Can the Snakes Rattle the National League: Arizona Diamondbacks 2007 Season Preview...

In 2006, the Diamondbacks were seen to be a team on the rise mainly due to its young talent and potential, as the team started off hot, but faded in the second half. With the steroid issue hitting close to home with the implication of Jason Grimsley and his legal woes, the team after the revelation suffered.

Although the team had a season that saw many ups and downs, they have a great, talented core and should be primed to make an impact in the National League West. With the addition of an old friend, Randy Johnson, the Diamondbacks have the potential to be players in the National League pennant race.

For the Diamondbacks, the starting rotation has the potential to be in the top echelon of the National League, as they have an ace in the making, a legendary fireballer, a crafty veteran, and a bunch of arms ready to make an impact.

At the top of the rotation will be ace pitcher, Brandon Webb. He’s one of the best hurlers in the game, and Webb was 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA. He won the Cy Young award winning his first 8 starts. The Diamondbacks should expect Webb to maintain his level of success and be a key player for the team.

The second starter in the rotation will be future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Although he won 34 games in two years during his infamous stint with the New York Yankees, he suffered last season with an ERA of 5, nearly 2 runs higher than his career average. It’s safe to assume that much of his struggles the past few seasons were due to his back rather than being forty-something, but age is still definitely a factor as his velocity is down a few miles per hour. If Randy can turn back the clock and perhaps find the stuff that him so dominant, he could be an ace in the hole for the team.

Livan Hernandez will be the third starter as he was 13-13 with a 4.83 ERA. Although there have been concerns about his conditioning, he should remain a solid pitcher. His ERA jumped from 3.60 to 4.18 in 2006 from the previous season, but the team should expect to get double-digit wins, at least 200 innings logged and an ERA around 4.00. He does not have overpowering stuff, but he mixes his off-speed and breaking pitches very well, thus he is effective.

Manning the bottom of the pitching rotation is Doug Davis, another innings water, who was 11-11 with an ERA under 5 with the Brewers last season, and young Edgar Gonzalez who was 3-4 with a 4.22 ERA. Also vying for spots in the rotation are Dana Eveland, Juan Cruz along with Micah Owings and Dustin Nippert.

Let’s move onto the bullpen.

The closer for the Diamondbacks will probably be Jose Valverde who finished out 2006 with 18 saves and 69 strikeouts in 49.1 innings, but had a 5.84 ERA. He’s got electric stuff, but was very inconsistent last year. Also options in the bullpen are Tony Pena, Brandon Lyon who went 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA, Brandon Medders who won 5 games and should provide middle relief or work as the setup man.

Other possibilities include Juan Cruz, Micah Owings, Dana Eveland, and Dustin Nippert if they can’t crack the starting rotation.

The Diamondbacks offense once again, will be fairly young, but they have some quality bats easily capable of doing damage and taking their game to the next level.

The everyday infield will have Conor Jackson at first, Orlando Hudson at second, Stephen Drew at shortstop, and Chad Tracy at third. Young Conor Jackson had an impressive rookie year where he hit .291 and drove in 79 RBI along with hit 15 homers. As he goes along in his career, he should probably develop more power, but he was a solid presence for the Diamondbacks and should only get better.

Starting everyday at second base will be veteran Orlando Hudson who hit a solid .287, hit 15 homers and drove in 67 runs along with providing solid defense. He had a career year in 2006, and hopefully his success will translate into 2007.

Stephen Drew who hit .316 in 209 at bats last season will be the everyday shortsop. He should be a solid player for years to come as he is one the highly touted young players in the game today. Drew’s ceiling should be high, as he should hit for power, average and is a great defensive infielder. Chad Tracy will be starting at third base and he had a good year hitting .281, with 20 homers and drove in 80 runs. Though his numbers were down from 2005, he was still a solid presence for the team, although he battled an injury throughout the year.

The backup infielder will be Alberto Callaspo who can play second base, shortstop and third base and is a highly regarded youngster who’s got a bright future with the team. First base will be backed up by longtime veteran by big Tony Clark who hit 30 homers, drove in 87 runs in 2005 before Conor Jackson took over the position as the everyday guy; however, Clark struggled in 2006 with injuries.

The everyday outfield will be manned by Eric Byrnes in left field, Chris Young in center and Carlos Quentin in right.

Eric Byrnes had a comeback year and became a leader on the team, as he hit 26 homers with 79 RBIs, along with 25 stolen bases. He’s a guy who shows hustle, plays hard, has a mix of power and speed, but had on base percentage of only .313 last year. If he can get on base more often, (his career OBP is only .322) he could help the offense even more. Chris Young should get a chance to become the everyday starting center fielder, as he was a great player in the minors and is a great outfielder with incredible speed. In right field will be Carlos Quentin who hit .253 in 57 games and has a lot of great upside. Backing up the outfielders will be Jeff DaVanon, who hit .290 in 87 games and should see quite a bit of playing time. As well, youngsters Robby Hammock, Scott Hairston & Dave Krynzel will battle for a roster spot.

The everyday catcher will be a battle of youngsters, as Johnny Estrada is no longer with the team. Chris Snyder is the odds on favorite to win the job, as he hit .277 and drove in 32 RBIs in 61 games and is regarded as a great defensive catcher, and Miguel Montero will be Synder’s backup.

Heading into spring, the Diamondbacks, if the pitching can hold up and the young players and offense improve from last year, they have a good of a shot as anyone in the National League West. The team is stacked with young players all across the board, the team has so much talent and promise along with good pitching, and so they cannot be discounted as a contender in the National League.