Category: Arizona Diamondbacks
Cubs still favorite, D-backs make huge jump in 2016 World Series odds
A trio of teams – the Cubs, Red Sox and D-backs – have garnered the bulk of the offseason headlines thus far.
Yes, plenty of teams have made moves to put themselves in a better position going forward, but the three teams mentioned above have made the biggest, most significant moves and the betting lines reflect that.
On November 2, the day after the World Series concluded, Bovada, an online casino and sportsbook, posted odds for the 2016 World Series. The Cubs (11/1) were the odds-on favorite while the Red Sox (20/1) were in the middle of the pack and the D-backs (50/1) seemed like a long shot.
Fast forward through the Winter Meetings, into the middle of December, and plenty of things have changed.
The Cubs are still the favorites, but the odds are now 8/1 after the club strengthened the rotation and signed John Lackey, in addition to bolstering an already potent lineup with the additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward.
Boston got a head start on the off-season wheeling and dealing when it traded four prospects to San Diego in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. The Kimbrel trade was a big move that strengthened a ‘pen that finished the season with a 4.24 ERA, 26th in all of baseball. However, it turns out it was just a precursor as Dave Dombrowski still had some tricks up his sleeve.
The Red Sox made another big splash when they inked David Price to a monster contract and as a result, their World Series odds jumped from 20/1 to 9/1.
But perhaps the biggest off-season shocker took place just before the Winter Meetings when Arizona landed Zack Greinke. Not only did the Greinke signing give a tremendous boost to Arizona’s starting rotation, but it also subtraced an ace from the Dodgers’ staff and kept the Giants, a division rival and the other finalist in the Greinke sweepstakes, from acquiring the superstar.
Of course, once the D-backs added Greinke it was a clear sign that the team was in “win now” mode, so Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa went out and made another bold move, trading for Shelby Miller.
The D-backs finished second in the National League in runs scored a season ago and added two quality arms to the rotation which is why the odds went all the way from 50/1 to 20/1.
Although the Giants missed on Greinke, the club added Jeff Samardzija and saw odds swing from 20/1 to 8/1.
While all those changes were significant and interesting, there is still plenty of offseason left, which means time for more deals (what happens if the Cubs get another pitcher?).
AFL Scottsdale at Salt River 10.26.15
Notable Performance:
— Clint Frazier had another good showing offensively. The Indians No. 2 prospect went 3-for-5 and continues to hit the ball hard as all three of his hits were line drives. However he also struck out in his last two at-bats.
Overall Frazier put together a real nice game as he scored three runs and stole a pair of bases. Read more about his afternoon on mlbpipeline.com.
Best Play(s):
— Boston’s middle infield prospects were impressive. Shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin showed some nice range and arm strength in the first as he fielded a ball deep in the hole and threw across the diamond for the out. Two batters later, second baseman Carlos Asuaje – the club’s No. 23 prospect, fielded a ball in the hole and made a quick throw to second for the force out, showing quick feet in the process. Asuaje isn’t projected to be an elite defender, but had a nice showing Monday.
Best At-Bat:
— Adam Brett Walker II hit a monster three-run homer in the top of the ninth. I’ve heard a lot about the Twins’ prospects power, but had yet to witness it in person. Although there are still questions and doubts about his skills defensively, his power is real.
Worth Mentioning:
— Red Sox No. 11 Sam Travis also had a three-hit day and looked good offensively.
— D-backs prospect Yoan Lopez struggled once again. The young right-hander showed good flashes in his first two starts, but didn’t look nearly as good Monday. Lopez tossed 3 2/3 innings, gave up seven hits, walked one and hit a pair of batters. He also surrendered five runs – four earned. Lopez has struggled with command often in his career and that was the case once again as he left several balls up in the zone.
— Giants prospect Adalberto Mejia had a good outing through four innings, but when he came out for the fifth everything changed. The left-hander may have run out of gas as he gave up a leadoff single and then walked a pair of batters before he was lifted. All in all Mejia threw four-plus innings, gave up four hits and a trio of runs.
AFL Salt River at Surprise 10.20.15
Notable Performances:
— Adrian Houser, the Brewers No. 27 prospect, put together a strong outing after a rough beginning. Houser didn’t look to have his best stuff and struggled with command in the first inning. However, after escaping that frame via Wisdom’s double play, Houser settled down and found his rhythm.
The right-hander allowed two hits over 3 1/3 shutout innings. He walked two and struckout one. In two AFL starts, Houser has totaled six innings and allowed no runs on three hits. Read more about Houser on MLBpipeline.com.
— Royals No. 5 prospect Bubba Starling notched a two-hit day his third multi-hit performance in five Arizona Fall League games.
Best Play:
Cardinals third baseman Patrick Wisdom, the club’s No. 12 prospect, showed off some defensive versatility right away as he turned a double play to end the top of the first. Wisdom caught a foul ball up against the stands down the left field line and promptly threw home to get the runner tagging from third. Scouts believe Wisdom has above-average arm strength and that play certainly supported that theory.
Worth Mentioning:
— D-backs No. 5 prospect Yoan Lopez followed up what was a relatively successful first AFL start with a disappointing one. The 22-year old allowed two earned runs across four innings in his first outing of the fall, but on Tuesday he lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on a walk and five hits.
Lopez looked good early, but lost command in the third as six of the first seven batters of the frame reached. Lack of command has plagued Lopez early in his career and it looks like that’s still the case. As for his stuff, Lopez’s fastball topped out at 96 MPH, his cutter sat at 88 MPH and his slider topped out at 85 MPH.
— Michael Reed, the Brewers No. 17 prospect – came through with an RBI single in the third, but finished just 1-for-4. Wisdom also had an RBI single and was 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
2 outs and no one on, a quick look at pitching efficiency in the NL West
The Jackson 5 may have sang “Easy as 123” but for a pitcher on the mound things aren’t quite as simple.
The goal is certainly to retire the side in order every time, but it doesn’t always happen that way and often that can be what separates a good pitcher from a great one.
Earlier this week, while watching the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chase Field press box, a colleague and I were discussing how many batters reach base with two on and no outs.
In that particular game the starting pitchers retired the first two batters faced in each of the first two innings, but in all four half innings the third batter reached (two of them scored).
Not only does allowing the third batter to reach open up the potential for a run to score, but it extends the inning.
If the pitcher retires the fourth batter of the inning, it may look like a “no harm, no foul situation,” but that’s not exactly the case.
The pitcher now has to throw more pitches, which if this situation happens of couple of times in a game, will certainly add up.
Those extra base runners could be the difference between a starter going five innings vs six or six vs seven, which then puts extra stress on the bullpens.
It’s a compounding problem and the more I thought about it the more curious I was so I looked up some numbers in the National League West.
It should come as no surprise the when there are two outs and none on the Los Angeles Dodgers, in first place in the division, have allowed opponents to hit just .229 (with an on-base percentage of .309).
Also to no surprise, Dodgers starters have pitched the most innings in the division with 337 1/3. Of course, having Clayton Kershaw in the rotation helps that number as well.
As for how the rest of the division pitches with none on and two outs …
| Team (in order of standings) | Opponent batting avg | Opponent on-base % | Starters innings pitched |
| San Francisco Giants | 270 | 334 | 339 2/3 |
| San Diego Padres | 243 | 313 | 338 |
| Arizona D-backs | 251 | 315 | 310 |
| Colorado Rockies | 249 | 335 | 289 |
The numbers don’t align perfectly with the standings, but with the exception of the Giants it’s clear that the better teams are the ones that do a better job of getting out of innings as soon as possible.
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Yasmany Tomas
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the ninth installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s topic: Yasmany Tomas.
After a dismal 2014 campaign, the Diamondbacks retooled both the front office and the roster in preparation for the 2015. Perhaps the biggest off season move the club made was the acquisition of Cuban free agent Yasmany Tomas.
The Diamondbacks inked Tomas, 24, to a six-year, $68.5 million deal. The deal, which has an opt out clause after four seasons, is the largest deal in team history – a sign of how much Arizona values Tomas.
Tomas is known for his bat and hit 30 home runs in 205 regular season games in Cuba, however he’s never played a full season in Cuba so the grind of a 162 Major League season may take its toll late in the year.
Cuba’s Serie Nacional’s season in 90 games and Tomas has never played more than 69.
Primarily an outfielder, Tomas has been working out at third base with the Diamondbacks and his ability to pick up the new position in Spring Training will be something to keep an eye on.
If Tomas struggles at third, he may start the season in the Minors, but it’s hard to envision a scenario where he doesn’t play in the majors at all this season.
Whether it’s Opening Day or somewhere down the line Tomas will don a big league uniform this season and all eyes in Arizona will be watching.
Previous Entries:
Trade Deadline Revisited
As soon as the July 31 Trade Deadline was completed, the A’s and Tigers appeared to be the big winners.
The Athletics had acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel a bit before the Trade Deadline and then acquired Jon Lester in a blockbuster move while the Tigers landed David Price.
As it turned out, those teams went a combined 0-4 in the postseason and the real prize of the Deadline may have been a 31-year old pitcher from Mobile, Alabama.
The San Francisco Giants acquired Jake Peavy, for a couple of pitching prospects, a few days before the Trade Deadline. Peavy went 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for the National League champions to finish the regular season and is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in two postseason starts.
Now it remains to be seen whether or not the Giants will resign Peavy next season, but after winning the National League pennant and reaching a third World Series in the past five years, it’s hard to argue the move wasn’t a success for the Giants.
In addition to the Peavy trade, plenty of other teams were active at the Trade Deadline. Here’s a quick rundown on how everyone performed with their new teams:
A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel: In 16 starts with the Athletics, Samardzija went 8-8 with a 3.14 ERA. Hammel went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 12 starts.
Cubs acquire Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily: Russell, the No. 5 prospect according to MLBpipeline.com, was the prize of this trade for the Cubs and he hit .294 in 50 games with the Cubs AA affiliate.
The Athletics acquired Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash from the Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes: Lester went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts, but was also on the mound when the A’s collapse began in the AL Wild Card game. Gomes played in 34 games for the A’s and hit .234 Cespedes hit .269 with five homers and 33 RBI for Boston.
Then, the A’s traded Tommy Milone to the Twins in exchange for Sam Fuld:
Milone appeared in six games, five starts, for the Twins while Fuld played in 53 games and hit .210 for Oakland.
The Cardinals acquired John Lackey from the Red Sox for Joe Kelly and Allen Craig: Lackey went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts for the Cardinals while Kelly went 4-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 10 starts for Boston and Craig hit .128 in 29 games.
The Brewers traded a pair of minor leaguers (outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Banda) to the Diamondbacks for Gerardo Parra: Parra hit .268 in 46 games for Milwaukee.
The Padres continued selling and traded Chris Denorfia to the Mariners for Abraham Almonte and minor league pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen: Denorfia hit .195 in 32 games with the Mariners.
A day after trading Justin Masterson to the Cardinals, the Indians traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals for Zach Walters: Masterson was a disappointment with the Cardinals as he went 3-3 in nine games, six starts, with a 7.04 ERA. Cabrera hit .229 in 49 games with the Nationals and Walters hit .130 in 70 games for the Indians.
The Red Sox traded Andrew Miller to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez: Miller appeared in 23 games for the Orioles and posted a 1.35 ERA.
Boston was very active at the deadline and concluded its day after trading Stephen Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson: Drew hit .150 in 46 games with the Yankees.
In addition to Drew, the Yankees acquired Martin Prado. In order to get Prado, the Yankees sent Peter O’Brien and either cash or a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks: Prado hit .316 in 37 games as a Yankee.
The Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell and cash from the Cubs in exchange for minor league catcher Victor Caratini: Bonifacio appeared in 41 games for the Braves and hit .212, while Russell posted a 2.22 ERA in 22 appearances with Atlanta.
The Marlins sent outfielder Jake Marisnick to the Astros in return for Jarred Cosart and Kike Hernandez: Marisnick hit .272 in 51 games with his new team and Cosart went 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 10 starts with his new club.
The Tigers acquired David Price, the Mariners picked up Austin Jackson and the Rays received Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin: Price went 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts for the Tigers while Austin Jackson hit .229 in 54 games with the Mariners. He also stole 11 bases. In Tampa Bay, Smyly went 3-1 in seven starts and posted a 1.70 ERA and Franklin hit .206 in 11 games.
Obviously these stats do not tell the whole story of who won or lost a trade or whether it was even for both teams as contract situations, cash, prospects and plenty of other factors are up for consideration, but in the break between the championship series and the World Series, it is interesting to look back and see how all those Deadline deals stacked up.
Dbacks Can Play Spoiler, Impact October
The Arizona Diamondbacks aren’t going to be playing baseball in October, but have a chance to impact who is.
The Dbacks have 31 games left in the season and 14 of those games (45 percent) are against teams in the think of playoff races.
Arizona hosts the Los Angeles Dodgers for a brief two game series Tuesday and Wednesday and also travels to Los Angeles for a three-game series September 5-7.
In addition to the five games against the Dodgers, the Dbacks will play six games against the Giants – three in Arizona and three in San Francisco – and finish the season at home against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Dodgers arrived at Chase Field on Tuesday with a five game lead in the National League West.
The Cardinals are a game and a half back in the NL Central and have a three game lead in the NL Wild Card.
The Giants are trailing the Dodgers in the NL West, but have a half game lead for the second NL Wild Card spot.
On September 1, MLB rosters expand from 25 to 40 players so teams will be calling up top prospects and giving them a shot to compete and learn a bit of what life is like at the Major League level.
Since Arizona is not in contention, it is likely they will giving players a look in order to determine how the roster will look in 2015 and the performance of those players – and the Dbacks as a whole – could have an impact on October.
So far this season the Dbacks are 4-10 against the Dodgers (0-2 in Australia, 2-4 at home and 2-4 on the road).
Arizona is also 5-8 against the Giants (3-3 in San Francisco and 2-5 in Arizona) and 0-3 against the Cardinals as they were swept in St. Louis earlier this season.
Hall Lives Diamondbacks Mantra
When you’re a public figure, the spotlight is always on.
It’s easy to volunteer, donate to charity and put on a good face when the cameras are rolling and the PR team is directing every action, but when people exhibit good deeds without recognition – that’s a true sign of their character.
That’s what separates people.
A lot of teams have catchy sayings to unify fans and build support, but it is always special to see those sayings played out. The Arizona Diamondbacks like to refer to themselves as “The Most Fan Friendly Team In Sports” and in the midst of Tuesday’s 12-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals, Dbacks President and CEO, Derrick Hall, beautifully exhibited that manta.
In the bottom of the third, Wade Miley lined a foul ball just over the first base dugout and into the stands.
In an instant, Hall – who was sitting a section over – got out of his seat and walked over to the area where the ball went into the stands.
It appeared the ball had glanced of some fans, so Hall wanted to make sure they were okay. He spent about five minutes talking with the fans, shook some hands and walked back to his seat.
Although it was an incredibly small and simply gesture, Hall’s initial reaction was to go check on the fans and make sure no one was hurt.
Plenty of people would have inquired and made sure there were no injuries, but Hall’s desire to do it himself showed he doesn’t just say the Diamondbacks are fan friendly, but rather he lives it.
Not a lot has gone right for the Diamondbacks on the field this season, but on Tuesday, Hall showed some things off the field are going just fine.
Boor on Baseball 