Notes: Green interested in Japan

09/29/2006

PHOENIX -- Andy Green feels like he did right by the Diamondbacks this year, and he's hoping the organization will return the favor in the offseason.
Green met with general manager Josh Byrnes on Friday to discuss his desire to have the organization sell his rights to a team in Japan.
"I respect the way Josh does business," Green said. "He was very honest with me, as I was with him, and we'll just see what happens from here."
Byrnes declined to comment about his meeting or Green's future.
Green was named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League's MVP last year after hitting .343 and leading the league in runs, hits, doubles and triples. The performance also drew interest from Japanese teams, who approached the D-Backs about acquiring his rights.
"I wasn't willing to cross that bridge at that point in time," said Green, who had his sights set on trying to stick in the big leagues after spending 46 games with Arizona in 2004 and 17 last year.
After being the final player to make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training, playing time was scarce all season for Green. A Japan League team, he said, showed interest in him again around the All-Star break.
"It was very lucrative, but the organization wasn't at the point where they thought it was wise to part ways with me, which I can understand," Green said.
When a team from Japan wants to buy a player's rights, it puts together a pool of money. Part of that money goes to the Major League organization for his rights and what's left goes to the player's salary.
Because the players in front of him stayed healthy throughout the season, Green received scant playing time this year, compiling just 86 at-bats and starting only five games.
The D-Backs are not obligated to sell Green's rights. They can keep him on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason and control him next year. If they want to remove him from the 40-man roster this winter, he would have to be placed on waivers, where he can be claimed by another club.
"I spent this entire season doing what I thought was best for this ballclub, and I put this organization at the forefront," Green said. "Now it looks like my future here is non-existent, so I know the ballclub will do what's best for me and allow me to go to Japan and to allow me to try and better my career. We'll see what the offers are as they come in this offseason. I'm extremely excited about the possibility of playing over there."
Let's talk: Byrnes and his baseball operations staff along with manager Bob Melvin will meet for two days following the season.
"We're going to go over the Major League club, our prospects, some of the 40-man decisions, kind of reviewing the systems and philosophies for scouting and player development," Byrnes said. "I think it's more a specific review leading up to our offseason strategy, which we already have some semblance of, but this will connect all the pieces.
"This is how we're going to access amateur talent, this is what we want our scouts to do, this is how we're going to develop them, these are the prospects that are ready and this is what our big-league club looks like."
The front office has been hard at work over the past few weeks with baseball operations assistant Shiraz Rehman, putting together salary information on the other 29 teams, as well as information on each team's prospects. That way the D-Backs can get a feel for whether a team has the flexibility to take on salary, needs to cut salary, what surplus or need it might have at various positions, so they can determine whether they match up tradewise.
Waiting game: Hitting coach Mike Aldrete said last week that he will not return in 2007, as he wants to spend more time with his family, but the fate of the rest of the coaching staff won't be known until next week.
"Until we actually talk about it in the couple days after the season's over, I can't really comment on it," said Melvin, who added that he was pleased with the body of work of all his coaches.
Up next: Juan Cruz will get the start Saturday at 1:10 p.m. MST instead of Edgar Gonzalez.
Cruz has not gotten much work of late, and the D-Backs have already seen enough from Gonzalez in his last three starts to know that he will go into Spring Training with a shot at winning a spot in the rotation.
Cruz will likely throw two innings, with Gonzalez following him to the mound.
The Padres will start left-hander David Wells.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Batista announces release of novel

09/30/2006

PHOENIX -- While the rest of his teammates continued to celebrate their 2001 World Series victory, Miguel Batista was riding around Phoenix with a police officer doing research for a book he planned to write.
It was the first step in a process that led to Friday afternoon at Chase Field, when Batista held a news conference to announce the release of "The Avenger of Blood," a crime novel that is based in Phoenix.
"Hopefully, people will stop asking me when it's going to be done," Batista said with a smile. "It is done now."
The book's main character is Thomas Santiago, a 14-year-old boy who is accused of committing a series of shocking murders. Batista spent 5 1/2 years researching and writing the book, spending countless hours talking with lawyers, judges and undercover police officers.
Batista joined the D-Backs prior to the 2001 season and departed as a free agent following 2003. He was reacquired this past offseason in a trade with the Blue Jays. And though he's played with seven different organizations, it's clear where his heart is.
"People from every corner of this city helped me to get this book done," he said. "There couldn't be a better place. Maybe someday people will understand how much I love this city, how much I love this state."
Teammates Luis Gonzalez and Craig Counsell along with manager Bob Melvin attended the press conference to show their support for Batista.
"I think Miguel is an incredibly talented man," Counsell said. "I just have a lot of respect for someone that is that talented. He's off the beaten path compared to most baseball players, but that's why we love him. It's fun to be here on a day that he's celebrating his success."
"Do you have a lot of pictures in this book?" Gonzalez shouted from the back of the room during the press conference. "When does the book on tape come out?"
Jokes aside, the book does have some pictures, as well as detailed maps of the city. In fact, through research, Batista developed a deep knowledge of the history of Phoenix and the state of Arizona that is reflected in the book.
This is not the first literary work by Batista. He also authored "Feelings in Black and White," a compilation of his poems that sold well in his native Dominican Republic. He has already started to gather information on another book as part of a contract he signed with Trafford Publishing.
While his heart may be in Phoenix, Batista's address may change next year, as he will be a free agent at season's end. While this weekend has been mostly looked at as a way for fans to say good-bye to Gonzalez and Counsell, who both will likely not be back next year, Melvin said he would like to see Batista get the same treatment, and said so during the press conference.
"Miguel Batista has been a big part of this organization, and he's going to get his due this weekend, too, if I have anything to say about it," Melvin said. "We want to thank you, Miguel, for what you've meant to this organization, as well."

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Saying farewell to a Diamondbacks icon

09/29/2006

PHOENIX -- Forget about the 57 home runs for a minute.
Put aside the game-winning hit in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
If you want to know why Arizona loves Luis Gonzalez and how he became the face of the franchise, its icon, you have to look away from the on-field accomplishments, because they are just a small part of it.
Instead, you'll have to look at scenes like the one Thursday in the dugout during batting practice. Gonzalez was chatting with a small child and his family, who had been brought down by the club's Community Affairs Department. Gonzalez finished talking and posing for pictures and went to grab his helmet and bat to go hit.
As he picked up his batting gloves, he paused for a minute, realizing that he had more than one set. He quickly walked back over to the boy and handed him a pair, which drew an ear-to-ear grin.
As he put his helmet on and walked up the dugout steps, Gonzalez turned to an observer and said, "That right there is why I play the game."
And that right there is why he is so beloved.
It's not only that Gonzalez made himself available for charity appearances or that he signed lots of autographs, it's that he seemed to genuinely enjoy doing those things.
And it's why come Sunday's finale, there will be plenty of tears shed as D-Backs fans say good-bye. That they'll get a chance to say farewell is a credit to the Arizona front office, which informed Gonzalez of its decision not to bring him back for 2007, more than two weeks before the end of the season.
"We met with him because we wanted to be decisive and we didn't want this to drag on," GM Josh Byrnes said. "We felt he deserved that. We felt our fans deserved that."
Predictably, Gonzalez was not pleased with the decision and neither were a large group of fans. While he knew his $10 million option for 2007 would not be picked up, Gonzalez thought the club would offer to bring him back at a reduced price.
"There was one door and that door said, 'Exit,'" Gonzalez said. "So that's the way I took it. I wish the results would have been different because I would have liked to have stayed here, but that option wasn't given to me even to negotiate."
And though it may not feel like it right now, a parting of the ways is probably in everyone's best interest. The D-Backs are a team in transition, an organization loaded with prospects who have shown they are ready for the big leagues. It's time to turn the reigns over to them.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez proved with his 52 doubles this year that he's far from being ready to give up the game he loves, even if he is 39 years old. The perceived snub from the organization he's been with for eight years will just fuel his competitive fire and likely push him to be successful again next year.
"I'm kind of looking forward to the end," he said last week. "I need a change. I need to get out."
Sure, Arizona could have brought Gonzalez back at a reduced rate for 2007 and they might even have told him he'd be the starter in left, which would have put Eric Byrnes on the bench. But what would have happened had Gonzalez gotten off to a slow start? The firestorm a Gonzalez benching could cause would engulf the team and become a distraction.
And what if Gonzalez got off to a hot start? The pressure would mount to sign him to an extension and once again through no fault of Gonzalez, the whole issue would become a distraction.
Fans who say the D-Backs should bring Gonzalez back in a part-time role to work with the young players ignore the fact that he's not ready to accept a part-time role and in fact wants to play at least another few seasons and try to get to 3,000 hits.
You can scoff at that or say it's unrealistic, but know this: it's that stubbornness, that belief in himself that allowed Gonzalez to go from a self-proclaimed "skinny kid from Tampa" to a Major League All-Star. It's also just the kind of attitude that's needed if you're going to succeed at a game like baseball, which is predicated so much on failure.
And let's face it, one more year wouldn't make a difference. It wouldn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a player who has meant so much to so many. The departure of a franchise icon is rarely easy and seldom without ruffled feathers on both sides.
The D-Backs have said they want Gonzalez to rejoin their organization in some capacity when his playing career comes to an end. Gonzalez demurred when asked about that, the wound obviously still a bit too fresh. But time has a way of taking care of those things. Heck, in 2003, third baseman Matt Williams was unceremoniously released in the middle of the season and it seemed like that rift would last for a while. But less than two years later not only was he back as a broadcaster, he was also an investor in the club.
In time, Gonzalez will no doubt return to the place he will always call home, the place where he took his career to a new level and has so many friends.
So, when you're at Chase Field on Sunday and you give him that one last standing ovation, think of it as saying farewell for now rather than goodbye.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Hernandez helps D-Backs down Friars

09/30/2006

PHOENIX -- Luis Gonzalez is a 16-year veteran, but according to manager Bob Melvin, there are still some areas that he could improve on.
After Gonzalez reached second base in the eighth inning on a single and an error, Melvin pulled the left fielder for a pinch-runner so the fans could greet him with an extended standing ovation. Gonzalez, whose D-Backs career comes to an end this weekend, tipped his hat before ducking into the dugout.
"But he's got to work on his curtain call," Melvin said. "He's got to stay out there a little bit longer and let them come and get you. He started running in a little bit early. The next inning, had he not gotten a hit, I would have sent him out there and try to get an ovation, but we're going to have to work on that with him."
The moment was perfectly orchestrated, as was the Diamondbacks' 3-1 win over the Padres in front of 30,700 at Chase Field on Friday night. Livan Hernandez provided a solid outing and did not allow a run until the seventh, while the Arizona hitters provided just enough run support.
Hernandez (13-13) felt so good on the mound that he even experimented with his arm angle a little bit, throwing a few pitches from the side rather than over top.
"I tried to do something I got used to throwing before," said Hernandez, who gave up one run on four hits over seven innings. "I tried to change the arm. The sinker was working perfectly. This is what I want to do next year -- is try to throw the ball on the side like I've thrown before, but the knee [hasn't] let me this year."
The D-Backs' win coupled with the Dodgers' victory over the Giants put San Diego and Los Angeles in a tie atop the National League West standings.
Arizona got on the board early as Craig Counsell walked to begin the third, and Eric Byrnes followed with a two-run homer to left field.
In the seventh, Hernandez retired the first two batters before issuing a walk to Russell Branyan. Branyan came around to score on pinch-hitter Ryan Klesko's single to right, bringing the Padres within one run.
"He pitched great," Melvin said of his veteran righty. "Klesko hits the ball in the hole over there, and other than that, he's probably still pitching. For a guy that in the first half because of his knee wasn't out in the eighth inning very long, he's been out there plenty of times for us. You get used to this, because next year, he's going to be out there for a while."
Arizona got the run right back in the bottom of the seventh, as Conor Jackson led off the frame with a double. Stephen Drew then hit into a fielder's choice, which forced Jackson out at third. But that didn't matter in the end as Drew came around to score on Carlos Quentin's double to left-center field.
The Padres will look to clinch at least the NL Wild Card with a win on Saturday, when they send David Wells to the hill. The D-Backs will go with Juan Cruz for most likely two innings, and then Edgar Gonzalez.

Source:http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Notes: Bell seeks road less traveled

09/30/2006

PHOENIX -- Bench coach Jay Bell would like to return to the Diamondbacks next year, but in a different role.
"My intentions are to come back in the same type of capacity that Walt Weiss is doing for the Colorado Rockies," Bell said Saturday. "He's an advisor/instructor/good guy to have around/mentor type of guy. During the season, he hangs out with the infielders, deals with them, talks with them about scenarios and different ways to play."
Weiss' official title is assistant to the general manager, and in addition to attending home games, he's around a month during the season visiting the organization's affiliates.
Bell, 40, played infield for 17 years in the big leagues before retiring after the 2003 season. He returned to uniform as bench coach under Bob Melvin in 2005. With three young children at home, he no longer wants to be on the road so often.
"It gives me more time to spend with [my wife] Laura and the kids," he said. "When I was growing up, I don't remember my dad missing any of my Little League games, and so for me, that's important."
Bell informed Melvin of his decision Friday and plans to speak with general manager Josh Byrnes about it soon.
While wanting to speak with Bell first before commenting, Byrnes said Saturday that he would be "very happy to have Jay remain in the organization."
Hitting coach Mike Aldrete said last week that he had decided to not return next year in order to spend more time with his family. The fates of the rest of the staff will be announced next week.
A special autograph: Luis Gonzalez has spent a lot of time over the past few days signing autographs for teammates and club employees, but one item gave him pause.
Gonzalez gently removed a bat from a white sanitary sock and looked it over with a wistful smile.
"This is the bat I won the Home Run Derby with," Gonzalez said, referring to his outdueling of Sammy Sosa prior to the 2001 All-Star Game.
Following the derby, Gonzalez presented the bat to D-Backs bullpen catcher Jeff Motuzas, who pitched to Gonzalez during the contest. Red marks, from the red All-Star Logo on the balls used, were still visible on the bat.
Thanks Miguel: While Melvin has asked Gonzalez and Craig Counsell to take out the lineup card for Sunday's finale, he paid tribute to veteran pitcher Miguel Batista on Saturday by having him do the same.
"Miguel Batista has been a big part of this organization, and he's going to get his due this weekend, too, if I have anything to say about it," Melvin said.
Paying respects: Speaking of Gonzalez and Counsell, the pair were spotted over at US Airways Arena on Friday afternoon, where they stopped by former managing general partner Jerry Colangelo's office to pay their respects.
Colangelo has said he will attend Sunday's game to honor both players, as well as outgoing team president Rich Dozer. Colangelo has not been to Chase Field since his departure in August 2004.
Grass clippings: The grass at Chase Field was noticeably greener Friday than it was when the team departed on its recent nine-game road trip.
Head groundskeeper Grant Trenbeath and his staff overseeded the field with Rye a few days before the team had left on the trip. When the sod is initially laid down in the spring, it's a combination of Kentucky Blue Grass and Rye.
"It's constantly a work in progress," said Trenbeath, who has to deal with the unique challenges that come with trying to keep the grass strong despite having the roof closed so often during the heat of the summer.
Up next: The D-Backs wrap up the 2006 season on Sunday, with National League Cy Young Award candidate Brandon Webb (16-7, 2.88 ERA) taking on Woody Williams (11-5, 3.57 ERA).

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

D-Backs done in by Wells, Padres

09/30/2006

PHOENIX -- For the first time in Chase Field's nine-year history, a visiting team celebrated the clinching of a playoff spot.
The Padres' 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday afternoon clinched a postseason berth for them and left Arizona needing a win in Sunday's season finale to equal its 77-85 mark from last year.
"Congrats to the Padres," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "With some of the injuries and everything they've had to put up with, it's been an impressive run for them. It looked like at one point in time early in the season they were down and out, but they recovered, and our hats off to them."
The D-Backs wanted to get a couple of innings of work for Juan Cruz, who had been pitching out of the bullpen since Aug. 8, so they gave him the start Saturday. The right-hander was impressive over two perfect innings, as he fanned three.
"Cruz was unbelievable," Melvin said. "That may have been the best stuff we've seen all year."
Edgar Gonzalez, who was originally scheduled to start the game, came on in the third and added two more hitless innings.
The no-hitter was gone when Russell Branyan singled to lead off the fifth, and the shutout followed not long thereafter when the next batter, Mike Cameron, blasted a 455-foot homer to left to give San Diego a 2-0 lead.
The Padres tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Josh Bard singled home Dave Roberts.
The D-Backs could not solve David Wells, as he kept the Arizona hitters off balance while throwing six shutout frames.
"We just didn't put too many good swings in a row on to put some pressure on them," Melvin said.
The D-Backs' lone run came in the seventh, when pinch-hitter Stephen Drew homered off reliever Cla Meredith.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

Batista shuts out Dodgers on six hits

07/20/2006
PHOENIX -- As he watched from his position in left field, Luis Gonzalez saw something very familiar Wednesday night.
"I had flashbacks to 2001, the Miggy of 2001," Gonzalez said after watching Miguel Batista toss a six-hitter as the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers, 8-0.
The win was Arizona's seventh in its past nine games and pushed the D-Backs into third place in the NL West, three games behind the Padres.
Getting consistent innings from Brandon Webb has been a constant this year for the D-Backs, but the rest of the rotation has not always followed suit. In order to play meaningful games in September, they need Batista to display the same consistency.
"Webby and then he's the guy we look to next," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "If we're going to compete and go all the way down to the end in this division, Miguel's going to be a key guy for us. Coming in, that was the plan, Miggy was going to be one of the go-to guys."
It's no different than 2001, when the club needed Batista to pick up some innings in a rotation that was dominated by Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Batista did just that down the stretch for the eventual World Series champions.
Even if Batista joins Webb in providing consistency, the team will still need help from its other starters -- Juan Cruz, Claudio Vargas and Enrique Gonzalez.
"We are sucking some innings for the team," Batista said of he and Webb. "We are trying to get people like Juan Cruz healthy and able to last out there. I believe [Enrique] Gonzalez is going to be a great starter. They are a little [young] and they have stuff to learn, but if we get those guys going, probably by the end of September we might be pushing other people out."
Batista (9-5) is not a strikeout pitcher -- he fanned just two Wednesday -- so to be effective he needs help from his defense and he got it, particularly from shortstop Stephen Drew.
In six games since making his Major League debut, Drew has shown himself to be a very capable defender and he had his first multi-hit game Wednesday, doubling twice and adding a triple.
"Defensively, he's made some great plays already," Melvin said. "Offensively, get the first hit out of the way and then get a couple under your belt, now you get rolling a little bit and you feel like you belong. Certainly his at-bats, other than maybe one at-bat today, he was pretty much on everything."
The D-Backs struggled early against Dodgers starter Derek Lowe, who appeared to have his sinker working as he limited Arizona to just three hits in the first three innings.
In the fourth, though, the D-Backs broke through as they scored four times on five hits -- including a two-run homer by Shawn Green -- to grab the lead.
"Lowe had a good sinker the first couple of innings and then it flattened out the third and fourth and we were able to take advantage of it," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez had a significant hit in the fourth for two reasons. The first was that his double knocked in Chad Tracy for a 1-0 lead. It also was Gonzalez's 525th career double, tying him for 31st on the all-time list with Ted Williams.
Meanwhile, Batista kept mowing down the Dodgers.
"That could be the best he's thrown this year," Melvin said.
As the innings wore on, Batista could see the finish line and was not about to look to the bullpen for help. Instead, he wanted his third complete game of the year, which would tie him with Webb for the second most in the NL.
"I believe that baseball has evolved to a point to where a lot of starters don't go out there with the mentality of throwing a complete game and that's totally bad for the game," Batista said.
Batista's desire for complete games was sowed on a plane ride he shared from the Dominican Republic to Miami with Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal. The legendary hurler did not like to come out of a game. Ever. He completed 244 games in his career, one more than his win total.
"He told me, 'Nobody relieves me. I relieve myself. After the seventh I come with a different mentality and I've got to finish my game,'" Batista recalled.

Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/