Top 5: Favorite Arizona Diamondbacks
1. Justin Upton, Superstar.
2. Junior Spivey. Was the only youthful starter (27) on a 2002 team full of old men. Pop in his bat, 3x the speed of the vets, home grown. Smiled like he meant it, glowered when needed. Unforgettably! appeared on the cover of SI after the 2001 World Series.
3. BK got a bum rap. Maybe he was a bad apple, cos there was always that subtext. I don't think so. He wanted to be a starter, big deal. Had a cup of coffee as a 20-year old in 1999, then this:
2000: 70.2 IP, 6 W, 6 L, 14 SV, 52 H, 9 HR, 46 BB, 111 K, 4.46 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
2001: 98 IP, 5 W, 6 L, 19 SV, 58 H, 10 HR, 44 BB, 113 K, 2.94 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
2002: 84 IP, 8 W, 3 L, 36 SV, 64 H, 5 HR, 26 BB, 92 K, 2.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP
2003: 122.1 IP, 9 W, 10 L, 16 SV, 104 H, 12 HR, 33 BB, 102 K, 3.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP (combined ARI/BOS totals)
What more can you really ask from a kid?
4. Brandon Webb is the most valuable player in Arizona Diamondbacks history, as measured by how he's performed v. what he's been paid to do it. I don't have numbers to support that statement, but I'd be glad to see whatever you've got.
5. Orlando Hudson. Huge personality, great leadership skills. His glove is a thrill. (One worries for BWebb without it.) He wanted money that was never going to happen in Arizona, not even before the economy fell out. I don't really blame him for looking to get paid. It's just hard to see him wear Dodger Blue, especially since he settled for a one-year deal worth less guaranteed money than he made in 2008. The only consolation is that his bat will play well down outside of Chase Field. I'm still a fan, but my affections will wane the longer he's with LAD. His No. 5 spot on this list is available for the taking.
8 responses to this Post, with 5 unique participants
An Insider
03/26/09
12:25pm
Sorry.
But I can't understand a word you're saying w/ Derrick Rose in your mouth.
BK
I agree with Byung-Yung Kim. I would love to get the inside scoop on BK's mental health. Seems like he had loads of talent and just let the pressure get to him.
...
Uhhh Where is Mark Reynolds?!
cvarner
Mark Reynolds will have to cut down on his strikeouts and improve his defense considerably if he wants to make himself a candidate for that No. 5 slot.
Right now, I have him ahead of Jorge Fabregas, Mike Myers and Russ Ortiz, but that's not saying much.
Who's in your Top 5?
top 5
PHXMLB, I was wondering what your criteria was in creating your top 5 list? looking at the first four players, I thought it was based on guys that came up through the dbacks system, but then there's Orlando Hudson at #5, so I guess not. Or is this your list of personal top 5 players that you like?
My favorite top 5 D-backs players are:
1. Dan Haren
2. Justin Upton (yes, it's just potential right now)
3. Brandon Webb
4. Stephen Drew
5. Chad Tracy
My list is all current Dbacks players because I only became a fan of theirs beginning in 2006.
My list of all time greatest Dbacks players:
1. Randy Johnson
2. Curt Schilling
3. Brandon Webb
4. Luis Gonzalez
5. Matt Williams
Steve Finley
actually, I meant to put in Steve Finley at the #5 spot...
shibum
Steve Finley is No. 5 in your Favorites or in your Greatest list? I could see him in either of those Top 5s.
As for the list in the orignal post, it's definitely a subjective list of personal favorites. You correctly detected a bias for players who came up through the minor league chain. ODog does not fit the homegrown-criteria, but he was just too much of a personality, a leader and a two-way player to ignore.
Even before there were Diamondbacks, I've gravitated towards second basemen and relief pitchers among my favorites. Each of those positions has a bit of the underdog built into it: second baseman are often guys who couldn't cut it at shortstop and bullpen guys would be in the rotation if they had better stuff or command, a broader repertoire, greater durability. It's not any formal criteria for the list, but my affection for guys like that who make good is reflected in my Top 5.
The other two names on my list -- Upton and Webb -- are products of the farm system who are cornerstones of the franchise. That's indisputably true w/ respect to Webb, who is matched only by Johan Santana among the best pitchers in baseball since 2003. As for Upton, I see a player who can be among the all-time greats in the game if he continues to grow into his immense potential. He seems to have his head on his shoulders, w/ the right combination of humility and fire to make that a reality.
One last thing that I like a lot and that we see from Spivey and sometimes from Upton is oldskool high-socks. That look just speaks "baseball" to me. It was a treat to see Upton and Chris B. Young (a candidate to claim Hudson's No. 5 spot) wearing their socks up for Jackie Robinson Day.
J Up?
Your infatuation with a 21yr old male is almost passing a simple man-crush and beginning to turn into something that is.. well.. quite disturbing.