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Diamondbacks Spring Training Round-Up: Hudson Takes A Step

We got the Venezuelan members of our roster back, Daniel Hudson took another step in his road back, but could we be seeing the beginning of the end for John McDonald?

By Jim McLennan

Quotes of the Day

  • "The three of us are all going out there, fighting for it. You got to go out there and just pitch your game. I feel like that's what I've been doing; just going to go out there and show them what I did last year."
    --     Patrick Corbin
  • "I was pleased with the day, I had a chance to particularly work on my curveball. I pitched some relief a year ago. So I am preparing myself for either- and just to be ready to go every day. You never know how the season is going play out."
    --     Josh Collmenter

Venezualan reinforcements return

The early exit of Venezuela from the WBC may have been a disappointment, but it does mean that the Diamondbacks get Martin Prado, Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra back to camp relatively quickly. They arrived on Tuesday after a mixed set of performances. Prado led the squad with a line of .455/.538/.727, while Montero had a very respectable .873 OPS. Parra, however, went 0-for-8 with two walks and two strikeouts. Said Miggy, "It was really surprising. I wasn't expecting to be here so soon. It was a disappointment and surprising flying back yesterday. It's a weird feeling, but it is what it is. I packed for two weeks, and I only used my clothes for half a week."

Trading John McDonald

According to Ken Rosenthal, that might be the way the Diamondbacks are looking to clear the logjam on the infield.

Adam Morris of Lone Star Ball reckons Texas would be a good fit We'll be digging a bit more into this in a day or two, but any thoughts as to where he might land, or what we might get in exchange for the Prime Minister of Defence? As yet, there's no other independent confirmation beyond Rosenthal's Tweet.

Hudson takes another step

The return of Daniel Hudson from Tommy John surgery continues at the expected slow but steady pace, with his first flat bullpen session since surgery last July. So far, things seem to have gone smoothly for Hudson, who would still appear to be on track for a possible return to the rotation at some point after the All-Star break. However, it would be sensible not to expect him to return immediately to the pre-operation level, given the length of the layoff. Personally, anything we get from Hudson this year will be a bonus.

World Baseball Classic Roundup

The Italians nearly pulled off another shock in their opening second-round game against the Dominican Republic in Miami yesterday. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but their bullpen proved unable to hold on, and they lost 5-4. The USA won their first contest, beating Puerto Rico 7-1, with Gio Gonzalez throwing five shutout innings, and David Wright continuing his steller campaign with five RBI, to give him ten in four games. The two defeated sides (Italy and Puerto Rico) will face off today, in a loser goes home match-up. The first pitch there is at 4pm, Arizona time.

Around baseball

  • Purple Row appear to have conceded the NL West already to the Giants or Dodgers, and instead discuss the race for bronze in the NL West. They anoint us favorites for that, which I'm sure would be regarded as "damning with faint praise" by most fans...
  • If you've been watching the WBC games and noticed a greater tendency to bunt than normal, you could be right. Baseball America looks at some of the situations where it appears the sacrifice has been mis-used.
  • Might Jamaica, traditionally a stronghold of cricket, be the next country to make a splash in baseball?

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