SP-- Dan Haren
SP-- Randy Johnson
SP-- Micah Owings
SP-- Edgar Gonzalez/Doug Davis
P-- Juan Cruz
P-- Brandon Medders
P-- Tony Pena
P-- Chad Qualls
P-- Doug Slaten
P-- Doug Nippert
CL-- Brandon Lyons
C-- Miguel Montero
1B-- Conor Jackson
2B-- Orlando Hudson
3B-- Chad Tracy/Mark Reynolds
SS-- Stephen Drew
OF-- Eric Byrnes
OF-- Chris Young
OF-- Justin Upton/Trot Nixon
Ut.-- Jeff Salazar
Ut.-- Augie Ojeda
Ut.-- Mark Reynolds
Ut.-- Chris Burke
Reserves, Rookies, & Outlook:
Pitching could be the strong suit for the D'backs this year, depending on Randy Johnson's health. If Randy Johnson is healthy for a full year, then the Diamondbacks will have the top three tandem in the league, with a surplus of arms in the rest of the rotation and pen. Although, Johnson did not pitch for the majority of the season last year, he is back and in good form early on in spring. He worked off of the mound, throwing around 40 pitches, and was "more than impressive," said manager Bob Melvin. If this continues, Webb, Johnson, and Dan Haren would be a tough three pitcher match up, for any club they could possibly face. The top three are backed by a plethora of arms, who could start, or come out of the bull pen for long relief. Doug Davis had flashes, of late season brilliance for the team, last year. While, Micah Owings, Edgar Gonzalez, Juan Cruz, and possibly rookie Billy Buckner could see starting innings, they all cannot be in the rotation. However, this is a great position to be in, having pitchers to spell innings and/or injuries, plus come out of the pen with guys like: Brandon Medders, Tony Pena, Chad Qualls, (rookie) Doug Slaten, and Doug Nippert. Closer, Brandon Lyons is a question mark in that role, as sometimes he is lights out, but at others he has struggled. Qualls, Slaten (in the early spring), and maybe even Pena could close, if Lyons fails to hold down the job.
In the field, for the Diamondbacks, they are established and have a good mix of young and veteran talent. Conor Jackson, at first, has been guaranteed the starting job and he looks like he has a huge amount of confidence (rather, than having to platoon, last year). Orlando Hudson (2nd base) and Stephen Drew are solid up the middle, but will need to improve their offensive performances, setting the table for the heart of the order. At third base their are two choices, in Mark Reynolds and Chad Tracy. However, Chad Tracy is still recovering from "micro-fracture knee surgery," and will not be ready coming out of spring training (so it will be Reynolds' job, until then). In the outfield, they have speed and some pop (with good four and five tool players), with Eric Byrnes (left), Chris Young (center), and Justin Upton (right) who is a rookie phenom. Upton is expected to win the starting role, out of spring training and is a true five tool prospect. Although, if he does fail to hold down the position, Trot Nixon has signed a minor league deal with the club, and will definitely have a roster spot.
Overall, the Arizona Diamondbacks have the arms (in the rotation and the pen, if they stay healthy), defensive prowess and speed in the field, and have a good mix of young and veteran players. However, they are limited in the position player mix. Bob Brenly (manager), will have to rely on playing small ball and hope that his pitching gets the job done, or it will be a long season for the D'backs. Plus, the NL West is going to be tough this year, with the Dodgers and Padres, retooling and looking to repeat. The Arizona club has a shot at the wild card, but not at the NL West title, because the Dodgers and Padres have way to much talent. Randy Johnson is a huge piece to the puzzle, but even with a healthy Johnson does not mean that the Diamondbacks will be playoff bound.
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