2011 Arizona Diamondbacks Predictions
After finishing first and second in the NL West in 2007 and 2008, it appeared the Arizona Diamonbacks were shaping up to be a perennial contender. Unfortunately, injuries to ace Brandon Webb kept that from being a reality. After back-to-back last place finishes, the Snakes will be looking to get out of the gutter in 2011. MLB odds makers have listed the Arizona Diamondbacks at +10000 to win the 2011 World Series.
Pitching: Injuries to Webb kept the once promising one-two punch of he and Dan Haren from ever really coming to fruition. Now, Daniel Hudson is the future. He went 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA after coming over from the Chicago White Sox. The kid lasted at least seven innings in nine of his 11 starts and held opponents to two runs or less in 10 of those outings.
Joe Saunders, Ian Kennedy, Zach Duke and Barry Enright are projected to round out the starting five. Saunders is coming off a season in which he posted career highs for innings and strikeouts. Kennedy went 9-10 with a solid 3.80 ERA. He held opponents to a .228 batting average. Duke showed a lot of potential when he made a trip to the All-Star game for Pittsburgh in 2009, and the D-backs are hoping he can realize his full potential in the desert. Enright looked good last season after making the jump from AA Mobile. He posted a 3.91 ERA in 17 starts.
While the starting five shows promise, the bullpen is a work in progress. Arizona’s 5.74 bullpen ERA in 2010 was the third-worst in major league history. The team has done its best to address this issue with the additions of J.J. Putz, David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio. These additions should provide some stability to what was a ticking time bomb in the eighth and ninth last year.
Lineup: The Diamondbacks have an underrated infield. I really like Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew up the middle. Johnson is coming off a career year in which he hit 36 doubles and 26 home runs. Drew is coming off his third straight season with double figures in doubles, triples and round trippers.
Third baseman Melvin Mora and first baseman Juan Miranda are likely candidates to join Johnson and Drew in the infield. Mora isn’t quite the player he was in Baltimore when he received two All-Star nods, but he can still play. He hit .307 with 31 RBIs after the break for Colorado last year. Miranda has a good shot to land the job at first. Xavier Nady will likely get it if the Snakes decide Miranda isn’t ready.
Chris Young is expected to trot out to center field with Justin Upton and Nady on his flanks. Young rebounded from a miserable 2009 to earn his first All-Star nod last season. Young had 27 bombs, 91 RBIs and 28 steals a year ago. Upton still hasn’t reached his full potential, but he was pretty good for the Snakes last year with 17 jacks and 69 RBIs in 133 games. Nady struggled in the Windy City last season, but the D-backs are optimistic that he can rediscover his home run stroke in the desert.
Miguel Montero should see most of the action behind home plate while being backed up by Henry Blanco.
Prediction – 5th Place NL West: The D-backs are a work in progress but they seem to be moving in the right direction. Arizona wanted to improve its bullpen and eliminate strikeouts up and down the order and steps have been taken to achieve both of those goals. The Diamondbacks are listed at +2000 to win the NL West.
