Just a memo to all those taking part in the AZ Snakepit Fantasy Baseball league: I will be setting the league status to "Ready" at noon next Monday, so players should be sure to have their lists ready by that stage. The draft itself should then take place shortly afterwards, given you a week to sort out your lineup, make any late changes to the roster and perhaps even work on some pre-season trades.
There remain a couple of "mystery" teams, about whom I don't know anything: GregSchulteOverdrive and JByrnesIsMyHomie. However, while they could still be "ringers", I'll let them ride, rather then levelling the threatened expulsion for failing to identify themselves! Research suggests the owners, rgsleeve3 and azd05, do have "history", having played in leagues before over the past couple of years, which makes them less likely to be fakes - they probably are simply superlurkers. ;-) Still, I'll be watching...
With no game yesterday - the rain took care of that - not much excitement to report, though that's partly my own fault for having posted late yesterday, taking care of things like the roster cuts. Interesting quote from Bob Melvin though, on the subject of Scott Hairston. "Scotty can hit, and once he gets left field down, he's a guy that's definitely going to be a big leaguer. That's why I'm not moving him around. I'm just sticking him in left field so he can get the angle of left field, and he's done very well. He's working hard. I think a full year in left, and he'll be ready to go." [Emphasis added]
If we pick apart the bones of that statement, the main implication is Gonzo probably won't be around in 2007. It does create another problem though: I'd vaguely pegged Carlos Quentin to play left field in 2007, with Young in CF, and Green's long-term contract still clogging up RF. So does this perhaps also indicate Green will be moved - somewhere, somehow (perhaps to Anaheim, as noted in the Hot Stove comments?) - during this year? That'd allow us next season to run out an outfield of Hairston, Young and Quentin, with Hairston the "veteran", at age 26 on Opening Day 2007. Of course, this all depends on Hairston continuing his hitting with Tucson.
Over on MLB.com Tom Singer likes Arizona's chances, asking "can the rest of the NL West keep up with the D-Backs?" I think he's over-optimistic in a number of areas though: he dismisses the bullpen with an airy, "they should be able to figure it out," and describes our starters as "a pitching rotation that likes to put the ball in play." Russ Ortiz was the master last year in that category, it seemed. ;-( But Singer does appreciate we now have "a plan. As opposed to winging it year-to-year, seduced by a discordant few big names who in the short-term can sell some tickets, but ultimately sell out a team's future." Hmm, whoever might he mean?