FanPost

It is Not the Stadium’s Fault the Diamondbacks Suck this Season

Over the last six months there has been a lot of talk about the Chase Field. Is it too big? Can it ever sell out regularly? Is it too much of a hitter’s park? Is the batter’s eye to perfect? Who should be paying for upkeep and repairs?

But while issues with a ballpark or arena can surprisingly make for good copy, the issues surrounding the stadium have unfortunately been over shadowed by the poor showing of its main occupants, the Arizona Diamondbacks. And yet, it has somehow become part of the blame!

For a franchise that boasts the likes of star starting pitchers in Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Ian Kennedy, not to mention a number of relief pitchers who performed exceptionally well in Arizona, it is hard for me to imagine that somehow, a stadium that has allowed for so much success, is now suddenly to blame for this season’s poor showing (not to mention that Zach Greinke had beyond exceptional statistics at Chase Field over the three prior seasons to his signing with the Diamondbacks).

It’s easy to blame the cavernous surroundings of such a massive building on the poor play this season. Anyone who attends a game or even watches on TV can see that on an average night the stadium is never full and overall fan enthusiasm in that park is nill. There is very little excitement in the stands, and thus little energy overall.

But while a lack of stadium noise is anathema to us all, the stadium itself is hardly a viable excuse. In their 19 years in existence, the Arizona Diamondbacks have had significant success, making the playoffs five times (including a victorious World Series – need I remind you), a very respectable percentage of success, especially when taking the great number of teams who so rarely see a winning record, let alone playoff participation.

And yet, here we are, in 2016, watching a listless ball club flounder its way through another grueling hot Arizona summer, desperately asking for attention, and a fan base desperately asking for answers. Apparently the perfect combination to make the stadium itself come up in discussions as part of the blame.

An issue I wholeheartedly believe is complete, and utter, nonsense.

The issues surrounding the Diamondbacks roster runs far deeper than Arizona not producing, in Arizona. The roster has holes that very few realized existed prior to the start of the season. Granted it’s hard to replace an All-Star centerfielder, but with a roster rocked by poor defense on the corners, literally no one was ready to step in AJ Pollock’s place (lest we all forget, but, SHELBY MILLER PLAYED LEFT FIELD AT ONE POINT!!!) No one could have imagined that the offensive production at the short stop position could be so blindingly poor. And yet, there is no one who can step in and pick up the slack. As I mentioned the outfield corners on defense, no one could have thought that Yasmany Tomas could make such small strides on defense and at the plate (actually, a lot of people feared this, but I digress) and yet, Yasmany still starts, nearly every single day, out of position, and to the great detriment of the pitching staff.

The issues with depth could continue, but to what end?

A completely related issue is the coaching staff. As fans, can any of us see any significant strides in offense or pitching outside of the two guys we expect it from the most: Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke? Is there any one pitcher or batter who anyone inside or outside of the organization can say has improved as a direct result of the coaching?

Last week local sports talk show host John Gambodoro said that he spoke with a player who said that Chip Hale "has not lost the locker room." But this statement does not mean that he is doing a good job either. Sometimes good managers have poor results. But sometimes bad managers and coaching staffs get lucky.

And sometimes even a bad manager is respected by his players.

Why is it that I get the sneaky feeling that last year was a managerial aberration, and not a sign of great coaching?

Great coaching staff’s get the most out of their players. After Opening Day when Chip Hale postulated that the media may have over-hyped the team, it should have become crystal clear at that very moment, that he was not going to get their best.

To blame the stadium is just an excuse. To blame roster construction is certainly a credible theory. At this point in the season though, it is hard not to blame the Manager.It is not the Stadium’s Fault the Diamondbacks Suck this Season