| This lineup should score plenty of runs. The GM seems to be a big proponent of OBP. Leading off we have Vidro and in the two hole Renteria, both of which posted very good years. However, Vidro is not your prototypical leadoff man. I might put him in the #2 spot in the order, simply because he provides a bit more pop than Edgar. Nevertheless, they should get on base plenty enough to produce some runs for this squad. That�s when we get to the heart of this order. Matsui, the Japanese phenom, a 1st round draft pick for this team, is being counted on to produce. He's unproven MLB and SIM wise, but he should in theory sim well. Follow Matsui up with Shawn Green(42 HR, .385 OBP) and Rolen(31HR, .357OBP) and you have a triple threat that may compare to some of the best in the league. In the 6th spot, we have Nevin. Last year was injury plagued for him and his numbers were not too great. Although he may be a big liability at 1st, and although he didn't put up stellar numbers last year (31HR in 00, 41 in '01, 12 in '02) he should be able to rebound and do nicely for this squad. In the 7th and 8 spots, we have a few question marks. Before hitting .276 last season, Matthews hadn't topped .256 since he was in Double-A. But he does have a pretty good k/bb ratio of 69/43, so there is a chance he can improve. Wilson puts up solid enough numbers for a catcher. Not a big run producer at all, but fine defensively. Lineup Grade: A-� Solid from top to bottom, only weak spots may be the 7-8. If Matthews can keep up last year�s production with a .355 OBP, then there really isn�t much to complain about. Still, it leaves something to be desired. Wilson�s D will make up for any offensive holes with his defense. When it comes to the rotation, GM JP Starkey is going to gamble. With a little bit of an old school, traditional baseball feel, this 4 man rotation will be headed by Cy Young winner, and lefty Barry Zito. Zito, who has one of the best curveball in baseball today, posted a 23-5 record, 2.75 ERA, a 1.13WHIP, and 182k. Heading the 2nd spot in the rotation is another lefty, Jarrod Washburn. Washburn is another pitcher who went the distance last year, pitching over 200 innings, posting a 315 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP, going 18-6 for the Angels en route to the World Series. Jason Schmidt is a righty, posted a 13-8 record, a 3.45 ERA, and a 1.19 whip. He had 196k's to boot. The top 3 in the rotation are deadly, so we should see Arizona keeping other ball clubs run production down. In the 4th spot, carry over Tanyon Sturtze. He was awful in MLB last year pitching for the Rays, but did well enough in the sim to deserve the franchise tag. He should be solid enough in the 4 spot. Rotation Grade: A-�. the pitchers are great, but we don�t know how well a 4 man rotation will hold up under a strenuous 162 game schedule. When it comes to the pen in Arizona, you don�t find many household names. GM Starkey is counting on Hammond, who is coming off a career year, to be productive in the sim. Jesse Orosco, the ageless wonder, and Juan Alvarez round out the lefties. Although Orosco may be old, he can still get the job done when he needs to. For the righties, we have Joe Borowski. not too many people will know of Joe Borowski, but it's tough to argue with a 2.73 ERA in 95.2 IP with a 97/29 K/BB Ratio. Leskanic who missed all of 2002 but had solid campaigns in 2001, 2000 will look to be a factor. Levine who had a mediocre year is also coming off a great 2001 in which he posted a 2.38 ERA in 75.2 IP and should be a factor. Closing out games will be Francisco Cordero. He may not be your name brand closer, but 2-0 with a 1.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .204BAA.means he should be able to slam the door shut on opposing squads. Bullpen Grade: B+� Reason: Pote is out of the equation, Orosco is getting old so there�s always a chance he could break down. Strong, but no household names. Still a pretty well-rounded and sound bullpen that should be able to preserve leads. Although you may not think of this bunch as solid, they are. Young's numbers overall were less than stellar; .322 OBP, .246 AVG. However, against lefties, he hit .283 getting on base at a .377 clip and hitting 7 HR against them. He will be a solid lefty specialist off the bench. Matt Stairs, the lone Diamondback remaining from the mini-draft when GM Starkey took over the team, posted a respectable .349 OBP and hit 16 HR in 270 AB. The "beer leaguer" is versatile too, can play CO or 1B. Rickey say what? Yeah, Rickey Henderson is still playing. He somehow had an OBP of .369 last year, mainly because he can walk the walk. A risky but decent (by the numbers) switch hitting option off the bench. Ruben Sierra who hit .270 with the M�s last year, will provide a decent bat off the bench, as he also hit 13 HR. Ramon Martinez will be the DBacks utility man, as be posted a .271 AVG with the NL Champion Giants last year. Last, and least, we have Mike Matheny at back up catcher. He can't hit to save his life (.313 OBP), but he has a gun for an arm and will be a good defensive replacement late in the game. Bench Grade: B� The bench is solid and above average, but there are no stand out players on it. Age and health are issues with Rickey and Sierra. Matheny brings everything you want in a catcher, except the stick. It�s a good bench, better than most, but no stand outs prevent this from being an A. Overall Grade: On the fence, B+/A-. General Manager JP Starkey has done some amazing work to turn this squad around. Ever active on the trade market, he's pulled off some trades that have put this team in a position to contend. That being said, the Diamond Backs have a lot to contend with. They'll have to hold off the Juggernauts of SF and CO to win the division. That being said, if things don�t go exactly as planned, it may be hard to win the division, let alone the Wild Card. And that�s why we're on the fence - the risk may be too big to ignore. We'll see how Starkey's gamble pays off come 2003. Should be an exciting squad to watch. |
| ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS *NOTE - This analysis is strictly the opinion of the Red Sox GM, and was done as objectively as possible and strictly for the fun of it |
| GM John Paul Starkey N/A |
| Lineup Jose Vidro 2B Edgar Renteria SS Hideki Matsui LF Shawn Green RF Scott Rolen 3B Phil Nevin 1B Matthews CF Wilson C Rotation Zito Washburn Schmidt Sturtze |
| Bullpen Chris Hammond Juan Alvarez Jesse Orosco Joe Borowski Lou Pote Curtis Leskanic Al Levine Frnacisco Cordero Bench Kevin Young Marinez Sierra Stairs Henderson Matheny |
| Minors Mario Ramos Dustin Hermanson Jason Alfaro Royce Huffman Chris Naverson Gene Stechschulte Homer Bush Todd Betts |
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