SnakeBytes 9/6: Technical Difficulties Edition

by kishi on Sep 6, 2011 6:46 PM EDT in Snake Bytes

Sorry about missing out on some news there, folks, been running into a few computer problems. But, hey, the Diamondbacks didn't miss a beat. Still rolling over other teams, and that magic number keeps ticking down.

Recaps:

[DBacks.com] Blum's big day helps Miley win third straight - Not bad after his poor showing in his first start.
[FS Arizona] Upton, Blum homer as D-backs' edge Rockies - Some worries in the ninth inning there, but that's why you can never score too many runs, I suppose. (See also: yesterday's Orioles-Yankees game.)
[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks stay hot vs. Colorado Rockies - The Rockies are nearly .500 (62-63) against the rest of the league, and 4-12 against the Diamondbacks. Heheheheheheheh. Sorry.
[bettor.com] Geoff Blum shines as Arizona Diamondbacks defeat Colorado Rockies 10-7 - Meanwhile, Geoff Blum has been making sure people realized he's back from the DL. After a crucial walk on Sunday, he had a big hit in the sixth inning rally yesterday.

Plus, do you know what today is? Do you know? Bam!

Your Daily Strasburg:

[Yahoo! Sports] Nationals' Strasburg returns -- weather permitting - Strasburg! No further notes necessary.

DBacks News:

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks willing to play through pain late in season - Baseball has to be one of the more demanding sports to play professionally- 162 games in a little over six months, not many breaks. Players have to fight through the whole season, and Kirk Gibson is glad to see that the Diamondbacks are doing that this year.
[FanGraphs] Will Pitching Sink the Diamondbacks in October? - We don't field a starting rotation like you see from the Phillies, but will the Diamondbacks pitching be their weak spot in the playoffs?
[SI.com] Lessons from Brewers and Diamondbacks, latest turnaround teams - I'm still having to adjust to the idea that we're not only leading, but that everyone, for the most part, has conceded the race to us. But Milwaukee's turnaround is very impressive, too- what should other teams take away from this?
[The Globe and Mail] Who’s likely to win baseball’s top awards - The Globe and Mail favors at least one Diamondback for a post-season award, and has another of our players in second place.
[ESPN] Gibson has turned around Diamondbacks - More praise for Gibby and the changes on last season. They've gone from hitting .222 in late and close situations last year, to hitting .282 this year. Maybe Gibby just taught them how to be clutch.
[The Yankee Analysts] The One That Got Away, Ian Kennedy - The Yankees may be happy having Curtis Granderson, but IPK has worked out pretty fantastically for the Diamondbacks.

Around Baseball:

[The Outside Corner] AL Manager of the Year, Someone Has to Win, Right?
- I mean, it's pretty much certain that Gibby wins it for the National League. But he can't win it in both leagues. ....can he?
[Longview News-Journal] It’s time to ban the DH in baseball
- It seems like a pretty crazy theory that we'd expect players to be able to actually play the whole game and actually go out to field...
[MLB.com] Labor Day ignites final sprint for contenders - Teams are starting to look towards the off-season- and for the Diamondbacks, aiming to be the ninth team since 2001 to make the postseason off a 90-loss season, that includes playoff games.
[Pakistan Today] My baseball initiation - A Pakistani lawyer takes in a game at Fenway Park. Really interesting to see our national pastime from an outside view.
[Royals Review] Labor Day: Major League Baseball's Sad Silence on Labor Day - MLB takes time to honor Memorial Day and the fourth of July- should they also give some tribute on Labor Day?
[Business Insider] The Worst Food Safety Violations AT MLB Stadiums - Um. Ew.
[Time] Pitcher in Pink: Baseball Rookies Wear Girly Backpacks as Part of Hazing Ritual - I always like seeing the rookie hazing in baseball- it's kind of fun. Any chance we can get the bullpen to use a My Little Pony backpack this year? (Sorry, Jim.)

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Comments

Always enjoy your segments

Keep up the good work!

by AzDbackfanInDc on Sep 6, 2011 7:18 PM EDT reply actions

In the voice of Hubert Farnsworth...

STRASBURG!

Wear your own fur.

by Marc Fournier on Sep 6, 2011 7:25 PM EDT reply actions

Wernstrom!!!!

by since_98 on Sep 6, 2011 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Happy Strasmas, everyone.

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions

I was so jonesing for this earlier today.

Thanks!

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Sep 7, 2011 1:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Come On Chase Field!

54 HEALTH CODE VIOLATIONS! SUCK. I know that a “major” violation can be something like “employee not drinking from cup with lid” or “hair not tied back properly” but roaches and rodents? Come on.

by Gildo on Sep 6, 2011 8:09 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

they have low expectations this year

those need to get better next year when there will be more fans

Trevor Bauer: 14-4, 2.00 ERA, 162 IP, 246 K in UCLA, Visalia (Hi-A), and Mobile (AA)

by freeland1787 on Sep 6, 2011 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions

the good news is the dbacks

clinched .500- lets go for a winning season tonight

Trevor Bauer: 14-4, 2.00 ERA, 162 IP, 246 K in UCLA, Visalia (Hi-A), and Mobile (AA)

by freeland1787 on Sep 6, 2011 8:14 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks kishi

Great article on fangraphs re: the pitching. Half way through I said out loud — “But compare our top three verses everyone else!” Clearly we don’t have a top shelf rotation, but if you stack up our top three against others, we compare pretty favorably.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 6, 2011 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

Archie Bradley

sitting 96-98 mph…….holy…..crap…..

this is the type of high schooler you dream on being able to become the next Verlander

by blue bulldog on Sep 6, 2011 11:55 PM EDT reply actions

This

It was a one-inning stint, but… imagine if he adds any velocity. After all, he’s in freaking high school, so it isn’t that far-fetched. Plus-plus hammer curve. If he gets a solid feel for a change-up that is even average or above-average (if it gets to plus, it’s game over) and average command of his stuff, that’s a #2 starter at least. Pure power-pitcher’s frame. I’m absolutely giddy over the idea that I could get to see him in person next spring.

I could get to see him in person. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 1:13 AM EDT up reply actions

scouting report on Jarrod Parker

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/jarrod-parker-arizona-diamondbacks-september-call-up/

i’m personally not a big fan of Mike Newman. he’s the author of the already famous (amongst minor league followers anyway) scouting report on Paul Goldschmidt vs. Nate Eovaldi. my biggest beef with scouts is always that too much of their information/impression of a player is based off one outing. Newman is no exception to this skepticism about scouts.

fwiw though, he’s absolutely in love with Jarrod Parker. the fastball looks great, though the velocity range is a lot wider than i would have expected. 92-97 mph fastball readings…..does that just mean he’s got a four-seamer that he throws hard, and a softer two-seamer?

interesting though, discussion about the changeup. sounds pretty filthy to me, and it’s something that another commenter brought up previously. at this point, it might be the case that Parker’s got a plus fastball, plus changeup, and inconsistent slider (it was plus pre-TJ, but i can understand the trepidation of over-using that pitch since it puts more stress on the arm) and inconsistent curveball. the inconsistencies on the breaking balls, and overall inconsistency with command could be an explanation towards why his results haven’t matched his pure stuff.

still, at least to the scouts, Parker is a top of the rotation talent. it’s crazy to think that we have three pitching prospects in our system, with legitimate reasons to be placed ahead of him. most organizations would die to have just one pitching prospect with Parker’s upside.

by blue bulldog on Sep 7, 2011 12:02 AM EDT reply actions

I still like Parker more than Skaggs

But I think he should start 2012 in AAA until he has more consistency with his slider and/or curveball. He can get away with throwing just two pitches in AA, but he needs to get a third pitch working again to succeed as a starter in the Majors. I think he will be able to do that by the middle of next year.

by Amit on Sep 7, 2011 1:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Interesting perspective

I caved later than most, changing my stance only after Skaggs had thoroughly dominated Double-A for about a month. At this point, I think there are legitimate arguments for any of the top-4 to be the best of the group.

Bauer: Best feel for pitching, durable, crazy bat-missing track record in college & small pro sample.
Skaggs: Most polished command, still projectable, most dominant pro numbers over a large sample, left-handed.
Parker: Most electric raw stuff of Double-A arms, FB/SL/CH could all be plus, command recovering since Tommy John Surgery.
Bradley: Enormous upside, true power-pitcher’s frame, possible upper-90’s velocity, perhaps the best single pitch of the group with plus-plus hammer curve.

All of these are legitimate arguments, no?

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 1:19 AM EDT up reply actions

absolutely

just depends on what you value

i’m pretty conservative, which is why i like Bauer/Skaggs (perhaps lower ceiling, but safer bets)

by blue bulldog on Sep 7, 2011 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

i wonder if it's possible for us to start both Skaggs and Parker

in AAA next year

we could have a rotation of IPK, Hudson, Collmenter, Miley, and Bauer

we could start off Skaggs slow, by only have him pitch 3 innings per start for the first month. then call him up to the majors in the second month. that way he won’t totally go nuts on his innings jumps. he can replace the less effective of Collmenter or Miley. or as an injury replacement.

give Parker more time to harness his command. let him join the majors in the middle of the season, which would push Miley or Collmenter into the pen.

by midseason, our rotation should definitely look like IPK, Hudson, Bauer, Skaggs, Parker. if we’re seriously concerned about innings limits, we could use the Tampa Bay approach, and run six starters out there.

by blue bulldog on Sep 7, 2011 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions

There's also injuries that will happen

So chances are we’d need someone at Triple-A. No need to pushing guys to relief work ASAP when needing 7 starters in a year is considered a great year for pitcher health…

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

It has to be taken with huge grains of salt

For one, he said Parker was one of the 15 best prospects he’s ever seen. That’s absurd. However, the video is great to have, because it shows how smooth his mechanics are. Definitely should be very little worry of re-aggravation. Nice core action and an absurdly-fast arm that looks almost effortless. The fastball velocity difference is definitely a two-seamer vs. four-seamer thing.

Our system is awesome.

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 1:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Also Adam Foster

Foster at Project Prospect also really loves Parker. Before the injury, he said that Parker had the second best stuff he’d seen in the Minors, only behind Stephen Strasburg.

by Amit on Sep 7, 2011 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Still probably has top-3 stuff.

Behind Moore for sure, but he can compete among the Teheran’s, Delgado’s, Walker’s, Miller’s, and Martinez’s of the world.

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 10:42 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

yeah

i think Foster said that before Moore just jumped up another level of awesomeness this year

stuff-wise though, it’s probably true Parker can easily compete the best of them

by blue bulldog on Sep 7, 2011 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks kishi

I was begining to wonder if you had stopped doing them for some reason, since I hadn’t seen one in a few days

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 7, 2011 1:32 AM EDT reply actions

Me too!

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Sep 7, 2011 1:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Sorry about that!

I’m hoping I’ve got my laptop patched together well enough that it’ll hold up until I can get a new battery and charger soon.

"Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence."

by kishi on Sep 7, 2011 2:53 AM EDT up reply actions

Ian Stewart for Parra

Saw this today, not sure if it made the rounds.

Thing is, I couldnt find the original article he mentions at the beginning.

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Sep 7, 2011 2:00 AM EDT reply actions

wow

that would have been horrendous

even when Ian Stewart’s bat was still useful, he was not as valuable as Parra. glad this didn’t happen. if it’s true that the Rox were the ones who nixed the deal, that’s just further proof that KT is an idiot for even wanting this trade to happen.

by blue bulldog on Sep 7, 2011 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions

This trade was supposedly offered by KT

Back in July – this July – which means that there were definitely other pieces involved. Renck, who reported this, didn’t know if any other names were in the deal. My bet? That Towers wanted to get Rafael Betancourt in the deal as well to fill the late-inning bullpen slot that was open when Putz first went on the DL, then establishing a dominant 7-8-9 of Hernandez-Betancourt-Putz.

Founder and Chairman of the Hire A Body Double For David Hernandez's Right Arm Commission. A non-profit organization.

by Dan Strittmatter on Sep 7, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, roster rules

Over at www.mlbdailydish.com, they have a few recent articles on different roster rules. Many people here probably know this stuff, but questions are always asked about it, so some might not or might not remember all of it (except probably Amit, he knows all). I found them interesting.

So far:

Rule 4 Amatuer Draft

The 40 man roster rules.

The 25 man roster rules.

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Sep 7, 2011 2:07 AM EDT reply actions