited for some baseball-related thoughts:)

So, yes, the Diamondbacks need a 5th starter. They non-tendered Joe Saunders (a steady presence in last year’s rotation, pitching north of 200 innings) and Micah Owings (who pretty much pitched whenever and wherever they told him to and couldn’t buy a loss, even when he tried. The kid had a golden horseshoe shoved where the sun don’t shine this year. Exhibit A. Exhibit B.)  

I’m going to go out on a limb and make a bold prediction: I’d bet my left shoe that Tyler Skaggs isn’t breaking camp with the team out of Spring Training.

It’s a pretty safe bet that no small market team is going to risk their top pitching prospect (and someone they’re banking on becoming a future anchor of the pitching staff) becoming a Super Two. Not when there are people to be had on the free agent (and trade) market that could fill in as the 5th starter in the offensively-iffy NL West.

Also, he’s 20 years old. Sure, it happens (hello, Felix Hernandez), but I’m not sure its happening this year. (Felix Hernandez is not the standard by which the trajectory of all pitching prospects should be predicted.)

Hence, Kevin Towers looking for a veteran on a 1-2 year contract to bridge the gap. And, his past history says Colon would potentially do okay in the NL West.

Now, I know its all rumor and speculation, but so far, in his tenure Kevin Towers hasn’t really been Alex Anthopoulos or even Kenny Williams, pulling off trades away from rumor or moves that are so ridiculous, you can’t believe its true until it happens. Things seem to usually be logical, predictable and believable. Usually.

So, its weird, but it makes sense. And, it is logical, predictable and believable. We’ll just have to wait and see what comes of it all.

 If only I were patient.

Since there’s nothing new to report on the Dback’s front today, it seems like as good of a time as any to re-live some of 2011 Diamondbacks awesomeness.

There was a home run derby during All-Star weekend at Chase Field in Arizona this year. Maybe you heard about it?

Well, for the fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks (or, at least for this fan), there was a far more important home run derby. [Click on the photo to watch the video.]

It was also an incredibly well timed explosion of offense. Watching the boys crank out four (FOUR!!) home runs in a must-win game 4 of the NLDS was a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Now, I am much more likely to impressed (amazed, entertained, awestruck, etc…) by gravity-defying feats of defense, but even I can’t help but be impressed by a four (FOUR!!) home run game in the post-season.

Ahh… memories.

Listen people, baseball season better hurry up and get here. Yesterday, I bought a package of sunflower seeds just because there was an MLB logo on them.  I’m not sure, but that might be a sign I’m starting to lose it. Send help.

First things first:

You may or may not have realized that, last night, #ShoutOutToTheGirlsThat was trending on twitter.

If I haven’t mentioned yet how much I love and adore the people who write the dbacks’ twitter account, this would probably be an appropriate time.

Exhibit A:

However, that was not actually the point of today’s post. 

Gerardo Parra is all over the Dbacks’ blogosphere these days and everyone from the general manager (at the time of the trade) to the CEO (last week) to the manager (yesterday) is frantically trying to reassure the concerned members of the fanbase (myself included) who want to know what is going to happen to Gerardo Parra’s playing time next year.

As I covered in a previous post (“Why I’m Scared of Jason Kubel“), Gerardo Parra had a very good 2011. Among the many things he accomplished was a NL-leading 12 outfield assists. It’s not just the glove that should be made of gold.

Unfortunately, not all of his assists archived at mlb.com for future enjoyment, but the 4 and a half that were are well worth the time. Check ‘em out, it will be fun for you. Because who doesn’t enjoy a play at the plate and baserunning blunders?

4 and 1/2 Outfield Assists – Courtesy of Gerardo Parra

1. You don’t go for two with that arm in left, yo.  

 2. Two outs are better than one .

 3. He makes people look silly trying to score from second. Even Bonafacio, who is pretty speedy. 

4. It’s September 3. People should have learned not to run on Gerardo Parra’s left arm by this point. Especially since Beltran plays in the same division.

5.  This wasn’t a putout, but it totally would have been. Except, this time, Bonafacio decided not to run. Probably because the game was tied (unlike 1 month later, where they were losing a blowout). 

 Until tomorrow, folks!

fangraphs.com

So, since we’re still twiddling our thumbs in the land of the Diamondbacks, waiting for something to happen (or dreading that something bad will happen), today’s post is very, very random.

Today, I have compiled a list of random stats from the 2011 season.

Because you can never have too many ridiculous baseball stats.

For what its worth, I have limited my selection to those Snakes on the original post-season roster. Because doing this for everyone who played a game for the Diamondbacks this season? Well, now, that would just be ridiculous. (Which, obviously, this post is not. In any way.)

PITCHERS (11)

Micah Owings – Was the only pitcher who’s batting average = his OBP = slugging percentage.

Brad Ziegler – Had the lowest batting average against of any member of the pitching staff when facing RH batters (0.170).

David Hernandez – Had the lowest batting average against of the entire pitching staff… with the bases empty.

Ian Kennedy – As a hitter, led the Dbacks pitching staff with the most strikeouts. And, the most walks. Also, he pitched pretty well, too.

Joe Saunders – Caught more base stealers than any other member of the pitching staff.

Bryan Shaw – In a very small sample size, had a k/9 of 18.00 against the SF Giants. Of course, he also walked as many as he struck out.

J.J. Putz – Led the team in K/9 by more than a full point after the all-star break.

Daniel Hudson – As a hitter, he had nearly 2x as many total bases (24) as the next closest pitcher (13, Joe Saunders).

Joe Paterson – Had the lowest WHIP at home all season. Also, had the lowest WHIP and ERA in NLDS (he faced one batter and struck him out).

Josh Collmenter – Threw the only Quality Start in the LDS.

Jarrod Parker – Has only had to pitch to one batter with anyone on base. He struck him out.

CATCHERS (2)

Henry Blanco – Had the highest OPS of any position player on the Dbacks last year… with no one on base.

Miguel Montero – Had the longest hitting streak on the team this year (18 games).

INFIELDERS (8)

Aaron Hill – Highest BA on the team with a 3-2 count.

Sean Burroughs – Saw the highest number of pitches per PA with the bases loaded (8.00)

Ryan Roberts – Was the man most likely to come to bat with the bases loaded (15 times), he hit 0.462 with the bases loaded with a 0.533 OBP. (Also, is the subject of the WPA graph that is posted at the top of today’s entry. With his bases loaded, bottom of the 10th, ultimate (walk-off) grand-slam against the Dodgers, he pretty much maxed out the Win Probability Added statistic. See fangraphs for more info.)

John McDonald -Was the only Dback to have his only at-bat of a game come with the bases loaded. Twice.

Willie Bloomquist – Had the most stolen bases in the NLDS with 3.

Geoff Blum – Was most likely to walk when used as a pinch hitter (3).

Lyle Overbay – Had the greatest number of walks per PA (0.5) during day games.

Paul Goldschmidt – Had the highest batting average of any position player in an 0-2 count.

OUTFIELDERS (4)

Collin Cowgill – Was the only DBack to bat 1.000 in the NLDS. He went 1-for-1 with a single and 2 RBIs.

Gerardo Parra – Had the highest quadruple slash line of any Diamondbacks position player in interleague play this year.

Justin Upton – Led the team in HR, in the 7th inning or later (10), and pretty much every other offensive category. And, being HBP. There was no contest. Though, with the trade of Carlos Quentin to the Padres, it’s going to be a tight race to be the top of the NL this year.  

Chris Young – Led the team in power and extra-base hits in the NLDS. Good timing.

And, now you know. Go forth and impress your friends and family with your wealth of random knowledge.

www.flickr.com/photos/afagen/3804062924/

Going into this offseason, everyone that was asked – including the Dbacks’ CEO and team pres, Derrick Hall – said that the Diamondbacks were expecting a relatively quiet offseason.

Because, hey, if its not broken, don’t break it.

Last offseason, new GM Kevin Towers revamped a – quite frankly - scary bullpen on the cheap (highlighted by picking up a resurgent JJ Putz), extended Stephen Drew (which seemed very important at the time) and more or less filled in the rest of the holes with veteran utilitymen.

He may or may not have have become a little trigger-happy and shelled out slightly more $$$ than most people would have thrown at at people like Geoff Blum or Willie Bloomquist (who ended up playing far more than anyone would have seen coming), but he still managed to field a playoff team for a relative bargain.

 See the following chart:

(adapted from bizofbaseball.com)

He also gave the manager’s job to future NL Manager of the Year, Kirk Gibson, the team pulled off the ever elusive “Worst to First”, they had a near-NL-MVP in right field, one of the best CF in the game, a golden-glover in LF, and 20-game winner who pitched himself into the CY discussion. And they won their divsion. So all-in-all, 2011 was an unqualified success.

 Which brings us back to the 2011 hot stove.  With a little time on his hands and a little more money to spend, there seems to be money flowing in some unexpected directions.  Replacing Joe Saunders with Trevor Cahill via trade makes sense. Slightly younger, slightly cheaper, throws lots of ground balls. That should fit in well with the home run derby haven that is Chase Field.

However, the action in the outfield is where I’m having my doubts.

*often hit 8th, in front of the pitcher, which contributed to an increased IBB rate this year, so take the BB% with a grain of salt or two

Okay, so, I don’t know about y’all, but I have to say that Player B doesn’t excite me 5.8 million times more than Player A. Don’t get me wrong. I have got nothing against Jason Kubel, and the White Sox fan in me isn’t terribly upset to have him out of the AL Central, but he seems somewhat extraneous to me here on the Dbacks’ roster. For the money, he doesn’t seem to offer a huge offensive upgrade to a younger, cheaper alternative (who is getting better yearly), who is also a golden glove outfielder. Particularly since both Jason Kubel and Gerardo Parra hit from the same side, and neither has an obvious platoon split.

I am probably more partial to Gerardo Parra than he may even deserve (I can be won over by a great diving play or an outfield assist any day of the week. I’m easy.), but I’m just not buying what Kevin Towers is selling with this acquisition. I’m not sure I want Gerardo Parra relegated to a 4th outfielder role.

I hope I’m wrong, and that this works out for everyone, but I’m also worried that someone gave Kevin Towers a little too much money and a little too much free reign. I hope that the Jason Kubel signing isn’t the start of a trend and that there’s not more where this came from. But, even if that’s the end of the action, I think this off season might have been a little too loud for me.

(Coming soon, a love letter to Gerardo Parra. It seems appropriate.)

‘Tis the season for reminiscing. There are so many great memories from the 2011 Dbacks’ season that you would think it would be hard to pick somewhere to start. The truth is, it took me approximately 0.3 seconds to come up with the moment that was possibly the defining moment of 2011, for me. Not the best, not the most dramatic and definitely not the one that any of the players probably even thought twice about. This moment didn’t even happen on the field – it happened on the line-up card.

Picture this:

It’s a cool May day (but that doesn’t really matter because we’re playing inside today) and the starting infielders are tossing the ball around the horn and it is obviously the day game after a night game, because there’s a face or two in the starting rotation that we don’t see every day.

Lyle Overbay is at 1B, Aaron Hill is at 2B, John McDonald is covering SS, and Ryan Roberts and all of his tattoos are manning 3B.

Oh, and to catch you up, it’s 2007 and the Jays are taking the field at the Metrodome against the Minnesota Twins. The Jays are going to lose this game. They are in 3rd place in the AL East and 12 games out of first.

On a warm Wednesday afternoon in August (the 24th, to be exact), the same 4 guys are manning the infield again. The team is trying to win their second game in a row and build a little momentum.

Oh yeah, it’s 2011, the boys are now wearing red and playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks and  against the Washington Nationals in DC. They’re going to win this game. And, they’re in first place in the NL West, well on their way to clinching the division.

Seriously, how can you not love this game? This team – picked by almost everyone to finish last in the NL West  – scrapped and hustled their way to the top of the pile, proving the value of teamwork and that you really can be more than just the sum of your parts.

To borrow a phrase from one of the most entertaining groups of sportsfans out there: You just can’t predict baseball. (@cantpredictball - try it! You’ll be glad you did.)

If you’re new to the world of the Dbacks, here’s a quick video from MLB.com, so you can see what you missed in 2011.

And, if you were around for the fun as it happened, it’s always fun to relive the magic.

From 90+ losses to 90+ wins on the back of Kirk Gibson, who changed the culture in Arizona starting on day 1 of spring training. The boys #wonthewest in 2011 playing #GibbyBall. The motto? You can always be trying harder.

[click on the screencap to watch]

Thanks, boys. It was a fun ride.