Gonzalez determined to have big year

02/22/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Sporting a bulked up physique and determined attitude, Luis Gonzalez reported to Diamondbacks camp on Wednesday with the rest of the club's position players.
There has been much speculation over the past year surrounding Gonzalez, 38, and his future with the Diamondbacks. The left fielder is entering the final season of a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the club holding a $10 million option for 2007.
"I'm not going to give my job up," said Gonzalez, who will make $11.5 million this year. "They're going to have to tell me, 'We're going in a different direction.' So I'm just going out there trying to play hard every day, and I think that motivated me in the offseason."
Gonzalez had spent parts of nine seasons in the big leagues before coming to Arizona in 1999 and his career quickly took off as he collected 206 hits that year for a division-winning club.
Then after smacking 31 homers in 2000, he solidified his spot in Arizona history when he led the D-Backs to a World Series title by hitting 57 homers and driving in 142 runs in 2001. It was his base hit in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 that clinched the Series win over the Yankees.
"Luis Gonzalez is the face of the team," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Just looking at him, the condition he's in, I think he's out to prove a little something this year. It wouldn't surprise me if he had a great year this year."
The past two seasons have held significant challenges for Gonzalez. In 2004, he played with a torn ligament in his elbow that caused him significant pain throughout the year until he finally required Tommy John surgery on Aug. 1 of that year. He came to camp in 2005 still unsure of how the elbow would hold up, which limited his offseason work.
Gonzalez hit just .259 while playing in pain in 2004 and despite an emotional year in 2005 -- when he suffered the loss of his stepfather -- he managed to hit .271 with 24 homers and 79 RBIs.
"The last couple of years I've been injured and haven't been able to drive in the 100 runs," he said. "The home runs and things like that are going to come, but to me it's just going out there and producing. When you sit in the middle of the order, you know, people count on you. For me, it was frustrating the last couple of years because you know you're not 100 percent and you're trying to make it through."
There was speculation in the second half of last year that the Diamondbacks would like to move Gonzalez to make room for some of their highly regarded prospects like Carlos Quentin.
The talk clearly took its toll on the sensitive Gonzalez.
"I don't play into the age stuff because when you have love for the game and you go out there and play hard, I feel like I'm in better shape than a lot of young guys," Gonzalez said. "I work just as hard as those guys do. That doesn't bother me. They can say whatever they want about your age and stuff like that, but if you can go out there and still produce, it doesn't matter."
Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes indicated that the organization will let the season play out before making a decision on whether to pick up Gonzalez's option.
"He's a franchise icon and [it's] a big financial decision for us and him," Byrnes said. "So I think we're most inclined to let the year educate us about what is the best decision. I think he's in great shape. I understand that he wasn't able to do the conditioning that he normally would prior to last year. He's in fantastic shape. That's all we can ask for. He's giving himself every chance to be successful in the season."
Not limited by elbow or shoulder concerns and looking to make a statement with his performance this year, Gonzalez attacked his offseason workout regimen with a vengeance, adding an hour-long boxing session twice a week. The results were evident by the size of his biceps and forearms.
Always one to push himself with goals, Gonzalez said he would like to play until he reaches 3,000 hits or plays 20-plus seasons. To reach the 3,000 plateau, Gonzalez needs 786 more hits, which would likely require at least four-plus more seasons at nearly peak production.
A more easily attainable goal is 500 doubles. Gonzalez has 495, fifth among active players. He also is in the top 15 among active players in games (2,163), runs (1,219) and hits (2,214).
"I kind of feel like I've slipped under the radar, which I've kind of liked," Gonzalez said. "It hasn't been a career where everybody knows who you were. For me, I've pretty much played a quiet career until I got to Arizona, but I like that. I just like the fact that I've kind of snuck up on all these numbers and nobody's really paid that much attention to it."
There's no sneaking up on what this year means to Gonzalez and his future with the Diamondbacks.
"I don't want this to be my last year here," he said. "The best way for me to speak is with my actions on the field. I think if I go out there and play well and produce, it puts the ball in my court and we'll see what they want to do. The bottom line is I just have to go out there and play well."

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

Notes: DaVanon not yet a cannon

02/24/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Throwing a ball is like riding a bicycle, and Jeff DaVanon has no concerns about letting his arm coast along in low gear in the early stages of Spring Training.
DaVanon is vying for a spot in the Diamondbacks' outfield rotation, but for the time being, he is not pushing his arm, easing it back to full strength after suffering a minor injury during the American League Championship Series last fall, when he played for the Angels. He played through the injury in October, and is confident that it won't slow him down this spring.
"It's progressing well, and I don't see it being a problem for this year," DaVanon said. "I'm on a throwing program. My amount and distance is being regulated. The only reason why they're being cautious is because these games don't count. Hopefully, knock on wood, I'll make the team and I can try and contribute during that season instead of during the spring."
General manager Josh Byrnes shares DaVanon's optimism about his prospects of contributing to the club.
"He'll be in our outfield mix and can play all three [outfield positions]," Byrnes said. "He can throw. We examined him before we signed him, so we just want to be careful. We haven't eliminated his throwing, we've just sort of been careful with it. He played catch out to 120 feet. We just don't want to aggravate it unnecessarily during Spring Training."
More important than the progression of his arm has been his own progression as a member of the D-Backs after spending his entire big league career -- parts of six seasons -- with the Angels.
"I'm still adjusting to a new team," DaVanon said. "I'd been with the same team for so long. There are different personalities, but I have nothing but good things to say about the guys here, and I've had a lot of fun."
M's on the mend: Southpaw Terry Mulholland and righty Brandon Medders are also taking it slow as they ease themselves back from muscle spasms and a tweaked scapula muscle, respectively.
Medders has yet to throw a bullpen session, but has been throwing long toss over the past two days.
"This is something when you have little aches and pains, things that are bothering you, especially for a guy like him, we want to make sure that we take care of that early in camp," manager Bob Melvin said of Medders. "It's one of the things I told the pitchers on Day 1: if you have some ailments now, let's hear about them now, because we don't want these things lingering into games when you're trying to get ready for a season. We're just trying to be proactive and get him healthy before he goes out there."
Mulholland threw a side session Friday and will likely take the mound for batting practice soon. Melvin, who managed Mulholland in Seattle, is eager to watch the left-hander strengthen the relief corps with his veteran presence.
"Terry will take a leadership role out there in the bullpen," Melvin assured. "He's a guy that if you need three innings, he'll give them to you. If you need an out, he'll give it to you. If you need a spot start, he'll give them to you. He has a resilient arm, always has. He isn't afraid to pick the team up."
Mound maestro: Orlando Hernandez was already in fine form pitching live batting practice Friday, and Melvin enjoyed the opportunity to watch his new starter tuning up his stuff.
"It's impressive to watch him add and subtract, and throw three different changeups, and [use] any number of different arm angles," Melvin noted. "It's a little more difficult with the [batting practice] screen there for him to get some of the arm angles, but his fastball can be three different fastballs, and on his breaking ball, he's got great feel and spin on the ball and great touch. He's had a lot of success because of it.
"He's almost like a point guard out there," continued Melvin. "He's very aware of who's up, what the situations are, and he has great awareness out on the mound of who can potentially hurt him, and who can't -- who he can pitch to, and who he can't. That's something that comes with the experience he has."
Melvin has been especially impressed with El Duque's work ethic, singling him out for his determination during fielding practice.
"It's like having another shortstop on the field," Melvin marveled. "He's a tremendous athlete, and he knows that fielding his position is going to go a long way for him. He's doing the intangible stuff. Very impressive."

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

D-Backs' Gonzalez opts out of Classic

02/24/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Better late than never? Don't try selling that to Luis Gonzalez. When manager Buck Martinez visited him in the Diamondbacks camp Friday offering him a chance at playing for Team USA in next month's World Baseball Classic, Gonzo wished Martinez luck and stressed that he had moved on to focus his attention on preparing for the regular season.
Gonzalez had caused a bit of a stir with critical comments about the selection process on Wednesday, and when outfielder Vernon Wells came down with an injury, Martinez was quick to approach the veteran outfielder about filling the spot.
"With Vernon Wells' uncertainty, Carl Crawford's uncertainty, [Gonzo] becomes a very important guy to us," Martinez said Friday. "That's what I wanted to echo and get across to him today."
But Gonzalez, who had been eager to play when he was first invited to be on the 60-man provisional roster, was still smarting from his sense of a snub at being later left off the 30-man roster. As hard as it was to turn down an opportunity to represent his country and play games at home in Arizona, it paled in comparison to that initial snub.
"The hard part was when they called me telling me I wasn't on the initial roster," Gonzo said Friday. "That's hard for me, because I'm a guy who plays with a lot of pride and emotion.
"I've been playing for 16 years, and not to be on the initial ballclub ... I would have loved to represent my country, but my focus now is for my teammates and the ballclub and to play for the Diamondbacks."
Major League players have cited health, trades and position changes as reasons they can't miss the critical preparation with their teams in Spring Training, and while clubs generally favor the idea of the world tournament, there has been understandable hesitation to send key players out of spring camps for as much as three weeks in March.
No such rumbling came from the D-Backs, however.
"I'm in favor of this thing. I think the World Baseball Classic is a great thing," manager Bob Melvin said Friday. "But I also have to have consideration of my players, and this is a guy that is healthy this year. We had a little bit of a plan, and now it was backed off, so you can blame this one on me."
The D-Backs supported Gonzalez's participation, putting together a plan to get him up to speed and in good health at an accelerated pace that would put him in game condition a month ahead of schedule, as he recuperates from an injury-plagued '05 season.
"If originally he was told he could play, we were going to do some things in Spring Training to get him ready for it," Melvin explained. "We were going to bring some Minor League pitchers over, we were going to do some simulated at-bats to where he was getting some live pitching earlier and we were going to try to get him ready at-bat-wise for this thing. When they told him that he wasn't on the team, we backed him off. We have him back on a schedule to get ready for Opening Day.
"This one's kind of on me," Melvin reiterated in an effort to defend Gonzo from any second-guessing. "I feel like we're putting him at risk if we were to let him go play right now."
But the veteran had no hesitation in rejecting Martinez's offer on the spot, stressing there was no need to talk it over with anybody else.
"Once I was told I wasn't on the original roster as far as making the team, there was no other option for me except for playing for the Diamondbacks," Gonzalez said. "There were no bitter feelings. I just wished [Martinez] and his ballclub the best of luck. I hope no fans or anybody's bitter at me for not [playing in the Classic]."
Gonzalez looked like a perfect fit for the Classic's goals of promoting the globalization of the game and rallying a sense of national pride in an elite team playing for country and honor, especially given the fact that the first round of games would be played in Scottsdale and Phoenix, in front of hometown fans who have come to associate Gonzalez as the emblem of D-Back values and character.
"Believe me, there is nobody more excited to have an opportunity to play for the United States of America team at my own home ballpark, wearing a USA uniform at your own home field," said the outfielder. "I don't know too many ballplayers that wouldn't be disappointed if they got told, 'Hey, you're not on the first original thing.' That's basically what happened to me, and I turned my focus to get ready for the season."
Martinez had clearly taken Gonzalez's earlier criticism seriously, and he made a point to address concerns expressed by both Gonzalez and Craig Counsell, another D-Back on the 60-man roster who was not initially invited onto the 30-man roster.
"I sensed it was a kind of a bitter moment for them both," Martinez said. "I've known them both for a long time, and we really thought they would bring a lot to our team. Then we got down into the numbers of the things and it just didn't work out."
It was that process of whittling down the numbers -- a public process that took place on paper, without the opportunity for players to showcase their skills in a tryout -- that drew Gonzo's criticism.
"We've all learned a lot this first time, and we know that there have been a lot of things that we would like to do differently and like to do better," Martinez admitted. "We'll address that as we go along, and we'll pass this along to MLB and to the Players Association."
Martinez echoed Gonzalez's sense that there were no lingering bitter feelings.
"Luis Gonzalez has the respect of everybody in baseball, and his opinion is very valued," Martinez said. "He's always been a character guy that we respect a lot. We felt that he brings everything we want on this team."
Unfortunately, Team USA took too long to make the case that Gonzo epitomized the type of player they wanted in their dugout, and the D-Backs' gain is the Classic's loss.
"Most people in the baseball world know my personality and know that I'm not the most talented guy on the field, but I'm going to play with heart and passion when I go out there and play," Gonzalez said. "These guys that are around me every day know that I was disappointed when I wasn't chosen the first time. I don't know many players that have played for a long time that if they didn't get chosen wouldn't have been disappointed, because here's an opportunity to represent your country.
"I know that this is the second chance for me, but after I didn't get the first chance, I didn't really want to take that second chance. My focus was getting ready here."

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

Notes: Byrnes brings energy to desert

02/25/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- You only get one chance to make a first impression -- unless you're Eric Byrnes, who made the D-Backs his fourth team in six months when he signed with the club in December.
After sweeping through Colorado and Baltimore late in 2005 following 5 1/2 seasons with the A's, Byrnes wasted no time establishing his identity with the D-Backs.
"He made an impression when he came through the door the first time," said manager Bob Melvin, describing Byrnes as a man with "whirlwinds swirling around him" wherever he goes. "He's just an energy guy, and I think that's something we were lacking a little bit last year."
Though his strengths as a player were his most appealing qualities -- the D-Backs hope to see him get back to his '04 form, when he hit .283 for the A's as the everyday left fielder -- his qualities in the clubhouse are nearly as important to Melvin and general manager Josh Byrnes.
"We're going to need a little bit of a presence against left-handed pitching," the GM said. "He's very good against left-handed pitching. He has a lot of energy, he can impact the game on the bases, he can play center. We think a lot of his strengths were areas that were deficiencies for us. We think he fits perfectly."
Melvin predicts both Byrnes and Orlando Hudson -- a career Blue Jay until his December trade to the D-Backs -- will provide an energy boost capable of sparking the team to a higher level of play.
"It's infectious. It's contagious. You can see that he loves to play," said Melvin of Byrnes' dynamic approach to the game. "Between he and Hudson, you'll see a little more enthusiasm around here, and a little more chatter and so forth."
Good chemistry is often dismissed as an inevitable byproduct of winning, but Byrnes' experience tells him otherwise.
"The time I spent with Oakland, we probably won more games than we should have, just because it was a close-knit group," Byrnes explained. "It seems like a bunch of neat guys in [the D-Backs clubhouse]. I think that's vital."
Sunday catch: Saturday was a "no-throw" day for D-Backs pitchers, as the team went through an abbreviated workout before heading north to Phoenix for a Fan Fest. The break gives Brandon Medders another day before testing his arm again with a "catch" Sunday.
Medders has had some muscle discomfort below his scapula and has yet to throw a bullpen session this spring.
"If [Sunday] doesn't go very well, then our concerns would be a little more extensive," said Melvin. "We'd probably look to have Dr. Lee take a look at him if [Sunday] doesn't go very well.
"If he feels good [Sunday], we'll probably give him a day off and then potentially have him throw BP live to hitters the next day," Melvin added. "[Sunday] will have a lot to do with it."
Desert showdown: Melvin anticipates a couple of interesting competitions for roster spots and roles with the club as the spring progresses and is happy to have a pair of strong contenders for the fifth spot in the rotation, behind Brandon Webb, Russ Ortiz, Miguel Batista and Orlando Hernandez.
"There were times [last season] when for a month and a half or so [Brad Halsey] was probably our best pitcher, and the same thing with Claudio [Vargas], Melvin said. "If we have two guys like that fighting for a fifth spot, we feel like we're deep in our rotation."
Melvin also foresees a three-way battle for a utility role among a pair of promising younger players and a 14-year veteran.
"Alex Cintron, Andy Green, and Damion Easley, we're probably looking at two of those guys staying," Melvin said.
Cintron has proved valuable both as a regular starter of the "Baby 'Backs" era and as a productive bench player and utility infielder last season, while Green and the former All-Star Easley both offer the potential to play outfield as well as infield positions.

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

Undaunted, Young prepares to impress

02/25/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- One workout away.
Chris Young was one workout away from finishing an intensive program designed to have him in top condition for his first Spring Training with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
One more workout and he was ready to head to Tucson to try to win the starting center-field job in the big leagues. Sure, it was a long shot with the club bringing in a pair of veterans in Eric Byrnes and Jeff DaVanon to hold down the position until the 22-year-old Young was ready. But he was going to give it his best shot.
That goal will have to wait a bit, though, as Young broke a bone in his right hand in his next-to-last workout in Florida. While doing what's known as a box jump, Young hit his hand on the box on the way up, causing the break.
"It was crazy because I only had one more workout left and then I was on my way here to get ready for Spring Training early," he said. "I'd been out there for a month and a half already, working out every day.
"It was just a freak accident."
He had surgery on the hand to help promote the healing process and could be back on the field as early as March 15. That would put him on track for the start of the Minor League season, with his destination Triple-A Tucson.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin and general manager Josh Byrnes were among the Arizona staff that called Young after the injury to try to keep his spirits up.
"[Melvin] really made me feel a lot better about the situation," Young said. "He called me on the phone and he told me it wasn't going to set me back too much, which was good to hear from him. He and Josh Byrnes really made me feel better."
Young was acquired by the Diamondbacks along with Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino in the trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the White Sox. Though his name was not familiar to most fans when the trade went through, those that follow the game's top prospects knew Young was the key part of the deal, as he brings a rare combination of power and speed to the table.
Last year with Double-A Birmingham as a 21-year-old, he hit .277 with 41 doubles, 26 homers and 32 stolen bases in 38 attempts. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he was making the jump from low Class A ball and playing in a league that is more friendly to pitchers than it is hitters.
More impressive was the fact that his plate discipline improved not just from 2004 to 2005, but also as the 2005 season progressed.
"I was just more patient," he said. "I felt more comfortable, less anxious."
"He's one of the best prospects in baseball," Byrnes said. "He's got tools, he's got performance. He's a guy that can impact the game on the bases, hit a home run or save a game defensively. That's a hard package to find, so we obviously gave up a lot, but we feel like he was a very important part of that trade."
Baseball America, which ranked Young as Chicago's sixth-best prospect before his outstanding 2005 season wrote, "Designated as the best athlete and quickest baserunner in the organization, Young is blessed with tremendous speed and is blossoming into a power hitter as well."
Despite the fact that the injury keeps him out off the field, Young has put the past week to good use, getting to know Arizona veterans, like Tony Clark, who have been in camp for early workouts.
"All the guys have been really nice," he said. "Everyone's come up to me and introduced themselves and I've tried to do the same thing just trying to get to know all the guys as fast as I can. I like to make friends wherever I go."
Young made plenty of friends in White Sox camp last year, though this year his locker is in a different neighborhood. In 2005, when his number was in the 70s, his locker was near the other young Chicago players. This year, he's sporting No. 24 and has a locker next to Johnny Estrada and near Luis Gonzalez.
"It didn't matter what number I had there, I was just happy to be in big-league camp," he said. "And I'm just happy to still be over here. It's a big honor to be in big-league camp, so I'm just trying to make the most of it. It's really something being here with Gonzalez and Estrada, so that's pretty cool.
"I'm only out for four weeks. It's not really a huge setback."

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

Minor League report: Moving on Up

02/26/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Diamondbacks have gotten a good turnout for their minicamp for Minor Leaguers, which began on Feb. 23 and will run through March 5.
Twenty-nine players were invited, but another 26 or so have shown up on their own.
The main purpose of the camp is to get starting pitchers some extra work early on so that they are able to pitch deeper into games when the Minor League season starts.
"The majority of our pitchers are starters that are here," said A.J. Hinch, who oversees the D-Backs' Minor League system. "Minor League camp is so short, we want to make sure we stretch them out before the season starts."
On the move: Justin Upton has made quite an impression in his first week of camp.
"He doesn't act or look anything like an 18-year-old kid," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "He's got a lot of savvy. You can tell he's been around his family and a brother who's beeen in the big leagues. He's got great actions for an 18-year-old kid. The wooden bat looks natural in his hands." Upton has hit some impressive homers in batting practice, but more impressive than that to some in camp is that he resists the urge to swing for the fences every pitch and is more focused on driving the ball.
On the pine: Center fielder Chris Young (broken hand) could be back on the field as soon as March 15, which would put him on track to start the Minor League season on time.
Names in the game: Former third baseman Matt Williams will spend some time this spring working with Chad Tracy on his footwork at third base. Tracy fields the ball well, but struggled the last time he played the position with his footwork when he threw across the diamond.
They're No. 1: Conor Jackson, the club's first-round pick in the 2003 draft, will start off the 2006 season at first base for the D-Backs, with Tony Clark coming off the bench.
"We feel like it's Conor's time," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said.
Class of '05: Matt Torra, who was was drafted No. 31 by the D-Backs last year, is continuing to recover from surgery last September to repair a torn labrum.
"We really don't have a timetable on him because it's not something you want to rush," Hinch said. "As soon as his throwing program progresses, we'll continue to re-evaluate. Especially with a good talent, you want to protect that arm. We're pushing him, but you can only heal so fast."
Don't forget: Pitcher Casey Daigle has opened some eyes this spring. The right-hander made the transition from starter to reliever last year and saved 19 games at Double-A.
Daigle made the big-league club as a starter out of Spring Training in 2004, but struggled and was sent to Triple-A, where his struggles continued. He has long tried to come up with a consistent third pitch, but the move to the closer's role has allowed him to just throw his fastball and slider.

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

Notes: Game afoot for Tracy

02/26/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- You won't see Chad Tracy on the television show "Dancing with the Stars" anytime soon, but the Diamondbacks third baseman spent a lot of time this winter practicing his footwork.
After a 2005 season that saw him bounce between first base and right field, Tracy is returning to third base, his position in the Minor Leagues and the one he played when he first came to the big leagues in 2004. He committed 25 errors there that year, most of which came on throws across the diamond.
"I did a lot of agility drills pretty much every day," Tracy said.
The jump-rope work and agility ladders that he did were to improve his footwork not so much in fielding the ball -- that was never the issue -- but rather for his throws.
"I'm taking a smaller stride when I throw," he said. "Before, when I would stride too long, my arm would get out behind me."
Another thing he'll try and do differently this year is to only focus on the first baseman's chest after he fields a ball.
"I would check the runner out," he said. "There's no point to even looking at the runner. You have that clock ticking in your brain to know how much time you have. I've had a year to reflect on third base now and what my mistakes were, and now you look back on it and you say, 'How do I make that mistake over and over and over again?' But I feel good now. It's going to be good."
Tracy collected 27 homers while hitting .285 last year, as he played two positions that were new to him, at least at the big league level.
"It'd be scary to see the kind of numbers he could put up when he's in a position that he's comfortable with and is in there for the whole season," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
Speaking of Tracy: The Diamondbacks have had discussions with Tracy's agent, Alan Nero, about a multiyear contract, and one way or another, the talks should wrap up by Thursday when Cactus League games begin.
"I think, at some point, it's time to turn our attention back to the game, so [negotiations] can't go on forever," Byrnes said. "You never know. Deals don't work for a lot of reasons, so until you have a deal, you don't assume you will."
There is no real urgency on either side to get a deal done, as Tracy is not even eligible for arbitration until after next year.
Good news: Reliever Brandon Medders' session of catch went well on Sunday, and it appears he will not need to see team physician Michael Lee about his tweaked scapula.
Meanwhile, fellow pitcher Terry Mulholland (back) will throw a batting practice session for the first time on Monday.
Tedious: Melvin will try and break up the routine of camp on Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday will be the final time that pitchers face hitters in live batting practice, and the team will spend two days doing fundamentals and other types of drills.
"After you go through this format a couple of days, guys are ready to get out there and start playing games," Melvin said. "This is no fun for the hitters right now. Right about now, they're looking forward to playing games."
Eye catching: Two pitchers have stood out to Byrnes as he's watched the first week-plus of workouts.
"Russ Ortiz and El Duque (Orlando Hernandez)," he said. "Obviously, I'm probably watching them as closely as everyone because they're important to our success. They've both come in here and looked good."
Still waiting: The team is still waiting for the arrival of pitcher Tony Pena, who has had visa problems and is the only player not in camp.
Pena was not a candidate to make the big-league roster and could still be ready to start the Minor League season on time.
"He could be behind, but there'll probably be time to catch up," Byrnes said.

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

Notes: Valverde gets even nastier

02/27/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Closer Jose Valverde has added a sinking fastball to his pitching repertoire this spring, and used it while throwing batting practice on Monday.
"It was nasty," said infielder Alex Cintron after facing Valverde.
"I changed the grip on my sinker," he said. "It moves more down now than it did last year."
Valverde's cut fastball moves in on lefties, and if he's able to throw both the cutter and sinker from the same release point, hitters will have a tough time knowing which way his pitches are going to move.
"It just gives him another weapon," said first baseman Tony Clark, who also faced Valverde on Monday. "If they look the same coming out of his hand, hitters are going to be in trouble."
Ouch: Reliever Brandon Medders suffered a setback on Monday when he again experienced discomfort below his scapula while playing catch.
The problem has bothered the right-hander since the start of camp, and he will go to Phoenix on Tuesday to be examined by team physician Michael Lee.
"I just can't throw comfortably," he said. "It's grabbing me pretty good right now. I don't think it's anything but muscle. There's really nothing in that area but muscle. It's not my shoulder or my elbow, or something like that.
"I have to really get back there and cock my arm back and get ready to throw, for it even to grab like that. I can do anything else. I can go do a full upper body lift, stretch, whatever. But as soon as I reach back to throw, it grabs."
Numbers game: The D-Backs have three backup infielders in Alex Cintron, Damion Easley and Andy Green, with only two of them likely able to stay.
"We probably have one too many right now," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Alex is the incumbent, and he's the guy we look to first. Easley's a veteran guy that's come in here, and we expect him to be here, so Greeny's fighting hard."
There has been trade speculation involving Cintron, but so far, he's still with the club. Green, who was the Pacific Coast League's Most Valuable Player last year, is still a strong candidate to make the club.
"I've talked to him about it, and tried to keep him from thinking too much about the situation, and just going out there and doing his job and trying to impress," Melvin said. "Things will work out for him, I think, one way or the other. Sometimes you get too focused on the numbers, on 'Where do I fit in,' and that can set you back a little bit. So he's just got to go out there every day and do the best he can, and let the chips fall."
This and that: Lefty Terry Mulholland threw batting practice on Monday, and reported no problems with his back. Mulholland suffered back spasms last week, which kept him off the mound for a bit. ... It's looking more and more like the team will not reach an agreement on a multiyear deal with third baseman Chad Tracy, and instead will sign him to a one-year deal and put off talk about a multiyear deal until the offseason. Tracy is not eligible for salary arbitration until after this season.

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

Mailbag: D-Backs' potential for 2006

02/27/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Cactus League games are right around the corner and that's when the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation, as well as the final few spots in the bullpen, will begin. It should be an interesting spring, as manager Bob Melvin plans to experiment with numerous lineup combinations.
Now on to your questions.
Does the Diamondbacks organization expect to win this year? Or is this team just set up to conserve money for when there is a good market for free agents? -- Scott Kraemer, Tucson
Scott, I think when the new baseball operations department took over during the offseason, it took a look at the roster and determined what a lot of folks who looked at it did: That it wasn't good enough to compete in the National League West if there were a team that won more than 81 or so games. Also, this was not a team that was one free agent away from being a team that could win 90-plus games on a consistent basis. Add to that the trade demand by Javier Vazquez, and it was pretty obvious that some retooling needed to be done.
Some will say this team isn't improved over last year's version, and only time will tell on that. But I think what the D-Backs have tried to do is make the team as competitive as possible for this year, while at the same time setting up to have some financial flexibility going forward. Don't discount the fact that they got Chris Young back in that Vazquez deal, because he's an immense talent. And it will be interesting to see the kind of numbers Miguel Batista puts up in comparison with what Vazquez has been doing.
That's a long answer to your question, but the bottom line is that it's possible this team could be better than last year's, but it definitely looks poised for a run of consistent success given the promising young players and financial flexibility.
What's the word on Casey Daigle this season? I understand he had a good season in Double-A as a closer, but with Jose Valverde locking up that position, does Casey have a spot in the bullpen? -- Tim W., Phoenix
Daigle has impressed the staff so far this spring. He re-invented himself as a closer last year at Double-A Tennessee, and the role seems to suit him. For one, it allows him to focus on just throwing two pitches -- his fastball and slider -- without having to worry about developing a consistent third pitch.
It's an uphill battle for him to make the team out of Spring Training because he's no longer on the 40-man roster, and clearing spots on the roster could be problematic. That's not to say that he won't, just that it's somewhat of a long shot. If he were to go to Triple-A Tucson and continue pitching as he has, he could certainly be in the big leagues this year.
Why is Brandon Lyon not being talked about as the closer for this year? He looked to be one of the breakout performers of the Majors last year before his injury. I just think he should be getting a little more consideration than he seems to be getting. -- Danny E., Hampton, Va.
Danny, while Lyon was on the disabled list last year, Jose Valverde stepped up and grabbed the closer's role. Lyon wasn't the same pitcher when he returned that he was at the beginning of the season. He's thrown the ball well this spring, and if that continues, he will be an important part of the bullpen. As we saw with him last year, the closer's role can change in a heartbeat, so you never know what will happen if he regains the form he showed last April.
From what I have seen, Chris Young has been slated to be the last outfielder on the big-league depth chart. But, with his hand injury, it is apparent that he will start in the Minors. Does that mean that Carlos Quentin will start on the big-league roster and get that shot we are all so excited to see him get? -- Nick Verderame, Phoenix
Young had an outside shot at making the team as the starting center fielder before injuring his hand. More than likely, he will start the year at Triple-A Tucson. The team hopes to have Young back on the field by March 15 or so, and that should give him plenty of time to be ready for the beginning of the Triple-A season.
With Luis Gonzalez in left and Shawn Green in right, there really isn't a spot for Quentin right now, despite how well he's played in the Minors. They will not keep Quentin as a reserve, so he will start the 2006 season at Triple-A Tucson, where he will play every day.
Do you really think the Diamondbacks' starting pitching is good enough to get the team to the playoffs? -- Jack W., Maricopa, Ariz.
For me, the rotation is the real question mark on the team. It has some potential, but there are some serious questions. Can Russ Ortiz bounce back? Can Orlando Hernandez stay healthy and be effective? Can Miguel Batista be a consistent winner? If Brad Halsey wins the fifth spot, will he continue the progression he began last year? If the majority of the answers to these questions are yes, then the rotation will be good enough. If not, then they could be in trouble.

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

Notes: Counsell has MRI on shoulder

02/28/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Diamondbacks shortstop Craig Counsell underwent an MRI on his sore right shoulder Tuesday and is expected to sit out the next few days of camp.
"I don't know anything yet," Counsell said late Tuesday afternoon.
"My feeling is it's just some tendinitis," manager Bob Melvin said. "But they're going to give an MRI just to see what's in there and give him some piece of mind. Hopefully that goes well and he'll be a few days behind."
Melvin said that Counsell tweaked the shoulder doing some one-armed swinging prior to camp and that his biggest problem came when trying to get the shoulder loose for throwing.
"We want to make sure we take care of that," Melvin said.
Wheelin' and dealin': The D-Backs sent reliever Jason Bulger to the Angels in exchange for second baseman Alberto Callaspo.
Callaspo, 22, was recently ranked by Baseball America as the eighth-best prospect in the talent-laden Angels system. Originally a shortstop, he was moved to second because of the presence of Erick Aybar and was expendable because the Angels are loaded with middle infield prospects such as Howie Kendrick and Brandon Wood.
"A guy we liked," Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes said. "A middle-of-the-field player who can potentially play both sides of the base and give you offense and defense in the middle of the field, which is something we're always trying to find."
A switch-hitter, Callaspo split time between two levels of the Angels system last year, hitting .297 in 89 games in Double-A and compiling a .316 mark in Triple-A. Though he doesn't walk much, he also doesn't strike out often. For the past two seasons he's been the toughest player in the Minor Leagues to strike out, fanning just once per 20.4 plate appearances last year.
Callaspo will likely start the year with Triple-A Tucson.
"We're starting to have a crowded middle infield with guys like [Alex] Cintron, Counsell and [Orlando] Hudson, [Damion] Easley, [Andy] Green and then [Stephen] Drew and Callaspo," Byrnes said. "That group will encompass Triple-A and the big leagues, so we'll see how it all shakes out."
Melvin sat with Bulger on a golf cart during the workout after the right-hander was given the news. The 27-year-old was Arizona's first pick (22nd overall) in the first round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. Melvin could relate to Bulger's situation, as he was a first-round pick of the Tigers in 1981 and was dealt in 1986 after having appeared in 41 games for Detroit the year before. Bulger was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in nine relief appearances for Arizona last year and was 3-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 56 relief outings for Triple-A Tucson.
"I just tried to share my experiences with him," Melvin said. "One thing I wanted to impress upon him is it's not that we didn't want you. There was another team that wanted you very badly. That's the way he has to look at it. He was crushed and I don't blame him. He's a great kid, very respectful kid; everybody here liked him, the coaching staff liked him. It's tough for us, too, but we're bringing in a guy that we wanted and they're getting a guy that they wanted."
Medders update: Reliever Brandon Medders, who has been bothered by pain in his lower right scapula was examined by team physician Michael Lee and had an MRI taken Tuesday that showed no structural damage.
"He said it was probably just a strained muscle group back there," Medders said. "He gave me a [cortisone] shot, told me to rest for a couple of days, and in another week or so, I should be ready to go."
Medders suffered the injury the day before the first pitchers and catchers workout while getting in some extra work at the team's Minor League complex. It has prevented him from throwing off the mound, and it remains to be seen if the setback will affect whether or not he's able to start the season on time.
"Hopefully, it's going to feel good after a couple of days," Medders said. "I'm disappointed that I'm going to miss some more practice, but hopefully, I'm ready for the season."
Arriving: The Diamondbacks expect pitcher Tony Pena to be in camp Friday. The right-hander is the only player who has not yet reported to camp, thanks to visa problems in his native Dominican Republic.
Departing: Starter Miguel Batista will pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The right-hander will start the Cactus League opener Thursday before departing for Florida to prepare for the Classic.
Batista said he was told he will pitch in the Dominican team's opening game against Venezuela. He will follow the Angels' Bartolo Colon in that game.
Other D-Backs participating in the Classic include catcher Juan Brito (Dominican Republic), Cintron (Puerto Rico) and pitcher Edgar Gonzalez (Mexico).
Pitching schedule: Right-hander Russ Ortiz will follow Batista in Thursday's opener. Randy Choate, Doug Slaten, Brian Bruney and Casey Daigle are also scheduled to pitch.
Brandon Webb will start Friday and be followed by Brad Halsey, Jason Grimsley, Felix Heredia, Jose Valverde, Mike Koplove and Greg Aquino.
Orlando Hernandez will start Saturday's early game with Claudio Vargas facing Team Mexico that evening.

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

Webb brings confidence to role of ace

02/28/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Luis Gonzalez could tell the change in Brandon Webb as soon as he pulled into the players' parking lot for the first time this spring.
"He's parking his car in the front of the lot, and he never used to do that," Gonzalez said. "He feels like a mature veteran now."
Webb is also parked at the top of the Arizona rotation after a $19.5 million extension last month. When the Diamondbacks take the field against the Rockies on Opening Day, it'll be Webb who gets the ball.
"When he takes the hill on the first night, he's supposed to set the tone," veteran starter Miguel Batista said.
Webb is not your father's ace, the stereotypical hard thrower who overpowers hitters, but the list of those in baseball today is very short. Rather, he relies instead on a heavy, sinking fastball to get ground-ball out after ground-ball out.
But Webb does have something that a pitcher needs if he's to be an ace, and that is confidence in himself and the belief from the rest of the team that when he takes the mound they're going to win.
An abundance of confidence wasn't something with which Webb came to the big leagues in 2003, but he certainly has it now.
In 2003, he was on a staff that included Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. He kept his mouth shut and his ears open, soaked up the knowledge and pitched well enough to earn Rookie of the Year honors from Baseball America.
"When I saw him his first year I thought this kid had a chance to be a Hall of Famer," Batista said. "Why did I say that? Because he has two things that don't go away with age: movement and [smart] pitching. You can be 150 years old and if your ball moves and if you have your brain, you can pitch."
Webb indeed has movement on his pitches, usually downward, which allows him to get plenty of ground balls. But in order for those grounders to become outs, he needs good defense behind him, and he didn't have that in 2004.
As a result he tried to be too fine with his pitches and wound up leading the league in walks. It was a miserable year all the way around, as the Diamondbacks lost 111 games and Webb led the league in losses with 16, despite a 3.59 ERA.
In 2005, the Diamondbacks shored up their infield defense, signing Royce Clayton and Craig Counsell, and Webb flourished. He cut his walks total in half and wound up 14-12 with a 3.54 ERA.
"I had confidence in my infielders," Webb said. "Having Counsell back and having Royce behind me just allowed me to be really aggressive in the strike zone and let them play. That really worked out well because I was confident and throwing strikes and was making them hit my pitch early, which helped keep me in games later."
Ah, there's the word confidence again. As the season progressed last year and Webb had more and more success, his belief in himself went to another level. His pitches wound up exactly where he wanted them to go, and he at times marveled at the results.
"It makes it real fun to go out there and be able to pinpoint where the pitch goes and have the hitters hit what you want and have them chase balls out of the strike zone a lot," he said. "I know I did that last year. I'd get ahead and then I'd just work down and I'd be like, 'Are you kidding me? I don't know why you all are swinging at this.'"
For the first time in his career, Webb felt like every time he took the mound there was no question he was going to walk away with a win. It's the same attitude he plans to carry into this season.
"I had heard growing up that if you had confidence out there, people are going to see it, the other team is going to see it and it's going to help you," he said. "It was the first time I really understood."
There's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and Webb has not stepped over it. He's still humble and respectful, but he's not afraid to share with some of the team's younger pitchers what he learned from veterans over the years.
His teammates have taken notice and now share his confidence when he takes the mound.
"He's always done well to earn that respect from his teammates," Gonzalez said. "We always give him a hard time and stuff, but I have the ultimate respect for this guy, the way he approaches the game and goes out there and prepares himself to be ready to pitch.
"And I think now that he's been thrust into that No. 1 he's going to step up to that challenge."

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

Notes: Counsell out at least 10 days

03/01/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Shortstop Craig Counsell will miss at least the next 10 days due to a small labrum tear in his throwing shoulder.
An MRI taken on Tuesday showed the veteran suffered from a SLAP tear. SLAP is an acronym for superior labrum anterior to posterior. According to the club, there are plenty of players in the big leagues who play with small tears in their labrum.
"I've got to rest it for a little bit so my Spring Training is going to be shorter for sure," Counsell said. "But I think we got it figured out far enough in advance that I can get the shoulder strong and be all right still by the time Opening Day comes around."
Counsell will rest the shoulder for the next couple of days and then receive a shot of cortisone and begin a program to strengthen the muscles around the labrum.
"Strengthening is going to be a big part of it and then we'll start throwing again, and if it feels good we'll jump right back in there," Counsell said.
Counsell will have to stay on a program to maintain the strength in the muscles around the labrum throughout the season.
"As long as maintenance-wise he keeps the muscles around that strong, he's going to be able to play," Melvin said. "And he is a very diligent worker and we have no concerns about him keeping himself ready to play."
The pain first surfaced for Counsell three weeks ago when he was taking some one-armed swings in the batting cage.
"I just thought I had a sore shoulder, really," he said. "That's the event that I point to where I think it happened. I haven't really rested it all so hopefully with some rest a little bit I can get some of the problem out of there."
Melvin said Counsell should be ready for the start of the regular season as long as he's able to get 40 at-bats during the spring.
Debut: Stephen Drew will get the starting nod at shortstop in place of Counsell in Thursday's spring opener against the White Sox.
It will be Drew's first game action against Major Leaguers. The team's No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft spent time at Class A and Double-A last year and also saw time in the Arizona Fall League.
"I'm going to go in there and play hard and it'll be a great time for me just to get my feet wet and see what it's about," said Drew. "I'm looking forward to it and we'll see what happens and go from there."
With Counsell as the starter, Drew was expected to begin the year in Triple-A, but many feel he won't need much seasoning there before he's ready for the big leagues.
More PT: With Counsell out at least for the first 10 games of the spring and Alex Cintron having left the team to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, the D-Backs will use a number of different players at shortstop.
In addition to Drew, Jerry Gil, Damion Easley and Andy Green will see time at short as well as last year's overall No. 1 pick, Justin Upton.
Sign here: The Diamondbacks will announce the signings of their non-arbitration eligible players on Thursday. Expected to be in that group is third baseman Chad Tracy. Talks on a multi-year deal for Tracy reached an impasse recently.

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

Lineup options wide open for Melvin

03/01/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Thursday is the beginning of the Cactus League season for the Diamondbacks and it's also the start of what promises to be a month of lineup experimentation for Bob Melvin.
The Diamondbacks skipper has plenty of combinations to work with thanks to a roster deep with versatile players.
"The possibilities are endless," he said.
Provided he's healthy, Craig Counsell figures to be the primary leadoff guy with center fielder Eric Byrnes getting his share of at-bats there, especially against left-handed pitching.
"Couns is probably the guy here," Melvin said. "But we'll look at Byrnes here, too, certainly against left-handers."
The second spot in the order is the one with the most possibilities. If Counsell hits leadoff, Byrnes is a leading candidate to hit second along with second baseman Orlando Hudson.
Melvin, though, is also considering hitting catcher Johnny Estrada here. Estrada is not fleet of foot, but does have other attributes that are attractive in a No. 2 hitter.
"He hits the ball to all fields," Melvin said. "And the numbers show that if you stack your best hitters, that's how you score the most runs in bunches. He's certainly not a prototypical [No.] 2 hitter."
When Alex Cintron or Andy Green is in the lineup they could also see time there as could Jeff DaVanon when he plays center in place of Byrnes.
The Nos. 3 and 4 spots look more set with third baseman Chad Tracy and left fielder Luis Gonzalez.
Ideally, a right-handed hitter would follow back-to-back lefties like Tracy and Gonzalez, but at least initially Melvin is looking at lefty swinging Shawn Green in this spot over righty Conor Jackson.
With Jackson starting his first full Major League season, Melvin doesn't want to put any additional pressure on him.
"If Conor gets off to a nice start and I wanted to split up the lefties up I could potentially do Conor five and Greenie six," Melvin said. "Also if it becomes a problem and I think we need to split the lefties up."
Assuming he doesn't hit seventh, Melvin is leaning toward Estrada in the No. 7 hole with the eighth spot being either Byrnes or Hudson, whichever doesn't hit second.
In a National League lineup, the eighth spot is a tough one because the hitter has to know when to be aggressive and when to be patient. Pitchers will often pitch around the eight hitter to get to the pitcher and at other times will go after the eighth-place hitter.
"That can be one of the most difficult spots in the lineup to hit," Melvin said.
Not only are there lots of choices when it comes to the order, there's as many if not more when it comes to who will be in the lineup on a day-to-day basis.
While Byrnes figures to get the majority of the playing time in center, DaVanon will also see plenty of action. A switch-hitter, DaVanon had better numbers against lefties last year, but that was in just 28 at-bats.
"Just watching him hit right now, to me he's a much better left-hander hitter," Melvin said.
Melvin will also have to find a way to get Tony Clark plenty of at-bats, as well as reserves like Cintron, Andy Green and Damion Easley, two of whom are expected to make the team. With Cintron and Green able to play second, short and third and Easley able to play all four infield positions, that opens up plenty of possibilities. In addition, Easley and Green can both play the outfield.
So based on whether the opponent is starting a lefty or righty will go a long way to determining what lineup Melvin uses. There won't be strict platoons, but Byrnes' days off will likely come against left-handers as will Estrada's, with backup catcher Chris Snyder better vs. southpaws.
"We can matchup a little bit more this year than we did last year," Melvin said.
With the loss of Troy Glaus' 37 homers, will the Diamondbacks lineup be better than last year when they finished 10th in the NL in runs scored?
"I think our at-bats will be tougher and deeper," Melvin said. "I think we'll make pitchers work a little bit more, put the ball in play more to put more pressure on the defense and have less strikeouts. And potentially we can move runners a little better.
"Given the depth one through eight, I think we'll have a strong feeling that we'll have a chance to score in every inning this year."

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

Tracy leads D-Backs past White Sox

03/02/2006
Diamondbacks at the plate: Chad Tracy picked up right where he left off last year, going 2-for-2 with a walk with both of his singles coming on line drives up the middle. Tony Clark showed good patience at the plate in the third as he coaxed a bases-loaded walk out of Freddy Garcia. Last year's No. 1 overall pick Justin Upton smacked a two-run triple to right in the seventh.
White Sox at the plate: The White Sox were able to manufacture a run in the first when Ryan Sweeney led off the game with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, advanced to third on a flyout and scored on a wild pitch. Third baseman Josh Fields smacked a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right in the fourth.
Diamondbacks on the mound: Starter Miguel Batista pitched well as he allowed just one run -- on a wild pitch -- in his two innings. Russ Ortiz also was effective as he allowed just one hit over two innings.
White Sox on the mound: After holding the D-Backs scoreless in the first two innings, White Sox starter Garcia got a little wild in the third, allowing three walks, and Arizona scored two runs in the frame.
Cactus League records: D-Backs 1-0; White Sox 0-3.
Up next: These same two teams hook up again on Friday at Tucson Electric Park. It will be a battle of Opening Day starters with left-hander Mark Buehrle going for the White Sox against Arizona righty Brandon Webb.

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

Notes: Upton impresses in first game

03/02/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Justin Upton only made it look easy.
The 18-year-old, who was the first overall pick in last year's First-Year Player Draft, lined a two-run triple to right field in the seventh inning of the D-Backs' 9-2 Cactus League victory Thursday over the White Sox.
"It wasn't easy, actually," Upton said.
Upton entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and struck out on three pitches. He took two fastballs for strikes before swinging and missing at a breaking ball.
"I'm not going to lie to you, I was a little nervous, a lot nervous," he said. "But after that, I just told myself I was going to swing the bat."
He did just that in his second at-bat, as he drove a 1-1 fastball the opposite way to right.
"It's a monkey off your back," Upton said of getting that first hit. "That's what I wanted to do today, was get one hit and get myself into a little groove and hopefully [I] won't be as nervous the next time."
"Pretty impressive for an 18-year-old," D-Backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Punches out the first time and then goes up there the next time and just stays out there with him. Left-hander was pitching him away. When you're that young, you get a little bit jumpy and try to show what you've got, trying to pull balls and do too much, but he stayed out there with him and boy, it got out there in a hurry. Pretty impressive at-bat."
Speaking of impressive: Right-hander Russ Ortiz had a good start to the spring when he came on in relief Thursday and allowed just one hit over two innings.
The hit was a home run to the opposite field by Josh Fields, who got the head of the bat on a fastball that was down and in.
"It was a good pitch," catcher Johnny Estrada said. "As soon as he swung, I yelled to Russ, 'Good pitch. Thatta way.' Then I saw it go out of the park. I was surprised."
Ortiz is looking to rebound from a tough 2005 season that saw him go 5-11 with a 6.89 ERA.
"I feel good about how everything is going and how things have been going up to this point," he said.
Bye-bye Batista: Miguel Batista started and threw two innings in what will be his last spring appearance for a while.
Batista departed late Thursday afternoon for Florida, where he will pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
"I'm very excited about the challenge," Batista said of the Classic. "It's like having a series of All-Star Games."
Sign here: The Diamondbacks announced the signing of 19 non-arbitration-eligible players, with the most notable being third baseman Chad Tracy.
The two sides had talked about a multiyear deal, but could not come to an agreement, and general manager Josh Byrnes said the discussions will likely be tabled until after the season.
In addition, the Diamondbacks renewed the contracts of right-handed pitchers Brandon Medders and Jose Valverde.
Waiting game: Melvin is entering the final season of the two-year contract he signed prior to the 2005 season. The club holds two option years, and judging by Byrnes' comments Thursday, a decision as to whether or not to pick up at least one of the options won't be made anytime soon.
"It's difficult to talk about," Byrnes said. "All I can say is that I've been tremendously impressed with his work and we'll go into the season and get to know each other better and make the right decision. I can't say enough good things about the job he's done helping to strategize for the offseason and getting us ready to play our Spring Training schedule."
When asked if he'd addressed the subject with Melvin, Byrnes said, "A little bit. We've talked sort of in general terms. We have a pretty good understanding of how we'll arrive at this decision."
Getting more looks: With Craig Counsell on the shelf for at least 10 days due to a slight tear in his labrum and Alex Cintron participating in the World Baseball Classic, Damion Easley will get more reps at shortstop.
"He's played short every day, he's played second every day," Melvin said of Easley. "That's one of those attractive factors about him is that he's played both of those positions on an everyday basis. As many left-handed bats that we have, he's kind of a lefty killer and a guy that will be in there quite a bit against left-handed starters."
Up next: The same two teams hook up again Friday at Tucson Electric Park. It will be a battle of Opening Day starters with left-hander Mark Buehrle going for the White Sox against Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb.

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

Drew, Snyder lead D-Backs to win

03/03/2006
White Sox at the plate: Juan Uribe and Jermaine Dye hit long home runs to left during a three-run fourth inning, the first of the spring for each player.
Diamondbacks at the plate: Stephen Drew and Chris Snyder each delivered a double and their first spring home runs to lead Arizona's 18-hit offense. Shawn Green doubled home two runs off of Mark Buehrle with two outs in the first inning, and Andy Green added to the early offensive output with a solo home run off of Buehrle in the second.
White Sox on the mound: Buehrle allowed three runs on five hits in his two innings of work, with Dye throwing out two runners on the basepaths to limit the damage. Dustin Hermanson, making his first appearance of the spring, allowed one run on two hits in one inning, while Cliff Politte was touched up for three runs on two home runs in one inning.
Diamondbacks on the mound: Starter Brandon Webb threw two hitless innings, walking one and striking out one. He was bailed out by Snyder throwing out Scott Podsednik trying to steal third in the first inning.
Cactus League records: White Sox 0-4; Diamondbacks 2-0.
Up next: The White Sox host the Diamondbacks at Tucson Electric Park on Saturday with an early 1:05 CT first pitch. Brandon McCarthy makes his spring debut for the White Sox, opposed by Arizona's Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. It was McCarthy who replaced Hernandez in the White Sox rotation during the 2005 season when Hernandez was injured.

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

Notes: Halsey looking to crack rotation

03/03/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- It wasn't a work of art, but Brad Halsey accomplished what he wanted to on Friday.
The left-hander, who is trying to win the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed three runs on four hits over two innings against the White Sox. All three of the runs came on homers by Juan Uribe and Jermaine Dye.
"I didn't get the results I wanted, but my arm feels good," Halsey said. "I did some things well, and there's some things I didn't execute."
The home run hit by Uribe was on a changeup that got a little too much of the plate, while Dye smoked an inside fastball that wasn't quite inside enough.
"My goals with these guys the first time or two they touch the ball is to throw the ball over the plate, and he did that," Arizona pitching coach Bryan Price said.
The conditions were not advantageous for the pitchers with a 20-plus mph wind gusting out. The teams combined for six homers.
The fifth spot in the rotation is mainly a competition between Halsey and Claudio Vargas, though Dustin Nippert and Edgar Gonzalez are among those that could sneak in.
Vargas gets his first start of the spring on Saturday against the World Baseball Classic's Team Mexico.
"If [Vargas] goes out and does what he did in the middle of last season, and Halsey goes out and shows you what he did late-April through June, you're going to have a tough battle," manager Bob Melvin said.
En fuego: Another day, another extra-base hit for shortstop Justin Upton, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's First-Year Player Draft.
On Thursday, the 18-year-old lined a two-run triple the opposite way to right. On Friday, he nearly left the park with a double to left-center off side-arming lefty Javier Lopez.
"Yesterday, I got my jitters out. And today, I took my normal approach to hitting," Upton said. "I got something down and in that I could hit."
Speaking of impressive youngsters: Shortstop Stephen Drew, the D-Backs' first pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft was 2-for-2 with a double and a home run.
The double may have been more impressive, since the left-handed swinging Drew hit it off lefty Mark Buehrle. The homer came off righty Cliff Politte.
"He had nice at-bats every time up," Melvin said. "Certainly, you can tell I don't think lefties are going to give him too much trouble. He hangs in there well, has a good idea of how guys are going to pitch him. He'll stay out there against left-handers and not try to get into pull mode too much."
Ouch: Utilityman Damion Easley was scratched from Friday's lineup after suffering a mild concussion in Thursday's game. Easley was playing first base when a throw up the line caused him to collide with White Sox catcher Donny Lucy.
Easley, who is expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday, said he doesn't remember anything after reaching for the ball until he got back to the clubhouse.
Up next: The Diamondbacks play a pair of games on Saturday, a 12:05 p.m. MST game against the White Sox and a 5:05 p.m. MST contest against Team Mexico.
Orlando Hernandez will get the start for the Diamondbacks in the early game, while Claudio Vargas will get the nod in the nightcap. Terry Mulholland, Brandon Lyon, Neal Musser and Enrique Gonzalez will also see action in the early game while Kevin Jarvis, Luis Vizcaino, Bill Murphy and Mike Schultz will go against Mexico.
Lineups: Against the Sox: Alberto Callaspo (SS), Orlando Hudson (2B), Luis Gonzalez (LF), Tony Clark (1B), Shawn Green (RF), Johnny Estrada (C), Easley (3B), Luis Terrero (CF) and Justin Upton (DH)
Against Team Mexico: Eric Byrnes (CF), Stephen Drew (SS), Chad Tracy (3B), Conor Jackson (1B), Jeff DaVanon (LF), Carlos Quentin (RF), Chris Carter (DH), Andy Green (2B) and Koyie Hill (C).

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

Behind El Duque, D-Backs rout Sox

03/04/2006
Diamondbacks at the plate: Luis Gonzalez singled and doubled, scoring one run and driving in another. Damion Easley had two hits, while Shawn Green reached base twice. Chris Snyder hit his second home run of the spring.
White Sox at the plate: Paul Konerko singled to right and singled to left in his first two at-bats. Jim Thome just missed his first spring home run with a long fly to left-center in the fourth, hauled in by Gonzalez, and a long drive to left in the sixth.
Diamondbacks on the mound: Facing his previous employer from 2005, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez hurled two scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed just one hit. Terry Mulholland followed with two innings of scoreless relief.
White Sox on the mound: Brandon McCarthy gave up one earned run on four hits over 2 2/3 innings during his spring debut. The lanky right-hander walked two, but didn't strike out a batter. After throwing just six pitches Thursday against Colorado, Tim Redding worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. White Sox relievers hit one and walked two with the bases loaded in the eighth, forcing in three of four runs scored during the frame.
Cactus League records: White Sox 0-5; Diamondbacks 3-0.
Up next: The Diamondbacks play host to the White Sox on Sunday, in the fourth game already this spring between the two teams. Jose Contreras makes his second spring start, while Dustin Nippert gets the call for Arizona.

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

Notes: Snyder seeing results of work

03/04/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Chris Snyder knew what needed to be done.
After struggling to a .202 batting average in 2005, the Diamondbacks catcher wasted little time getting to work. He reported to Chase Field at the end of October and worked on shortening his swing.
"My swing was very long last year and I was very pull-happy," he said. "I thought I couldn't get around on 90-plus-[mph] fastballs so I was jumping out, trying to pull everything, and that just created bad habits and bad form, and that just put me in a bad spiral. All offseason, that's all I worked on was trying to square balls up and hit balls on a line the other way."
The results this spring have been noticeable, with Snyder drilling balls to all fields this spring.
With the offseason acquisition of catcher Johnny Estrada, Snyder figures to get most of his time behind the plate against lefties, against whom he had success last year.
"He was committed in the offseason to come back with this swing," hitting coach Mike Aldrete said. "And to his credit, he put the time in and he looks great right now."
Ouch: Shortstop Stephen Drew was scratched from the D-Backs' game against the Mexican national team Saturday night after he injured his left shoulder Friday while diving into third base trying unsuccessfully to stretch a double into a triple.
"I went hard in and it kind of felt like an in-and-out thing," Drew said. "It's a contusion, they said, a bruise in there. I'm just going to take it day-by-day and hopefully be ready to rock, so who knows?"
Drew was examined by team physician Michael Lee, who said there is no reason to be overly concerned.
El Duque: Orlando Hernandez started Saturday and looked impressive against his former White Sox teammates.
"It was no big deal," Hernandez said of facing his former mates. "Chicago is in the past. I'm feeling good, I'm very happy."
Hernandez allowed just one hit -- an opposite-field single by Paul Konerko -- in his two innings of work. Last year, he was 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) for the White Sox.
"For the first game out there, throwing 26 pitches in two innings to me was outstanding," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's the type of guy that usually takes a little time to get into form. The closer to the season you get, the better he usually gets, but he threw the ball really well today and was aggressive."
Back: Infielder Damion Easley was back in the lineup Saturday, two days after suffering a mild concussion in a collision at first base. Easley was scratched from Friday's game.
Caution: Melvin said that outfielder Carlos Quentin had a bit of a sore elbow Thursday, so Melvin decided not to play him. He was back in action Friday.
"He could have played," Melvin said, adding that the team was just being cautious given the fact that Quentin had Tommy John surgery after he was drafted in 2003.
Sunday: The Diamondbacks take on the White Sox for the fourth straight day Sunday at 1:05 p.m. MT with Dustin Nippert getting the starting nod for Arizona against Jose Contreras.
Randy Choate, Brian Bruney, Doug Slaten and Casey Daigle are also expected to pitch for the Diamondbacks.

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

Montero speaking language of success

03/04/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- When Miguel Montero came to the United States from Venezuela after signing with the Diamondbacks, he didn't speak a word of English.
He was 19 and he'd head to Missoula, Mont., of all places. But even at that age, Montero knew that if he was going to have a future as a professional catcher, he'd have to expand his linguistic horizons.
"My first goal as soon as I signed with the Diamondbacks and as soon as I came to the United States, my first goal was to make the big leagues like all the players want to," Montero said. "My second goal was to learn the language. It's very important inside the game, inside the park, outside the field.
"You need to communicate, wherever you are, with the people. It was pretty important for me. I'm a catcher and I needed to communicate with my pitchers. It's the most important thing, I think."
Montero, now 22, speaks English better than most native speakers. It's something that hasn't gone unnoticed within the organization, a tool just as important as power or throwing accuracy.
"Learning English was a big part of it for him," said Mike Rizzo, Diamondbacks vice president of scouting operations. "We entrust on him he can communicate with pitchers and players. He took it upon himself to delve into the language.
"He's a model citizen and a big leader with the Latin contingent in our organization."
His future is as more than a translator. Montero had shown potential since signing five years ago, but the year he had in 2005 vaulted him onto prospect radars everywhere. The lefty-hitting catcher hit .349 with 24 homers and 82 RBIs in 85 games with Lancaster in the Class A Advanced California League. He earned an invite to the Futures Game and a promotion up to Double-A Tennessee.
Double-A proved to be a little tougher for Montero, who hit just .250 and slugged .352 (after posting a .625 in Lancaster) in 30 games before being shut down with a rib-cage injury. The combination of the ailment plus the higher level of competition made things more difficult than anticipated.
"When I got hurt, I wanted to keep playing because I was five RBIs from getting to 100," Montero said. "But they stopped me from playing. I couldn't play anyway, my rib cage hurt so bad. I couldn't cough or anything. I would overswing sometimes and I wanted to overdo my job. That was my problem right there.
"I saw a lot of difference in the pitching staffs, better location, better pitchers, better command, the pitchers throw more strikes. I got in a slump, as soon as I got out of the slump, I got hurt. It's not an excuse, but I got in a slump. Everybody in baseball gets in a slump. It was my time."
It may also soon be his time in the big leagues. After going 8-for-19 in the Arizona Fall League, Montero returned home and proceeded to hit .284 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 49 games with Occidente in the Venezuelan Winter League.
But it's not the offensive numbers that have the Diamondbacks buzzing. Arizona always knew he could swing the stick, but his improvement in handling the catching end of things has the organization really excited and thinking of him in the same sentence with other elite D-Backs prospects like Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin and Conor Jackson.
"We have high expectations for him," Rizzo said. "One of our best prospects and he plays a premium position. He's always been an offensive catcher, but his defense has really come on the last couple of years.
"He's coming into his own as a game-caller, a leader behind the plate. So we have very high expectations in the very near future."
That near future began when he came to big-league camp for the first time. Likely ticketed for a return to Double-A to start the season, Montero is soaking up as much knowledge as possible for as long as he stays in the Major League clubhouse. Just being around players who have done what Montero one day hopes to do has been an invaluable experience.
"This motivates me," Montero said. "When I was a kid, I saw a lot of the guys who are in here now on TV. Now, I'm training with those guys. It's motivating. I want to play in the big leagues with those guys. I'm here now, I want to work hard to be here soon for good."

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