Diamondbacks Bullpen

[foulpole]

C)

One of the best catching tandems in the NL and Snyder gets more ML experience under his belt. No long term commitments on questionable talent

1st)

CJ gets a lot of PT and has made improvements on D. No long term commitments on questionable talent

2nd)

O-Dawg's hitting sparkles in the 2nd half, he gives us some web gems and is still a bargain. No long term commitments on questionable talent.

3rd)

Tracy...umm...Tracy...umm...Tracy has an addition to the family. No long term commitments on questionable talent.

SS)

Drew comes up and shines. He shows that he is a real wolf. No long term commitments on questionable talent.

LF)

Gonzo climbs the ladder on the all time doubles list and plays out his last year of the committed contract. No long term commitments on questionable talent.

CF)

Byrnesie excites the fan base and shows that he truly is committed to winning.

DeVanon does a fine job (in other OF spots as well) and helps out vs. RHP.

Young comes up and shows his stuff at the ML level.
No long term commitments on questionable talent.

RF)

Josh deals Green and Q proves that he can compete at the ML level.
No long term commitments on questionable talent.

Pitching staff)

starters
Webby competes for the CY and gains another year of ML experience.
Livan shows that he can be competitive at the BOB.
'rique shows that he can compete at the ML level.
Miggy battles through his starts and keeps us in the game for most of his starts.
Cruz shows his flexibility as he works as a starter and from the pen.
No long term commitments on questionable talent.

pen
Vizcaino has an ERA in the low 3's.
Pena comes up and shows that he can compete at the ML level.
No long term commitments on questionable talent.

I'm sure that I left out a few but all in all there have been a lot of things to be excited about.

[tmar]

Good points. We should also throw in that the 2006 offseason is going to be more exciting than what our playoff appearance would have been.

I'm ready for November baby.

[moviegeekjn]

Most posters here readily acknowledge the positive steps taken this season and are extremely pleased with the progress. There's always going to be occasional negatives tossed and groused about--just the nature of being a baseball fan.

There are other forums that you'd have a helluva time trying to convince of these positives, without getting virtually stoned to oblivion.

[charlie]

A couple more.....

Valverde worked out of his temporary tailspin and returned to form.

Medders tired after a high workload but didn't come up injured and should be OK next year, too.

A Byrnes/Davanon tandem worked out well and if used in LF next year would upgrade the position a lot, besides providing cover for the other two OF spots as well.

A catching tandem of Snyder/Montero also looks solid and cheaper, making Estrada expendable.

Downside:

Tracy got worse defensively and offensively as the season progressed, with return of throwing difficulties and developing seriously bad habits at the plate. Is he worth keeping?

Coaching staff (hitting & pitching coaches) not impressive, seem unable to help players overcome problems. Is it players' fault or coaches fault?

Manager a swell guy but aside from a harmonious clubhouse, hasn't shown ability to set high standards of play or get a lot out of his players and coaches, plus appears to have very limited imagination for in-game tactics.
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formerly ROF

[dirtygary]

I'm cool with this year, aside from goddamn June. Lots of positives, attained some financial flexibility, and got CJ a full year and the other rookies some real experience. They'll bust their asses this off-season and come back ready to play next year.

Some determination needs to be made regarding the rotation. Specifically, Edgar Gonzalez. If we're going to be running rookies out there next year, and it's obvious that we're not built for the post-season, I say put him the rotation for the whole year and see where he ends up. He's cheap and he's out of options, but he's too young to be given up on. Let the Gonzalez' fill in the 4 and 5 spots. Look for a decent #2 at a good price to slot between Webb and Livan, and build depth for the upcoming '08-'10 seasons.
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The pen is mightier than the sword, if that pen is shot out of a gun

[TAP]

[B. O. N. D.]

Edgar did a fine job yesterday. He made a couple of mistakes. Sanchez was just... unbelievable. I thought for sure the bats would figure him out.

The best thing of the season was the commitment to the future.

Josh Byrnes showed his smarts by acquiring arguably on the cheap: Estrada, Byrnes, O-Dawg, Davanon, Young, Callaspo, Vizcaino, Cruz, Livan, Bacsik, possibly that kid from the Green trade.

Josh Byrnes showed his smarts by getting rid of El Duque, Vasquez, Ortiz, Green, Halsey, etc. although a couple pieces might not have panned out... Julio comes to mind, though they might figure him out in the offseason.

Yes, November will be exciting...
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Oops in the 2 hole!

[dirtygary]