Arizona Diamondbacks: Spring Training Information

By Down The Left Field Line: Life, Baseball & Eric Byrnes
Location: Tucson Electric Park - Tuscon, AZ
Pitchers and Catchers Report: Feb 14
First Game: Feb 27th
Schedule

Projected batting order

1. 2B Felipe Lopez
2. CF Chris Young
3. SS Stephen Drew
4. LF Conor Jackson
5. RF Justin Upton
6. 1B Chad Tracy
7. 3B Mark Reynolds
8. C Chris Snyder

Projected rotation

1. Brandon Webb
2. Dan Haren
3. Doug Davis
4. Jon Garland
5. Max Scherzer

Projected bullpen

Closer: Chad Qualls
RH setup man: Tony Pena
LH setup man: Scott Schoeneweis

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What to expect: A small market and the worst economy since the 30's adds up to a team with its eye more on the bottom line than the top of the division. That's the only way to explain the lowball offer of $3 mil that sent future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson packing for San Francisco just five wins shy of 300, not making any serious attempt to keep Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson, dragging into this year with on again-off again talks to extend the contract of ace Brandon Webb, not offering arbitration to power-hitting outfielder Adam Dunn--they were afraid he'd accept and they'd have to pay bigger money than they budgeted for a guy who hit 40 homers and batted in 100 runs last year, not that I would miss another snake in the outfield grass--and demoting Eric Byrnes to fourth outfielder.

It's this last piece that has me starting the '09 season in a very ugly mood. Byrnesie will have a tough time regaining his form as a fourth outfielder. Stats show he plays best when he plays most. Manager Bob Melvin's announcement that Conor Jackson had played well enough the left field to deserve a shot at playing every day and that as far as he [Melvin] was concerned, Jackson was in everyday left fielder, had me screaming bloody murder. Are you kidding? He's just average in LF! But I wonder if that decision is really his. Several weeks before that comment, GM Josh Byrnes said that Eric would have to compete for his playing time and not expect to play by virtue of incumbency. Josh Byrnes is of the Moneyball school and GM's who believe in that philosophy believe that field managers are just middle managers who should take orders from the front office.

This fourth outfielder business is just a way for the front office to get Byrnesie to part with his no-trade clause so that Arizona can part with his $11 million salary. The winning combo is Byrnes and Jackson in the lineup together. Why? Because they are not the big strikeout artists that so many others in the lineup (especially Young and Reynolds) are. The guy who should be fighting for his playing time is not Eric Byrnes, it's Mark Reynolds. Byrnesie didn't set a major league record for striking out while leading the league in errors. But nary a word about him fighting it out with Tracy for time at third base. Why? Because Reynolds doesn't cost $11 mil.

Felipe Lopez, late of the Nationals, takes over at second. They could have saved money by moving Reynolds to second--the shorter throws might have meant fewer errors--and sending Tracy, who says his leg feels better than it has in years--back to third full time. CoJack at first, Byrnesie in left, and all's right with the world. But they didn't set it up that way. Why? Because they want to dump Byrnesie's salary.

Jon Garland, a reliable innings eater is now the No. 3 starter. Rookie Max Scherzer is now the No. 5 starter, Chad Qualls is now the closer and the bullpen, which now includes Scott Schoenweis and Tom Gordon, still has to be sorted out. Well, that's what spring training is for.

I tap the Diamondbacks to finish 4th this year and I think the front office does, too. That is why they are willing to field a team that, without Orlando Hudson and without Eric Byrnes as a regular, will have no consistent leadership on the field. You don't need leaders when you aren't going anywhere.

This is ByrnesBlogger1's fourth season covering the Arizona Diamondbacks through the blog Down The Left Field Line: Life, Baseball & Eric Byrnes.