Must-see
[ESPN] Anatomy of a pitch - this is quite awesome [H/T Dirtdawg90]. Eight Diamondbacks pitchers are shown executing their particular pitch e.g. Trevor Cahill's sinker, and discussing the mechanics in detail. If you've ever wanted to know more about the mechanics involved, go check it out. You'll come away with a newfound respect for what's involved, say, in Josh Collmenter's change-up.
Team news
No question about the biggest piece of news yesterday.
Excited to announce that I'm going to be a Dback again! Feels like a homecoming. Aussie Aussie Aussie!!
— Trent Oeltjen (@TrentOeltjen) March 26, 2014
[dbacks.com] Ace lefty Corbin has Tommy John surgery - No, for reals this time! D-backs general manager Kevin Towers said last week that the competition to replace Corbin in the rotation was likely down to prospect Archie Bradley and Randall Delgado. "It's an opportunity for somebody to step up," Trammell said. "And hopefully that happens. Often that's how careers get started. I don't know who that guy is right now, but we'll see."
[AZ Central] Arroyo feeling 'perfect' as Arizona Diamondbacks season approaches - Arroyo said Tuesday he received an epidural injection and, after a final spring-training start, he expects to be ready when the Diamondbacks restart their regular season. "I threw three innings in a simulated game on the 19th and threw a bullpen," he said. "Through that, I was still not perfect. But the last four days, I've been feeling perfect. I threw (Monday) and felt as good as I've ever felt, so I just want to get one more outing and get built up a little bit."
[FOX Sports] D-backs' Australia trip great ... until games started - "Unfortunately we came out on the wrong side of the games. If we were to do it all over again, there is not much we would have done differently. It's too bad we didn't bring home at least one win, because everyone had a terrific time. We wanted our players to enjoy their trip there. We faced two really tough pitchers. At the end of the day, I don't think the results had anything to do with the trip. We were prepared for those games. We started early," Derrick Hall said.
[ArizonaSports] Trumbo experiences highs and lows during first series with D-backs - "For the most part I was comfortable," said Trumbo. "Obviously, there was a play [in the second inning] that got away from me. It was an instinct play. It was the best read I could do at the time. It happened. I think I was the guinea pig for that scenario. Had I seen Goldy's get knocked down or Puig's later, I would have played it differently. The day before the ball was carrying better and that's what I judged it off of. Obviously, it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped."
[AZ Central] Corbin not only surgery patient - "Back in Phoenix, another key Diamondback landed on the operating table – manager Kirk Gibson, who underwent a procedure to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The knee had been bothering Gibson all spring, but the surgery is expected to put him out of commission for only a couple of days. He'll be on crutches in the interim. "He says he'll be out here tomorrow," bench coach Alan Trammell said Tuesday.
[royals.com] Royals claim Schuster off waivers, deal Moore - Patrick Schuster's tour of MLB continued, as he is now with his fourth organization since the start of December. The reliever was selected by the Astros from the Diamondbacks in last December's Rule 5 Draft, traded to the Padres for pitcher Anthony Bass, was waived by them and was picked up the Royals. They now have to keep him on the 25-man roster all season, or offer him back to Arizona.
[ArizonaSports] Charges dropped against D-backs announcer - Charges accusing an announcer for the Arizona Diamondbacks of threatening his wife with a knife during an argument at their home have been dismissed. Team Spanish-language announcer Miguel Perez Quintana was arrested July 15 and later charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and criminal damage. Maricopa County Superior Court records say a judge dismissed the charges against the 53-year-old Quintana on March 11 at prosecutors' request.
And elsewhere...
[dbacks.com] Opening Day brings chills for D-backs pitcher Brad Ziegler every year - "My favorite Opening Day was 2010 when we were in Seattle to play the Mariners. It was Ken Griffey Jr.'s last season and Seattle was his place, and he had gone back to Seattle for that year and we were their home opener. They had Randy Johnson throw out the first pitch to Dan Wilson. Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner were also there to celebrate. It was awesome. There's not a century-long baseball history in Seattle, but what there is, they brought it all together that day and it was really neat."
[AZ Central] Ex-Diamondback Ryan Roberts fights for spot on Chicago Cubs 2014 roster - Roberts doesn't exude any sense of finality or concern. He learned long ago that the only way for him to survive was to focus on each game, each at-bat, each grounder or fly ball that came his way. "Obviously I would love to play as long as I can," Roberts said. "But my main thing is just trying to do my job every day, no matter where it might be or what it might be. I try to play every game like it's my last game."
[USA Today] MLB no longer lost in translation - Miguel Montero recalls the time before a game a few years ago when he went over to chat with Jose Bautista, then with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and noticed a blond player alongside him, so he introduced himself. Nate McLouth greeted Montero back in perfect Spanish, saying, "Mucho gusto" — pleased to meet you. Startled, Montero asked him where he was from, to which McLouth responded again in Spanish, "Dominican. From Cibao." "'From Cibao? Wow.' I was stunned," Montero said earlier this spring. "Then he starts laughing and says, 'No, I'm American.' I'm like, 'Wow, I believed you.' It blew me away."
[AP] Pittsburgh Pirates lace 29 hits in spring cleaning of Toronto Blue Jays - Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez contributed a two-run homer and RBI single as the Pittsburgh Pirates got 29 hits Tuesday and routed the Toronto Blue Jays 22-5. And you thought Trevor Cahill didn't have a good spring? After five outings, J.A. Happ has an ERA above twenty... Today, he faced 20 batters in three-plus inning and allowed seven runs on 12 hits.new
[twinsbaseball.com] Kubel makes Twins, to see time as DH/outfielder - The Twins faced a Tuesday deadline to decide whether to put Kubel on the roster or give him a $100,000 retention bonus as an Article XX(B) free agent. But the Twins avoided the bonus by telling him he will be added to the roster, and he'll now receive a $2 million base salary.
[NYTimes.com] Footage Offers Rare Look at Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig - Recently discovered newsreel footage captures the day Babe Ruth returned to the Yankee lineup in 1925 — and the first of 2,130 consecutive games by a guy named Gehrig.