Arizona Diamondbacks 2008 Preview

The Diamondbacks may have arrived a year ahead of schedule in 2007, when they won the NL West with an everyday lineup that featured three rookies and a $52 million on-field payroll, but they bolstered their shot at being a decade-long contender by acquiring Dan Haren, who with Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson (if healthy) could provide the best 1-2-3 punch in the league.

Rotation 
The D-Backs conjured visions of the good old days by adding the durable Haren in an eight-player deal with Oakland. Webb and Haren give the D-Backs a combination that could prove as valuable as Johnson and Curt Schilling, who led the D-Backs to the 2001 World Series. Webb has finished first and second in the last two NL Cy Young votes and has added a changeup and a breaking ball to his state-of-the-art sinking fastball, which is arguably the best in the major leagues. With the added breaking stuff giving hitters more to worry about, Webb had a career-high 194 strikeouts in 2007 while posting a 42-inning scoreless streak, tied for the 12th-longest in major league history. Haren had an AL-high 28 quality starts last season and is one of three pitchers — Webb and Johan Santana are the others — to throw at least 215 innings in each of the last three seasons. Johnson returns after another back surgery, this one in August, on the same disk that was operated on in October 2006. Johnson reminded the league how dominant he could be in a healthy stretch in which he was 4–0 with a 1.52 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 29.2 innings from May 15-June 10. Doug Davis stepped up when Johnson went out in the second half, winning seven of his first eight decisions after the All-Star break while making eight quality starts. Featuring a cut fastball and breaking stuff, Davis tests a hitter’s patience. Micah Owings, who had a strong rookie year on the mound and at the plate, rounds out the rotation after a season in which he was third among NL rookies with eight victories and second with 152.2 innings and 106 strikeouts. Righthanders Edgar Gonzalez and Yusmeiro Petit are fall-back candidates if Johnson’s back acts up again.

Statistician
-20	Run differential in 2007, when the Diamondbacks scored 712 runs and gave up 732.
12	Pinch-hit home runs in 2007, a major league high.
30	Consecutive steals by Eric Byrnes, the longest such streak in the majors last season.
2	Number of four-hit games by Micah Owings, the first for a pitcher since Whitey Ford in 1953.
16	D-Backs’ rank in batting average and in batting average with runners in scoring position last season.

Bullpen 
Tony Peña, Brandon Lyon and newcomer Chad Qualls may each get a chance at the closer’s job vacated by Jose Valverde, who was traded to Houston after leading the majors with 47 saves. The D-Backs made the move believing 1) Valverde’s value would never be higher and 2) they have the arms to replace him. Peña has been touted as a closer type since his arrival in the majors in July 2006, and he has the fastball-slider combination that plays well in that role. Qualls has the same package, and Lyon was extremely effective as the D-Backs’ closer in the first seven weeks of 2005 (13 saves in 14 chances) before suffering an elbow injury that kept him out for three months. He has been a superb setup man since and had 35 holds last season. Doug Slaten has developed into a quality left-handed specialist, while Juan Cruz seems to have found his niche as a two-inning man, averaging 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings last season. Gonzalez is the top candidate to be the long man and serve as Johnson insurance.

Middle Infield 
Second baseman Orlando Hudson has won three consecutive Gold Gloves, two in his two years with the D-Backs, and with shortstop Stephen Drew, gives the D-Backs strong defense up the middle, especially important behind sinker-baller Webb. Hudson was on his way to a career offensive year before suffering a left thumb injury that caused him to miss the final month but still set personal highs in stolen bases and walks. Drew had 12 hits in 31 postseason at-bats, a signal that his bat caught up to its potential after a so-so first full year (.238) in the majors.

Corners 
First baseman Conor Jackson, third baseman Mark Reynolds and swingman Chad Tracy give the D-Backs three starters for the two positions, and it is likely that Tracy will be a near-regular inasmuch as he is the only left-handed hitter among the three. Jackson set a career high in doubles last season, and the D-Backs believe his power will come. Reynolds has big-time power and is a smooth defender, while Tracy also has big pop.

Outfield 
The D-Backs have quality throughout. Left fielder Eric Byrnes is coming into his own after a superb 2007 season in which he became the 11th player in major league history to have 20 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same year and also won a Fielding Bible award as the best left field defender. Given the green light, Byrnes learned to use his speed to its fullest. Center fielder Chris Young became the first rookie in major league history to have 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases and also learned to utilize his plus-plus speed after being encouraged to run more in the second half while settling in as the leadoff hitter. Justin Upton, the first player taken in the 2005 June draft, was a single short of becoming the youngest player in major league history to hit for the cycle in his home debut Aug. 7. Upton is still learning the outfield, but his bat is more than enough to carry him during the process.

Catching 
Chris Snyder matured into a solid offensive player and a team leader while posting a career year in 2007. Snyder set personal highs in home runs (13), RBIs (47) and doubles (20) and hit .316 against lefthanders. He also immerses himself in scouting reports and opponents’ tendencies in order to keep his pitching staff well-prepared for a night’s work. 

Bench
Clubhouse leader and top pinch-hitter Tony Clark left via free agency, but the D-Backs believe they have the bats to fill the pinch-hitting part of the equation in Tracy, backup catcher Miguel Montero and reserve outfielder Jeff Salazar. Montero hit three pinch homers in 2007, tying Clark for the team high. Salazar is a plus defender at all three outfield positions and made the defensive play of the year in 2007, extending three feet over the right field fence to take a home run away from Brian Giles. Infielder Augie Ojeda and infielder/outfielder Chris Burke add quality depth.

Statline Highest Slugging Percentage by Pitcher with 50+ ABs
1.	Micah Owings, 2007	.683
2.	Charlie Hickman, 1899	.651
3.	Don Newcombe, 1955	.632
4.	Carl Scheib, 1951	.623
5.	Wes Ferrell, 1931	.621

Management 
Recognizing the giant steps forward on and off the field, managing general partner Ken Kendrick and partner Jeff Moorad reworked the contracts of team president Derrick Hall, GM Josh Byrnes and other front office personnel in the offseason, when manager Bob Melvin also received an extension through 2010. The D-Backs are almost done making the deferred payments that were a staple of the previous regime, freeing up more money in coming seasons.

Final Analysis 
Byrnes and his staff have done a remarkable job of acquiring talent for need — Young, Hudson and Eric Byrnes (2006), Davis and Johnson (2007) and now Haren — and have positioned this club to be a contender for the long haul, even with a payroll in the mid-$70 million range for the next few years.

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Difference Maker

Dan Haren prides himself on durability and aggressiveness, and the numbers bear him out. In addition to being the only major leaguer with at least 34 starts each of the last three years, Haren broke Rube Waddell’s 102-year-old A’s franchise record by averaging 3.91 strikeouts for every walk in 2006. His ratio last year was 3.49:1. The D-Backs plan to insert him behind Webb in the rotation and can only smile when envisioning him against lineups that feature one less hitter. Haren is so affordable it is scary — he is owed only $16.25 million through 2010, including a team option.

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Beyond the Box Score

Running a deficit The D-Backs became the sixth team in major league history to make a postseason appearance while scoring fewer runs than they permitted when they scored 712 and gave up 732 in 2007. They joined Kansas City (1981, 1984), Minnesota (1987), San Francisco (1997) and San Diego (2005) in that feat, and were the only team besides Minnesota to win a postseason series. With an NL-best 90–72 record, the D-Backs were the first team in modern history to have the best record in their league with a negative run differential.

Quite a homecoming NL Silver Slugger winner Micah Owings had four hits — two home runs, a double and a single — six RBIs and four runs in a 12–6 victory over Atlanta, which is an hour southwest of his Gainesville, Ga., home, on Aug. 18. Owings also struck out seven in seven innings and was the winning pitcher. Before that, the most recent player with two homers, four hits, four runs and six RBIs in a game was Alex Rodriguez.

Brandon’s Locker Brandon Webb’s charitable endeavors through the Brandon Webb K Foundation have enriched the lives of young hospital patients in the Valley. Webb established “Brandon’s Locker” to benefit young patients at Phoenix St. Joseph’s Hospital. The locker is filled with laptop computers, PlayStation game systems and other toys that children can use during their stay at St. Joe’s. When the children are discharged, they may take an item home with them.

To the victors go the spoils Bob Melvin was voted the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America after winning the NL West, completing a makeover in which the D-Backs gained an aggregate 39 games in his three seasons at the helm. Pitching coach Bryan Price was Baseball America’s major league coach of the year for shepherding a staff that received career years from Jose Valverde, Brandon Webb and Doug Davis. 

Elite company The D-Backs have reached the postseason in four of their 10 years of existence — fellow 1998 expansion mate Tampa Bay has not made it yet — and have the second-highest rate of making the playoffs of any team in major league history. The New York Yankees have made the postseason 47 times in their 103 seasons, a .456 percentage. The Dodgers are third, at 23.3 percent.

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