SnakeBytes: Your Arizona Camelbacks edition

Your (somewhat) daily Bradley

• [Fox Sports] D-backs' Bradley rising fast but staying grounded - KT said, "He hasn't had that much time in the minor leagues as of yet, but every challenge we've presented him with, he's met... [He'll] be exposed to better hitters than those he's faced to this point in his career. We're not holding him back with the reins by any means. We'll take it outing by outing and see where he is at. I think he knows that the changeup is kind of the equalizer and pitch he still needs to work on to be successful up here. It sounds like he's been working on it a lot in the offseason and will probably use it a lot this spring. We'll see what happens come the end of March."

• [Grading on the Curve] Bradley Not Ready for Diamondbacks Rotation - "The Diamondbacks have five dependable starters heading into spring training, something that few teams can boast and that will give them an advantage in the NL West and wild card race. There’s no reason to ruin that advantage by throwing in an unproven 21 year old into the mix. Bradley needs some time to work on his command and change up in Triple-A. No rotation stays healthy all season, so an injury will eventually open up a spot for him."
• [AZ Central] Bradley learns from Aaron Hill - Hill noticed the 21-year-old was tipping his curve. Bradley watched video of all his starts in the minors and petitioned teammates and coaches for their opinions, but said no one ever noticed his tell. In retrospect, it was so subtle it’s no surprise. When pitching out of the stretch and coming set, Hill noticed Bradley would turn his wrist ever so slightly when gripping the ball to throw the curve. "They picked it up every single time," Bradley said. "Something small like that. It just shows you how good these guys are and how tough it is to trick them and get them out."

The rest of the team

• [dbacks.com] Trumbo should thrive in desert pairing with Goldschmidt - "Last year, I did walk more, but my batting average went down and I had too many strikeouts. I'm going to try to cut down my stride this year. When you're going good, you can feel like the best hitter in the game. But then there are huge valleys. I've done some things to try to be more consistent."
• [AZ Central] Ziegler trying to hold on to closer job in 4-way battle - Sounds like he enjoyed the stability. "I never knew for sure that I was going to be the guy until the phone rang and they said me every time. There were other times when something’s going on in the seventh inning and I’m like, ‘This might be a spot they might want to use me in,’ and then they’d go to Will Harris, and I’m like, ‘OK, I must be closing tonight.’ It was kind of that way almost every night."
• [ArizonaSports] Kendrick: No changes in store for Goldschmidt's contract - "We value him, obviously, as a key part of our future. We're going to do everything we can to have him have a career throughout his years in baseball as a Diamondback. But we're going to look at his performance, continue to monitor it, and if it seems appropriate to both sides that we enter into an extension of his current agreement at an appropriate time, we'll of course give that every consideration. And I would say chances are good that, if his performance continues, that can and will happen. And should happen."
• [dbacks.com] Hernandez learns from 2013 struggles - "It was one of the most frustrating years of my life, just in general. It was a combination of everything. There were things I was going through in my personal life. Just knowing in the back of my mind that I'm way better than how I was pitching... Going into this Spring Training, I just feel like I'm in a clear state of mind. I just want to continue to put one foot in front of the other."
• With Valentine's Day yesterday, seems appropriate to mention that Josh Collmenter is looking for love down under...

And otherwise...

• [ESPN] It's a wonderful time ... baseball is back! - "It is the best time of year. It is a time for optimism: No one has lost a game, the rookies all have promise and the veterans believe it will be their best year. It is baseball in its purest form, a time for wind sprints, fundamentals, split-squad games on a back field where only the scouts are watching... No one is exempt from the three-hour bus rides, playing on fields that aren't manicured to major league standards, and facing anonymous Class A pitchers who throw really hard, but have no idea where the ball is going."
• [Grantland] How Paying Established Closers Saves Teams Money - "While these moves may be frustrating for baseball fans, a deeper analysis reveals that these deals might make quite a bit of economic sense for these teams. The idea of saving money on young relievers is occasionally thrown around, but how much money can teams really save?" The answer for the A's and Ryan Cook is about $7 million. That's why we won't see Addison Reed closing this year.
• [Reuters] Baseball in Brazil? U.S. sports rise in the land of soccer - Of interest to Muu, I imagine. "Brazil is and always will be a soccer country, especially during a year in which it hosts the World Cup. Nevertheless, the major U.S. sports leagues for football, baseball and basketball are seeing unprecedented growth here as Brazilians become wealthier, more worldly and even frustrated with the shortcomings of their own national pastime."
• Paging Asteroid... Looks like you're in good company, with Jody Jackson!
  

@Kyndrasports so now I'm carrying 4 pounds of chocolate in my purse usually I only have a pound on me any given day

— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) February 14, 2014