Arizona Diamondbacks 2011 Preview

Baseball Betting Lines

03/24/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sometimes people take miles when given an inch to work with. If an inch was equivalent to the success the Arizona Diamondbacks have had recently, then general manager Kevin Towers is more than 5,280 feet away from putting together a winner on the diamond.

Towers was appointed GM back in September while the Diamondbacks were still in season and brings a ton of experience to the plate after serving in the same capacity with the San Diego Padres for 14 seasons. The Padres won NL West titles in 1996, 1998, 2005 and 2006, reaching the World Series in 1998, under Towers, whose biggest moves with the D'Backs so far are trading slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds and opting not to bring back former ace Brandon Webb or first baseman Adam LaRoche.

The 2011 version of the Diamondbacks is not expected to be a good one since the ballclub has finished in the NL West basement in each of the previous two seasons. Their 65-97 record a year ago was the worst since going 51-111 back in the 2004 campaign. Arizona has missed the playoffs three straight years and has reached the postseason only twice since winning the only World Series title in franchise history in 2001.

When general manager Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch were fired during the middle of the 2010 campaign, Arizona tabbed Los Angeles Dodgers folk hero Kirk Gibson as the club's new skipper. Gibson guided the Diamondbacks to a 34-49 record and enters his first full season as manager. Gibson still has some decent talent in the lineup with Stephen Drew, Justin Upton and Chris Young while the top of the rotation brings hope for the future. Joe Saunders, Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy compose a formidable 1 through 3, but the back end is suspect with Barry Enright and Armando Galarraga.

While championships are never claimed in the offseason, it's safe to say this team isn't going to compete for a World Series title any time soon. The Diamondbacks would be lucky not to finish as division cellar dwellers for a third straight season.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2011 edition of the Diamondbacks, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2010 FINISH (65-97) - Fifth Place (NL West)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: J.J. Putz (RHP); Melvin Mora (3B); David Hernandez (RHP); Zach Duke (LHP); Geoff Blum (INF); Juan Miranda (1B); Xavier Nady (LF); Henry Blanco (C); Willie Bloomquist (INF/OF); Armando Galarraga (RHP); Micah Owings (RHP); Russell Branyan (1B)

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: Brandon Webb (RHP); Mark Reynolds (3B); Adam LaRoche (1B); D.J. Carrasco (RHP); Augie Ojeda (INF); Rodrigo Lopez (RHP)

PROJECTED LINEUP: Stephen Drew (SS); Justin Upton (RF); Kelly Johnson (2B); Chris Young (CF); Miguel Montero (C); Xavier Nady (LF); Melvin Mora (3B); Juan Miranda (1B)

PROJECTED ROTATION: Joe Saunders (LHP); Daniel Hudson (RHP); Ian Kennedy (RHP); Barry Enright (RHP); Armando Galarraga (RHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: J.J. Putz (RHP)

MANAGER: Kirk Gibson

INFIELD

The Diamondbacks will miss Reynolds' pop in the lineup, but won't shed a tear with his outrageous strikeout total now in Baltimore. Reynolds belted 32 homers and drove in 85 runs while batting a dismal .198 in 145 games last season. He also topped 200 strikeouts for the third year in a row with 211. Arizona hopes veteran newcomer Melvin Mora will be able to fill the void on the hot corner. The 39-year-old Mora hit .285 with seven home runs and 45 RBI in 113 games last season with the Colorado Rockies, and spent the previous decade with the Orioles. His big-league career began back in 1999 and the D'Backs are counting on Mora to keep the strikeouts at a minimum.

In his only season with Arizona, former first baseman LaRoche batted .261 with 25 home runs and a career-best 100 runs batted in over 151 games. He also fanned a career-high 172 times and is now with Washington. Filling the void at first base in the desert will be Juan Miranda. Miranda was a long-time Yankees prospect and was dealt to Arizona in exchange for a young pitcher. The big lefty appeared in a career-high 33 games for the Yankees this past season, batting .219 with three home runs and 10 RBI. The D'Backs can only wait and see how Miranda handles his first full season as a starter in the bigs. Brandon Allen, Xavier Nady and Russell Branyan can also play first base.

Arizona's double-play combo is still intact with shortstop Stephen Drew turning two with second baseman Kelly Johnson. Johnson led the D'Backs with a .284 batting average and 166 hits in 154 games a year ago. He was able to avoid arbitration in the offseason and was named the National League's Player of the Month last April. He had a career-high 26 homers and 71 RBI, but struck out 148 times last season. Drew completed his fifth season with the club and collected a .278 average, 15 homers and 61 RBI in 151 games in 2010. The slick-fielding Drew is expected to leadoff for the team this season, right in front of Johnson. Drew has hit 12 or more homers in his last four seasons with 60-plus RBI in that span.

Having strong knees is a must for any catcher at any level. Miguel Montero knows that personally after he was limited to only 85 games in 2010 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in April. The promising backstop hit .266 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 43 RBI at full strength and gets his shot to prove his worth in the major leagues. He had a career year in 2009, when he hit .294 with 16 homers and 59 RBI in 128 games, taking over for ineffective starter Chris Snyder. Veteran catcher Henry Blanco was added in the offseason as an insurance policy and mentor to Montero.

OUTFIELD

Reynolds' production at the plate will be replaced by outfielders Young and Upton. Young bounced back from dreadful 2009 campaign to hit .257 with 27 home runs and a career-high 91 RBI. His 94 runs scored were also a career-best for Young, who earned a trip to the All-Star game and competed in the Home Run Derby during the Midsummer Classic's festivities. The Diamondbacks are counting on Young, a solid fielder with speed, to carry the offensive load.

Upton is back at full strength after missing some time with a shoulder injury and was even rumored to be on the trading block. The rumors may have been motivational, but either way the D'Backs have a fine contributor in Upton. The right fielder has played at least 108 games in three straight seasons and recorded a .273 average, 17 homers and 69 runs batted in last year. Upton's numbers were down from 2009, when he hit a career-best .300 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI. His strong arm makes him one of the top right fielders today.

With a need for depth in both the outfield and infield, the D'Backs added Xavier Nady to the fold this offseason. One of just a few right-handed bats in the lineup, Nady was drafted by Towers back in 2000 with San Diego and suffered through a down year in 2010, hitting 256 with six homers and 33 RBI for the Chicago Cubs. Towers said he wants to get Nady around 400 to 500 plate appearances this season. The well-traveled Nady, who played in just seven games for the Yankees in 2009, underwent Tommy John surgery a few seasons ago and will be a veteran leader of this relatively young crop of players.

STARTING ROTATION

Arizona doesn't have the big names like Philadelphia, San Francisco or St. Louis as far as pitching staffs are concerned, but the top half of the rotation seems respectable enough with Kennedy, Hudson and Saunders. Kennedy was recently named Opening Day starter and knew there were possibly a few guys ahead him. Kennedy expressed his satisfaction and appreciation for being named the starter and just has to back it up. He was 9-10 with a 3.80 ERA in 32 starts for the D-backs in 2010 after being acquired from the Yankees in a three-team deal that also included Detroit. The right-hander has a fastball in the mid-90s and also three other pitches, including a changeup.

Acquired in the deal that sent Dan Haren to the LA Angels of Anaheim, Joe Saunders, will begin his first full season in the desert. Saunders went just 3-7 with a 4.25 earned run average in 13 starts for the Diamondbacks after the trade. Perhaps the switch to the light-hitting National League played some sort of toll on the southpaw, and the club is relying on a better showing from Saunders in 2011. A 17-game winner in 2008 and a recipient of 16 more victories in 2009, Saunders is counting on duplicating those types of numbers this season. The Diamondbacks are also hoping that Hudson's success last year was no fluke, as he compiled a 7-1 mark with a 1.69 ERA in 11 starts since coming over via trade with the Chicago White Sox. The righty, who made three starts with the Pale Hose, has enough talent to be considered an Opening Day starter in the future. He gave up two runs or less in 10 of 11 starts and went at least seven innings nine times in 2010. Hudson will pitch second, third or fourth under Gibson.

Duke, Galarraga and Enright will battle for the remaining two spots, with the odd man out most likely headed to the bullpen. Duke will have to wait since he suffered two broken bones in his left hand this month and will not be able to throw a baseball for at least four weeks. He was hit in the hand by a line drive during Spring Training and could return in May depending on how fast his left hand heals. The southpaw was acquired from the Pirates in an offseason trade and seemed to have a strong shot at cracking the rotation. But now Duke will play the waiting game. He played the first six years of his career with Pittsburgh and recorded an 8-15 mark in 2010 with a 5.72 ERA in 159 innings. In January, the D'Backs landed Galarraga from Detroit in exchange for two pitchers. Galarraga almost had a perfect game last season for the Tigers, but a blown call by first-base umpire Jim Joyce. The big righty went 4-9 with a 4.49 earned run average in 25 games (24 starts) for the Tigers in 2010.

Enright was promoted from Double-A to the majors and went 6-7 with a 3.91 earned run average in 17 starts. The right-hander lost all five of his starts to close out the 2010 campaign and can only hope to get off the schneid when the 2011 campaign commences soon.

BULLPEN

Arizona had one of the worst relief staffs in baseball a season ago, but the signing of closer J.J. Putz should plug a significant gap. Putz spent last season with the White Sox and was 7-5 with a 2.83 ERA. He had missed most of the 2009 campaign with the Mets because of a bone spur in this right elbow. David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio were acquired to fill the role as set-up man. Juan Gutierrez led the club with 15 saves a year ago and Chad Qualls was a close second with 12 saves. With a less-than-stellar bullpen, the D'Backs' starters will have to work that much harder and longer this season. If Duke doesn't crack the rotation, he'll most likely start the season in the bullpen.

BENCH

Gibson's bench has lesser known players than the 1972 Miami Dolphins defense, which is better known as the 'no name defense'. When he's not working with pitchers behind the plate, Blanco will be called upon off the pine while Branyan, Geoff Blum, Willie Bloomquist and Gerardo Parra will follow suit. Branyan split last season between Seattle and Cleveland, and combined to hit .237 with 25 home runs and 57 runs batted in over 109 games. Back issues have hampered Branyan in the past and Gibson said he appears ready for 2011.

OUTLOOK

The 2011 version of the Diamondbacks will be a stark difference from years past and management is praying for the best even though it knows it will be a down year. It will be hard to replace the type of numbers Webb and Reynolds used to produce, leaving responsibilities on the young shoulders of Upton, Young, Kennedy and Saunders to name a few. Those players will be the corps of Towers' vision of the future and will try to make the desert a place where opposing teams go to die. A few veterans in Nady, Mora and Branyan could spark a few victories as well. An improvement in wins may occur this season but that's not saying much when last year's club accumulated 65 victories.