Time to break out the broken dog picture again: Daniel Hudson is on the 15-day DL with shoulder impingement.

The injury bug is sweeping through Diamondbacks nation and it is getting a very discouraging.

Between Geoff Blum and Chris Young (who are also on the DL) and Justin Upton (who probably should be) – this is becoming a bit of an epidemic.

In the corresponding roster move, the Dbacks have called up Jonathan Albaladejo from Reno – essentially using someone on the 40-man roster to add depth to the bullpen – likely for use in long relief or mop-up duty if the need arises.

Since it only makes sense that the Diamondbacks are going to have to replace a starting pitcher with another starting pitcher… At the moment, (according to Jack Magruder, via twitter) Wade Miley might be a candidate to take over the rotation spot. But, baseball is more fun with speculation.

So, this is the time to speculate as to which Dback pitching prospect is going to get the call.

Let’s have at it, folks.  Check out the poll on the sidebar and weigh in on who might be coming up to fill in Daniel Hudson’s spot.

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Tonight was game 11/162. And, it was equally as disappointing as the last time the Dbacks fell in extra innings.

And, in the spirit of disappointment, today’s recap will also be disappointing. Here are the highlights:

1. Justin Upton sat out the game and will reportedly have an MRI on his thumb tomorrow.

2. Chris Young slammed into the CF fence making a leaping catch and had to leave the game – likely with a shoulder contusion. He will also be having an MRI tomorrow.

3. And, in the post game, Nick Piecoro reported that Kirk Gibson announced that Geoff Blum pulled a muscle in batting practice and he will  be headed to the DL and AJ Pollock is coming up from Reno.

4. In terms of baseball stuff: Ian Kennedy was immensely hittable (though, everyone is allowed a bad day now and again, so I don’t begrudge him that).

5. When Chris Young left the game, Jason Kubel moved to RF, Willie Bloomquist moved to LF and Gerardo Parra moved to CF. That put John McDonald in at SS (and, third in the batting order). He showed off his usual quick hands and – in another uncharacteristic show of offense – he blasted a game-tying home run. Which, like his two-double game in Colorado, wasn’t quite enough of a cushion for the bullpen.

6. Bryan Shaw collected the loss, giving up a 2-out infield single by the slimmest of margins to the speedy Alex Pressley. That was followed by hits from McGhee and McCutcheon and the one run that scored was the difference in the game.

7. And, the remainder of the Blue Jays reunion tour infield had a pretty good night defensively (Aaron Hill had a great pick, Ryan Roberts had a diving catch and Lyle Overbay dug a whole pile of throws out of the dirt at first). But, overall, this game was a giant bummer.

The after-effects of tonight’s mess will probably be spilling over into tomorrow. When they get to do it all over again.

Hopefully wrapped in bubble wrap.

Score: 5-6, Diamondbacks lose (ANOTHER ONE RUN GAME); Record 7-4. This one hurt. Literally and figuratively.

Conclusion: Ow.

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.

It’s Monday! That means its time for the news and notes from around the MiLB portions of the Diamondbacks organization. Now that the minor leagues are back in action, Minors Monday is back.

Today’s post has been brought to you by Wade Miley (2010 Visalia Rawhide and Mobile BayBears; 2011 BayBears and Reno Aces) - who pitched 4.0 innings of hitless relief for the Diamondbacks yesterday to hold the SF Giants at bay while the Diamondbacks staged an unlikely, messy comeback.

• Reno Aces (AAA)
• Opening day roster: HERE
• The Reno Aces took on the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (AAA Colorado Rockies) this week.

• Mobile BayBears (AA)
• Opening day roster: HERE
• The BayBears played against the M-Braves (AA Atlanta) this week and started their season 4-0.

• Highlights: To say that this team has strong starting pitching would be a bit of an understatement:
• Trevor Bauer (April 5) – 5IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 7K – WIN
• Charles Brewer (April 6) – 6IP, 4H, 1R, 1BB, 6K – No Decision
• Kevin Munson earned his first career hold by striking out 3 and walking 1 in 1.0 IP
• Derek Eitel (April 7) – 4IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 3K – No Decision
• Patrick Corbin (April 8th) – 6IP, 6H, 0R, 1BB, 5K – Win

•  Visalia Rawhide (A Adv.) 
• This week, they took on the Bakersfield Blaze (A Adv Cincinnati Reds), splitting the series.

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

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

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.

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

So, there are many places online that you can go for a recap of today’s game – an 8-7 win over the Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex. The official site has a recap of the game, highlighting Daniel Hudson‘s stellar perfect 3-innings of baseball, and ArizonaSports.com has some post-game quotes from both teams in their recap.

And, yes, while it was nice to squeak out a win, the outcome of the game probably wasn’t really all that important. So, today’s post is going to focus less on the outcome of the game and more on something that we, as fans, tend to forget.

What is that, you ask?

Well, it is really, really, really important to remember that, unless you are:

1. Trying to earn a spot on the 25-man roster by having a stellar spring training (see: Ryan Roberts circa 2011)
2. Trying to make sure that you get a spot on the 40-man roster if you’re going to need protection from the 2012 Rule 5 draft
3. Trying to make a good impression so you’re the first number they call later on in the season if they need someone to fill in for a slumping or injured player
4. Trying to keep your spot on the depth chart (whether it be the major league or the minor league squad) or earn yourself a promotion up the depth chart… or
5. Trying to stretch out your arm or get your timing back on either offense or defense in preparation for the regular season….

SPRING TRAINING GAMES DON’T MATTER.

Repeat after me: SPRING TRAINING GAMES DO. NOT. MATTER.

» Continue reading “Putting Spring Training In Perspective. Or: Dbacks Vs. Padres Game Thoughts”

Trevor Bauer signed with the Dbacks in 2011

There were also two alternate titles for this post: “Trevor Bauer Is A Smart Dude” and “How A Pitching Prospect Spawned a Post About The History of the Disabled List“. But, basically, what it boils down to is that you should probably familiarize yourself with Trevor Bauer – if you haven’t already.

He’s a 21 year old RHP who was drafted 3rd overall in June 2011.

He did a whole lot of very impressive things while playing baseball for UCLA, eventually winning the Golden Spikes award during his draft year. And, after he signed, he pitched a total of 7 games for A+ Visalia and AA Mobile in 2011 following signing with the Diamondbacks.

Other things that are interesting about Trevor Bauer have been chronicled in a number of different places. Here’s the rundown (all links are well, well worth a read), before we get to the meat of this article:

» Continue reading “Meet Trevor Bauer. Or: Not Your Average Pitching Prospect”

Wrapping up the week that was, while we get ready for the week to come.

From “Snakes on the Grass”:

• Minors Monday focused mostly on an in-depth profile of top prospect Trevor Bauer.
• There was some mild speculation that the Dbacks would be looking for depth at catcher.
• We took a look at why the Diamondbacks and Miguel Montero might be having a bit of difficulty reaching an agreement on an extension.
• MLB announced that an early spring training game against the Cleveland Indians will have the players wearing microphones.
• We took a look at why the Nats would have to be creative to pry Gerardo Parra from the Diamondacks
• Thanks to Charles Brewer, the hazing trip that that the Diamondbacks’ rookie pitchers took to the Renaissance Festival was posted to twitter for us all to enjoy!

Best of the rest of the web:

• AZCentral posted a great interview/profile of John McDonald. It’s a great look into the camaraderie inside the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse. Well worth a read.
• For a complete round-up of spring training news, head over to the blog of MLB.com’s beat reporter Steve Gilbert‘s blog (Inside the Dbacks)
• Trevor Bauer showed up to training camp. He thought he was early. Turns out, he was wrong. This story and a few other nuggets from spring training here at AZCentral.
• Some people have high expectations of Bryan Shaw
• John Sickels at minorleagueball.com took a look back at the history of Miguel Montero‘s career.
• MLB.com reported that the Washington Nationals were interested in Gerardo Parra. The Diamondbacks quickly squashed that rumor – for the moment.
• Speaking of Gerardo Parra, he definitely showed some class in addressing his most-likely-4th-outfielder role in 2012.
• Nick Piecoro revealed that Takashi Saito has a different training program than the other Diamondbacks’ pitchers. And, perhaps more surprisingly, wasn’t required to take a physical prior to signing- because the front office thought he would fail it.