Hello, my name is Brandon McCarthy

How this works

Every other day, from now through to Christmas, we'll open up discussion on a particular player who made a meaningful contribution to the 2014 Diamondbacks. [I've drawn the line at 125 PA or 20 innings] There will be two sections. Firstly, a poll where you rate them from 5 ("Highly satisfied") down to 1 ("Very dissatisfied"): it's entirely up to you what criteria you use for the number. Secondly, the comments below, where you can talk about the reasons for your vote, etc. Things to discuss include, but are not limited to:

• Pre-season expectations
• 2014 performance: strengths and weaknesses, etc.
  
• Health and other mitigating factors
• How they'll help the team in 2015, their role, etc.

Three days down the line, we'll collate the votes, calculate a final average score, and write up the consensus of SnakePit thought into an appraisal. Here is a quick overview of today's candidate for your consideration.

Additional bonus! Going forward. we'll also have a "Comment of the Thread" for the appraisal, so please rec the comments you find insightful, funny, or whatever.

Brandon McCarthy - RHP

• DOB: 7/7/1983
  
• 2014 Salary: $10.25 million
  
• 2014 performance: 18 games, 109.2 IP, 93/20 K/BB, 3-10, 5.01 ERA
  
• 2014 value: -0.5 bWAR, 1.1 fWAR.

McCarthy stayed fully healthy over an entire season for the first time in his career, making a total of seven more starts than in any other season. However, the ones he made for the Diamondbacks were largely disappointing ones: through 16 appearances, McCarthy had only one victory and the team were 2-14 in those games. His best outing was the one against Washington, where he pitched eight innings of two-hit, no walk ball. But that was very much the exception rather than the rule while with Arizona. The peripherals suggested some bad luck, and he did pitch markedly better after the trade to New York - was the return of his cutter responsible?