2015 MLB Team Season Previews – D-Backs
The Arizona Diamondbacks will be looking to improve upon a disastrous 2014 campaign that saw the team go 64-98 when they take to the field in 2015 with a lineup eerily similar to the one that underwhelmed in a big way last year.
MLB Lines & Matchup Insight
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Injuries played a major role in the D-Backs becoming the league’s doormat – rookies were forced into action and names like Paul Goldschmidt, Mark Trumbo, A.J. Pollock, Chris Owings, Patrick Corbin, Bronson Arroyo and David Hernandez all missed significant time. The big question is whether or not health can get Arizona back to respectability and if the offseason moves that management made can return this team to the playoffs in 2015.
Perhaps the biggest news for Arizona was the hiring of Tony LaRussa as chief baseball officer and new Manager Dave Stewart who will certainly make this team accountable day-in and day-out. These two will have their work cut out for them making Arizona competitive in a Division that possesses the Dodgers, the Giants and the Padres.
2015 MLB Team Previews – Arizona Diamondbacks
NL West: +3300
National League: 50/1
World Series: 100/1
The projected lineup of the Diamondbacks looks unflattering on paper and likely will be on the field as well. Leadoff man AJ Pollock hit .302 last year in just 265 at bats and did better than that in a leadoff role. Pollock could be an unsung table setter.
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Aaron Hill, assuming that he remains with the team is an unflattering second man up with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt provides a nice third man up – Goldschmidt has hit over .300 in his last two seasons although he played just over 100 games last year.
Mark Trumbo is a quality cleanup hitter – he provides power and average in the fourth spot and could be a true breakout performer this upcoming year.
The #3 and #4 hitters in the lineup could combine for a ton of home runs this year – intriguing to say the least.
The rest of the lineup is a bit of a question mark – Arizona’s biggest offseason acquisition – 24 year old Cuban fielder Yasmany Tomas will be out to justify his six year $68.5 million contract – a big risk for this team.
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Short stop Chris Owings, utility guy Cliff Pennington and fielder Tuffy Gosewisch will likely fill out the Order –all of the aforementioned are below average hitter making the D-Backs lineup one of the least feared in the NL West.
Arizona’s projected rotation has some interesting names on it to say the least. Firstly Jeremy Hellickson will be back after surgery sidelined him in 2014.
He was a quality guy in Tampa but he seems more like a back-end-of-the-rotation guy now – not the top end starter that the D-Backs envision.
Josh Collmenter might turn out to be their ace – he won 11 games last year (hard to believe an 11 game winner is an ace – but I digress!!). Collmenter was especially good at home posting a 2.63 ERA.
Chase Anderson will likely fill the third spot in the rotation – he was 9-7 with a 4.01 ERA last year and Trevor Cahill will be looking to rebound after going 3-12 last year with a 5.61 ERA.
Simply put – the Diamondback are in trouble when it comes to their starting rotation – there are no arms that will scare anybody. If the starters aren’t bad enough, the bullpen figures to blow a lot of games for this club.
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Pitching wins in the Majors, particularly in the NL West – the Diamonbacks were 27th in the Majors in ERA last year and they didn’t do a whole lot to improve this offseason.
015 Arizona Diamondbacks Season Predictions:
There are a couple of nice pieces in place for the Arizona Diamondbacks but a couple of pieces won’t get it done in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. Arizona may score some runs but their inability to prevent runs will be their undoing. Too many holes, too few quality arms and an unfortunate culture of mediocrity make Arizona a last place team in the NL West this year.
70 wins looks likely!
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