It’s Monday! That means its time for the news and notes from around the MiLB portions of the Diamondbacks organization.

• Reno Aces (AAA)
• The Reno Aces took on the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) and the Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) this week

• Mobile BayBears (AA)
• The BayBears finished up their series against the M-Braves (Atlanta) and played against the Blue Wahoos (Reds) and the Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)

• The BayBears have a stacked pitching rotation, but there were a number of BayBears getting it done with the bat this week: Rossmel Perez (C) ended the week batting 0.364; David Nick (2B) at 0.372 and Matt Davidson (3B) at 0.462.
• Adam Eaton had also collected 6 stolen bases by the end of the week.
• Trevor Bauer collected his 3rd win of the year, but finally allowed an earned run, raising his season ERA to 0.57 – he also walked 5 during that start. His season line to this point: 3 game, 3-0 record; 15.2 innings, 8H, 12BB, 20K, 0.154 batting average against.

• Visalia Rawhide (A Adv.)
• The Rawhide took on Modesto Nuts (Rockies)  and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers)

•  There were 2 dominant pitching performances this week. David Holmberg got the win on April 10 for 7.0 innings of 2H, 1R, 0BB, 9K. He brought his ERA to 1.38 and collected the win to draw him to 1-1 so far this season. The second outing was Andrew Chafin. He improved to 2-0 on the season with a 0.82 ERA after throwing 6.0 innings of 3H, 0R, 0BB, 9K baseball.
• The outstanding offensive performances of the week went to Jonathan Griffin (1B) and Raywilly Gomez (C) who finished the week with batting average of .350 and .379, respectively.

• South Bend Silver Hawks (A)
• The team took on the Fort Wayne Tincaps (Padres) and Dayton Dragons this week (Reds).

• Yakima Bears (SS)
• The Bears will begin the season on June 15.

• Missoula Osprey (R)
• The Osprey will begin the season on June 18.

And, it keeps raining in Colorado...

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 8/162.

This game snapped a 2 game losing streak and the Dbacks were able to make their early lead hold up – in spite of more of mother nature’s best efforts. The 2 competing stories of this day are Trevor Cahill’s great performance on the mound and Chris Young continuing to tear the cover off the ball.

1. Ryan Roberts (3B) – 2-for-5 on the afternoon.

2 Gerardo Parra (LF) – After a very strong showing last night, Parra got the start again in left, going 1-for-5 (with a force-out).  He scored 2 runs and collected two stolen bases on the afternoon.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – He seems to be braving a sore thumb well, going 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored.

4. Chris Young (CF) – More of the same with Chris Young. 2-for-4 with a walk, including a home run and 3 RBIs. So far, on the season, Chris Young is raking in a major way:  .364 / .475 / .818  / 1.293

5. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – Went 1-for-4 on the day with a double. But, impressively, he seems to be more and more comfortable over at 1B every time we see him.

6. Aaron Hill (2B) – So, yeah, Aaron Hill went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2RBIs. That was great and all, but he also did this [click to watch the video]. He made a great running catch and then fired to first for an unconventional double play, taking advantage of a Colorado baserunning blunder.

7. John McDonald (SS) – Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to replicate his fantastic offensive game from yesterday, but as the cold rain continued to fall throughout much of this game, his sure hands in the infield with Trevor Cahill on the mound was of great value.

8. Henry Blanco (C) – He got his first start of the season (thanks to the day-game-after-the-night-game schedule). He called a solid game behind his starter today and did something he probably doesn’t do very often – reached base on an infield single.

9. Trevor Cahill (SP) – He had a much more relaxed start this time around – 7.1IP, 4H, 1R, 2BB, 6K. The only Rockie really able to figure him out was Jonathan Herrera, but nobody got further than second base. He got 12 ground ball outs and 6 strikeouts and generally was quite dazzling. Definitely the pitcher that Arizona thought they were getting – and who fit very nicely into a start at Coors Field. After he was pulled with a one-out double (to Jonathan Herrera) in the 8th (while it continued to rain/sleet/snow/etc), it was the start of the bullpen hoedown.

9b. Joe Paterson (RP) – Came in with one out in the 8th and induced a walk, a single and a force out, allowing his one runner inherited from Trevor Cahill to score.

9c. Brad Ziegler (RP) – Came in  with two outs in the 8th inning and Troy Tulowitzski promptly singled and drove in another run, sending Kirk Gibson back to his bullpen.

9d. Craig Breslow (RP) – Came in with two outs in the 8th inning and lost a 9 pitch at-bat to Jason Giambi, who took a walk.

9e. Bryan Shaw (RP) – Came in with two outs in the 8th inning, with the bases loaded and got the pinch-hitter Ramon Hernandez to end the inning with a ground ball. In reward for finally ending the 8th inning (and for being possibly the best rested member of the bullpen), he got to come out and collect the save in the 9th inning. He pitched a perfect 9th (fly out, ground out and swinging strikeout) in the elements.

Score: 5-2, Diamondbacks win (and avoid being swept by Colorado); Record 6-3. The weather – and the 8th inning – made this a lot closer than it should have been, but a win is a win and now the boys get to pack up and go back to the sun and warmth of Chase Field – or, at the very least, a roof over their heads.

Conclusion: It was wet and cold and miserable again. But the boys held on and kept this one from slipping away. 

Josh Collmenter (image c/o: Mark Winograd)

There was a brief delay to start this game, and then the rains continued to fall. The umpiring crew was clearly trying to force this game into “official game” territory, but had to give it up after 4 innings. When sure-handed Johnny Mac and gold glover Gerardo Parra are completely butchering plays they’d make every other day of the week and twice on Sunday, you know it was getting  a bit ridiculous.

However, there are 4 innings of baseball before a 1 hour and 11 minute delay and post-delay baseball (in the same pouring rain) to talk about, so here we go! Game 8/162.

1. Ryan Roberts (3B) – Back at his usual spot at 3B, he singled to start the game and drew a walk in his second at-bat. He reached on a force-out following the rain delay, but he continued to make solid contact.

2. Gerardo Parra (LF) – Getting the start in LF, he promptly singled immediately following Ryan Roberts’ leadoff single. He then got picked off of second base to end the inning. Following the rain delay, he hit yet another single to left field (his third in as many at-bats). In the 8th, he put down a beautiful bunt up the first base line, executing a safety squeeze and increasing the lead to 7-5.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – Struck out in both of his first two at-bats before the rain delay, leaving 4 men on base.

4. Miguel Montero (C) – Struck out on a pitch he didn’t like and walked. But, following the rain delay, he worked the count and blasted a 2-out, 3-run HR over the right/CF wall. The 2 potential double-plays that were broken up immediately prior to his at-bat loomed huge, as the deficit was cut from 5-1 to 5-4 with one swing of the bat.

5. Chris Young (CF) – Again, he continues to be on fire, driving home the game’s first run in the top of the first. Unfortunately, he popped out with the bases loaded and two outs in the 3rd inning, but he was only hitting around .400 and not 1.000 at the time, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. He ended up going 2-for-4 with an RBI on the night. When you’re hot, you’re hot. And, Chris Young is still on fire.

6. Lyle Overbay (1B) – 0-for-2 with a strikeout going into the rain delay, he at least avoided leaving any runners on base.

6b. Paul Goldschmidt (PH-1B) – In the 7th inning, he pinch-hit for Lyle Overbay and lifted a sac fly into shallow RF. It was played really well by Michael Cuddyer, but Justin Upton charged hard and beat the throw, giving the Diamondbacks the lead for the first time in the ballgame. 6-5 Dbacks.

7. Aaron Hill (2B) – Unfortunately, he was part of the baserunning blunders prior to the rain delay and was thrown out (by a mile) attempting to steal second base in the second inning (as part of a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out) after he walked in the second. He had some fleet-footed base-running following the rain delay to avoid a tag in the top of the 6th.

8. John McDonald (SS) – As per usual, not much was happening with the bat, but he made a couple of good plays (and, one that skidded off his wet and cold glove) before the rain delay. However, after the delay, Johnny Mac ripped his first hit of the year into left field and drove in Aaron Hill in the 6th to tie the game at 5-5. And, got his second hit of the season – another double, this one leading off the 8th inning, allowing him to be standing on third for Gerardo Parra to execute a safety squeeze.

9. Josh Collmenter (SP) – As in his last start, he never really settled in – leaving a lot of stuff up and over the plate and the Rockies took advantage – and making at least one fielding miscue. Going into the rain delay: 4.0 IP, 5H, 5R, 3BB, 3K, 2HR. It was a start where many people in the Diamondbacks baseball fandom were considering that Josh Collmenter was pitching for his spot in the rotation. But, after a solid year last year – including a post-season win – its unclear how long of a leash he really has at this point. It is highly possible that Josh Collmenter isn’t going anywhere for a good long while. But, if the pulse of the fandom is correct and he really was pitching to save his spot in the starting 5, he certainly didn’t do himself any favors tonight.

9b. Geoff Blum (PH) – Pinch hit for the pitcher (as he does) and took a lead off walk following the rain delay and broke up a double-play with a “I have been playing baseball longer than you have” hard slide into second base when Ryan Roberts grounded to the shortstop. (And, in the following at-bat, Gerardo Parra did exactly the same thing to break up another potential double play).

9c. Wade Miley (RP) – Carving a bit of a niche coming out in long relief of Josh Collmenter, he got 2 quick outs before giving up a triple to Michael Cuddyer. He made a couple of great plays in his first inning of relief, backing up a wayward throw to third on Cuddyer’s triple (he would have scored) and then covering first on a Tyler Colvin grounder. And, just like the last time he came in in long relief of Collmenter, he kept the opposing team at bay, pitching 3.0 innings of 2H, 1BB baseball. And, in the bottom of the 7th, he executed a swinging bunt for an infield single, in his quest to make himself indispensable to this team. Something that is going to create a bit of a situation when Saito is activated off of the DL.

9d. David Hernandez (RP) – Came in for his traditional 8th inning appearance. Unfortunately, he gave up a run, cutting a 7-5 deficit down to 7-6 going into the 9th inning.

9e. JJ Putz (CL) – Came in with the pouring rain. Let loose and hit Marco Scutaro. In conditions where no one can see and it was 38 degrees, this is not surprising. Unfortunately, that put the tying run on base. So, when Todd Helton laced a HR barely inside the RF foul pole, the Rockies walked off with the win.

Score: 8-7, Diamondbacks lose (and lose their first series to Colorado since 2010); Record 5-3. They got our hopes up, but man. That was a major letdown. But, with baseball, there’s always tomorrow. Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow.

Conclusion: It was wet and cold and miserable in Colorado. And, the weather was pretty terrible, too.

And, in case you missed it earlier, we have a shiny new feature here on the blog: THE 2012 HBP-o-METER. 

image from flickr user: paul hadsall (flickr.com/photos/paulhadsall/4854585169/)

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 7/162. Unfortunately, this game turned into the bullpen olympics, which is not something you want for the first game of the series. There was a lot of hitting in this game, but in what has becoming a recurring theme, the timely hitting wasn’t there.

In the 4th inning, the boys ended up with runners on second and third and nobody out and they couldn’t get any of the runs across.

The team went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base as a team. Individually, the hitters left 17 men on base and, unfortunately, they fell just shy of being able to keep step with the Rockies.

It was a cold night, the team is tired from their late getaway day and hopefully things look better in the morning.

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – Snapped his hitting streak by going 0-for-5 on the night.

2. Jason Kubel (LF) – 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

3. Justin Upton (RF) – 2-for-4 with a walk. Notably, he bunted for a base hit. With his hand still hurting, this was a stroke of brilliance. When you run like him and no one is expecting it, it works. Also, there was a misplay of a flyball in the 3rd inning which led

4. Miguel Montero (C) – 2-for-4 with a walk. Hit a long homerun and hopefully this will be able to get him into the groove for the season.

5. Chris Young (CF) – 0-for-3 with 2 walks.

6. Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – 2-for-5 with one strikeout. Unfortunately, he made a catching error on an attempted pickoff move which allowed Tulowitzski to move from 1st to 3rd and score the unearned run that was the difference in this game.

7. Geoff Blum (3B) – 0-for-3 with one strikeout.

8. Ryan Roberts (2B) – 1-for-3 with a walk.

9. Daniel Hudson (P) – In probably the story of the night, this is not a performance that Daniel Hudson is going to be replaying again. 3.2 IP, 10H, 6R, 3BB, 3K, 2HR. His command was all over the place and he just never seemed to settle in.

9b. Brad Ziegler (RP) – Came in and pitched an inning and a third and, taking one for the team actually had to bat for himself and didn’t do too badly for a relief pitcher from the american league in – to the best that I can discover – his first plate appearance in his MLB career.

9c. Craig Breslow (RP) – Came in and pitched 2 innings of 1-hit, 2-walk ball and kept the Rockies at bay.

9d. Aaron Hill (PH) – Pinch hitter for Craig Breslow and went 1-for-1 on the day.

9e. Bryan Shaw (RP) – Took the loss in this battle for pitching the 8th inning. His record falls to 0-1 on the year, with an ERA of 0.00. Unfortunately, following a one-out single by Carlos Gonzalez, an attempted pick-off ended up with CarGo ending up on third and he scored on a ground-rule double. A hard luck loss on an unearned run.

Score: 7-6, Diamondbacks lose; Record 5-2

Conclusion: After struggling to produce runs in San Diego, the runs were plentiful – but for both teams. So far this season, each game has been decided by 2 runs or less. When the margin for error is so tiny, you’re really living on the edge.

Your game recap, brought to you in the form of the starting line-up. Game 4/162.

1. Willie Bloomquist (SS) – When he was batting in the top of the 2nd, Ryan Roberts stole 2nd base. Willie almost got his head taken off on what was probably an out-of-control curve ball (but might have been a rather terrible pitch-out) – fortunately he was able to hit the deck quickly enough to avoid being, you know, killed. And, then in the bottom of the 2nd, he jumped approximately 87 feet in the air to snare a liner.

And, with his first at-bat of the game, Willie did this:

2. Gerardo Parra (RF)- His first hit of the season went about 4 feet up the third base line in the top of the 5th, but he hustled and beat the throw. He then proceeded to promptly erase himself when he got caught attempting to steal second. He never really seemed to get into a groove at the plate throughout the  game. He was starting in RF to give Justin Upton a day off, after he injured his thumb sliding into second base on Sunday.

photo credit: UCInternational

3.  Chris Young (CF) – It wasn’t his best offensive showing. He had gone 0-for-4 with 2 popouts. Until the top of the 12th inning – when he smashed a 2-run home run to left field. Chris Young has been seeing the ball so well since the start of spring training and, having gone 0-for-4 on the night, it almost seemed like it was a matter of time. His season to this point (and, yes, its a small sample size, but come on!): .313/.353/.813/1.165. (Post-game, according to Jack Magruder, it was revealed that CY went into the clubhouse, watched some video of himself, and came out and hit the home run. Hard core.)

4. Miguel Montero (C) – Broke his bat in a spectacular fashion with 2 outs in the first and hustled up the line. When Edinson Volquez didn’t cover first, he got the gift of a base hit and hustled around to score on Paul Goldschmidt’s 1st inning double. And, gunned down Will Venable trying to steal second base.

5. Paul Goldschmidt  (CF) – The Padres played him like a pull hitter and he crushed a ball into left-center with 2 outs, scoring 2 runs in the top of the first when then inning should have been over – but, the flying bat shards that kept Volquez from covering when Montero was hitting kept the inning alive. Also notable, he collected his first stolen base of the season. There was some running amok happening against Edinson Volquez.

6. Jason Kubel (LF) – In the 7th, Jason Kubel made up for his lack of defense with an outfield assist to nail Jason Bartlett trying to advance to second base. Fantastic.

6b. JJ Putz (CL) – Came in to close it down in the 11th. Started off by giving up a single, but the rally was short-lived. THUNDERSTRUCK!

7. Ryan Roberts (3B) – Showed fantastic plate discipline tonight, taking two walks and then stealing 2nd each time.

8. Aaron Hill (2B) – He didn’t have much action at the plate, but being stuck in the 8-hole tonight might spur on another offensive outburst for tomorrow.

the strike zone made the battle interesting.

9. Trevor Cahill (P) – He had a heck of a time finding the strike zone in the first 2 innings. In the second, he pitched himself into a bases-loaded jam by walking the bases loaded with 2 outs (the third walk was to his opposing pitcher), but somehow got out of it by striking out Cameron Maybin looking. He let in a single run and, while his final line wasn’t stellar, he calmed down and ended up with a quality start: 6IP, 2H, 1R, 6BB, 5K. All-in-all… could’ve been better, but could have been way worse. Hopefully some of the first-start jitters are out of the way.

9b. Geoff Blum (PH) – In his role as the official 6th-7th inning pinch-hitter for the pitcher, he struck out swinging in the top of the 7th.

9c.  Brad Ziegler (RP) – In a somewhat surprising move, he came in to start the 7th, surrendered a leadoff triple to Orlando Hudson, followed by a single to Orlando Hudson, which tied the game at 2 in the 7th.

9d. Bryan Shaw (RP) – He came in to relieve Brad Ziegler with 2 outs and a runner on third in the 7th, and got Will Venable to get strike out and keep the game knotted at two. He continued his relief appearance in the 8th, with a quick 1-2-3 inning.

9e. David Hernandez (RP) – He came in for the bottom of the 9th. And,also having to fight a very narrow strike zone, he walked a batter and gave up  single,  but escaped unscathed.

9f. Lyle Overbay (PH) – Not successful against the 10th inning pitcher for San Diego – Micah Owings.

9g. Craig Breslow (RP) – With a nice and tidy 12-pitch 10th inning, he kept the team in the game for another inning. It was a contest between he and Bryan Shaw being the only 2 Dbacks’ pitchers to not give up either a hit or a walk to the Padres, but due to the well-timed Chris Young homer, he collected the win today.

9h. Justin Upton (RF)- Came in as a defensive replacement (shifting Gerardo Parra to LF) and he was actually involved in a play.

Score: 4-2, Diamondbacks win!; Record 4-0 (for the first time in franchise history); Padres HBP counter = 1 (total =3)

Conclusion: When you’re hot, you’re hot. And, right now, Chris Young is on FIRE!

Bonus (brought to you by the night’s very small strike zone):

In celebration of today’s opening day of Diamondbacks’ baseball, let’s take a look back at opening day in the recent past.

• Since 2000: 5 Diamondbacks opening days have taken place on the road and 8 (including 2012) have happened at home.
• Catchers: 9 different people have started at catcher for the Diamondbacks since 2000. Damian Miller and Chris Snyder have each started 3 different opening days. This year, Miguel Montero (who started in 2010 and 2011), will join them.
• 1B: Since 2000, 8 different people have started at first base. Notably, Mark Grace (@dbacksbooth) started twice (2001, 2002), Conor Jackson started three times (2006-2008) and Lyle Overbay – who will be waiting to get into the game from the Diamondbacks’ bench – started for the Diamondbacks in 2003.
• 2B: 7 different people have started at second base in the last 12 years. Orlando Hudson started 3 years in a row (2006-2008) and is the leader. In 2010 and 2011, the starting second baseman was Kelly Johnson. Starting in 2012 will be Aaron Hill - who was traded to the Dbacks from the Blue Jays in 2011 for… Kelly Johnson.
• 3B: Mark Reynolds and Chad Tracy shared starting 3B duties on and off from 2006-2010. Last year’s starting 3B is also no longer on the roster – Melvin Mora.
• SS: Stephen Drew was the opening day SS from 2006-2010. Last year’s starting SS was Willie Bloomquist, who was filling in for Stephen Drew while he was suffering from abdominal pain. This year’s starting SS will be Willie Bloomquist, who wll be filling in for Stephen Drew, who is (as we all know) still recovering from a 2011 ankle injury.
• LF: Luis Gonzalez started every year from 2000-2006, Conor Jackson moved from first base to start LF in 2009-2010. 2012′s starting LF will be Jason Kubel. 2011′s starting left fielder, Gerardo Parra, will likely be sitting on the bench. Waiting. For his role to be determined.
• CF: CF has belonged to Chris Young since 2007. It is one of the most consistent positions on the roster, having belonged to Steve Finley for 6 seasons, starting in 1999.
• RF: RF has also been relatively consistent, with Danny Bautista from 2001-2004, and Justin Upton taking the reins in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
• Pitcher: From 1999-2004, Randy Johnson took the hill on opening day. And, from 2006-2009, opening day belonged to Brandon Webb. Dan Haren started in 2010 (to be traded mid-season) and Ian Kennedy took the hill in 2011 and will be taking it again in 2012. Let’s hope this is the start of another long tenure.

Alright. Let the count down to first pitch begin!

So, in celebration of opening day (part 2 – because there was meaningful baseball in Japan, remember?), the MLB crew at Aerys Sports have put our thinking caps on and come up with three big questions that will need to be on the mind of every fan of every team.

And, here at Snakes on the Grass, we’ve compiled the three biggest questions surrounding each of the other teams in the NL West. It will depend on how each team answers these questions, as to how the race to win the NL West will play out.

Here we go:

• Dodgers (courtesy of Elise Meyers, Around The Horn)

1. UNDER. NEW. OWNERSHIP! Life is looking up again in Dodgertown. Just over two billion dollars was the magic number that rescued the Dodgers from Bankrupt Frank McCourt and sent the Boys in Blue into the arms of Los Angeles Lakers Legend Magic Johnson and baseball mogul Stan Kasten. In the words of @MLBJesus: “Let thy Dodgers be reborn under Magical skies. Amen.”
2. Dodger Stadium celebrates 50 years this season! Fifty years of palm trees, California sunshine, organ music, Dodger Dogs, and one of our favorite men in baseball, the lovable and compelling Vin Sculley. Stay tuned for special events throughout the season including a 50th Anniversary Fanfest on May 19th with autographs from current and former Dodgers, DJs, comedy sketches, and fun for all!
3. Star Power: Despite his extravagant 2011 league-leading stats (115 runs scored, 353 total bases 39 home runs, 115 RBI, 10.0 WAR) Matt Kemp did not land the title of National League MVP, but this season may be his second shot at the running. If it is any indication of his ability, he was the first pick of the first round in my fantasy league draft, favored even over Jose Bautista among a flock of Blue Jays fans nonetheless! Ace Clayton Kershaw has already given Dodger fans a run for their money in Spring Training. The 2011 Cy Young winner will look to defend his title in the upcoming season. As if defending his title as a SoCal teen heartthrob wasn’t enough of a job.

•  Giants (courtesy of Mac, 3rd Street Kings)

1. How will Buster Posey‘s return progress? (And, with Stephen Drew suffering a similar injury, Posey’s recovery should be on the minds of all Dbacks fans.)
2. How much playing time will Brandon Belt get this season?
3. Just how good will Madison Bumgarner be this season?

• Padres (courtesy of Tamara, The Oaktown Breakdown [Oakland Athletics])

1. The Padres farm system ranked in the top 5 of almost every expert’s lists this season, how many prospects will make it to San Diego this year?
2. Cory Luebke had a great rookie year although his wins don’t reflect his actual success. Can he carry his success last year into his sophomore year and will the team give him the run support to get the wins?
3. When the Padres traded Mat Latos to the Reds they lost the ace of the staff, will Edinson Volquez be able to fill that void or will a new pitcher emerge as their ace?

•  Colorado Rockies

1.  The second man to take the hill for the Rockies this season will be 49 year old Jamie Moyer. While he’s looking to become the oldest man to win a baseball game, he’s also looking at a long season of pitching in a very hitter-friendly ballpark at age 49. How will he hold up?
2. Jeremy Guthrie is going to be heading up this pitching rotation. He’s a bit of a mystery. He’s moving from the power-hitting AL East and the slightly pitcher-friendly Oriole Park at Camden Yards to the less offense-driven NL West, but to the hitter-friendly Coors Field. How will his repetoire play out over the course of the season?
3. The NL does not have the DH (duh!), but with Todd Helton ensconced at 1B, the newly acquired Michael Cuddyer (who played 46 of his 139 games in 2011 at 1B last year in Minnesota, 8 at DH and only 77 in RF) will be a full-time outfielder. How will he adjust to the change? Will his body hold up to the rigors and allow him to provide consistent offense? And, how will he adjust to his first season not in a Twins’ uniform?

And, in terms of what I felt were the 3 big questions that were going to be the keys to the 2012 Diamondbacks‘ season:

1. How long will Stephen Drew be MIA? And, will the creative combination of two guys who’ve never been considered every day players (Willie Bloomquist and John McDonald) be able to form an every day player?
2. What one earth is the outfield going to look like on a daily basis? Where will Gerardo Parra find himself most nights – the bench? left field? center? The Washington Nationals?
3. Will the “career years” of Ian Kennedy, Miguel Montero and Ryan Roberts be a flash in the pan, will the “breakout years” of Daniel Hudson and Paul Goldschmidt end up being “career years”, and are the Diamondbacks going to get the 2011 Diamondbacks version of Aaron Hill, or the 2011 Blue Jays version?

Alright, everyone. Let’s play ball.

image from Adam Eaton's twitter profile (@AdamSpankyEaton). He'll be back in that uniform sooner than later.

Prior to yesterday’s Diamondbacks game against the Indians, I was looking around Diamondbacks’ stats pages and noticed that, somehow, Adam Eaton had weaseled his way into more spring training at-bats than a fair number of people expected to make the 25 man roster. Notably, Jason Kubel, Miguel Montero, Lyle Overbay, and Geoff Blum.

If you need a quick refresher on Adam Eaton, we previewed him in our spring training preview post. In summary, he’s a 2010 19th round pick of the Diamondbacks and played in every level from Rookie ball to AA last year and then continued his season by leading the Arizona Fall League in runs scored.

FYI: This is not the Adam Eaton you are looking for.  Although, the Dbacks’ Adam Eaton does get his paychecks occasionally. He’s fast (42 stolen bases with a 71% success rate), hits for average and power and he’s fearless. In summary: go read this story.

He’s the type of player I love and, even though he was optioned back to Mobile after yesterday’s game, he definitely made an impression this year. I’m going to make a bold prediction that he’s going to turn out to be the 5th outfielder waiting in the wings, in case of injury or trades.

At the start of the season, there was endless talk about what to do with Gerardo Parra. Now the Dbacks were going to be putting a gold glove on the bench. How could this be?! He must be on the trade block!

And, over and over and over again, we’ve heard that this isn’t the case and that he’s very much a part of this team.

Well, if it helps, it seems as though the coach staff is putting their money where their mouths are.

Currently, Gerardo Parra is 3rd overall on the team in terms of games played (23 – Eaton and AJ Pollock are tied with 24); he’s leading the team in at-bats (63 – Willie Bloomquist is next with 52); he’s also leading the team in plate appearances (67 – Paul Goldschmidt is next with 61).

And, in order to ensure that he’s playing well enough to stay off the bench, he’s leading the team in runs, hits, and stolen bases (granted, there are only 2, but still). All-in-all, it really doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.

Even though this blog has talked about Miguel Montero over and over again (he wants to stay a Dback, but they’ve stopped contract talks, there seems to be an ongoing search for some depth at catcher and, if something happens to Montero during this season, there is very little depth at catcher), after yesterday, there is still more to say.

image from flikr user afagen (flikr.com/photos/afagen/3803285289/)

It seems as though, with a good season, Miguel Montero will likely price himself  of the small-market budget of the Diamondbacks. Jack Magruder of Fox Sports Arizona reported on the specifics yesterday. And, the quotes from Miguel Montero certainly didn’t do anything to calm the speculation.

“Who knows? It can happen. It’s part of the business. I’m here right now. I have to enjoy the moment here, because you never know where you are going to be tomorrow. It’s like everybody’s life. You are here today. You don’t know where you are going tomorrow,”

Will 2012 give the Diamondbacks the arrival of Adam Eaton? A true 4-man outfield? The departure of Miguel Montero?

162 games is a long time. Everything is possible. But, one thing IS for certain – I’ll be buckled in, waiting to find out and prepared for anything.

I’m not a baseball executive, I have never been a baseball executive, and – barring an event of cataclysmic proportions – I will never be a baseball executive.

However, that being said, I feel like there is something a’brewing in Arizona.

Earlier this off-season, the Diamondbacks claimed Craig Tatum off of waivers. When it happened, it was considered an all-around good move, given that the Diamondbacks have almost no organizational depth at catcher.

Earlier this morning, Ken Rosenthal‘s column addressed some of the rumors floating around during spring training. The end of his column focused quite heavily on the Diamondbacks.

The D-Backs seek a long-term solution at catcher — Miguel Montero is a free agent after this season, and the team is thin at the position in the minors. Club officials have targeted 10 to 15 potential trade candidates, and eventually could use their relative surplus of starting pitching to acquire the catcher they need.

It is true. The Dbacks have a full rotation and a whole pile of pitchers in the minor leagues that are very nearly (or entirely) ready to step into the rotation on a moment’s notice. And, this holds true looking at the prospect rankings, where it is clear that the Dbacks have strength in pitching. So, how about catchers? Is the outlook that thin?

• In mlb.com‘s top 20 prospect rankings, clocking in at number 9 is Michael Perez. Michael Perez was drafted in 2011 and is 19 years old and clearly not major league ready, having played only 7 games in the rookie league this past year.  After that, there’s not another catcher on the list.
• Fangraphs tosses in 22-year old Rossmel Perez onto their list at #15, giving Michael Perez an honorable mention.
• Baseball Prospectus, however, lists their top 20 and leaves both catchers off the list entirely.

So, yeah. There really doesn’t appear to be much in the way of organizational depth when it comes to catchers to replace Miguel Montero, if he leaves for more money at the end of the season.

So, today’s afternoon news comes as a little bit of a surprise.

Not that he was going to be a long-term solution, but it is true. Every organization needs a 3rd catcher, waiting in the wings. It’s part of any truly comprehensive emergency contingency plan. It’s a small thing, but it is an important thing.

So, when taking into account that the Diamondbacks’ cups runneth over with quality young, controllable pitching + the Diamondbacks have a seemingly large gap in their system at catcher + there isn’t really a ready and waiting candidate in the event that either Miguel Montero or Henry Blanco go down with an injury, it seems like there might be something in the works for the Diamondbacks. More specifically, something involving a young, controllable catcher no more than a year away. Or, more likely, with a little bit of MLB experience under his belt.

And, recent comments made by Kirk Gibson don’t really do anything to quell these thoughts that are swirling around in my head.

Spurred on by the suggestion that Patrick Corbin (see yesterday’s post) could spend the start of the year back in the minor leagues (article from mlb.com):

“You’re assuming that’s where he’s going. There are some things that still could happen. There’s various things that could happen.”

So. There’s that.

There’s no specific deadline that the Dbacks have to adhere to (given that Montero is a Diamondback until the end of the season, if all goes according to intial plan), so things may stay just as they are until the trade deadline (or later), but it seems like this is somewhere where we, the fans, will see some movement, sooner rather than later.

Looks like it’s time to break out the magic 8 ball. Again.

Well, Patrick Corbin had himself a day.

In case you need an introduction, the following (taken from the pre-spring training post regarding the non-roster invites):

• Patrick Corbin – LHP
• Age: 22; Draft: 2009 – LA Angels of Anaheim, 2nd rd
• Service Time: MiLB – 2 years
• 2011 Highlights: 26G with AA Mobile
• 2011 Stats: 9-8 record; 4.21 ERA; 26G (26 starts); 160 IP; 8 SO/9; 2.2 BB/9
• Other things of note:
• Acquired from LAA in the Dan Haren trade.
• The number 5 prospect in the Dbacks’ system going into 2011.
• Was talked about as potentially playing a part, either in promotion or in trade at the deadline last year.
• Led his MiLB league in strikeouts, he was also pitcher of the week 3 times in 2011 and was a mid-season all-star.
• There’s a lot to like here.  Probably someone to keep an eye on this spring.
• Can’t get enough?: @PatrickCorbin11

After today, however, he’s probably not going to need an introduction for much longer.

Facing the division rival Colorado Rockies, Patrick Corbin pitched 5 innings of no-hit ball and made it very clear that he’s not getting sent bak to the minor leagues without putting up a fight and making some noise.

The highlight video is posted at MLB.com. Click the image below to watch the highlights:

And, he helped his own cause in the bottom of the 4th innng, in his second at-bat of the game, he made solid contact and legged out a triple, gaining his second hit of the game and an RBI to help his own cause.

The kid’s got wheels. A stand-up triple is nothing to sneeze at, spring training or not.

Clicking on the image to the left will take you to the video.

And if you’ve ever wanted to see what a happy manager looks like, all you need to see is at 0:21 in this video.

The dugout was clapping, the manager was trying very hard not to smile (He has a reputation to uphold. It’s serious business up in here.), and the announcers were cracking up and Patrick Corbin looked pretty pleased with himself. As he should be.

Grace and Sutton were on the call (follow them @dbacksbooth) and, although they were laughing, what they were saying – that Patrick Corbin is Kirk Gibson‘s kind of player – couldn’t be more true.

A few months ago, I summed up the Kirk Gibson philosophy of playing hard for each and every one of the 27 outs in a baseball game, each and every time, as so:

‘you are a grown-up, professional human being, you are being paid very well to do your job and you will work as hard as you can until the game is over, deal with it or sit on the bench’.

So, its not hard to see that Patrick Corbin putting his head down and digging for third – instead of being merely satisfied with a double – is exactly the kind of attitude that he loves.

But, there’s more.

At the start of spring training, Kirk Gibson made it very clear at the beginning of spring training that he was very adamant that his pitchers get better at the plate.

In an interview with AZCentral.com on February 24, Kirk Gibson was not shy about pointing out his pitchers’ faults:

“We have to be better, period,” Gibson said. “The whole team has to be better at  bunting. We were brutal. It wasn’t acceptable at all.”

There was also a report at that time that the Diamondbacks pitching staff had been working on bunting and slashing heavily during spring training morning workouts.

His reason for also stressing the slash hits?

“I’d love to pull them in and jam it down their throat.”

And, just in case you thought he was just spouting off for the media, there was an incident in the game on March 11th that reminded everyone that he was serious.

He always is.

Daniel Hudson – winner of the 2011 NL Silver Slugger and someone who knows how to handle a bat – came to the plate with 2 outs and nobody on in the top of the 4th. In spite of the fact that he’d pitched 3 perfect innings, he’d reached his pitch count and it was going to be his last at-bat of the game, with his reliever warmed up and ready to come in.

So, with 2 outs and nobody on, Daniel Hudson squared to bunt. Because that’s what spring training is for – getting ready for the season by getting better.

(As a side note, Daniel Hudson pitched against Barry Enright in an intersquad minor league game this afternoon. And, following the game, the “friendly competition” continued onto twitter. And, it appears that Daniel Hudson is still bunting, 2 weeks later.)

Going 2-for-2 with a single, a triple and an RBI is a good day at the plate, no matter who you are. If you’re a pitcher, however, it probably earns you a few extra brownie points.

And, in the same article, Daniel Hudson was asked about his approach at the plate that led to that Silver Slugger award last year.

 ”I don’t really have an approach, I just swing the bat.”

More specifically:

Well, in the top of the 4th, Patrick Corbin did just that.

And, then he put his head down and ran himself into a triple and, possibly (though still a longshot at this point) into a spot on the 25-man roster coming out of spring training.

“We’ve got nine games left so things could happen. There’s various things that could happen. He’s come out of the bullpen for us, he’s started for us and again he’s very athletic at what he does.”

Yes, Kirk Gibson – he certainly is.

Well, Patrick Corbin. Looks like you’ve officially put yourself on the map. Get comfy.