In what many believed was the best division in baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks are emerging as the class of the NL West, and maybe all of baseball.
The Diamondbacks ended last season by getting swept in the NLCS by the Colorado Rockies, scoring a mere eight runs in the four games. How would this young team bounce back? Very well, thank you!
After the first month of the season, the 2008 Diamondbacks have the best record in baseball, and are pitching well, as expected. Arizona ranks first in ERA and first in batting average against in the majors. Despite losing Doug Davis to thyroid cancer, Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Micah Owings lead one of the best pitching staffs in the league. If the back end of the rotation, which includes the oft-injured Randy Johnson, can stay healthy and give them quality starts, and the bullpen lead by Brandon Lyon can hold up, the Diamondbacks will be hard to hit. Acquiring Dan Haren from Oakland might prove to be one the best off-season moves in baseball.
Unlike last year’s squad, this Diamondback team is also hitting: they are #1 in runs scored, #1 in slugging, and #2 in OPS (on base plus slugging) in the major league baseball. Justin Upton is one of the baseball’s best young players. Connor Jackson and Mark Reynolds are mashing, and if veterans Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson can deliver their usual seasons, this team that everyone thought would struggle offensively might just have the balance necessary to get to the World Series.
The Diamondbacks are building something special. They have a well-rounded team with excellent pitching and a good mix of veterans and young, up-and-coming players. The current league-leading hitting may not continue but if they can score better than in last year’s NLCS, their pitching could just carry them to their second title in their brief, eleven-year history.
1 comment:
Dodgers just won 8 in a row with Andruw Jones giving them nothing. Keep and eye on LA. They also have great pitching and a good mix of youth and veterans
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