After last years mid season debacle the Diamondbacks are back and ready to make a statement. Last year they were leading the National League West for 153 consecutive days until the Manny Ramirez led Dodgers came stole the the title.
But that was then and this is now. It's true the Diamondbacks are young but they have lot of upside to them. Justin Upton, 21, and Chris Young, 25, have the ability the be great in this league. They have great veteran leadership from likes of Tony Clark and Felipe Lopez. Left Fielder Conor Jackson also the ability to be a solid player. I would like to see the D'Backs attempt more steals this season. They are a fast team and I would like to see them show off their speed more often.
When it comes to pitching the D'Backs have one the deepest rotations in baseball. Cy Young runner up Brandon Webb will continue to prove his dominance. Dan Haren is good for at least 16 to 18 wins. The acquisition of Jon Garland will add even more depth to this remarkable pitching staff. Max Scherzer has some nasty stuff and can become a quality starter. Doug Davis is the wild card. Sometimes he can be spectacular other days he can be a D'backs fans worst nightmare.
But if the Diamondbacks want to make a run at the pennant the will have stop striking out. The numbers don't lie. Last year Arizona had 1,287 strikeouts, that was second most in baseball. The team swinged and missed 346 times with runners in scoring position, and batted a league low .251 batting average.The young guns didn't help much. Mark Reynolds had a record breaking 204 strikeouts. Upton had 121 and Snyder had 101.
But if the D'backs are able to make contact on the ball and if the pitching is as strong as it was last year Arizona has the capability to win the NL West and make a run in the playoffs
Nice arguments Isaac! You really point out how the D-backs can win the NL West, but as you probably know, I don't follow baseball that much; Perhaps, for your next article you can talk about what the D-backs' division rivals could potentially do to stop them and how Arizona would react.
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