2011 Arizona Diamondbacks

Where do I even begin? How about we begin with 2011 spring training? Perfect. Sounds great. Even though the Dbacks had a terrible record in spring training, I was still very encouraged by the heart and fight they showed. Juan Miranda, Brandon Allen, and Russell Branyan put on a great show, each trying to earn the 1st baseman spot. Branyan was clearly the best hitter and Miranda the best fielder. Sorry Allen, this year may not be your breakout year after all (although I never thought it would be anyway). The left field and 3rd base battles were less entertaining but I do think the team is doing the right thing by basically having "platoons" out there. Xavier Nady has shown promise and I am all but fed up with Gerardo Parra. Any other team and he would probably be at the AA level. Having a good arm, average defense, and a little speed does not make up for his poor hitting, especially in key situations. Melvin Mora is a nice asset to  have at 3rd especially because of his clutch hitting. However, Ryan Roberts is a stud. He may not be the most toolsy player on the team but he makes up for it with "heart". What is "heart" you say? Well I can understand your confusion about this word if you have been watching the Dbacks for the last couple years. Let me expand on "heart" for a minute. This is what makes a player run to first as hard as he can even though he knows he will get thrown out. It makes a man slam his helmet and bat to ground when he strikes out, and makes a pitcher scream into his gloves when he records a K for the last out of an inning. "Heart" has been one of key things missing from the Dbacks for the last couple years. Which makes Gibson a godsend to our team. Manager Kurt Gibson has "heart". He did when he played and he does now as a manager. Ryan Roberts shows "heart" every game, every inning, and every at-bat. He runs hard and shows emotion not to mention he straight raked in Spring Training. He hit .519 and had over .600 OBP. I know, I know...it's only Spring Training. But isn't that where players go to prove themselves and earn playing time!?! I think he more than deserves a shot to play regularly between 3rd base and left field. The same goes for Willie Bloomquist. He plays hard and is a great example for our young players. Now on to pitching for a moment. The young starting rotation (with the exception of Saunders, sorry Joe) is very exciting! Possibly the most exciting part of the team. Kennedy is lockdown and Hudson has some nasty stuff that will strike out lots of batters. Barry Enright is a fighter and plays with that "heart" that was mentioned before. The bullpen looks revamped except for Juan Gutierrez. Why is he still on this team? He has never had an ERA below 4.06 and seems to blow a ton of games. He is the weak link that still remains. Other than him the bullpen has the chance to be quite good. Really it wouldn't take much to improve upon last years results. I had the privilege to see Jarrod Parker pitch this spring and he looked very good. I actually think he should have been the 5th starter. We have to give the kid a chance at some point! Why not now? Now for my amateur prediction for the Dbacks record at the end of the season.....75-87! In other words getting better but not quite there yet. Thanks for reading