Diamondbacks negatives: A 2015/2016 Review/Preview

Negatives from 2015

Piratedan7 - Tomas is/was out of shape, needs to get conditioned to handle the rigors of a major league season. Our arms are inconsistent, there's talent there, but it would be nicer to see it harnessed. There were way too many full counts imho. Didn't like trading away Touki although for all we know, Gosselin may answer some questions at 2nd or as the utility guy who hits better than Pennington and Hill.

Makakilo - Starting pitching and second base were below average.

Clefo -

• The pitching staff is still... a work in progress, to put it kindly. Of the new arrivals, only Robbie Ray fills you with any confidence going forward (and even then, he has a pitch count problem, though that's way better than a ""Giving up too many runs"" problem) Jeremy Hellickson was slow and bad, Chase Anderson seemed to flame out the second Dave Stewart said that having him could make prospects expendable (Oh Henry levels of irony) and everyone else was... inconsistent.
  
• The Touissant/Arroyo/Gosselin deal is still going to be questionable at best, and the Diamondbacks doing well in that trade hinges solely on Touki flaming out as a prospect, which feels gross.
  
• Chris Owings having a subpar season at the plate. Granted, we never expected him to be Rod Carew, and you wonder how much of that was coming back from that silly shoulder injury, but you still expected more out of him.
  
• The Royals took our mantle as the dirtbag MLB team. That stings
  

Steven - For how good the offense was last season, the pitching staff was just as bad. Outside of Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray, the starters were disappointing and head into the off-season with more question marks than answers.

I Suppose I'm a Pessimist - All though the pitching was positive at times, there's no denying it was our weak point. I can't help but imagine what this offense would have been like if Owings and Ahmed hit to their capabilities. The Dodgers made me hate them even more this year, along with the Cardinals. Other than that, can't really complain about what this team showed this year.

Jim - We came into the year, knowing that our rotation was the team's weakest point, and that proved to be the case. Opening Day starter Josh Collmenter went to the bullpen after the first week in June; Jeremy Hellickson failed to bounce back; and the new prospects were consistent only in their inconsistency. Archie Bradley was hurt, and we never even got a look at Aaron Blair. It was good to see Patrick Corbin recover, but after only 85 innings, is he able to step up to the front of the rotation and give the Diamondbacks 200 frames next year? It feels like there are no fewer question now, then there were before we began what was supposed to be a year of evaluation

Concerns for 2016

Jim - The next 15 wins won't be as easy to pick up, that's for sure, and there have been trades that have concerned me with regard to Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart's philosophy. The arrival of Hellickson or the departure of Touki Toussaint both seemed at odds with a desire to build a strong farm system and win from within. There will be further moves made this winter, and I just hope they aren't dumb ones like selling the farm for a "proven closer" like Aroldis Chapman.

Unlike some of our NL West rivals, we don't have the budget to be able to write-off big, dumb contracts, and it's going to take all of the front-office's smarts to avoid potential mis-steps and close the gap on the Dodgers and Giants. There is precious little room for error, while the limited window of Goldschmidt and Pollock is open.

I Suppose I'm a Pessimist - Pitching Pitching Pitching (Cue DeadHorse.Gif) Ahmed and Owings continue to struggle, Tomas stays out of shape, a top star gets injured, and we can't keep up with our pitching.

Steven - Was 2015 a mirage for the young outfielders or can we depend on Pollock and Peralta to continue their power outputs? And can the team stay healthy enough to show the league that their rebound wasn't a fluke?

Clefo - The Front Office goes crazy in the offseason, mortgaging the future for players who will add like two more wins tops. Stewart and LaRussa rip off masks revealing that they're actually Bill Bavasi and Matt Millen.

Makakilo - Injuries. My first concern is healing from 2015 injuries. Will Ahmed return with his outstanding defense after his back injury? Will Archie Bradley and Evan Marshall be back at 100% after being hit? My second concern is whether the Diamondbacks will be lucky in mostly avoiding injuries in 2016 like they were in 2015.

PirateDam7 - bullpen and health... I think we have enough candidates for the rotation that we'll be able to manage something palatable. The bullpen is always a crap shoot unless you're the Royals or the Cardinals it seems.