2008 Arizona Diamondbacks Preview
National League West Champs Could Be Even Better This Season
The young Arizona Diamondbacks surprised a lot of people by winning the National League West in 2007. Can they do it again? Can they go further?
The 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks were a surprise. Picked by most baseball analysts to finish at or near the bottom of the National League West, this team of upstart youngsters won the division crown and knocked off the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series before running into the hotter-then-hell Colorado Rockies in the NLCS. With a few key moves in the off-season, and the prospect of a healthier team, the D-Backs should be back in the World Series hunt in 2008.
2007 Record: 90-72 (N.L. West Champions)
2007 NLDS: Beat Chicago Cubs 3 Games to 0
2007 NLCS: Lost to Colorado Rockies 4 Games to 0
Most Important New Arrival
Danny Haren
The Diamondbacks trade for Haren was the team's biggest move of the offseason. The 27-year old righty is coming off the best season of his big league career, a year in which he started the All-Star game for the American League, won 15 games, and posted a 3.07 ERA. Because this will be his last season before free agency, however, the cash-strapped Oakland A's had to let him go in return for prospects.
Haren's addition gives the D-Backs, who already have Brandon Webb, one of the best 1-2 punches in the National League. If Randy Johnson can give them 25 starts (which may be overly optimistic) and if young Micah Owings can take the next step, Arizona will have one of the three best rotations in the National League.
A Youthful Team
The three offensive players to watch this year are Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Justin Upton. This trio of youngsters could form the nucleus of something special, or they could go the way of so many other promising young players.
In his first full season, the 23-year old Young hit 32 homers, scored 85 runs and stole 27 bases. Very nice production for a rookie. But his batting average was a lowly .237, and he struck out 141 times. If he can cut down on the Ks and put the ball in play more in 2008, Young will be an All-Star.
Stephen Drew, the 25-year old brother of J.D. Drew, showed a lot of promise last year, playing 150 games, and hitting 12 homers with 60 RBI. Like Young, however, Drew will need to boost his batting average, which was a lowly .238 in 2007.
The biggest question mark of the three is 20-year old Justin Upton, who is the younger sibling of Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton. Upton was the first pick of the 2005 draft and was an immediate star in the minor leagues before ascending to the big league club on August 2nd. Although he hit just .221 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI in 140 at-bats, the organization was impressed enough with his progress to pencil him in as the starting right fielder for the team this year.
Other youngsters who could break out this season are first baseman Conor Jackson (who is 25 and had 15 HR and 60 RBI last year) and third baseman Mark Reynolds (24 years old, .279 BA, 17 HR, 62 RBI). If these guys develop, and veterans Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson can repeat their 2007 numbers, the Diamondbacks will be tough to beat, and they'll be tough to beat for quite a while.
Biggest Loss
Jose Valverde. He led the NL in saves last year with 47. Now he's on the Houston Astros. He'll be replaced in the closer position by Brandon Lyon, who pitched very well in the set-up role last year. But will he be as automatic as Valverde, who converted 94% of his save chances last year?
Biggest Question Mark
Randy Johnson. He's 45 years old, and coming off major back surgery. But he's still Randy Johnson, which means that if he isn't in pain, he can contribute. The odds of him getting the 16 wins he needs to reach 300 career victories are slim, but one never knows when it comes to the Big Unit.
Prediction: This team will be a lot of fun to watch, and should win at least 90 games. If the youngsters improve as expected, they could win the National League.
