Prospects
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Farm Bureau: Upton, Wieters, Strasburg and Hype
Matt Wieters, b. 05.21.86.
Justin Upton, b. 08.25.87.
Stephen Strasburg, b. 07.20.88.
The dates of birth for these three players are provided to offer some context for evaluation of the HYPE! that each has engendered. At the risk of selling short their talents, which are in each case prodigious, each of these players is, has been, or is soon to be the "Flavor of the Month" among those who follow baseball futures.
This month's flavor is most certainly Wieters, since David Price had his coming out party late last season. The Orioles assigned Wieters to AAA this week for no good reason except that, by demoting him, Baltimore is likely to keep the young backstop under its control for an extra year. No one seriously believes that crusty Gregg Zaun is a better option than Wieters to serve as the O's No. 1 catcher. Almost everyone who expresses an opinion on the subject unabashedly lauds Wieters as a player ready to make a huge impact, both at the plate and behind it....
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Diamondbacks Notes: January 28, 2009
* HELLO, DIAMONDBACKS NATION! - Welcome back. After a test-run in 2008, we're rolling out DBN v. 2.0 in earnest for the 2009 season. A schedule of preseason features will be posted soonly to whet your appetite for Arizona Diamondbacks baseball. DBN is also looking for correspondents to contribute game recaps, notes and features to the site, so if you're up to the task, we'd love to hear from you. Now, without further ado, let's get to the juicy news for this week ...
* AND YOU MAY GATHER GARLANDS THERE - The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro reports this morning that the Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with righty starter Jon Garland, who recently rebuffed the club's offer of a two-year contract. The pending deal is believed to be for one year at a guaranteed salary of $6M-8M, with an option for a second season. We'll look more closely at the signing when we release our season preview, but DBN's gut reaction is that Garland is a useful mid- to back-of-the-rotation starter...
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Farm Bureau: August 17, 2008
* GET BACK, JO-JO -- After two rain-outs put an early end to the series in Colorado Springs, the AAA Sidewinders returned to Tucson and finally got a game in against the Padres' affiliate from Portland. Justin Upton reached on a walk and a single in four plate appearances. He showed off his wheels by swiping a base, an element of Upton's game that featured prominently in his minor league career. Like most of the Diamondbacks baserunners, Upton has done little in the stolen base department this year, with only one SB against four CS for the big club. Max Scherzer started for Tucson and lasted six innings, walking four and giving up only one hit while setting down six Beavers on strikes. He exited with a 1-0 lead, but a lack of run support and a shaky performance by the pen cost him and the Baby Snakes lost to Portland 6-1.
* PARKER PREVAILS -- The results were better for Low-A South Bend, where Jarrod Parker led the Silverhawks to a 1-0 win over Western Michigan. Parker's...
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Lost Dog: Hudson Gone for Season, Maybe for Good
With the news that Orlando Hudson underwent surgery late Saturday night on his dislocated wrist, the Diamondbacks again find themselves missing their star 2B for the stretch run of the season. His is a critical loss during what Arizona hopes will be a second straight NL West championship campaign.
The club will still benefit from his leadership in the clubhouse, but the ODog's presence on the field cannot be easily replaced. He is an absolute witch with the leather, invaluable for a team whose leading pitcher is a groundball specialist. And while his modest power makes him an unlikely No. 3 hitter, Hudson played that role for the Diamondbacks. That a guy who has never surpassed 15 HR or 67 RBI in a season batted third in the order 97 times says a lot about Arizona's 2008 offense.
The Diamondbacks will be hard pressed to replace Hudson's glove or his .305 / .367 / .450 line. As they have no choice but to try, let's consider some of the options on the table.
Reports...
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