It's very easy t o see why Diamondback's Manger Bob Melvin has 25 guys on his roster that want to play for him.
I had the pleasure to speak with the D-Back's skipper yesterday, and I have to say that if I were still playing, I would want him to be my boss. He is honest, humble and quite engaging. If you have something to say, he actually listens which is quite an impressive character trait considering that there are some managers in MLB that think because you are a writer, you must not have ever played the game.That being said, I thank Bob Melvin for his time and candor. I will not relay to you the things that we discussed, but I will tell you what I think the D-Back's roster should look like in '09 for them to win the division.
Starting Lineup by position:
1st Base; Connor Jackson: Connor had an excellent season. He showed that he not only has a great eye at the plate, but that he has the ability to hit .300 every year.
2nd base; Orlando Hudson: I am well aware that O-Dog is a free agent this year, but a second basemen that can hit .300 and win a gold glove at his position deserves at least another three years at about $9 million per year. Pay him, and keep a strong leader in the clubhouse that the young players on this squad need to be successful.
Shortstop; Stephen Drew: Stephen had an All-Star campaign and he has many more ahead of him. He is as solid as it gets at his position.
3rd Base; Mark Reynolds: If you look up raw talent in the dictionary, you will find his picture. I think that the D-Backs may have rushed him into the bigs, but they had no choice. He just oozes power with his swing. I want him to cut down on his swing with two strikes. If he does that, he will probably hit 35 HRS and have 125 RBI's per year for quite a while.
Left Field; Eric Byrnes: If his hammy's did not give him such problems this year, the fate of the team may have been different. All I can say is that when he dresses up for a game, he is always at 100% effort.
Center Field; Chris Young: CY is without question one of the next big superstars at his position. He has great speed, he has a good knowledge of how to run the outfield and he has the power and speed to be a perennial 30/30 guy.
Right Field; Justin Upton: Man, is this kid talented. He has speed, a cannon of an arm and the ability to hit the ball out of the park to all fields. He needs to work on being a better defensive outfielder, and I believe that will come in time. He will not be 22 until August of 2009.
Catcher; Chris Snyder: He had the mother of all injuries last year, but he nutted up.....Ahem...sorry Chris, and played his balls.....Ahem...sorry again Chris... off. He has shown signs of great power, he calls a great game, and his pitching staff love him. He has a chance to be an All Star some day.
Starting Pitchers:
Brandon Webb: Best ace in the NL
Dan Haren: Best pitcher that is not the ace in the NL
Max Scherzer: 23 year old phenom that has a fastball in the upper 90's and a change up that when is kept low in the strike zone is un-hittable. If he develops a major league breaking ball, and learns to pace himself for the long and tough MLB season, he will be 1AA in the starting staff.
Doug Davis: If he stays 4th in the rotation, he will win 15 games.
Randy Johnson: Per my calculation, Randy should have 302 wins right now. He had the misfortune of way too many no decisions this past year. If the " Big Unit" is your 5th starter, look out rest of the NL.
Bullpen:
Edgar Gonzalez: I am not sure how much longer Edgar would be willing to come out of the pen, but if he is willing, the team just got that much stronger. He would be a number 3 starter anywhere else in the majors.
Yusmeiro Petit: He and Edgar can both be bonafied starters elsewhere, but with them both here, the NL West is the D-Backs for the taking. Keep in mind that The Big Unit's decision effects both of them equally.
Chad Qualls: He was named closer for the team after Brandon Lyon showed that he was not cut out for the job since Jose Valverde left for the Astros. I have no problem with this choice. Everything Chad throws is hard. We just have to see if he can really be trusted for 65-70 appearances per year.
John Rauch: Yes I know he got lit up during the second half of the season, but I believe that he can be a major contributor next year. He also seems like a good clubhouse guy.
Wil Ledezma: Good left handed hitter specialist. Slaten needs to shape up or ship out.
Juan Cruz: Strong arm and he chews up innings. I wish the rest of his teammates would stop stealing his meal money so he can put on a few extra pounds.
Reserves: This without question is where GM Josh Byrnes is going to have to earn his money.
Chris Burke: Great experienced player, but a .186 batting average is just not going to cut it.
Augie Ojeda: A no-brainer, I love him as a player, and he will do whatever it takes to help his team win.
Miguel Montero: A nice second choice at catcher. I wish he could put up better offensive numbers, but when he catches, he is in the number eight slot. No harm, no foul.
Adam Dunn: He is listed as a reserve because at $10-$14 million, there is no way the D-Backs are going to resign him.
Jeff Salazar: Great off the bench guy that can provide occasional power. He is a keeper.
Chad Tracy: He showed signs of greatness this year, maybe it would be best for him if e cold land with a team that could use his skills on a daily basis.
Jamie D'Antona: This kid can hit with the best of them, the trouble is, the team has no place to put him. He should be a keeper, we shall see.
Alex Romero: Yet another prospect that can hit with some power, and is not afraid to make the tough plays in the outfield.
Biggest concerns: This team does not have a bonafied leader in the clubhouse. There is so much good raw talent, if they don't win the division next year, it will be a surprise.
Variables: Does the "Unit" return to get 300 wins? Do the D-backs package some young major league ready talent to get a seasoned veteran?
We shall see what happens during the off season, but I think this good core of young talented players could be the Rays of 2009.
Ahhhhh.....the beauty of the hot stove.
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