Diamondbacks look to prove success of 2011 was no fluke

The Arizona Diamondbacks went from worst to first during the first full season of Kirk Gibson’s reign as manager of the NL West team last season, and no doubt all associated with the ball club will be keen to prove that their division title was no simply an anomaly.

Backed up by hard hitting outfielders Justin Upton and Chris Young, who combined for 51 long balls during a surprisingly successful season that saw the D’Backs beat the reigning World Series Champion San Francisco Giants by eight games to clinch a first division title since 2007. Despite impressive and clutch hitting from numerous different contributors, it was, without a doubt, the pitching that stole the show in the desert last season, and pitching coach Charles Nagy will find it difficult to reciprocate those successes. Four members of the starting rotation, Ian Kennedy (2.88), Josh Collmenter (3.38), Daniel Hudson (3.49) and Joe Saunders (3.69) had sub 3.70 ERAs and with the addition of Trevor Cahill from the Oakland A’s, the Diamondbacks will again be looking to rely on a solid starting rotation if they are to succeed in 2012.

IN: Craig Breslow (RP – Oakland), Trevor Cahill (SP – Oakland), Jason Kubel (OF – Minnesota), Takashi Saito (RP – Milwaukee)

OUT : Sean Burroghs (INF – Minnesota), Alberto Castillo (RP – LA Dodgers), Ryan Cook (RP – Oakland), Colin Cowgill (OF – Oakland), Zach Duke (SP – Houston), Armando Galarraga (SP – Baltimore), Juan Gutierrez (RP – Kansas City), Ryan Langerhans (OF – L.A. Angels), Jason Marquis (SP – Minnesota), Melvin Mora (INF), Xavier Nady (INF), Micah Owings (SP – San Diego)

Catchers : Fresh from a season that included his first ever All-Star appearance, Miguel Montero will be the everyday back stop for Arizona. The Venezuelan hit .282 along with 18 homers and will be ably assisted, yet again, by Henry Blanco who signed a free-agent deal in the summer. The vastly experienced 40 year old is widely considered as one of the best back-up catchers in the league and can fill in admirably whenever Montero needs a day off.

Infielders : A middle infield of Stephen Drew and Aaron Hill is one that will be the envy of many a side. Drew is coming off an injury hit season, having fractured his ankle in July, while Hill greatly impressed following his trade from Toronto during the season and signed a two year deal this offseason having hit .315 in 33 games last year. Utility player Willie Bloomquist is likely to be the back-up at both shortstop and second base. Ryan Roberts will be counted on to man third base following a career high 19 HR season last time out. Youngster Paul Goldschmidt currently lead the depth chart at first base following an impressive rookie season where he hit 8 HRs and 26 RBIs in just 48 games. Veterans Lyle Overbay and Geoff Blum figure to be key options on the bench and have amassed over 2,500 big league games between them. Cody Ransom is an intriguing non-roster invitee that has the potential to force his way onto the roster.

Outfielders : The signing of Jason Kubel from the Twins could be a stroke of genius from the Diamondbacks front office. With a .271 career average, including three seasons with over 20 HRs, the 29 year old will complete a big hitting outfield along with star RF Justin Upton and CF Chris Young. Upton hit 31 homers last season, along with having the best fielding percentage of any NL outfielder. Chris Young is no slouch in the defensive apartment either and the duo will provide speed both in the outfield and on the bases. Gerardo Parra, himself a Gold Glove winner last season, will be the main back-up outfielder and is one of two Diamondback players to have hit a home run in their first career MLB at-bat. Despite hitting .292 he should start the year on the bench. Youngster Cole Gillespie and career minor leaguer David Winfree provide the depth in the outfield, while third baseman Roberts can also play left field.

Starting Pitchers : Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Josh Collmenter and Joe Saunders are all returning after impressive seasons that saw the trio combine for a 3.40 ERA in 90 starts. Ex-Yankee Kennedy was the pick of the bunch with a 21-4 record along with a 2.88 ERA that saw him lead the National League in wins. He was ably assisted by both Hudson and Collmenter, with the latter having started his rookie campaign in the bullpen before earning a spot in the rotation. Arizona will be hoping there is no sophomore slump from the Michigan native. The rotation has further been strengthened by Trevor Cahill who was acquired in a trade from Oakland. The enigmatic 23 year old will be looking to regain his 2010 form that saw him post a sub 3.00 ERA. For depth, the Diamondbacks have Barry Enright and Wade Miley while non-roster Spring Training invitee Chris Jakubauskas will be looking to stake a claim.

Relief Pitchers : The fantastically named J.J. Putz will remain as closer, following a 45 save season in 2011 in his first year in the desert. If there was one area where the Diamondbacks struggled last year, it was their bullpen, and the front office addressed that need in the off-season. Lefty Craig Breslow was included in the trade that saw Cahill join the team from Oakland and will provide veteran depth and stability. Brad Zeigler recorded a 1.74 ERA in Arizona following his trade from Oakland midway through the 2011 season, while Takashi Saito was a crucial off-season signing. The 42 year old has a career 2.18 ERA. David Hernandez, despite an impressive 3.38 ERA suffered the odd meltdown and could see his set-up role be given to Saito, but will still be a pivotal part of the bullpen. Bryan Shaw and Joe Paterson will likely complete the bullpen. Both had sub 3.00 ERAs in their rookie seasons last campaign and manager Kirk Gibson will be hoping for much of the same. The likes of Jonathon Albaladejo, Zach Kroenke and Sam Demel will be looking to compete for playing time, while 20 year old sensation Trevor Bauer may well see time in the Big Leagues if his Minor League progression goes to plan.

PREDICTION : I really like the D’Backs pitching staff. The rotation could be the most underrated in the National League, while the likes of Putz and Saito are solid relievers. If the pitching corps can repeat their collective performance from last year, then they will be hard to beat. The infield isn’t great, but the outfield is much more impressive, if lacking in depth a little. It’s a toss-up between Arizona and the Giants in my opinion for the NL West, but I’ll go with the D’Backs to repeat. First place.