Kuzul

The first somewhat significant trade of the 2010 season took place yesterday between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland A’s.

I say somewhat because no major names were involved, but I think it was a trade that could help both teams.

Yesterday, the Diamondbacks traded OF/1B Conor Jackson to the A’s for minor league RHP Sam Demel. Here is what both teams got.

As you probably have heard me say throughout the years here, Conor Jackson sounds and looks like a guy who should hit .300 with 30 HRs and 110 RBI every year. Unfortunately, he was never that guy and more so now after suffering from valley fever last year.

In his first three full years in the majors, Jackson averaged .292/.371/.451 with 14 home runs, which is pretty respectable. However, last year Jackson suffered from a rare case of valley fever and saw his hitting line dip to .182/.264/.253 with one HR in 30 games.

Things haven’t been that much better for Jackson in 2010, as he has gotten off to a .238/.326/.331 with one HR start. Jackson has done well against lefties, however, as he has hit .300 with an .833 OPS against southpaws this year.

Jackson does represent an upgrade for the A’s over Eric Patterson in left. Patterson was hitting only .210 with a .262 OBP in 42 games. The A’s could use any upgrade they can find on offense, as they rank 12th in the American League in runs scored and 11th in OPS.

As for the Diamondbacks, I believe this is the first of many moves to come. It wouldn’t shock me to see them unload Kelly Johnson or Adam LaRoche in the near future.

What they get in this trade is a 24-year-old right-handed reliever who posted a 1.26 ERA and 28 K’s in 28.2 IP for Triple-A Sacramento this year. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen is the worst in baseball this year, so any sort of fresh arm is greatly welcomed. If Demel proves himself at the major league level, he could find himself as the Diamondbacks’ closer of the future.

Good trade for both teams.

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Bud Selig didn’t do the Arizona Diamondbacks any favors this season.

With 12 games in the next 13 days against four of the best teams in the American League, the D-Backs are set to become proverbial, and perhaps even literal, punching bags.

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Dontrelle Willis was a young phenom with the Florida Marlins in 2002. Now, he is turning into a journeyman in the MLB.

Willlis was like Stephen Strasburg when he made his debut. He had a marvelous rookie year and was the ace of the Marlins’ pitching staff.

In 2005, Dontrelle had 22 wins, but didn’t win the National League Cy Young. He should have won though.

Then in 2007, Willis wanted to be traded from Florida. After that season he got his wish and was traded to the Detroit Tigers.

Willis wasn’t like he was in Florida with the Tigers. During his tenure with Detroit he was demoted to the minors at one point. Some people in Detroit wanted Dontrelle to be traded after his first year.

The Tigers kept Dontrelle, but it turned out to be the wrong choice.

Throughout 2008, Willis was horrible for the Tigers. In a game against Cleveland, he walked nine batters.

Then in 2009, he took a blood test and was tested positive for anxiety disorder. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list to get treatment for that. Upon returning from the DL, he started nine games, and he was horrible again.

Once again, Willis was put on the disabled list with the same issue of anxiety. 2009 turned out to be one of the worst years of his career.

Dontrelle Willis made his first start for Detroit this year and he look improved. He went six innings, allowed two runs, and had a no decision. After that start though, Dontrelle went back to his old self.

On May 30th, Willis was sent down to the minors. Two days later Dontrelle had to pack his bags.

Turns out, Willis was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 1st.

In his Diamondbacks debut, he pitched six scoreless innings. It looked like Dontrelle was rejuvenated and back to his great self when he was with Florida.

I think Dontrelle Willis will be let go by the Diamondbacks after this season. Look for him to be back to his inconsistent self and be a journeyman in the MLB for the rest of his career.

I hope Dontrelle improves, but he hasn’t done it yet.

Dontrelle Willis had all of the hype to be one of the best pitchers of the decade, but he couldn’t live up to the expectations.

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In 2010, the Arizona Diamondbacks are 3-28 when scoring four or less runs.

Without much further investigation, it was safe to say that Arizona needed to pick up some additional help on the mound (no, Dontrelle Willis is not going to cut it).

And that’s just what General Manager Josh Byrnes did.

His first eight, I repeat eight , picks at this year’s draft were pitchers. 

“We are extremely excited about the quality of arms we were able to select throughout the draft,” D-Backs’ Scouting Director Tom Allison told foxsportsarizona.com.

Here are a few notes on some of Arizona’s more prominent selections.

RHP Barret Loux (No. 6 pick overall)

The junior pitcher from Texas A&M shot up analysts’ draft boards after posting a 2.60 ERA this season in the hotly contested Big 12.

On Monday, just hours after being drafted, Loux gave up three runs in one inning in a regional game against No. 11 Miami. 

Loux throws a low-90s fastball, mixed in with a devastating change-up.

Major League Projection: Two or three starter with a debut coming in 2011

RHP James Bradley (No. 56 pick overall)

The 18-year-old prep play from West Virginia is a North Carolina State signee with similar stuff to Loux. 

Major League Projection: Back-end starter with a debut in 2013

RHP Robert Rowland (No. 88 pick overall)

Another prep pitcher, this time out of California.

The 6’6″ Oregon signee has a dominating presence on the mound that resembles the likes of San Diego pitcher Chris Young. 

Major League Projection: If the D-Backs can sign him, he’s got the stuff to be a front of the rotation starter someday.

RHP Kevin Munson (No. 121 pick overall)

Finally, a reliever to help out the worst bullpen in the big leagues (7.19 ERA).

Munson, as the closer for James Madison University, went 8-1 with 10 saves during his junior campaign.

Major League Projection: With his above-average fastball/slider mix and durable arm, Munson could find his way into the dismal D-Backs pen fairly early on. Possibly as early as September, when the roster expands.

LHP Cody Wheeler (No. 151 pick overall)

Junior out of No. 4 Coastal Carolina University had a 12-0 record with a 3.59 ERA this season.

His team is two wins away from reaching the College World Series, so look out for him on ESPN if CCU should make it to Omaha. 

Major League Projection: Many projected Wheeler to be taken in the first day of the draft as a big league ready arm. Wheeler, like Munson, could find himself in a D-Backs uniform before 2010 ends.

INF Raoul Torrez (No. 631 pick overall)

Quite a big jump to Torrez here.

The senior leader for top-ranked Arizona State University can play any infield position with superb defense. 

He struggled at the plate a little bit this year, only batting .283, but Torrez has above-average speed that will help him find a way to get on base in the big leagues.

Major League Projection: Think of him as a possible future Augie Ojeda; platoon player extraordinaire.  

RHP Ryan Zimmerman (No. 901 pick overall)

Don’t get too excited here D-Backs fans, the name is just a bit of coincidence.

The senior starter for Northwestern State University went 6-5 this season with a 3.74 ERA.

Major League Projection: Doomed to a life of disappointing people when they realize he’s not that Ryan Zimmerman. 

Draft Grade: B-

Arizona might have reached a bit for Loux. ESPN had him ranked way lower at No. 42 overall. All in all, the D-Backs went out and tried to fix their most glaring weakness; drafting pitchers with 25 out of their 50 picks. 

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  If you are looking for one reason why the Colorado Rockies lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Saturday night in Phoenix, look no further than manager Jim Tracy.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks are bad.

I mean really bad. 

They are 22nd in team batting average, and dead last in team ERA (thanks in large part to the 7.51 ERA of their less-than-outstanding bullpen).

Recently, even Diamondbacks Managing Partner Ken Kendrick apologized for the squad’s lack of productivity. 

“When the team is playing as badly as this team is, and we’ve had a consistent period of questionable performance going back into a full season last year and the second half of the ’08 season,” Kendrick told azcentral.com .

“You really need to look very broadly at everything and try to objectively determine what kind of changes you really want to make. We’re going to go through that process.”

So what can be done to right the ship? 

Probably nothing, aside from building for next year.

But hey, that won’t stop me from offering up a few poignant suggestions. 

1. Bring in Jennie Finch

Like I said before, the D-Backs are dead last in team ERA. 

No team is ever going to win when the pitching staff gives up six runs a game.

Enter Finch.

The University of Arizona softball alumni was a three-time All-American pitcher in college, during which time she threw an astonishing 64 complete game shutouts. 

Finch went on to headline the U.S. national team for a number of years, including a 2-0 record and gold medal finish at the 2004 Summer Olympics. 

I see a move to the big leagues being a relatively easy transition for the superstar, partly because no batter has ever seen anything like her underhand pitching style before (save for maybe Byung-Hyun Kim’s submarine delivery).

If you have read this far and wondered why I haven’t mentioned her ridiculously stunning looks yet, this is my acknowledgment of that blatantly obvious perk to the potential signing.

But really, she has to be better than Chad Qualls. 

2. Hire John Calipari 

It might take $5 million a year, but I think he’s worth it. 

The man who has taken three different schools to the Elite Eight, or further, is the single best recruiter in the country.

Calipari always gets his guy.

Yes, he may not know much about baseball, but really, is managing that hard?

Not to mention, he’d probably lure the best staff of assistants in the game. 

Arizona would immediately become a destination for top-flight free agents, rather than a last resort for aging journeymen. 

3.  Sign LeBron James

Personally, I’d just give King James a blank check and tell him to write whatever number he wants on it. 

Actually, while I were at it, I would sign over the whole state of Arizona to him (it’s in complete debt anyways). 

The publicity and sheer excitement the King would bring to the Grand Canyon State would be overwhelmingly worth every penny.

Rumors have floated around for years that if James really wanted to, he could be a tight end or wide receiver in the NFL.

So, why not baseball too?

He’s certainly athletic enough. 

I’m sure if you stuck him in a batting cage for 10 minutes, he’d be hitting big flies in no time. 

Stick James in center field, and you’ve got a perennial Gold Glover as well.

Plus, no catcher in their right mind would try to block the plate with a 6’8″, 250-pound locomotive barreling down on them.

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The 2007 season was truly magical for me as a baseball fan. For me, it rivaled 2001. Obviously it was very different, but still magical.

It is well known that the Diamondbacks were a statistical anomaly. They allowed more runs than they scored. They were an absurd 32-20 in one run games. They had the lowest team batting average (.250) in the National League. Outside of Brandon Webb, no starter on the staff had an ERA under 4.25.

Ninety wins, a division champion team, and a playoff sweep of the Chicago Cubs. This was a very successful season. Unfortunately, it was the success in 2007 and then the 20-8 start to the 2008 season that led to where the team now finds itself.

How is this?

Well, how I recall it, when Josh Byrnes was hired as general manager in 2005, there was an organizational plan. The plan was to develop minor league talent and then rely on that talent to contribute at the major league level. There would be strict salary budgeting, so to live through the debt left from the championship team. There would be no big splashes in free agency, and there was the expectation that success was a long term goal. Improvement each year was the goal, but to win the division was probably 3-4 years away.

The 2007 season and 2008 start of the season changed some plans. Decisions were made to try and return to the postseason. It turns out that the success that I viewed as magical was as much as an anomaly as the statistics were. It was fool’s gold, a fluke.

First was the trade for Dan Haren. Now, I don’t question this move because it has worked out well for the most part.

However, it cost the team Carlos Quentin (the player, Chris Carter, who came to Arizona from the White Sox for Quentin, was in the deal), Carlos Gonzalez (the prize prospect who now is playing very well in the majors), Brett Anderson (11-11 last season and 2-1 this season with 1.88 ERA), Dana Eveland (who is in the majors, but has not been much), Greg Smith (also pitching in the majors, albeit only OK), and Aaron Cunningham (no real major league impact yet).

The bullpen, which was so brilliant in the 2007 season, was overhauled. Jose Valverde was traded for Chad Qualls, Juan Gutierrez, and Chris Burke.

This was a calculated risk that I agreed with in part. Valverde was volatile and was looking for a big payday.

Historically, closers come and go. The sell high principle was the plan. Too bad that Chris Burke was the worst player ever to put on a Diamondback uniform, neither Brandon Lyon nor Chad Qualls have been solid closers, and Juan Gutierrez is Tony Peña reincarnated (dynamite and unhittable at the start, then an erratic gas can).

In hindsight, it seems that keeping the team’s strength together would have been a better plan, especially since the past two seasons have shown the bullpen to be the fatal flaw in the team.

Then were three ill-fated trades in the 2008 season, intended to bolster the bullpen and add needed power to the lineup so that they could win the division. Jon Rauch (Jon “Ouch”) was acquired for Emilio Bonifacio (who was slated to be the replacement for Orlando Hudson at second base) and Adam Dunn for Micah Owings.

Trying to recreate the bench magic from the previous year, the team traded Scott Hairston for Tony Clark. Hairston, while not spectacular, has been a contributor in San Diego.

To make matters worse, after obtaining Dunn before he was to become a free agent, the plan was to get back compensatory draft picks when he signed elsewhere, but then the team did not offer him arbitration, thus losing the picks.

Rauch turned out to be a disaster and was traded at the end of 2009 season, netting pitcher Kevin Mulvey, who has done nothing with the team so far.

Tony Peña, the seventh-inning lock in 2007, was traded for first baseman Brandon Allen, who has not shown he can hit big league pitching.

This past offseason brought reliever Aaron Heilman for prospect Scott Maine.

Now I understand that sometimes you have to trade prospects because you can never count on them all to be solid major league players.

The issue I am seeing now is that management got caught up in trying to recreate something that was simply a fluke.

They should have seen that, after April 2008, the team was simply showing its true colors. Instead of bailing on the long term plan to try and win in 2008, had they stayed the course, the past two years would not have been so miserable. Perhaps they would not have been great, but they should have been improving.

Now it appears that we will be starting over again, which is always a painful process.

At the very least, I can only imagine that we would not be experiencing the disaster that is the 2010 season. It has gotten to the point that I will start watching games for the comedic value—how will they lose next? It’s time for a new plan, and it stinks.

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A bad bullpen was something most Diamondbacks are unfortunately used to watching—the unit has an ERA over 6.00 and is unarguably the worst bullpen in all of baseball.

With a bad bullpen, there are a lot of ways for a team to lose and choke in a game with a strong lead—but did anyone really expect a “walk-off balk” for a way the D’backs could lose another game?

Well, I certainly am disappointed, but I really can’t say I’m surprised.

With the game tied 4-4 in the ninth inning, Diamondbacks reliever Esmerling Vasquez balked home the game-winning run after being—take key note on this—”distracted” by the Dodgers’ Casey Blake, who was “dancing” off of third base.

Yes, the Diamondbacks lost a game because their relief pitcher got “distracted” by a player on 3rd, causing a “balk” which sent the team to their 8th straight loss. Sounds very Little League eh?

A “walk-off balk” is a rare feat, according to STATS Inc, it was the first one of its kind since 2008 when Colorado’s Taylor Bucholtz balked home current Diamondback Kelly Johnson. Meanwhile for the storied Dodgers, it was the second time since 1969 the team had one on a “walk-off balk,” and the first since the Mets’ Roger McDowell balked home a run in 1989.

This unfortunately is the kind of baseball us Diamondback fans (or at least the one’s that still consider themselves “fans”) are reduced to watching—and this unfortunately is what we will be stuck with for the rest of the Summer.

The team’s lack of hitting so far this year (Arizona went 13-91 in a 3-game series in San Francisco against the Giants over the weekend), along with the dismal and embarrassingly terrible bullpen has been a recipe for disaster.

However, losing a game on a balk has got to top all those blown leads, bullpen meltdowns, 3-57 slumps in the batter’s box, and all the other rubbish baseball us Diamondback fans have been subjected to this season.

Seriously, a walk-off balk after being distracted by Casey Blake on 3rd? That occurring in the Major Leagues? You have got to be kidding me.

I know I probably shouldn’t be making fun of a Major League pitcher, as I myself will never come close to playing in a baseball league of some sort—but for a guy who is being paid by a franchise struggling for cash to lose a game on a “balk” due to a distraction from a runner, this is just plain rubbish from what we supposedly call a “Major Leaguer.”

You have got to be kidding me.

This easily has to be one of the most embarrassingly-bad moments for this franchise, even though the whole 2004 season may have a say in that.

From a team that won a World Series in just their 4th year of experience, a team that was for a while during the 2007 season “baseball’s model franchise”—all of those moments of goodwill have been easily eclipsed by this awful play and it is now something that has changed my perception of the Diamondback franchise. 

That’s how bad things have gotten in Phoenix.

And somehow, I do feel we will see worse losses from the D’backs as the season rolls on, this team has “1962 Mets” written all over it. Well maybe they won’t finish with a 42-120 record like the Mets did that year, but I’m sure they have the potential to be that bad.

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Entering June in the cellar of the National League West, the D-Backs are currently riding an eight-game losing streak (including a walk-off balk given up by pitcher Esmerling Vasquez).

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Arizona State University baseball team recently received news that they will be the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming 64-team NCAA Baseball Tournament.

So that got me thinking. Given the fact that ASU has one of the strongest pipelines to the Major Leagues, who would win a weekend series between these two clubs?

To keep things fair, I must note that I am assuming the college team would continue to use aluminum bats, while the pro team would stick with wood.

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With the Phoenix Suns now eliminated from the NBA Playoffs, the Phoenix Coyotes now focusing on a bleak future in Arizona, and a general declining interest for the Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State football in their upcoming seasons, the attention for many Phoenix and Arizona sports fans has shifted to the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks.

And boy, it isn’t pretty.

The Diamondbacks, a team some picked to be a dark horse contender in the National League West this season, are currently last in the National League West, sporting a 20-30 record. They’re 6.5 games behind the fourth place Rockies.

The team also has the second worst record in the National League, tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Only the Astros have a worse record in the NL.

Arizona has lost 6-straight. And things are not looking up for the Diamondbacks.

The team has had struggled in most areas, particularly on offense. Arizona is hitting a dismal .254 collectively, and has a total of 458 strikeouts.

Stephen Drew’s good .299 average is the highest among position players. But no one is hitting .300. The offense has gone totally stagnant, a far cry from when Arizona was among the league leaders in hitting early in the season.

The team’s offensive struggles have been highlighted so far in their current series against the Giants. The team has hit a collective 3-for-57 in the first two games against San Francisco. They were even one-hit by San Francisco pitcher Matt Cain on Friday.

One of the three hits was a solo home run by Rusty Ryan, a role player that was inserted into the lineup last night by Hinch.

Ryal has been a bright spot on the team. He’s done an admirable job coming off the bench and making the most of his opportunities, as evidenced last night.

However, others are not so optimistic about the team’s future.

“I sense a ton of frustration on our team and we’re not responding perfectly, but I don’t think there’s a lack of effort or a lack of will,” D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said. “I just think there is a lack of answers.”

The bullpen has also been a concern for the Diamondbacks and their fans. Just like last year, the relief pitching has done little to make Arizona fans happy. For awhile, they kept blowing one save after another. As a fan, even a 3-0 lead in the seventh didn’t feel safe.

To be very honest, I have lost count of the exact number of games the relief pitching has blown. A gradual lack of interest to the Diamondbacks and playoff runs by both the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Coyotes have lead to my hazy memory. But just looking at the statistics, boy is it ugly.

Closer Chad Qualls was part of the trade that sent former closer (and a solid one for the Diamondbacks) Jose Valverde to Houston. It’s just one of the heavily scrutinized moves general manager Josh Byrnes has made in his time as the D’back GM..

Qualls has saved nine games. That’s not a bad amount, but it does get worse. Qualls has a 7.02 ERA, three blown saves, and has not looked comfortable on the mound.

Relief pitcher Juan Gutierrez, who was solid last year, has an 0-4 record and a 10.00 ERA . Gutierrez gave up the grand slam which eventually caused Arizona to drop a 6-5 game against the Braves in Atlanta.

He’s has also four rough outings in his last six appearances , which includes that game in Atlanta. He also gave up two home runs and four runs total in 0.2 innings against the Rockies in Denver on Wednesday.

For much of the season, the bullpen had a collective ERA of over 7.00 . They are easily the worst relief unit in baseball.

While Jon Rauch consistently damaged the Diamondbacks hope of even making it a competitive season last year, Gutierrez has been a sore spot this season.

Despite a clear need for improving the bullpen, no general change occurred during the off-season, a clear sign that this current front office (in particular GM Josh Byrnes and to a slight degree manager AJ Hinch) have to step it up, or else changes will be needed.

The Diamondbacks starting pitching has been one solid area for the team.  Ian Kennedy, in particular, has stepped up.

Kennedy, who the Diamondbacks got in a three team deal with the Tigers and Yankees (Arizona got Kennedy from New York), has flourished in a tamer market. He has a 3.41 ERA.

Among Kennedy’s gems include two shutouts against the Houston Astros and the division-leading San Diego Padres. Haren has been decent, while Edwin Jackson has improved since starting slow.

However, with a bad bullpen, the starting pitching can only go as far. And the starting pitching unit has largely been a victim of the bad bullpen and the shaky offense.

From an on-field standpoint, there has to be changes to be done for the Diamondbacks as a team. From an organization many said had a great chance at becoming baseball’s next dynasty, an organization that many boasted had the best farm system just in 2005 to now an underachieving and in general a morbid franchise, it’s clear that the current regime has failed. And the players once regarded as the next “stars” of baseball (aka Chris Young and Connor Jackson and others) have largely flopped.

From a 92-70 season in 2007, which was good enough to make the Diamondbacks the best National League team in that regular season, the decline has been obvious. The Diamondbacks started out well in 2008, having a Major League-best 20-8 record after April. But the team largely declined and slipped to an 82-80 record, finishing behind the Dodgers in the division. Last year was worse. The team largely flopped and finished 67-95 and last in the division.

Fixing this problem will be hard and will require a long process. The farm system has largely transformed into one of baseball’s worst, and there is little chance the Diamondbacks will try and trade prospects to get a potential top-line bat this deadline.

The team is too far out from contention to risk such a move. A move like that failed just in 2008.  Adam Dunn was brought to Arizona with hopes to keep the Diamondbacks on top in the division and to counter the Dodgers’ trade for Manny Ramirez, but that move failed, and Dunn is now enjoying a career renaissance in Washington while the Diamondbacks got him for nothing.

Meanwhile, there isn’t much the Diamondbacks franchise right now that will attract other teams enough to give some prospects back to Arizona. Maybe Dan Haren, but is he really the game-changing pitcher he was when the Diamondbacks traded a good package for him back in 2008?

Justin Upton? Maybe he’s the closest, but do you really expect the Diamondbacks just to give him away for prospects just after signing him to a 6-year deal this off-season in hopes of becoming their franchise player.

Mark Reynolds? He’s a legitimate bat, but he strikes out too much and his defense at 3rd base is still a little suspect.

The Diamondbacks don’t enjoy the luxury the Houston Astros enjoy, be a bad team but have an extremely enticing player which would attract a good package of prospects in return, in Houston’s case Roy Oswalt. That is unfortunate for the Diamondbacks, who are in dire need of new blood in the farm system.

Another key issue is just what to do with Brandon Webb, who when healthy has a devastating sinker and has proven to be one of the best pitchers in the National League, but has had injury issues the past two seasons. In fact, his last start was on Opening Day last year, where he lasted only a mere 5 innings.

It was hoped Webb would finally get healthy at the start of the season, and come back and help give Arizona a legitimate 1-2-3 with Haren, Edwin Jackson and Webb, but his shoulder issues have largely not left him, and it is still unclear when he will return.

The issue with Webb: Should the Diamondbacks take a gamble and resign Webb to a lucrative deal, even with the injury concerns, or should they let him walk when his contact ends?

For a money starved franchise, a franchise that has faced financial troubles since former owner Jerry Colangelo literally bought the team the 2001 World Series title, only to see the team succumb to a 51-111 record on the heels of immense debt and financial problems.

Is it a gamble worth taking? That probably is the biggest decision the Diamondbacks can make in this rebuilding process, it is a move that can either hurt or help the franchise.

But one thing is clear.  Massive changes are needed in Arizona, in preference trying to give new blood to a shaky farm system. The team’s major struggles so far this season have proven that.

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