CNN/SI Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks
Posted: Tuesday March 16, 1999 12:35 PM
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Johnson was second in the NL with four shutouts in just 11 starts. Todd Warshaw/Allsport |
By Greg Auman, CNN/SI
By signing a four-year contract worth $52.4 million in the offseason, Randy
Johnson vaulted the free-spending Diamondbacks' payroll into a new tax
bracket. The challenge facing the towering fireballer now is getting
Arizona a win-loss record to match its high-priced lineup.
Johnson dominated the National League in a brief stint in Houston at the
end of last season, going 10-1 with a staggering 1.28 ERA. He finished last
season with 329 strikeouts, more than twice what Andy Benes
managed in leading the Diamondbacks staff with 164.
Arizona took a major risk in handing such a paycheck to a 35-year-old who's
missed significant time with injuries. But if he can be anywhere close to
what he showed in Houston, the 6-foot-10 pitcher could help the
Diamondbacks break the Marlins' record for well-funded transitions from
expansion team to playoff contender. 1998 Recap (65-97, 5th in NL
West)
The team's inaugural season began auspiciously with a 10-6 start, but the
2-12 stretch that followed was more indicative of a long first year in
which Arizona's ballpark stood out as the highlight.
But Bank One Ballpark -- with its pool just beyond center field -- helped
the D-Backs to only three more wins at home (34) as on the road (31). Only
five teams had less of an advantage at their home field.
Rookie first baseman Travis Lee had the team's first home run and tied for
the team lead with 22, but some of Jerry Colangelo's high-dollar
investments didn't pan out. Matt Williams
had 20 home runs, matching his lowest total in nine years. Andy Benes saw
his ERA jump from 3.10 in 1997 to 3.97 in '98, and he lost 13 games along
the way.
One stretch of four wins in 22 games before the All-Star break gave Arizona
fans a kick of sand in the face, and by losing eight of their last nine
games, the D-Backs barely edged Tampa Bay, their expansion mates, ending
the year as baseball's worst team not located in Florida. 1999
Forecast
So long as their wallets don't slow them down, the Diamondbacks should be
much, much faster in two key areas next season. On the basepaths, Arizona
had just 73 stolen bases last year, ranking 24th among major-league teams.
Outfielder Devon
White, one of two Arizona players with more than 10 steals, signed with
the Dodgers, but in Tony Womack
(58), Steve
Finley (12) and Luis Gonzalez
(12), Arizona brought in three players who combined had more stolen bases
than the team could pilfer in its first year. Womack, acquired from the
Pirates, led the National League in steals last year and if healthy, should
destroy White's team record of 84 runs scored.
| Roster roundup |
Who's
new
P Randy Johnson, P Todd
Stottlemyre, OF Steve Finley, 2B/OF Tony Womack, P Armando
Reynoso, OF Luis Gonzalez, OF Dante Powell, P
Greg
Swindell, 1B Greg Colbrunn
Who's gone
OF Devon White, OF Karim Garcia, P
Alan Embree,
P Bob
Wolcott, P Felix
Rodriguez, OF Brent Brede
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The Diamondbacks also should have more speed on the mound -- the team that
finished dead last in strikeouts last year brought in Johnson and Todd
Stottlemyre, who struck out 204 batters with St. Louis and Texas last year.
While they're expensive, those two should radically upgrade the starting
rotation. One arm to keep an eye on is Armando Reynoso -- in the last four
years, opposing batters have hit .316, .291, .275 and .256 against him.
Depth in pitching will help Arizona -- Willie Blair
and Jeff
Suppan combined to go 5-22 last year as the team searched for a steady
rotation. Last year's pitchers weren't all bad -- Omar Daal, just
26, had a 8-12 record, but his 2.88 ERA was the best in baseball among
pitchers with losing records.
Manager Buck Showalter has the payroll of a contender, and if Colangelo can
show himself to be a more sensible shopper, the fans who bought in on the
novelty of major-league baseball in the middle of the desert last year will
keep coming back for more. If not, there's always that swimming pool.
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