Webb ready to ascend to No. 1 spot
01/04/2006
PHOENIX -- For years -- 1999 through 2004, to be exact -- you could always count on one thing when it came to the Diamondbacks starting rotation: Randy Johnson would get the ball on Opening Day.
That changed last year when Javier Vazquez did the honors, and since the right-hander was dealt to the White Sox last month, Arizona will have its third Opening Day starter in as many years in 2006. It appears the responsibility will fall to Brandon Webb.
"Certainly as it stands right now, Webby looks like our Opening Day guy," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
Webb started 2005 as the Diamondbacks' No. 3 starter, but in all other respects was the club's ace as he went 14-12 with a 3.54 ERA. The right-hander relies on a heavy sinking fastball, which results in ground balls. Lots of them. He led the Majors with a ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio of 4.34, and the improved infield defense behind him made the plays, unlike 2004.
Webb also cut his league-leading walks total from 2004 in half as he led the staff in wins, innings pitched (229) and ERA.
"I'd have no trouble pitching him out of the No. 1 hole," Melvin said.
While Webb may be the Opening Day starter, the pitcher the Diamondbacks are counting on as much, if not more, is Russ Ortiz, from whom Arizona is hoping for a bounceback year.
Signed to a four-year contract prior to last season, Ortiz suffered through the worst year of his career when he went 5-11 with a 6.89 ERA. In the six years prior to 2005, the right-hander had at least 14 wins and 195 innings, but last year he was neither a big winner or an innings-eater as he went on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
"When you have a long career, there are going to be down years," Melvin said. "He's not happy with the year he had. He expected more and we expected more. I absolutely think he'll be better this year."
The Diamondbacks acquired a pair of starters in trades this offseason with Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez coming over in the deal that sent Vazquez to the White Sox and Miguel Batista returning to the desert from Toronto in the Troy Glaus trade.
Hernandez, whom the D-Backs believe is 40 years old, was 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA for the White Sox last season and has had his share of injury problems.
"We've got him on a one-year contract and we need to be smart about how we use him," Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes said. "But we feel like when he's on the mound he can be one of the very best pitchers in baseball."
With Jose Valverde set as the closer, Arizona plans to use Batista as a starter despite the fact that he saved 31 games for the Blue Jays last year. His best season in Arizona came in 2001, when he was 11-8 with a 3.36 ERA for the World Series champs.
Batista is ideally suited to pitching in Chase Field, which rewards ground-ball pitchers.
The fifth spot will be up for grabs in Spring Training with Brad Halsey, Claudio Vargas, Michael Gosling and Dustin Nippert among the contenders. Halsey won the fifth spot last year in a spring battle with Gosling and had an up-and-down season.
"We need to see Halsey pitch like he did in May and July," said Melvin. "He's a guy that throughout his Minor League career always found a way to win."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
PHOENIX -- For years -- 1999 through 2004, to be exact -- you could always count on one thing when it came to the Diamondbacks starting rotation: Randy Johnson would get the ball on Opening Day.
That changed last year when Javier Vazquez did the honors, and since the right-hander was dealt to the White Sox last month, Arizona will have its third Opening Day starter in as many years in 2006. It appears the responsibility will fall to Brandon Webb.
"Certainly as it stands right now, Webby looks like our Opening Day guy," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
Webb started 2005 as the Diamondbacks' No. 3 starter, but in all other respects was the club's ace as he went 14-12 with a 3.54 ERA. The right-hander relies on a heavy sinking fastball, which results in ground balls. Lots of them. He led the Majors with a ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio of 4.34, and the improved infield defense behind him made the plays, unlike 2004.
Webb also cut his league-leading walks total from 2004 in half as he led the staff in wins, innings pitched (229) and ERA.
"I'd have no trouble pitching him out of the No. 1 hole," Melvin said.
While Webb may be the Opening Day starter, the pitcher the Diamondbacks are counting on as much, if not more, is Russ Ortiz, from whom Arizona is hoping for a bounceback year.
Signed to a four-year contract prior to last season, Ortiz suffered through the worst year of his career when he went 5-11 with a 6.89 ERA. In the six years prior to 2005, the right-hander had at least 14 wins and 195 innings, but last year he was neither a big winner or an innings-eater as he went on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
"When you have a long career, there are going to be down years," Melvin said. "He's not happy with the year he had. He expected more and we expected more. I absolutely think he'll be better this year."
The Diamondbacks acquired a pair of starters in trades this offseason with Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez coming over in the deal that sent Vazquez to the White Sox and Miguel Batista returning to the desert from Toronto in the Troy Glaus trade.
Hernandez, whom the D-Backs believe is 40 years old, was 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA for the White Sox last season and has had his share of injury problems.
"We've got him on a one-year contract and we need to be smart about how we use him," Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes said. "But we feel like when he's on the mound he can be one of the very best pitchers in baseball."
With Jose Valverde set as the closer, Arizona plans to use Batista as a starter despite the fact that he saved 31 games for the Blue Jays last year. His best season in Arizona came in 2001, when he was 11-8 with a 3.36 ERA for the World Series champs.
Batista is ideally suited to pitching in Chase Field, which rewards ground-ball pitchers.
The fifth spot will be up for grabs in Spring Training with Brad Halsey, Claudio Vargas, Michael Gosling and Dustin Nippert among the contenders. Halsey won the fifth spot last year in a spring battle with Gosling and had an up-and-down season.
"We need to see Halsey pitch like he did in May and July," said Melvin. "He's a guy that throughout his Minor League career always found a way to win."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
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