| Gary D. Brown. 14th August, 2006 - 3:01 pm
 When the Diamondbacks traded for Livan Hernandez, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Hitting rich Arizona did what few expected. They traded pitching for pitching. Prior to the July 31st trading deadline, it was assumed Arizona would have to part with one or more of their top position players in order to bolster a sagging starting pitching rotation.
A good move? Time will only tell. This trade was especially odd since Arizona does not have a plethora of pitching in the minors. It is one reason why they invested most of their early picks in the recent amateur draft on pitching.
This much is true. GM Josh Byrnes has remained steadfast about hanging onto the wealth of minor league hitting that Arizona possesses. One only has to look at recent rookie call-ups Stephen Drew (.337 BA and .381 OBP) and Carlos Quentin (.326 BA & .408 OBP) to realize Arizona may be one of the best hitting teams in the National League for a very long time. In only 19 games Quentin has 4 hrs, which translates to 30 homer potential.
The youth movement is alive and well in Arizona. Consider the position players already set in stone: Conor Jackson 1B, Orlando Hudson 2B, Stephen Drew SS, Chad Tracy 3B and Carlos Quentin OF. Add in 30 year old veteran Johnny Estrada (.309 BA) and the entire infield is set.
Not only can this group hit, they can field. Arizona is mere percentage points behind San Diego and Houston as the top fielding team in the NL. They are also a double play machine, leading the entire National League in that category. Defense wins, right?
Consider this Pre-All-Star break versus Post-All-Star statistic.
Arizona ranked # 5 in hitting (.267) before the All Star break. Since the All Star break they have been on a tear, leading the NL with a team average of .291. That is an incredible difference. Go ahead and argue that there is a lot of playing left to do. You win that argument. But there is no disputing the facts about the enormous potential.
If not for an average starting rotation, Arizona could well be running away with a very tight division. Sure, the relief corps is not the best in the National League. But if the starting pitching went deeper into games more often, it would do wonders for the relief pitching.
After Brandon Webb, Arizona has a lot of soul searching to do. Webb has the NL’s lowest ERA 2.74 (and the only NL starter with an ERA under 3.00), 3rd in Whip, 4th in fewest walks, and tied for 1st in wins. The gaudy numbers end with him, however. The team is wallowing in the middle of the pitching pack at 8th in ERA, and 13th in Whip, and 13th in OBA allowed. Those numbers easily offset the excellent Arizona offense.
The Livan Hernandez experiment gets underway. Let’s hope it goes better than the El Duque experiment. Clearly, the Diamondbacks may have to part with some top hitting talent to secure a Barry Zito/Dontrelle Willis type – names floated around before the trade deadline. While they could dominate offensively in coming years, it will take more than Brandon Webb to win another title. However, with the solid job Arizona management has done solidifying the offense, I expect them to do the same with the starting pitching. If they come close, watch out. |
