Dustin Nippert

by cubsfan2883 on Jan 30, 2006 8:56 PM EST Comment 9 comments

So where do you think the D'Backs should start Dustin Nippert?? Currently the Dbacks have him in the pen(via MLB's Depth Chart).. However they could also use him in the rotation..
Webb-1
El Duque-2
Halsey-3
Batista-4
Nippert-5

I am not a D'Backs fan ...well at least not by design however I love the D Backs system and certainly like them better than anything else in the NL West..

Also what do you think about Chad Tracy and Tony Clark..
Clark had a renaissance at 1b for the Dbacks hitting 30 hrs and 90 rbi's and you are going to bench him for the up and coming star in Jackson... which is fine but why didn't the D' Backs try to get something of value back for Clark.. I understand that power hitting 1b are not worth much but you gotta be able to do better than having a bench player like that... i mean grab a couple pitching specs... ?

Tracy hit very well last year adding in a line of .308/.359/.553 which is amazing considering..how do you think he will fair in his 3rd full year is a regression in order...or Do you think he can sustain his development another year..

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Comments

Ortiz

I love how you didn't even put Ortiz in the rotation. That is beautiful. It won't happen, but that is beautiful. In reality, with Ortiz, El Duque, and Batista in the rotation, there is a high probability at least one starting pitcher will be pretty much injured at all times, allowing Nippert a legit shot all year long.
The thing is, Ortiz, El Duque, and Batista are all trade bait this year. If any of the three shows serious signs of life, the management will try to spin them for a prospect at the deadline for a team in the hunt. It's not such a bad idea in theory. Let's hope it pans out.
As far as your comment on Tracy, I think most D-Back fans (at least this one) believe Tracy will continue his upward offensive climb. If you look at his splits last year, he was unconscious after the All-Star break. I don't think he can keep that up for a full year, but I actually expect a slight improvement over last year. Perhaps .315 and 33 HR and an OPS around 930. His defense should improve marginally over his first year, but I don't think many D-Backs fans expect him ever to be more than an adequate defensive 3b. But we really love this kid and are thrilled the management didn't bite on the many offers made for him over the last few years.

by johngordonma on Jan 30, 2006 10:16 PM EST reply actions

Ortiz

reason I did not put Ortiz in the rotation was his un-rotation like numbers that made fantasy owners and D-Backs fans alike cringe anytime he picked up a baseball.. he was tempting fate anyway with a high WHIP and BB/K ratio. the defense in atlanta bailed him out a great number of times and the Dbacks way overpaid him... which started this ridiculous trend of overpaying average starting pitchers...

by cubsfan2883 on Jan 31, 2006 6:59 AM EST reply actions

Not the DBack's fault

"which started this ridiculous trend of overpaying average starting pitchers..."

Eh... JG may have had his issues, but the trend for overpaying for pitchers (all players in general, really) was started a long time ago.

The Rockies signed Mike Hampton to a 8 year, $121 million deal... the Mets signed Kevin Appier to a 4 year, $42 million deal... the Rockies struck again by signing Denny Neagle to a 5 year, $51 million deal.

I'm in no way defending the Ortiz signing, but we didn't start the fire.

by nihil67 on Jan 31, 2006 4:31 PM EST up reply actions

Clark

They didn't trade him because he's a) insurance for Jackson, b) an outstanding hitter off the bench, and c) they probably wouldn't have recieved much in return due to the silly contract they have him signed to. Unless... are the Cubs interested?

I agree with John's summation of the feeling on Tracy offensively. However, I think that he'll be moved to LF after another poor year at the hot corner. That does, of course, hinge on what a few of our prospects do.

by nihil67 on Jan 31, 2006 8:57 AM EST reply actions

Ortiz, Tracy and Nippert...

Yes, Ortiz is getting paid too much not to be in the rotation, and I think he won't be quite as bad as last season. However, I really doubt he'll come anywhere close to justifying the $8m salary, and as a result, I fear we're stuck with him for the time being. I do expect Hernandez and/or Batista to be gone by the trade deadline though.

It promises to be an interesting fight for the fifth spot in rotation. Could be any one of Halsey, Nippert, Gosling, Vargas or Gonzalez on Opening Day, with at least one more slot opening up in the second half due to trades, even if everyone stays healthy.

The contract we gave Clark was fine for a bench player: I really don't expect him to reproduce that, but he'll still be decent off the bench and as a late-innings defensive replacement. Jackson will get the bulk of playing time, and a veteran like Clark might help his defense too.

Tracy had an outstanding season in 2005. I'm not quite as high on him as John and Ben, and would settle for .295 and 25 HR, with an OPS around .850. His defense at 1B and RF last year was actually pretty good, so I'm hoping he carries that over to 3B, though his throwing will be the key issue. However, I can't see him being moved from there immediately, as we have other outfield prospects, and nothing spectacular at 3B [Jamie D'Antona having stalled in Double-A last year]

by Jim McLennan on Jan 31, 2006 4:42 PM EST reply actions

prospects

"However, I can't see him being moved from there immediately, as we have other outfield prospects, and nothing spectacular at 3B [Jamie D'Antona having stalled in Double-A last year]"

We've had outfield prospects for a long time now... granted none as highly-touted as Quentin and Young. If Tracy struggles at 3rd again, I personally would rather see him moved to a position that would be less detrimental defensively. Again, it hinges on what Quentin, Young, Drew, and even Upton show in spring training and the minors this year.

by nihil67 on Jan 31, 2006 5:47 PM EST up reply actions

Whither Tracy?

[ If Tracy struggles at 3rd again, I personally would rather see him moved to a position that would be less detrimental defensively. ]

The problem is, the obvious spot would be first base, and that's now occupied by another defensively-challenged transplant, Conor Jackson. Left field would perhaps be next best, but I'd only do that if Tracy proves unable to play third and we have a credible alternative for the position. There are a lot of factors to be taken into account, such as what happens with Shawn Green in RF, as this'll feed into where Quentin goes.

by Jim McLennan on Jan 31, 2006 7:13 PM EST reply actions

Nippert

He'll get his chance in Spring Training where his arm strength should be better. He came back just 10 months after TJ surgery and it takes time to regain his velocity to where it was before operation, part of the reason his K numbers were down in 2005. If he can get his fastball consistently back in the mid-90s along with his hammer curveball, it'll be a great strikeout-groundball combo.
That said, I think he'll be better served spending some time in Triple A. Dominating the tough Southern League is great but he was still facing other prospects. Triple A with its former/part-time major-leaguers and advanced prospects will be a different challenge. I'll be very surprised if Nippert doesn't pitch in Chase Field sometime in 2006 though.

by William K on Feb 1, 2006 8:39 AM EST reply actions