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September 1st represents the date that rosters expand from 25 to 40 men. Teams fall into two categories when contemplating who should be called up. Teams going to the postseason use these call-ups to give their players, especially pitchers, a break to keep them fresh for the playoffs.

The second camp are those teams who have all but been eliminated from the playoffs. These teams use the final month of the season to give their rookies playing time. This gives the organization a chance to evaluate players in game situations to decide whether they fit within the team’s plans for next year and beyond.

The 2010 Diamondbacks fit squarely in the second category. The current roster has played so poorly that change is inevitable. The only question is who will be returning next season and who will be gone?

In order for a player to be called up he must be listed on a team’s 49-man roster. With the Diamondbacks, that opens up a whole lot of questions and potentially some drama.

The first domino to drop happened on Tuesday when Arizona released infielder Bobby Crosby. This was somewhat surprising since Crosby has been with the team less than a month coming over in the Chris Snyder trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Diamondbacks recalled Ryan Roberts. It was surprising only because the expectation was for Tony Abreu to return. It is likely that the Diamondbacks want to evaluate Roberts to see if he fits with the team’s plans while Abreu is assumed to have a lock on a roster spot.

It is likely that Abreu will be called up next week. Others likely to be called up include first baseman Brandon Allen and outfielder Cole Gillespie; both of whom have spent time with the Diamondbacks this year.

Some of the more intriguing questions surround the pitching staff. The Diamondbacks signed veteran pitcher Mike Hampton to a minor league deal earlier in the week. He is expected to join the bullpen.

Hampton is not on the 40-man roster. The Diamondbacks have only 38 on the roster so they could use one of the two open spots.

Brandon Webb is still claiming that he will pitch this season. Webb is currently on the 60-day disabled list which does not count against the 40-man roster. If they want to activate him they will need to make room on the roster.

Word has it Leo Rosales is getting close to returning. He too is on the 60-day disabled list meaning a roster spot will need to be opened up if he returns.

Kris Benson, also on the 60-day disabled list, is on a rehabilitation assignment and could return needing another open roster spot.

There has also been a suggestion the Diamondbacks are planning to add a third catcher. There are only two catchers on the roster meaning to add another would require yet another open roster spot.

So the next week could prove interesting not just for the remainder of 2010 but for next season as well.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After the Arizona Diamondbacks retired the number of Luis Gonzalez, I began receiving a lot of questions from fans visiting Chase Field asking who wore number 42 for the Diamondbacks and who it is hanging next to Gonzo’s number.

On the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the major-league color barrier, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig retired the number 42 throughout baseball. From that point forward no player could wear number 42 although players wearing that number at the time were allowed to continue wearing it until retirement. This occurred on April 15, 1997, nearly a year before the Arizona Diamondbacks would play their first game as a franchise.

As such, no player in the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks has ever worn number 42. For years the Diamondbacks recognized this with a small baseball shaped sign hanging above right center field near the Miller Diamond Club sign.

On April 24th of this year the Diamondbacks removed the Jackie Robinson sign from where it had been hanging and replaced it with a large white and blue number adorning the façade above the party suites in right field.

This was done to bring consistency to the retired numbers in Chase Field. Number 42 was the only number listed until number 20 was added on August 7th for Luis Gonzalez. It is expected that the next number to be retired will be number 51 for Randy Johnson. No time table has been identified for this to occur but it is expected to be before 2015 when Johnson is eligible for the Hall of Fame induction.

So the number 42 hangs from the rafters like it does in every stadium throughout Major League Baseball as a tribute to the accomplishments of Jackie Robinson and will be the one number that is retired without anyone wearing it in franchise history.

Now you can impress your friends and guests at the next game by giving them the background of each of the two numbers that have been retired in Diamondbacks history and what they represent.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the final out of a classic pitching duel between the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Colorado Rockies, where the Diamondbacks lost 1-0, the team gathered their things for a difficult road trip beginning in San Diego with a three-game series against the Padres, after which they will travel up the coast to San Francisco for a three-game series with the Giants.

That means it is time once again for another edition of the State of the Homestand Address , where I attempt to give a brief synopsis of the just concluded homestand. As always, let’s begin with a disclaimer, the viewpoints expressed here are my own personal opinions and do not reflect the views of Major League Baseball, or any sane human being.

Any coherent thoughts either real or fictional are purely coincidental and are not meant to be taken internally. Should this happen, please induce vomiting and immediately contact your doctor. Objects appearing in the blog may be closer than they appear. Your mileage may vary.

Well, that should protect us from any legal challenges that may arise.

This homestand began with a three-game series against the red-hot Cincinnati Reds. The Diamondbacks came into this series having just completed a road trip where they played well, going 3-3 against the Brewers and the Nationals.

The Reds quickly showed they were better than the Diamondbacks’ previous two opponents. The three games against Cincinnati had a familiar feel to them. The starting pitchers threw well, keeping the Snakes in the game, only to see the bullpen come in and give up run after run, sealing the defeats.

As has been the case all season, it is not one pitcher who is struggling. It seems as though every reliever entering the game had a mini-implosion that put the game out of reach. It wasn’t just the pitching, as the Diamondbacks hitters struggled to find consistency as well.

During the road trip, right fielder Justin Upton seemed to be on a roll, but after arriving home, he went into a mini-slump against the Reds. He would come out of it later in the homestand, but overall, was inconsistent.

After losing three straight to the Reds, the Diamondbacks played host to the Colorado Rockies. In the first two games, the Diamondbacks registered enough offense to win each game, notching a series win.

The final game of the Rockies’ series was one of the best pitched games of the season. Rookie Daniel Hudson threw seven innings of three-hit ball, leaving the game tied 0-0. The Diamondbacks brought in Aaron Heilman, who has been one of the more consistent pitchers in the bullpen.

Heilman gave up one run, which was enough for a Rockies win. The offense which had looked good the first two games was nonexistent in the final game, wasting a great pitching performance.

During this homestand, the Diamondbacks displayed a new sign in left field for the University of Phoenix. Additionally, the ribbon board around the second deck showed more University of Phoenix advertising, including announcing the college was the Diamondbacks’ official education partner.

There were also several signs advertising the upcoming season ticket renewal process that has its first deadline on August 30. Given the smaller home crowds for most of this homestand, you have to wonder how many renewals the Diamondbacks actually expect to have for next season.

From a concession perspective, there is not much new to report. The vendors seemed to be settled in, with little if anything changing from the last homestand. I am hearing more positive comments on Macayos, with several fans commenting the quality of food seems to be increasing there.

On the other hand, I continue to hear negative comments on Taste of the Majors. Not only have the menu selections gone down this season, but it is consistently among the slowest service and have the most customer complaints.

After a six-game road trip, the Diamondbacks return to Chase Field for nine games, including three against the Padres, three with the Houston Astros, and finally three with the Giants, including a day game on Labor Day.

Get your tickets now for the second-to-last homestand of the 2010 season. The Diamondbacks are beginning to play better, and could be the spoiler that decides the National League’s playoff teams.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Just a day after the latest Diamondbacks bullpen implosion, the team was back on the field trying to avoid being swept by the red hot Cincinnati Reds.

With the Diamondbacks facing a left-handed pitcher, everyone expected changes to Arizona’s line-up.

Left-handed hitting catcher Miguel Montero was replaced by the right-handed hitting John Hester.

Left-handed outfielder Gerardo Parra was given the night off, replaced by right handed Rusty Ryal. These changes were not earth shattering by any means and were somewhat expected.

Ryal has been one of the pleasant surprises for the season. Entering Spring Training, he was considered a long shot to make the team.

Instead, he played himself into the 25-man roster being the last player to make the team.

Through the season he has shown his versatility playing left-field as well as first base and third base.

For the most part, he has played well defensively. There have been a few miscues but those are to be expected for a young player playing positions he may not be comfortable with in a game situation.

The question becomes, how does a team react when these miscues occur?

In the eighth inning of last night’s game we received an answer to that question, and it was not pretty.

With the Reds up 4-1 the game had been turned over to the bullpen. That in and of itself warrants fear in the hearts of Diamondbacks fans.

After a scoreless seventh inning where Blaine Boyer pitched flawlessly, the Diamondbacks called upon D.J. Carrasco to pitch the eighth. Carrasco got Jonny Gomes to line out to right field and Ramon Hernandez to ground out to third base.

The next batter was Jay Bruce. Carrasco got ahead in the count 1-2 then threw a slider to Bruce. Bruce hit a line drive to left field directly at Ryal, who had to make just a couple of steps forward to catch the ball.

As Ryal stood there waiting to catch the line drive, the other players began to move towards the dugout to begin the bottom half of the eighth.

Instead of Ryal catching the ball, it hit his glove in the pocket and fell to the turf. Bruce was safe on the Ryal error.

With new life, the Cincinnati Reds took advantage. Paul Janish walked on four straight pitches.

The next batter was pinch hitter Laynce Nix, who hit a single to Ryal, scoring Bruce. Carrasco then walked Brandon Phillips and allowed Drew Stubbs to single to center field scoring Janish and Nix.

The Diamondbacks were forced to change pitchers, bringing in Jordan Norberto to replace a suddenly ineffective Carrasco. Norberto gave up a double to Joey Votto scoring Phillips and Stubbs.

Finally, Scott Rolen grounded out to third base to end the inning.

In what should have been a one-two-three inning, the Diamondbacks allowed five runs, all unearned.

A 4-1 deficit was now 9-1, digging the offense an insurmountable hole. The Diamondbacks also used up another pitcher when they had to bring in Norberto to finish the inning.

Some may argue the Diamondbacks were behind three runs going into the inning, so this error didn’t have much meaning.

That might have been true, except for the fact that the Diamondbacks mounted a comeback of sorts scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth cutting the Reds lead to 9-5.

If the Ryal error had not occurred the Diamondbacks would have gone into the ninth inning with a 5-4 lead.

Given the bullpen’s struggles there is nothing to say that would not have disappeared too but we will never know.

Instead, the Diamondbacks dropped their fourth straight game and third consecutive this home stand.

In an unrelated note, I received clarification from the Arizona Diamondbacks on the season ticket renewal process.

The renewal packages mailed to current season ticket holders stated the third payment for those fans choosing the Extended Auto Pay was due Oct. 10. This is an error.

The actual deadline for the third payment is Oct. 30. The information is correct on the team’s web site but not in the printed materials sent to fans.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The announced attendance at last night’s game was 15,509. Looking around the stadium, that number appeared to be very generous. The upper deck was a veritable ghost town with minimal fans scattered around.

The lower deck was likewise sparsely filled. The first few rows of each section were occupied, as fans attempted to better their seats. Ushers did their due diligence trying to keep fans in the sections their tickets dictated, but it was a losing battle.

In the pre-game warm-ups, the players looked up into the stands and sighed. It would be another home game with no clear home field advantage. In a stadium as carnivorous as Chase Field, with a capacity of 48,500, a crowd of just over 15,000 made the place feel empty.

The public address announcer’s voice seemed to echo as the sound waves bounced off the empty seats. As a loyal Diamondbacks season ticket holder, it is almost painful to see the small crowds that attend the games.

As a realist, I completely understand. This team has not been good for nearly three years. While 2008 was not a bad season, you could argue after May of that year that the team has been on the decline.

Going into the second game of the Cincinnati Reds series, the Diamondbacks were 25.5 games out of first place. With over a month left in the season, it’s hard to get enthusiastic. Still, anything is possible on a given night—a fact I force myself to repeat to keep me coming back day after day.

I keep holding out hope that the changes being made to the Diamondbacks will make a difference. We will start to see improvement. I’m not looking for a miracle, just for a glimmer of hope that the worst is behind us.

Lately, it seemed as though the team was more focused. The beleaguered bullpen was starting to come around and the hitters seemed to be striking out less. Although these signs seemed minor, they were at least something.

Sadly, as has been the case for over two years, those rays of hope quickly disappeared, replaced by a new level of frustration. Tonight was the perfect example.

Leading by four runs with six outs remaining, the Diamondbacks turned the game over to the bullpen. The relievers gave up four runs in the eighth to tie the game and another four runs in the ninth to lose by a score of 11-7.

I sat there, stunned, as the Diamondbacks feebly went down in the bottom of the ninth in defeat. It is one thing to be blown out of a game. You can at least suggest they had a bad night. But watching night after night as a team finds new ways to lose makes you begin to question your sanity.

The Diamondbacks have gone through numerous changes, from three different managers to two different general managers to countless coach and player changes, yet the losing continues.

You would like to hope the team has a plan, but looking back at the past two-plus seasons, it’s hard to articulate what that plan is. Until someone can explain that and back it up with examples of success, the Diamondbacks will look back fondly when they could dray 15,000 fans to a game.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Many casual baseball fans unsafely assume that once the July 31st Trade Deadline has passed that players cannot be traded. This is of course false. I know you are asking yourself, “Well why do they have a trade deadline then if it really isn’t a deadline for making trades?”

The July 31st Trade Deadline represents the date in which teams can openly discuss any player in their systems and trade for any player in another team’s system. After the July 31st date teams can still make trades, there are just a few more steps involved.

Beginning August 1st, a player can be traded only after he clears waivers and can only be traded for a player who has also cleared waivers or is not on a team’s 40-man roster. Most teams will put their players on waivers hoping they will clear to allow them to make a trade subsequent to the July 31st deadline.

A player placed on waivers can be claimed. If he is claimed the current team can either work out a deal where the claiming team will take ownership of the player or the current team can elect to “pull back” the player meaning he is no longer on waivers. A player can only be pulled back one time.

If a player placed on waivers is claimed by more than one team, the team with the worst record has first chance to work out a deal. If a player is not claimed by any team he is referred to as “clearing waivers” at which point the team placing him on waivers is free to trade the player to any team.

The waiver process is a cat and mouse game. Teams will attempt to sneak players through hoping no one catches them. Teams will watch closely and there will be times when a team will claim a player just to keep a competitor from being able to trade for the player should he clear waivers.

There is some danger to this as the Diamondbacks found out during the 2007 season. After the July 31st deadline teams began placing players on waivers hoping to make deals in August. Pitcher Byung Hyun Kim and infielder Jeff Cirillo were both put on waivers.

The Diamondbacks thought the Dodgers or Rockies were interested in adding these two players so they made a waiver claim hoping to block any trades. Instead the current teams for Kim and Cirillo accepted the waiver claims and sent both players to Arizona who then had to find room on their 40-man roster for each. Waiver wire manipulation can become a full time job and can be kind of like playing the lottery.

Word was leaked out yesterday that the Arizona Diamondbacks had placed first baseman Adam LaRoche and second baseman Kelly Johnson on waivers to see whether anyone would make a claim and to gauge interest by teams wanting to trade for these veterans.

Both players passed through waivers without a claim. This means the Diamondbacks are now free to field trade requests for either of these players. That does not mean either of them will be traded, just that the process has been followed and they can be traded if the right deal comes forward.

Personally I doubt either player will be moved. Both like playing in Arizona despite the struggles the team has had this season. They have each expressed a desire of signing a long-term contract with the Diamondbacks.

The team seems less inclined to move any more players. Given the bounty they receive trading Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson, Chris Snyder, and Chad Qualls there is not as much of an incentive to make additional deals unless one comes along that they cannot pass up.

So for the next two weeks we’ll watch closely to see whether Johnson or LaRoche will finish the season in Sedona Red and black.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

At the conclusion of the third day of the amateur draft in June, the clock began ticking towards August 16. The significance of that date is that it represents the deadline for clubs to sign any of their draft picks to professional contracts. After this date a team can no longer negotiate with the player.

Any team unable to sign their first-round selection will be compensateedd with a supplementary pick in next year’s draft one spot below their draft slot. In the Diamondbacks case that would mean if they cannot sign their first-round selection, Barret Loux who was drafted sixth overall, the team would receive the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft.

This has some significance especially in the case of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Shortly after the June draft the team began negotiations and had found common ground on a contract. As part of the process Loux was given a physical, but he failed the physical as a result of arm problems.

The Diamondbacks rescinded their contract offer and the two sides began to distance themselves from each other.

Loux began playing in the Cape Cod League to show his arm was healthy, but Arizona seemed less than interested in how sound Loux was physically.

The 2010 draft had been classified as a rather weak draft class. After the first couple of picks it became a crapshoot trying to decide who warranted being drafted at a particular round or slot.

On the other hand, the 2011 draft appears to be shaping up to be fairly deep with better talent available.

While other teams rushed to sign their first-round picks, Arizona seems content to let time pass absolving them from making a wrong decision. Of course Loux is not the only draft choice unsigned by the Diamondbacks.

Arizona has 20 draft choices who have yet to sign a professional contracts. The Diamondbacks expect to be busy throughout the day leading up to the deadline hoping to sign as many of these players as possible.

Three players of particular interest are right-handed pitchers Blake Perry and James Green and outfielder Tyler Linton. Of these Linton is the most fascinating. At 6-3, 210 lbs Linton is tall and lean. He has tremendous athleticism and could play either center field or first base.

Linton who is a high school graduate of Charlotte Christian in Matthews, NC is a two-sport player with a football scholarship to North Carolina. Based upon his football options Linton has more leverage than your average 14th round draft pick.

If the Diamondbacks want his services they will need to go well over slot money in order for him to renounce his football scholarship.

Arizona has been down this road and has been creative in their signings, offering specific educational compensation to make sure the player still receives a college education. Don’t be surprised if Linton gets signed just before the deadline.

With nearly half of their draft picks still un-signed, the Diamondbacks plan on being busy today. Their internal goal is to sign at least two of the top six unsigned players.

From the sounds of things they should be able to accomplish that goal; unfortunately one of those won’t be first-round pick Loux.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Before the 2010 season began, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player development staff got together to create a plan for managing the team’s pitching staff. One of the items on their agenda was to determine the workload for their young starting pitching.

At the time, they were talking about Ian Kennedy, whom they traded for along with Edwin Jackson. Kennedy was coming off an injury and the team hoped to limit his total innings to 180. This limit allowed him to extend himself but also made sure he was not overworked to a point that could cause future injury.

The other members of the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff, Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson, and Rodrigo Lopez had all been workhorses in the past and did not need inning limits placed upon them. Brandon Webb, who came off an injury, would be monitored but no inning total would be established for him.

Now, with just under two months remaining in the 2010 season, things have definitely changed.

Webb has still not begun pitching to batters and it is looking more likely that he will not return this season. Edwin Jackson and Dan Haren have both been traded.

The starting pitching, which had looked solid, is now filled with question marks. What had been anticipated to be a mature and veteran presence is now filled with several pitchers having limited professional experience.

Lopez and Kennedy remain in the rotation and the Diamondbacks have added Joe Saunders, Barry Enright, and Daniel Hudson. Lopez and Saunders are not being subjected to inning totals, but the other three will all be closely monitored and shut down if totals are exceeded.

Going into Wednesday, August 11, Lopez leads the team with 146.2 innings. After his last outing in Milwaukee, Kennedy has 139 innings. Enright has now thrown 141.1 innings between Double-A Mobile and the Diamondbacks. Hudson has pitched 124.2 innings between Triple-A Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox, and the Diamondbacks.

Each of these three pitchers will be limited to 180 innings in total, meaning that Kennedy will throw 41 innings, Enright will throw 38.2 innings, and Hudson will throw 55.1 innings. If each pitcher goes seven innings, Kennedy will get six more starts, Enright will get five starts, and Hudson will get eight starts, including tonight.

These numbers most likely mean that none of the three young pitchers will be throwing in the final two weeks of the season. As rosters expand in September, look for the Diamondbacks to call up for pitching help to make these starts.

The most likely candidates to make these starts will be Kris Benson (assuming he comes back from injury), Bryan Augenstein, and Kevin Mulvey. Given the struggles each of these pitchers have had at the major league level, the last week of the season may see the starting pitchers last just once through the batting order and give the beleaguered bullpen the chance to either reduce their ERA or completely blow up.

Not exactly the end of the season any of us hoped for during spring training.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the final out of a very long game against the San Diego Padres where the Diamondbacks were drummed 10-1, the team gathered their things and headed to the airport to make the trip to Milwaukee for a three-game series with the Brewers after which they will travel to the nation’s capital for a three-game series with the Nationals.

That means it is time once again for another edition of the State of the Home Stand Address where I attempt to give a brief synopsis of the of the just concluded home stand. As always let’s begin with a disclaimer, the viewpoints expressed here are my own personal opinions and do not reflect the views of Major League Baseball, or any sane human being.

Any coherent thoughts either real or fictional are purely coincidental and are not meant to be taken internally. Should this happen please induce vomiting and immediately contact your doctor. Objects appearing in the blog may be closer than they appear. Your mileage may vary. Well that should protect us from any legal challenges that may arise.

This home stand began with a four-game series against the Washington Nationals. After a successful series against the Mets the Diamondbacks began the Nationals series with high hopes. Those hopes were quickly dashed. The four-game series with the Nationals ended with each team winning two games each.
In the first game former Diamondbacks pitcher Livan Hernandez shut down the Arizona offense in route to a 3-1 victory.

Game two saw the Chase Field debut for Joe Saunders who came over in the Dan Haren trade. Saunders threw a complete game allowing one run on five hits. The one run came in the first inning on a home run by Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

The third game saw a reversal of fortunes with the Nationals winning 7-2. Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy continued to struggle with his command and the Diamondbacks offense that looked so good the night before struggled mightily against Washington.

The final game of the series brought Barry Enright to the mound and he continued to show why the Diamondbacks are so high on his ability. Arizona won that game 8-4. All four Nationals runs came via solo home runs.

The first place San Diego Padres came to town for a three-game series that featured a tale of two teams going in opposite directions. Rather than an expected sweep by San Diego, Arizona would take two of three from the division-leading Padres including a dramatic game on Saturday.

Center fielder Chris Young would lead off the game with a home run to right field and would win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off home run to left field. Young would be just the fourth player in baseball history to accomplish that feat.

The attendance at Chase Field during this home stand saw an extreme fluctuation. During the Washington series the Diamondbacks would set a new low with just 15,670 fans in the stadium. During the San Diego series the Diamondbacks would see attendance of 48,946 to see the team retire the number of Luis Gonzalez.

The Diamondbacks continue to work on sponsorship deals. A new sign appeared after Monday’s game on the left field wall. The University of Phoenix joins Budweiser, Geico, and Purex on the wall making it nearly filled to center field.

There is not a lot to report with regards to concessions. Not much has changed since the last home stand. Hungry Hill still does not have spicy mustard and one employee admitted this was a cost saving measure. You can get spicy mustard at the Levy concessions but their hot dogs are not very good.

I have to admit, I have a new favorite food item at Chase Field, one that I am quickly becoming addicted to, cinnamon almonds at Cactus Corn. These are the most amazing snack I have ever eaten. For years I have smelled the cinnamon all around the concourse but have resisted due to the price.

This home stand I couldn’t resist and decided to try it. A small bag is $7 while a large is $12. As we went to purchase the vendor suggested coming back in 10 minutes for a fresh batch. When we did we were handed a warm container of freshly made almonds. There were amazing!

It’s about the only thing I think about now when I go to the ball game. That is the sign of a great product. I definitely suggest trying them yourself, you won’t regret it.

After the six-game road trip the Diamondbacks return to Chase Field to face the first-place Cincinnati Reds and the always tough Colorado Rockies. It should be a great home stand. So make arrangements now to come down to the ballpark and watch the Diamondbacks continue their role as spoiler to those teams hoping to make the post season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The NL Wire – A look into some worthy roster additions

This week’s edition features some up-and-coming pitchers as well as some names you may have heard of already but have never considered as a worthy additions to your fantasy squad. It may be time to take a flier on these guys, especially if you need to fill some holes for the stretch run or if you’re looking for a few keeper prospects.

Thomas Diamond, P – CHC – Owned in 0% of CBS leagues

The former Sun Belt Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year and 2004 first round draft pick of the Rangers is going to get a look by the Cubbies—hopefully to fill one of their back-end rotation spots. By trading Ted Lilly to Oz where he can hang with Dorothy, the Cubs opened up a spot to get a glimpse (hopefully) of the future. In addition to Lilly’s trade, Carlos Silva’s premature departure from his last start (irregular heartbeat) and his unclear status leaves a void in their rotation. 

Diamond was used exclusively as a starter by Triple-A Iowa this year and has already thrown 108 innings in 21 starts. He has posted 104 K’s with an ERA of 3.16 and a WHIP of 1.22 in those starts. 

He was impressive in his first major league outing and lived up to his billing as a strikeout pitcher. He rung up ten Brewers in six innings, but the Cubs offense could not back him up. Diamond ended up taking the loss while the Cubs dropped yet another one-run game and now stand at 13-25 on the season in those games. Diamond will get a second shot at his long-awaited first victory this week against Cincinnati on Sunday. As long as he remains in the rotation, Diamond is worth a flier in deeper fantasy leagues and without a doubt in all keeper leagues.  

Barry Enright, P – ARI – Owned in 13% of CBS leagues

Enright quietly moved into the Diamondbacks’ rotation and represents the winds of change out in the desert. As Arizona looks to build for the future (again), they have assembled an arsenal of young arms in Joe Saunders, Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson. Enright was summoned to the big league club in June and has done an admirable job of holding down his rotation spot. In six starts he has a 2.77 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP with a 25:13 K to BB ratio. Unfortunately the D’backs have not put him in position to win very many games and therefore, he has two wins to show for his efforts. 

Enright showed plenty of promise in his ascent through the minor leagues compiling 346 K’s in 431.3 innings with only 92 free passes allowed. In two+ years as a starter in the minors, he has improved on his ERA from 4.42 to 3.98 to 2.89 (1.03 WHIP) before his call-up this season.  

Enright has given up three earned runs or more only once this season and went eight innings a few weeks ago against the anemic Mets offense with a season high eight K’s. There is surely enough promise here for the former second round pick of Arizona to ride him through this season and next season in keeper leagues.  

R.A. Dickey, P – NYM – Owned in 56% of CBS leagues

Unlike most of the other players mentioned here, Dickey is far from a rising star or a top prospect. Everyone knows the saga of the 35-year old journeyman knuckleballer. Dickey bounced between the bullpen and starting rotation in the AL (Twins, Mariners, Rangers) for quite a few years. Last year he posted the lowest ERA of his career for the Twins, a less than inspiring 4.63 to go with a robust 1.62 WHIP. In 34 games (one start) Dickey had 42 K’s to go along with 30 bases on balls.  

He signed a minor league deal with the Mets and put up decent numbers for the Triple-A Buffalo affiliate this year. In eight starts he had two complete games; a 2.24 ERA along with a miniscule 1.04 WHIP. If that’s not convincing enough, he had a mind-blowing 37:8 K:BB ratio. It was only a matter of time before he was called up to replace one of the many struggling Mets starters.  

That time came back in May when most scoffed at the notion of wasting a roster spot on Dickey (including yours truly). But all he has done since is to solidify his spot in the rotation with a number of impressive performances (most recently a 4-hit/0 ER 8.1 inning outing against STL).  Dickey is 7-4 with a 2.36 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 64:28 K:BB ratio in 99 IP (15 starts—averaging almost 7 innings per start). It’s time to forget history and hop onboard the Dickey express if he’s still available in your league.  

Honorable Mention:

Aaron Heilman, RP – ARI – Owned in 8% of CBS leagues

De facto closer in Arizona since Chad Qualls was traded to TB and Juan Gutierrez was placed on the DL. He has a respectable 3.30 ERA with 37 K’s in 49 IP and has been more solid as of late.

Ian Desmond, SS – WAS – Owned in 31% of CBS leagues

Possesses a decent mix of power and speed for a SS (7 HR’s/9 SB’s). Batting .370 over his last eight games after putting up 3 HR’s/12 RBI/3 SB’s in July while batting .300.

Tom Gorzelanny, SP – CHC – Owned in 36% of CBS leagues

When Big Z went AWOL, Gorzelanny was thrust back into the starting rotation. Since then he has four W’s in six starts with 33 K’s. Overall as a starter he has six W’s and 3.63 ERA with 82 K’s in 86.2 IP.   

Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow Rosti on Twitter @TheSportsFariah for more great NL Only advice!

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MLB Fantasy Baseball Second Half Ranks: Third Base

MLB Fantasy Baseball Post ASB Positional Ranks: Catcher

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