Mailbag: Who fits in for the outfield?
02/13/2006
How much will Chris Young's injury set him back? -- Paul C., Scottsdale, Ariz.
Young broke a bone in his right hand on Thursday during a workout in Florida, and the injury is expected to keep him out of action for four to six weeks. That essentially means he'll miss Spring Training; while not ideal for either Young or the Diamondbacks, it's not all that big of a deal either. The key is that at this point, no one is talking about there being any lingering effects from the injury, and with the Minor League season starting a bit after the Majors, it doesn't appear like Young will miss all that much time. It does mean that he won't make the Opening Day roster at the big-league level, but I think that was very much a longshot to begin with since Arizona went out and acquired not one, but two veteran options for center field this year.
Did Arizona sign Jeff DaVanon to a one- or two-year contract? -- Melissa S., Chandler, Ariz.
DaVanon's contract is for 2006 with a player option for 2007. He will make $525,000 in 2006, and the amount his option is worth in 2007 depends on his health this year. More specifically, it's based on how many "active days" he has. Active days do not include time spent on the disabled list for an injury related to a pre-existing right shoulder injury. If he's active for 90 days this year, the option is worth $700,000; 120 days, it's worth $900,000; 150 active days, it's worth $1.1 million; and 180 active days, $1.25 million. Both sides are covered in an agreement like this.
What do you think about the Diamondbacks' ownership? Are the owners doing well when it comes to managing the team for improvement? -- Keith B, Socorro, NM
I think the ownership group made the right decision when it handed over the reigns to Josh Byrnes this offseason. I think what you see now is a long-term plan being put in place that should help the D-Backs be competitive for the long haul. I know that a lot of people would have liked to have seen the Diamondbacks be more aggressive in the free-agent market this year, but I think you have to take into account two facts. The first is that the team that finished last year was not just one or even two players away from being a championship caliber team. They competed in the NL West last year simply because the division-winning Padres managed just 82 wins. You can't count on that happening again. Secondly, I think they wanted to be careful not to block some of the exciting prospects they have coming up through the system by signing some players to long-term deals. The full benefits of that thinking and strategy will start to really show itself in 2007 and beyond.
I was upset to see Troy Glaus leave since he was the majority of our offense last year. So who will be the cleanup hitter this year? And where is Claudio Vargas? -- Curt G., Tucson
Right now, it looks like Luis Gonzalez will be the cleanup hitter with Chad Tracy hitting third. Ideally, there would be a right-handed hitter to break up the string of lefties (Tracy, Gonzalez, Shawn Green), but I think they want to wait a bit before putting Conor Jackson in that fourth spot.
I would like to understand why the D-Backs have not made an effort to find better hitting for the catcher slot. Chris Snyder and Koyie Hill seem to look more awkward in the batter's box than many pitchers. I believe neither of them had an average greater than .200, and if there are men on base, just forget it! I know that catching skills are important, but in 2005, the D-Backs' catcher spot (usually the No. 8 hole) in the lineup was a certain out. Jeff W., El Mirage, Ariz.
Jeff, you'll be glad to hear that the Diamondbacks acquired Johnny Estrada during the Winter Meetings in December to improve their offense in that area. An All-Star in 2004, Estrada should upgrade their offense behind the plate by a good margin.
I enjoy your comments. Regarding Luis Terrero, I hear and see when he plays that he has a huge upside, but is very raw. He can be a rare five-tool player, but as you said, he just needs playing time to harness his potential and put it all together consistently. Why doesn't he play in Triple-A while Carlos Quentin, who Josh Byrnes said has proved all he can in the Minors, take his shot in the bigs? Is it not a good idea to have a high prospect spot-start? Chad, Chandler, Ariz.
I think at this point the best chance for Luis is for him to move to another organization. With DaVanon and Eric Byrnes, not to mention Young, knocking on the door, I don't see him getting a lot of playing time. In fact, I'm not even sure how he fits on the roster at this point. Luis does have a world of talent and it remains to be seen whether he can ever put it together, but he certainly can't do it on the bench. As for sending him to Triple-A, he is out of Minor League options and would have to clear waivers if sent down. Another team would likely take a chance on him if that were to happen. As for Quentin, if he isn't going to play everyday at the big-league level, he's probably better off staying in Triple-A where he can continue to gain experience.
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
How much will Chris Young's injury set him back? -- Paul C., Scottsdale, Ariz.
Young broke a bone in his right hand on Thursday during a workout in Florida, and the injury is expected to keep him out of action for four to six weeks. That essentially means he'll miss Spring Training; while not ideal for either Young or the Diamondbacks, it's not all that big of a deal either. The key is that at this point, no one is talking about there being any lingering effects from the injury, and with the Minor League season starting a bit after the Majors, it doesn't appear like Young will miss all that much time. It does mean that he won't make the Opening Day roster at the big-league level, but I think that was very much a longshot to begin with since Arizona went out and acquired not one, but two veteran options for center field this year.
Did Arizona sign Jeff DaVanon to a one- or two-year contract? -- Melissa S., Chandler, Ariz.
DaVanon's contract is for 2006 with a player option for 2007. He will make $525,000 in 2006, and the amount his option is worth in 2007 depends on his health this year. More specifically, it's based on how many "active days" he has. Active days do not include time spent on the disabled list for an injury related to a pre-existing right shoulder injury. If he's active for 90 days this year, the option is worth $700,000; 120 days, it's worth $900,000; 150 active days, it's worth $1.1 million; and 180 active days, $1.25 million. Both sides are covered in an agreement like this.
What do you think about the Diamondbacks' ownership? Are the owners doing well when it comes to managing the team for improvement? -- Keith B, Socorro, NM
I think the ownership group made the right decision when it handed over the reigns to Josh Byrnes this offseason. I think what you see now is a long-term plan being put in place that should help the D-Backs be competitive for the long haul. I know that a lot of people would have liked to have seen the Diamondbacks be more aggressive in the free-agent market this year, but I think you have to take into account two facts. The first is that the team that finished last year was not just one or even two players away from being a championship caliber team. They competed in the NL West last year simply because the division-winning Padres managed just 82 wins. You can't count on that happening again. Secondly, I think they wanted to be careful not to block some of the exciting prospects they have coming up through the system by signing some players to long-term deals. The full benefits of that thinking and strategy will start to really show itself in 2007 and beyond.
I was upset to see Troy Glaus leave since he was the majority of our offense last year. So who will be the cleanup hitter this year? And where is Claudio Vargas? -- Curt G., Tucson
Right now, it looks like Luis Gonzalez will be the cleanup hitter with Chad Tracy hitting third. Ideally, there would be a right-handed hitter to break up the string of lefties (Tracy, Gonzalez, Shawn Green), but I think they want to wait a bit before putting Conor Jackson in that fourth spot.
I would like to understand why the D-Backs have not made an effort to find better hitting for the catcher slot. Chris Snyder and Koyie Hill seem to look more awkward in the batter's box than many pitchers. I believe neither of them had an average greater than .200, and if there are men on base, just forget it! I know that catching skills are important, but in 2005, the D-Backs' catcher spot (usually the No. 8 hole) in the lineup was a certain out. Jeff W., El Mirage, Ariz.
Jeff, you'll be glad to hear that the Diamondbacks acquired Johnny Estrada during the Winter Meetings in December to improve their offense in that area. An All-Star in 2004, Estrada should upgrade their offense behind the plate by a good margin.
I enjoy your comments. Regarding Luis Terrero, I hear and see when he plays that he has a huge upside, but is very raw. He can be a rare five-tool player, but as you said, he just needs playing time to harness his potential and put it all together consistently. Why doesn't he play in Triple-A while Carlos Quentin, who Josh Byrnes said has proved all he can in the Minors, take his shot in the bigs? Is it not a good idea to have a high prospect spot-start? Chad, Chandler, Ariz.
I think at this point the best chance for Luis is for him to move to another organization. With DaVanon and Eric Byrnes, not to mention Young, knocking on the door, I don't see him getting a lot of playing time. In fact, I'm not even sure how he fits on the roster at this point. Luis does have a world of talent and it remains to be seen whether he can ever put it together, but he certainly can't do it on the bench. As for sending him to Triple-A, he is out of Minor League options and would have to clear waivers if sent down. Another team would likely take a chance on him if that were to happen. As for Quentin, if he isn't going to play everyday at the big-league level, he's probably better off staying in Triple-A where he can continue to gain experience.
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
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