Diamondbacks camp report
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Five things to know about the Arizona Diamondbacks:
1. Among other things, Randy Johnson brings not only a Hall of Fame pedigree to the Diamondbacks, but a veteran presence that should only boost Cy Young winner Brandon Webb. General manager Josh Byrnes has done a nice job of making over Arizona's rotation in adding Johnson and Doug Davis, the soft-throwing lefty who has thrown 200 or more innings in each of the past three seasons. Davis' soft-serve will help keep hitters off balance, especially after they see Webb's devastating sinker and Johnson's still formidable stuff. Add Livan Hernandez, whom the Diamondbacks acquired last July, and there are some interesting twists to this rotation.
2. Add Arizona rotation: It's the deepest it's been probably since Curt Schilling headed east to Boston. Not saying it's as good as those early 2000s Arizona rotations -- that would be silly -- but there are some good choices here. With Johnson not expected to be ready until mid-to-late April, the Diamondbacks currently have at least three pitchers fighting for two spots in the rotation -- Edgar Gonzalez, Enrique Gonzalez and Dana Eveland. And manager Bob Melvin mentions two more, top prospect Micah Owings and Dustin Nippert. The race is on, too, with opening day less than two weeks away. Owings is one to watch: He went 16-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 27 starts between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Tucson last season, "He's got very limited professional experience," says Melvin of Arizona's second third-round pick in the 2005 draft, "but he's a guy we feel has the intangibles to be a winner. A lot of people in this organization think he can pitch in the big leagues right now."
3. After a spring of playing it over and over in his mind, Melvin is figuring to bat shortstop Stephen Drew in the leadoff slot and second baseman Orlando Hudson second. Meanwhile, in one area that could set them back, the Diamondbacks are waiting to see the severity of right fielder Carlos Quentin's torn labrum. There's a chance he could open on the disabled list. "We're not sure, it's going to be close," Melvin says. "If he responds in the next couple of days, we'll have a chance to have him ready for the season.
4. It's a whole new era in Arizona with old standbys like Luis Gonzalez and Craig Counsell gone. Everybody loves the kids -- Drew, center fielder Chris Young, third baseman Chad Tracy, first baseman Conor Jackson, Quentin -- but nobody knows whether they're ready to win. "I think they are," Byrnes says. "We were able to commit to 850 at-bats last year with Jackson, Quentin and Drew, and they performed at a very high level. They've all conquered the minors and survived the scrutiny of being top prospects." But will they survive the scrutiny of Greg Maddux, David Wells, Jason Schmidt and other NL West pitchers this summer?
5. Kirk Gibson has replaced Jay Bell as Melvin's bench coach this season, bringing the logical question: Who's more intense, Gibson or Johnson? "Probably a tie in different ways," Melvin says. "Gibby's in a different world. The demeanor he brings to the dugout every day is something I wanted here. It's rare when you can influence guys as a whole the way we have here. Usually, there are three or four veterans on a team, but our veterans are Orlando Hudson, Eric Byrnes and Chad Tracy. The veterans we have are young. So we're working harder this spring, and we're more demanding -- but we need it."
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