Official Dbacks 2008 Season Thread

[BlueHen86]

Same team, different results.


BoMel needs to be fired...Players regressed during the year.

I disagree. I think they OVER achieved last year. How can he be manager of the year one year, then fired the next?

I think Rick Schu needs to GO. NOW. Our hitters SUCK big BALLS.

And I think Kirk Gibson needs to rip somebody's head off and shit down their throat in front of the whole team.

Only TWO guys on this team improved this year----Stephen Drew and Webbie (and even Webbie was not an all-star in September). Young looked better in the second half, and I guess we can hope that's the Young we'll see next year from the beginning.

The Eckstein experiment was an abject failure--he's an absolutely horrible ballplayer....as was the Adam Dunn experiment. If we were willing to sell the farm to go get a big bat in right field, why didn't we just keep Troy Glaus a few years ago?

The biggest mistake this team made was giving huge contracts to Byrnes and Young. Byrnes may be the next Russ Ortiz contract....Young better perform like he did in the second half, and Haren better stop with the second half pedestrian performances (it's become his modus operendi).

They need to get RID of Tracy and Eckstein, move Reynolds to 2nd (where he hopefully won't make 35 errors), move Dunn to 1B (assuming they resign him), give Upton another shot at RF, and go get a big fvcking bat for 3B that's also a hoover. I'm PRETTY sure Reynolds lost us more games with his glove than he won with his bat.

Webb
Haren
Scherzer
Johnson (if he's willing to come back @ $5 mil)
Petit/Davis

Not a bad rotation....but we'll have huge offensive holes in LF, 2B, 1B and RF unless something changes dramatically in the offseason.

Any idea what Johnson's plans for next year are?

[AZGrizFan]

Any idea what Johnson's plans for next year are?

I can't imagine that he won't want to play and get to 300. He needs 6 more victorys. If he's willing to come back on the cheap, I think they'd take him back as their 4th/5th starter.

[BlueHen86]

Any idea what Johnson's plans for next year are?

I can't imagine that he won't want to play and get to 300. He needs 6 more victorys. If he's willing to come back on the cheap, I think they'd take him back as their 4th/5th starter.

I didn't realize that he was so close to 300 wins. I'd be shocked if he didn't come back. Hopefully you guys can get him cheap, but with good pitching being scarce these days, I would not be surprized if someone is willing to overpay him.

[AZGrizFan]

I can't imagine that he won't want to play and get to 300. He needs 6 more victorys. If he's willing to come back on the cheap, I think they'd take him back as their 4th/5th starter.

I didn't realize that he was so close to 300 wins. I'd be shocked if he didn't come back. Hopefully you guys can get him cheap, but with good pitching being scarce these days, I would not be surprized if someone is willing to overpay him.

After all the Cy Youngs and the World Series Title and MVP, it'd be sad if he didn't finish his career as a D-Back....but, the almighty dollar has a strong allure...

[BlueHen86]

I didn't realize that he was so close to 300 wins. I'd be shocked if he didn't come back. Hopefully you guys can get him cheap, but with good pitching being scarce these days, I would not be surprized if someone is willing to overpay him.

After all the Cy Youngs and the World Series Title and MVP, it'd be sad if he didn't finish his career as a D-Back....but, the almighty dollar has a strong allure...

I'd like to see him finish as a D'Back and I think he should. He can't need the money at this point and he has bounced around enough. I hope he takes a lesson from Roger Clemens, the ultimate baseball mercenary is now a man without a team.

[AZGrizFan]

I hope he takes a lesson from Roger Clemens, the ultimate baseball mercenary is now a man without a team.

Yeah, but that's for a whole different reason....

[dbackjon]

Unless the Dbacks get 23 hits against the Rockies

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They will set the record for the fewest hits in a season for the Dbacks.

Next lowest was last year, which makes you think that maybe last year was a fluke...

This years team will also set the mark for fewest At-Bats and Plate Appearances.


And of course, have already set the record for most Strikeouts.

[BlueHen86]

I hope he takes a lesson from Roger Clemens, the ultimate baseball mercenary is now a man without a team.

Yeah, but that's for a whole different reason....

Agreed. I should have been more clear. The fact that Clemens was such a mercinary made it easier for the Yanks to shun him.

[AZGrizFan]

Unless the Dbacks get 23 hits against the Rockies

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They will set the record for the fewest hits in a season for the Dbacks.

Next lowest was last year, which makes you think that maybe last year was a fluke...

This years team will also set the mark for fewest At-Bats and Plate Appearances.


And of course, have already set the record for most Strikeouts.

Fluke or overachievers....take your pick. Basically, this year came down to a 3 week span where the pitching staff shrugged and the team fell off their backs. This team was going to go exactly as far as that pitching staff carried them, and the load got too heavy about the 1st of September.

We can NOT have 3 position players getting over 175 strikeouts a year. My worst fear (with the Adam Dunn acquisition) came true: we could NOT get the big hit when we needed it. More often than not, we struck out instead. Which means an absolutely unproductive AB....no moving the runner over, no sacrificing yourself.....just a SO and slow stroll back to the dugout.

[AZGrizFan]

Went to the game yesterday, had great seats. Here's my final thoughts, and then this thread can sink slowly into oblivion, just like the D-Backs season:

1) Randy looked GOOD. I truly hope he comes back and gets #300 in a D-Backs uniform. He'll be our first hall-of-famer (and from the looks of it, our ONLY one for quite some time). He got #295 yesterday, throwing only 105 pitches in 9 complete innings. And had the D-Backs not scored in the 9th, I think he was coming out in the 10th, since there was NO one warming up in the bullpen.
2) Mark Reynolds has GOT to be moved. He has gotten hands of stone, and when he DOES happen to make a play, the throws are horrible. He flew one over Tracy's head yesterday, then made Augie Ojeda jump about 4 feet in the air to catch a toss for the third out at second base in another inning.
3) Stephen Drew is gonna be REAL good. In fact, he might be there already.
4) If Chris Young plays starts next year like he finished this year, he'll be worth the money we paid him.
5) Let Adam Dunn go, and spend the money on a good 3rd baseman. Move Reynolds to 2nd where he's got more time to react (and the throws are shorter) or to left field....somewhere, ANYWHERE else but 3rd base.
6) Chad Tracy needs to GO. He's alright, but we need better production from a corner infielder. He's a late innings utility man at best.
7) Justin Upton, CY and Stephen Drew need to RUN more. Hell, the whole TEAM needs to run more. It was the biggest thing missing from the equation this year, as they all sat around waiting for someone to hit the 3 run homer. Christ, I felt like I was watching the 1975 Baltimore Orioles half the time.
8) Brandon Lyon needs to be given his walking papers, and the closers job needs to be given to Chad Qualls. Rauch would be good insurance, especially at the relatively cheap price of $2.9 mil (his option price).
9) Burke, Salazar, Clark, etc., all could be cut without losing a thing. I can't REMEMBER the last time anybody came off the bench and did anything worth noting.
10) BoMel should be put on notice. He overperformed last year, and underperformed this year. Next year should be the litmus test. With Webb, Haren, Johnson (hopefully) and Scherzer, this team should win 90 games MINIMUM. But if it's going to be built on pitching and defense, we can't have Reynolds at third or Upton in right. HORRID doesn't even begin to describe it.

[dbackjon]

Went to the game yesterday, had great seats. Here's my final thoughts, and then this thread can sink slowly into oblivion, just like the D-Backs season:

1) Randy looked GOOD. I truly hope he comes back and gets #300 in a D-Backs uniform. He'll be our first hall-of-famer (and from the looks of it, our ONLY one for quite some time). He got #295 yesterday, throwing only 105 pitches in 9 complete innings. And had the D-Backs not scored in the 9th, I think he was coming out in the 10th, since there was NO one warming up in the bullpen.
2) Mark Reynolds has GOT to be moved. He has gotten hands of stone, and when he DOES happen to make a play, the throws are horrible. He flew one over Tracy's head yesterday, then made Augie Ojeda jump about 4 feet in the air to catch a toss for the third out at second base in another inning.
3) Stephen Drew is gonna be REAL good. In fact, he might be there already.
4) If Chris Young plays starts next year like he finished this year, he'll be worth the money we paid him.
5) Let Adam Dunn go, and spend the money on a good 3rd baseman. Move Reynolds to 2nd where he's got more time to react (and the throws are shorter) or to left field....somewhere, ANYWHERE else but 3rd base.
6) Chad Tracy needs to GO. He's alright, but we need better production from a corner infielder. He's a late innings utility man at best.
7) Justin Upton, CY and Stephen Drew need to RUN more. Hell, the whole TEAM needs to run more. It was the biggest thing missing from the equation this year, as they all sat around waiting for someone to hit the 3 run homer. Christ, I felt like I was watching the 1975 Baltimore Orioles half the time.
8) Brandon Lyon needs to be given his walking papers, and the closers job needs to be given to Chad Qualls. Rauch would be good insurance, especially at the relatively cheap price of $2.9 mil (his option price).
9) Burke, Salazar, Clark, etc., all could be cut without losing a thing. I can't REMEMBER the last time anybody came off the bench and did anything worth noting.
10) BoMel should be put on notice. He overperformed last year, and underperformed this year. Next year should be the litmus test. With Webb, Haren, Johnson (hopefully) and Scherzer, this team should win 90 games MINIMUM. But if it's going to be built on pitching and defense, we can't have Reynolds at third or Upton in right. HORRID doesn't even begin to describe it.

good analysis.

1) Randy needs to come back. I think he will, and give the Dbacks a discount. He wants 300 too badly, and wants to do it here.
2) Reynolds to second would be good. He just can't make the throws
3) Drew is there 44 doubles, 11 triples, 21 Homers!
4) Let's hope so on CY - I think he finally found his swing.
5) Dunn is not worth the money he will want
6) Remember Tracy is coming back from Micro fracture. Not a bad season. He is only 28, and can put up some great numbers. Not very expensive, either
7) Dbacks only stole 58 bases, down 51 from last year, and second fewest in franchise history. And this is a team that HAS a lot of 10-20 SB candidates
8) Agree - Lyon was good set up, horrid closer. He will want too much money to keep
9) Clark, Burke - bye-bye. Salazar actually didn't do too bad, as a 5th outfielder.
10) BoMel needs to be fired. Today.