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Arizona Diamondbacks

Team Page | Roster | Spring Training Schedule | Regular Season Schedule
On this page: Arrivals | Departures | Spring Cleaning | Team Breakdown | Prospects | Predictions

Randy Johnson has notched 46 double-digit strikeout games in two seasons with Arizona. AP

It may not be Florida, but Arizona is also a popular retirement haven. Looking at the Diamondbacks' roster, it wouldn't be a surprise if Bank One Ballpark had early-bird specials on hot dogs.

Right now, each member of the starting lineup and potentially 80 percent of the starting rotation is over the age of 30. There's plenty of experience; unfortunately a lot of it is aging talent in the twilight of their careers.

That provides an interesting challenge for first-year manager Bob Brenly, who came down from the broadcast booth to take over the team. Supposedly, the veteran roster didn't get along well with Buck Showalter, and some of that could've contributed to a 15-game falloff after the Diamondbacks' 100-win season in '99. And Arizona made few player changes in the offseason.

Outside of Brenly, the Diamondbacks' biggest acquisition was signing first baseman Mark Grace. However, the Cubs seemed more than willing to let him go, given his production fell off considerably last year. He joins Matt Williams and Jay Bell as All-Star infielders whose better days are behind them. Even shortstop Tony Womack saw a major drop-off in steals, falling from a career-high 72 in '99 to a career-low 45 last season.

Top Guns D'backs 2000 team leaders Avg.  Luis Gonzalez  .311  HR  Steve Finley  35  RBIs  Luis Gonzalez  114  SB  Tony Womack  45  Wins  Randy Johnson  19  ERA  Randy Johnson  2.66  Ks  Randy Johnson  347  Saves  Matt Mantei  17    Go Figure 28-32 Arizona's record after acquiring Curt Schilling on July 26.

Fresh off an overall miserable season in Atlanta, Reggie Sanders hopes to find that fountain of youth (is it that swimming pool out in right field?) that has rejuvenated the careers of his new outfield mates, Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley, who both hit more than 30 homers last season. If he's healthy, Sanders can be a solid player, but that's a big if.

If Sanders or Grace can't go, Erubiel Durazo is back after injuries cut short a promising sophomore season. As is Greg Colbrunn, who was solid after assuming the first base job after Durazo went down and Travis Lee was traded to Philadelphia. While filling that right field spot was probably necessary (and Sanders came cheap), it's still a bit of a mystery why Grace was brought in when Durazo and Colbrunn were just as productive.

The age issue is also a factor in the pitching staff, with their top two starters 37 and 34. However, the first two pitchers, respectively, are Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling -- two of the best pitchers in the game. They'll have to be on top of their game again because the rest of the rotation is also old and somewhat questionable. Todd Stottlemyre is 35 and coming off two injury-plagued seasons. Armando Reynoso is 34 and a middle-of-the-road pitcher at best. Lefty Brian Anderson, a spring chicken at 28, is a decent starter.

The only real youth on the team is in the bullpen and even it has question marks. Closer Matt Mantei saved 17 games but had two stints on the disabled list. Byung-Hun Kim had 14 saves and a whopping 111 strikeouts in just 70 2/3 innings but battled through some inconsistency. But since these are the Diamondbacks, two of their primary setup men are 36-year-old Greg Swindell and 41-year-old Mike Morgan.

The 2001 edition of the Diamondbacks, outside of Brenly, looks very similar to the one that ended 2000 on a whimper. The team had to cut back on free-agent spending because of operating losses reported at about $45 million. Some administrative employees were laid off, but for now there is no fire sale of players to reduce payroll. However, should the team falter again in the first half, don't be surprised to see a few veterans dealt to trim payroll and restock a depleted farm system.

Departures
Pos.	Player	To	Via
1B	Alex Cabrera	Japan	Sold
LHP	Dan Plesac	Blue Jays	Free Agency
C	Kelly Stinnett	Reds	Free Agency
OF	Turner Ward	Philles	Free Agency

Spring Cleaning

Todd Stottlemyre Can Stottlemyre stay healthy? An elbow injury sidelined him for a good part of the 2000 season. This after he pitched most of the '99 season with a partially torn rotator cuff. He's been adequate while in the rotation (15-9 in Arizona), but even when healthy, he's a major drop-off from the Johnson-Schilling 1-2 punch. How much do Bell and Williams have left? When the Snakes made the playoffs in '99, the two combined for 73 homers and 254 RBIs. Last season, they hit a combined 30 homers and 115 RBIs. Williams missed the first couple of months of the season with a broken foot and never was the same. Bell was downright ordinary. However, if you look at recent history, Bell does well in odd-numbered years (59 homers, 204 RBIs in '97 and '99) and not so well in even-numbered years (38 homers, 135 RBIs in '98 and '00). Is Grace the answer at first? The Cubs seemed more than willing to let him go as he hit below .300 for the first time since '94, finishing with a .280 average, 11 homers and 82 RBIs in 510 at-bats. Backup Colbrunn, on the other hand, hit .313 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs in nearly 200 fewer at-bats.

Prospects to Watch
C Rod Barajas -- Barajas appears to be the backup catcher with the Diamondbacks this season with the departure of Kelly Stinnett. Barajas was a .300 hitter in the minors before slipping to a .226 mark in Class AAA Tucson last year. However, he still had 13 homers and 75 RBIs, and was adept at throwing out baserunners. LHP Nick Bierbrodt -- Arizona's first No. 1 draft pick was hampered by injuries last season, pitching only 62 innings and going just 3-4 with a 6.10 ERA. The 6-foot-5 lefty has good stuff but needs to stay healthy if he is to make a difference with the big team. SS Alex Cintron -- A former 37th-round draft pick, Cintron has progressed nicely through the organization with decent line-drive hitting, and he batted .301 with 30 doubles at Class AA El Paso. His defensive tools are solid, but he did commit 32 errors last season. OF Jack Cust -- One of the few top-notch prospects remaining in the organization, Cust has power to all fields and a great eye at the plate. Cust has hit 52 homers the past two seasons, and he led the minors with 117 walks (although he did strike out 150 times). His defense is spotty, but he has a bit of time to work on that, as well as cutting down his strikeouts. 1B Lyle Overbay -- Like Cust, Overbay's a line-drive, gap hitter who could eventually develop more power. Last season, he hit a combined .342 with 14 homers and 96 RBIs playing for Class A South Bend and El Paso. He should move up again this year and if he continues to develop could soon take over for Grace.
Best-Case Scenario
Aided by the high strike call, Johnson and Schilling become the deadliest 1-2 pitching combo in the majors as they combine to win 50 games and strikeout 700-plus batters. Sanders actually stays healthy the entire season and joins Gonzalez and Finley as part of a 30-homer outfield. Williams also awakens after an injury-plagued 2000 season to add a fourth 30-homer bat to the lineup. The Diamondbacks get both their hitting and pitching together at the right time to win a second NL West title after outlasting the Rockies and Giants.
Worst-Case Scenario
Racked by injuries to their top players and hurt by a lack of depth in the farm system, Brenly is forced back on the field to catch and pitching coach Bob Welch is needed to pitch. Just a couple of days into the season, Grace is lost for the year after suffering a bizarre swimming pool injury in right field. To help boost sagging revenue, the team agrees to be sponsored by AARP, which counted half of the Diamondbacks' roster as current members.
Bottom Line
The age factor plays a major role if the team can withstand the rigors of a full season. However, there's plenty of experience there to drive the team should it get to the postseason. Outside of the enigmatic Rockies, no other NL West team made a significant upgrade. So there's a chance that the Diamondbacks could return to the playoffs, especially if Schilling is at full strength and a couple of their veterans play as well as they did when they were in their prime. The pieces are in place for a return to the postseason.

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