Springtime in Tucson

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Finally made it to Tucson and it couldn’t be a more beautiful day (though cold.. yikes, it was around freezing this morning). Anyway, overlooking the empty Tucson Electric Park now, it truly does feel like baseball season.

 

The team is on its last day here of pitchers and catchers workouts; the full squad is required to report today. Tomorrow, the D-backs will have their first full-squad workout of the year. Then on March 4, the team plays its first game at TEP against the Colorado Rockies.

 

Many position players have already been here the past few days, and some were here pretty early in the morning today. Augie Ojeda was around the clubhouse this morning, as was non-roster invitee outfielder Drew Macias.

 

I’ll be here all week, so I’ll keep this blog warm with some thoughts, notes, interviews, audio, (hopefully) video and the best photos my cell phone can take.

 

 

 

First Look at FanFest

D-backs team photographer Jon Willey is walking around the SUBWAY D-backs FanFest, and he was kind enough to get us some images from the day.

Here’s your first look at Fan Fest, and we’ll have more photos on the way.

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SUBWAY FanFest Already a Hit

Chase Field is already buzzing for FanFest!

 

The doors opened at 9 a.m. for early arrivals, with D-backs season ticket holders and SUBWAY Value Meals customers entering an hour early.

 

At 10 a.m., D-backs fans started streaming in, already in great numbers (with photos to come).

 

Daron Sutton is conducting a Q&A right now on the stage out at center field, and fans are purchasing autograph session tickets at the plaza ticket windows.  Also, check out the yard sale for all sorts of D-backs gear, as well as the memorabilia show for bobbleheads, posters, trading cards and more.

 

D-backs Training Centers personnel are throwing pitches on three fields located in the infield, and FOX Sports Arizona is filming great D-backs fans to air during broadcasts this season.

 

Sports 620 KTAR is broadcasting live, with Mark Reynolds and new first baseman Adam LaRoche on air right now. I just ran into Matt Williams downstairs, and he’ll be joining the crew soon. Justin Upton, Clay Zavada and Ian Kennedy are all hanging out together in the clubhouse, and all three will be participating in various activities soon.

 

You can listen to Sports 620 KTAR’s live broadcast here: http://den-a.plr.liquidcompass.net/player/flash/audio_player.php?id=KTARAM&uid=239

 

I’ll be back with a lot more, including photos, video and audio very soon!

 

 

FanFest at Chase Field Tomorrow

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I love FanFest. And if the huge number of fans in attendance last year is an indication, so do most of you.

 

I’ve had a few different roles at FanFest in the past, and have had a blast every time. Last year, I got to run around and be a fan with my niece and nephew, who couldn’t get enough of the many inflatable play areas.

 

On Saturday, the D-backs will host the sixth annual SUBWAY D-backs FanFest at Chase Field from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fans who purchase two Fresh Value Meals at participating Phoenix-area SUBWAY locations, however, can enter Chase Field an hour early, at 9 a.m. Hurry though, that offer is only good through today.

 

D-backs players will participate in Q&A sessions and autograph signings, with all proceeds from autographs going to the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation.  It’s a virtual certainty that you’ll have access to your favorite D-backs player or coach, as Manager A.J. Hinch, Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, Conor Jackson and many more are all slated to appear.

 

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One of the popular aspects of last year’s event was the presence of D-backs alumni, which will continue this year with Kelley Stinnett and Quinton McCracken. Of course, former D-backs third baseman Matt Williams will be there, as he is now a member of the D-backs coaching staff.

 

The team’s radio broadcast partner KTAR will be there from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with its various hosts and D-backs on-air personalities broadcasting live with D-backs players and executives. Here’s a look at the KTAR schedule:

 

9-10 a.m. — Dave Burns and Paul Calvisi

10-11 a.m. — “Doug & Wolf” with Doug Franz and Ron Wolfley

11 a.m.-12 p.m. — Daron Sutton and Mark Grace

12-1 p.m. — Greg Schulte and Tom Candiotti

1-2 p.m. — “Gambo & Ash” with John Gambadoro and Mark Asher

 

The same things you’ve loved about SUBWAY FanFest in the past will be included this year, such as tours of the D-backs’ home clubhouse, D-backs Training Centers Wiffle Ball fields and practice clinics, Family Fun Zone with speed pitch and interactive inflatables, a sports card and memorabilia show, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation yard sale and a silent auction hosted by the D-backs wives.

 

If you think you’re a great, die-hard fan, make sure to wear your D-backs gear for FOX Sports Arizona’s “Be a Fan” campaign. They’ll be taping promotional spots with D-backs fans at a booth near the first base dugout. The network is looking for fans of all ages to show their support for the team.

 

I’ll be posting here a few times on Saturday, so check to this blog for some observations, photos, audio and (hopefully) video. And if you see me wandering around FanFest, please do stop and say hello.

 

Here are a few more photos from last year’s event.

 

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Gammons Anxious to Watch Jackson

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Photography: Jon Willey

MLB.com columnist Peter Gammons wrote Tuesday about the storylines to keep an eye on in Spring Training this year.

And with much of the attention focused Brandon Webb’s way, it’s nice to see Gammons point to the significant addition the D-backs are making to the lineup this year.

 

Conor Jackson, D-backs. When one looks at Jackson’s 2009 line, it is hard to believe: 30 games, one home run, .182 average, .516 OPS. Ugh.

“Conor was never right all year,” GM Josh Byrnes says. “He didn’t feel right in Spring Training, and it worsened when the season opened. We tested him for swine flu. That wasn’t it. He had two negative tests for Valley Fever, but as it turned out, they were false negatives. He was really sick. He’d be bundled up in the clubhouse, his color was terrible.”

The correct diagnosis was finally made, Jackson was treated and returned to health. He played in the instructional league, the Arizona Fall League and spent weeks in the Dominican Winter League.

“He felt and looked great,” Byrnes says. “Conor is a very good player (.300, 12 home runs, .823 OPS in 2008). He’s very important to our team, whether he’s playing left field or first base. He’s a clubhouse leader for us. Everyone likes and respects him, and he’s important to our chemistry. He doesn’t swing and miss a lot, and he hits left-handed pitching. We’ve made some additions this offseason, but his return is as important as any of them.”

Hey, We Like the Name, Too!

The Hardball Times had a fun feature today: Writer Chris Jaffe listed in order, 1-30, his favorite team names in baseball. The D-backs got a nice, high ranking on the list:

2. Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s distinctive, relates to the region, and sounds cool. Depending on the mood I’m in, I might rank this one over Seattle. It’s between those two of the top slot, and then there’s a gap before the rest.

Right on! The regional tie to the team name is exactly what I’ve always thought was cool about it as well.

THT’s top five: Mariners, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Rockies and Brewers.

You can find the rest of the list here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/ranking-mlb-team-nicknames/

Parker on KLAW 100

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Just one player on the Keith Law 100 over at ESPN, and not surprisingly it’s ace righty Jarrod Parker.

It should be noted, however, that Law expects an influx of D-backs on next year’s KLAW 100. In the organizational rankings released on Wednesday, he wrote:  “I could see them landing five or six more spots next year after they had the best draft of any club in 2009. The system was all but barren before that draft, however, and it’s going to take some time for that new talent to percolate on to the master ranking.”

Here’s what Law wrote about Parker. (Here’s the full entry, Parker is No. 37):

Parker was his usual 92-97 mph and even touched 99 in his last outing, and he had made more progress with his changeup after deliberately working on it more in games, to the point where on his best days he could show four above-average or plus pitches….

…Once rebuilt — and there is the technology — he should resume his march to the top of a big league rotation after another full year or two in the minors.

Good to hear another writer (we mentioned Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein last week) who is confident that Parker can return to his potential All-Star form when he’s recovered from Tommy John.

In Law’s Top 10 by Organization (here’s the link), he does have a few differences from Goldstein:

Arizona Diamondbacks
1. Jarrod Parker, RHP
2. A.J. Pollock, CF
3. Matt Davidson, 3B
4. Bobby Borchering, 3B/1B
5. Mike Belfiore, LHP
6. Brandon Allen, 1B
7. Chris Owings, SS
8. Marc Krauss, LF
9. Ryan Wheeler, 1B
10. Enrique Burgos, RHP

— Law mentioned Burgos last year as a guy to look out for and a potential Top 100 guy, saying: “(Burgos’) pitches sit at 91-92, touching 95, with easy velocity, and has good depth on his breaking ball. He’s 6-foot-5 with a good frame and has a lot of room to fill out.”

Burgos did not have a great season at Missoula last year, but his combination of size and stuff definitely makes him somebody to keep an eye on.

— Law wasn’t quite as high on Brandon Allen as Goldstein is, but it’s worth noting that he is quite a bit higher on 2009 first-round pick A.J. Pollock, who D-backs Scouting Director Tom Allison raved to us about last year. Definitely keep your eye on Pollock; he’ll be a fast riser through the minors.

— Law has Davidson just a tick ahead of Borchering, while Goldstein had Borchering significantly higher than Davidson. This debate actually goes back to the draft, when baseball people seemed split between the two (which explains why they were drafted so close together: Borchering, 16… Davidson, 35). In short, Davidson was generally seen as the better power guy (some saying he had the best power in the draft), while Borchering has the big advantage of being a switch hitter.

 

This One Goes To Eleven

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(Photo: Ken Weisenberger)

For prospect-info nerds like me, today is like a second Christmas.

Kevin Goldstein over at Baseball Prospectus released the Top 11 Prospects (because that’s better than 10) for the D-backs today. Here’s the link: http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9958 (subscription required).

Goldstein does a fantastic job with these lists — one for every organization. He’s very thorough with his research.

The promotion of prospects to the Major Leagues over the last four years (Drew, Upton, Reynolds, etc.) and trades — Dan Haren, for example — left the D-backs’ system a little thinner than it had been earlier in the decade. That’s not necessarily a bad problem to have, since it generally a sign of rapid big league promotion among your young players.

So in that vein, you’re going to see a lot of new names. A stunning eight of the top 11 were drafted in 2009.

Anyway, on to Goldstein’s list.

Four-Star Prospects
1. Jarrod Parker, RHP
2. Brandon Allen, 1B
Three-Star Prospects>
3. Bobby Borchering, 3B
4. Chris Owings, SS
5. A.J. Pollock, OF
6. Keon Broxton, OF
7. Marc Krauss, OF
Two-Star Prospects
8. Matthew Davidson, 3B
9. Mike Belfiore, LHP
10. Ryan Wheeler, 1B
11. Leyson Septimo, LHP

A few thoughts:

— Goldstein sees Parker as an elite prospect, which is good to see. He noted in the comments section that Parker surely would have been a five-star prospect — and probably a top 25 overall prospect — if not for the arm injury that will sideline him in 2010. However, his rehab is going well, so while it may cost him a year of development, it may not actually cost him any of that excellent ability that made him a top prospect to begin with.

Goldstein note on Parker:
Perfect World Projection: If he comes back 100 percent, he’s an All-Star.

— Goldstein is still high on Brandon Allen, which is great. Allen took some flak for struggling at the plate in the Arizona Fall League, but the D-backs still believe in him long-term. There shouldn’t be any rush on Allen — he’s due for a full year at Triple-A anyway — so the signing of Adam LaRoche takes the pressure off, and hopefully leads to Allen raking for a year at Reno.

Goldstein Note on Allen:
The Good: Allen has a solid approach and enough bat to profile as an everyday first baseman in the majors, combining plus power with a surprisingly solid contact rate, leaving scouts to project him as a .280+ hitter with 20-25 home runs annually.

— It’s great to see Ryan Wheeler on this list. The fifth-round pick last year stunned a lot of prospect watchers with his huge professional debut. Wheeler is definitely a guy to keep your eye on this year.

— Right in the middle of this list is Keon Broxton. Keep your eye on him, too. And be patient. Even at the time of the draft, it was clear that he was a total upside pick. He’s got some work to do to, but he’s a pretty spectacular athlete (he played wide receiver at Florida International University).

We can’t reprint everything here, so you’ll have to head over to BP to check it out.

If you don’t have a Baseball Prospectus subscription, they aren’t that expensive, and definitely worth it.

In related news, Keith Law’s Top 100 prospects over at ESPN is due to be released on Jan. 28. We’ll check back in then to see what we’ve got for a D-backs presence on that list. 

Veteran 1B LaRoche Signs with D-backs

Well, it is official: Adam LaRoche is a D-back.

After rumors swirled for a day or two, the deal was announced Friday afternoon, with the veteran first baseman signing a one-year deal with an option for a second.

It should work quite well for the D-backs on many levels. LaRoche is a good defender at first base and a good left-handed bat to put alongside Miguel Montero in a middle part of the lineup that was pretty right-handed before (Jackson, Upton, Reynolds).

Furthermore, he’s a good-power, good-on-base player and with those five above-mentioned players, that should be a formidable group. With solid seasons from Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson at the top, the D-backs are looking at some offensive lineup improvement over 2009.

For what it’s worth, LaRoche has done very well against teams in the NL West. Check out his numbers against the D-backs’ chief rivals in what would amount to just less than a full season: 137 games, 32 home runs, 40 doubles, 92 RBI, 80 runs, a .301 average, .360 on-base and .584 slugging (.944 OPS). Those are excellent numbers.

Here he is against each team specifically:

Team ———————- AVG/OBP/SLG – HR – 2B – RBI – R
San Diego Padres ——- .322/.377/.618 – 12 – 9 – 27 — 27
Los Angeles Dodgers— .259/.331/.578 – 11 – 4 – 30 — 18
San Francisco Giants—- .336/.387/.628 – 5 – 16 – 23 — 18
Colorado Rockies———- .280/.350/.495 – 4 – 11 – 12 – 17

LaRoche is pretty famously a second-half player. For whatever reason, he’s just always gotten better and better as the season as gone on (which, one supposes, is always a better reputation to have than being a hot starter/cold finisher). So even if LaRoche doesn’t explode out of the gate, don’t then presume something is wrong; the history shows he’ll likely blow up pretty well in the second half.

As an aside, the LaRoche move allows the organization to be patient with young first baseman Brandon Allen, who can go into Spring Training working with hitting coach Jack Howell and the D-backs staff on his specific offensive goals, without the added pressure of fighting for a starting spot.