2016 Down On The Farm (Mid-Season)

The Diamondbacks have finally managed to sink below the middle of the league, but that may change in the next few years as the farm looks to be brimming with talent. The Diamondbacks are shallow on pitching, but their offense won't have issues filling positions.

Position, Player Name (Sickels Grade, Current MiLB Level) 

SS Dansby Swanson (Grade : A, Double-A Mobile)

 
Started out the season in Advanced-A Visalia and earned a promotion to Double-A after hitting .333 with a .441 OBP. Added some pop to his game with 7HR so far, batting average suffered a bit in Mobile at .262 but he has plenty of time to improve. Still a question of sticking at SS, but aside from that everything has been as expected.

RHP Jon Gray (Grade : A-, MLB)

Gray logged 8.2 innings at Advanced-A Visalia before making a move to the majors and staying there for the remainder of the first half. He's blown past his rookie limits so Arizona won't be able to tout him as a prospect anymore, but based on his time in the majors they won't want him wasting away on the farm. He has pitched very well despite posting 4.12ERA, his 111 strike outs over 102.2 IP and 1.16WHIP point to his potential. Pitching in Chase Field doesn't help, but he could be an ace in waiting if he continues to improve.

OF Austin Meadows (Grade : A-, Triple-A Reno)

Power hasn't really developed just yet, but to his credit he has already set a career high in HR already. Meadows doesn't strike out much, but he also doesn't walk much, all of which is alright when you hit close to or over .300. Aside from the power "surge" he's on pace for pretty much the same season he's put up over the past few years. Promotion to Triple-A is a good sign, at only 21-years old he's still young and a step away from the majors.

RHP Aaron Blair (Grade : B+, MLB)

Just barely crossed rookie limits lately, so he won't be around this list much longer. He will probably be around the farm a little longer after getting blasted in 11 major league starts. Struggled across the board, but to be fair he didn't have the best numbers in Triple-A prior to being called up. Still has time to right the ship.

RHP Jeff Hoffman (Grade : B+, Triple-A Reno)

Another good arm who looks to add to Arizona's bumper crop of rookie pitchers. Started the season in Reno and has looked pretty good for the Pacific Coast League with nearly a strike out per inning pitched. His K rate saw a solid jump this season, but like most PCL pitchers he's doing a bunch of things you don't like to see. A rise in hits per nine (8.2 across three leagues in 2015 to 9.1), HR per nine, and walks per nine all feed into the boosted ERA. Hoffman is still coming off a 2014 Tommy John surgery, so it's likely he could continue to improve. He was taken 9th in the 2014 MLB Draft even after having surgery, so the Diamondbacks are prepared to see if they managed to find a gem.

3B Ryan McMahon (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)

The 21-year old slugger has seen a dip in production since being promoted from Advanced-A at the beginning of the season. The substantial drop in batting average, from .300 to .232, has the organization worried, but like most guys on this list he is young enough to turn things around. McMahon is clearly struggling with advanced pitching as he looks to set a new career record for strikeouts in a season, which was fine when he hit .300, so the Diamondbacks are hoping he shows some improved plate discipline.

OF Alex Verdugo (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)

Verdugo has really impressed evaluators and looks to have made a real leap in production. With 11HR and 53RBI and improved plate discipline, he looks like a major steal for Arizona. If he can finish this season strong he could move much higher on this list, not to mention prospect lists across the country.

OF Jesse Winker (Grade : B+, Triple-A Reno)

Perhaps it's prospect fatigue, but Winker has been losing his shine after the past few seasons. A wrist injury has been blamed for his power outage, which looks to continue through to next season, but everything else looks good. His 1:1 BB:SO ratio is promising, and his .307BA is right in line with his career numbers. He's only 22, so he has time to find his power again, but Arizona might not be able to wait for him to find it in Triple-A.

RHP Luke Weaver (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)

The trade for Weaver looked bad at the time, costing Arizona SS Isan Diaz, but since then it has looked like a solid deal. Weaver has ripped apart Double-A hitters with a minuscule 1.31ERA and 71 strikeouts over 62.0 IP. He is still a few years away, but he should be moving up on this list in 2017.

3B Matt Chapman (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)

Chapman looks to be a classic three-true-outcomes guy. He has lit up Double-A pitcher while simultaneously getting destroyed at the plate. He already has 22HR, one shy of his total in 2015, and 61RBI, but he's also hitting .225 with a whopping 130SO. Another year in Mobile or a stint in Triple-A will sort things out, but with Lamb having a career altering season and a few more sluggers ahead of him it will be difficult to find his place in the majors.

2016 Cactus League Evaluation

SCOTTSDALE - Arizona's fans are not going to be happy, unless they go to games just to see Goldschmidt do Goldschmidt things. The team is in total teardown mode with tens of millions in expiring contracts freeing up their finances for the Winter of 2016-2017. The best news is that the Diamondbacks may see some glimpse of it's future in the form of early season call ups, but most of the high impact prospects are likely to stay in the minors.

SPRING ANSWERS

Paul Goldschmidt - Paul Goldschmidt is likely to continue being excellent, and he's likely to be in the MVP conversation all season. He is going to have issues getting the attention others might get in more powerful offenses, but a 100-30-100 season is definitely in the cards. A first baseman stealing 10-15 bases and hitting .300+ should be a surprise, but people seem to be overlooking Goldschmidt. He's going to be steady at the plate and a decent defender, but he won't get the media coverage Josh Donaldson is going to enjoy

Young Outfielders - There was some competition for RF, but the CF-RF slots were Eddie Rosario and Micheal Taylor's to lose. The young outfielders are coming off decent rookie seasons and management is hoping they make the leap to long term starters. Taylor will have some plate discipline issues to overcome, he was clearly overwhelmed after showing decent discipline in the minors, but the upside is a 20-20 hitter who can handle CF. Rosario didn't put up the numbers Taylor did, but he did lead the majors with 15 triples, and he hit a respectable .267. If Taylor and Rosario can take a few more walks in 2016 it will help their case going forward.

SUMMER QUESTIONS 

Gio Gonzalez - Is Gio Gonzalez going to be a Diamondback after the All-Star break? Is he even going to be on the team after this article is posted? He's already been involved in a trade that fell through and there are a number of teams looking for starting pitching. His time in Arizona is probably coming to an end, and based on the stories floating around at various media outlets he's ready to move on as well.

Is Gonzalez on his way out?

Jake Lamb - Lamb has been decent in his major league stints, but he's clearly not going to learn much more in the minors. 3B is all his with Tomas leaving town, and the Diamondbacks aren't going to be bringing in anyone else. With nobody in the minors close to coming up, Lamb won't be looking over his shoulder. Will he make the leap, or is Arizona going to need to cut bait with him like Owings?

Middle Infield - The Diamondbacks may look at playing a bucket of balls at SS, if they even field someone. Dan Uggla, who is still in the majors for some reason, is manning 2B and looks like he might hang up his cleats at an moment. There has even been talk of putting OF Alfredo Marte at SS, with Maicer Izturis suddenly announcing his retirement the Diamondbacks are hurting in the middle infield. Perhaps they shouldn't have traded Chris Owings.

2016 NL West Preview

The NL West is going to be a solid one horse race unless the apocalypse strikes Northern California. The Giants are going to make a run at a 100+ win season with a World Series repeat while the rest of the division will see finishing close to .500 as a win. There will be more competition for second place than first, but even that looks pretty locked up.

NL West Projected Finish

#1 San Francisco Giants (110-52) : Not a whole lot to say about the defending World Series and NL West Champions. They are loaded again at every position, and while it's outside of the NL West the injury to A.J. Pollock puts the Giants farther ahead of the Cubs as favorites with the World Series. Josh Donaldson, Starling Marte, D.J. Martinez, and Buster Posey power the league's most dangerous offense, and their rotation features three pitchers in the Cy Young race with Madison Bumgarner, Chris Sale, and Chris Archer. The Giants could make a run at a number of league records aside from a back-to-back title.

Can Donaldson repeat as MVP in the pitcher-friendly confines of AT&T Park?

#2 Colorado Rockies (80-82) : The Rockies sneak up on the NL West this year, but they are hardly a powerhouse. They have a decent shot to crack .500 with a number of good players at key positions. Homegrown 2B DJ LeMahieu had a breakout season in 2015 and looks to keep things going, and sluggers Devin Mesoraco and Josh Reddick give the Rockies the extra punch they need. A decent pitching staff will really be the key to Colorado climbing over .500, but things will be rough at Coors Field.

Can LeMahieu take the Rockies over .500?

#3 Los Angeles Dodgers (75-87) : The dying embers of a very expensive team are all that's left in Los Angeles after an offseason sale of everything that wasn't nailed down. There are still enough players to put up a fight every week, but the strength of this team lies in it's farm system. The team did sign Jason Heyward to a $16.7 million a year contract through 2018, so they will have a foundation to build around in the coming seasons.
 

Heyward looks to be the future in Los Angeles.

#4 Arizona Diamondbacks (70-92) : The Diamondbacks are going to be bad, and the aborted trade for Gio Gonzalez is a sign that things are about to get worse. Paul Goldschmidt is going to be Paul Goldschmidt, and the team is hoping that Yan Gomes can reclaim his former glory after an injury marred 2015. Young players like Jake Lamb and Michael Taylor hope to keep building on their rookie seasons, but unless they turn into Mike Trout it won't do much to pull Arizona out of the NL West gutter.

 Goldschmidt will be wasted in 2016.

#5 San Diego Padres (60-102) : It's going to be a long season in San Diego, but the team has been building for the future and won't be too bothered if they lose 100 games or more. The second half of the season could see some exciting prospects make their permanent move to the Majors as 2B Trea Turner and RHP Jose Berrios wait for a call. 2017 could see yet another name come up with LHP Blake Snell looking like a 1-2 punch atop the order with Berrios.

2016 might be Pujols' last in San Diego.

2015-2016 Diamondbacks Off-Season

PHOENIX - After a disappointing 2015 season the Diamondbacks have prepared themselves for a rebuild with some major changes to their roster. Paul Goldschmidt is still around holding the team up with the shear magnitude of his skills, but he's going to need to be patient if he wants to have a shot at the World Series in a Diamondbacks uniform.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST OUTLOOK

This won't surprise anyone who follows baseball, but the NL West might need to be renamed the NL Giants. San Francisco is loaded for another run at the title with probably the best roster in baseball. The Diamondbacks and Padres are probably going to duke it out for worst in the division, with the Rockies and Dodgers looking like sub .500 teams.

WINTER MEETINGS

The Diamondbacks basically lit a fire to their roster and gutted the MLB squad, even more than previous seasons, to make way for the future. By the time pitchers and catchers were due to report the Diamondbacks had completed ten different trades that mostly sent MLB regulars packing for prospects. The biggest surprises were the trades of SP Patrick Corbin, OF Yasmany Tomas, OF Ender Inciarte, and SS Chris Owings. Arizona's management clearly lost their patience with Tomas and Owings, loaded up on expiring contracts, and turned toward the future.

 Will Gonzalez be around to pitch the Diamondbacks' opener?

ARIZONA FREE AGENCY PREVIEW

The influx of expiring contracts and prospects left the Diamondbacks maxed out as far as their budget goes. The team might have a little over $1 million left to sign someone, but they are more likely to let a fan fill if a roster spot opens up due to injury. Things are going to get ugly in the desert for 2016.

PROJECTED 2016 ROSTER (WINTER)

The Diamondbacks are definitely at a crossroads when it comes to their roster, and this team could either be bad or terrible. Either way, it's all building up to the next few seasons. The projected roster has a gaping hole at SS and major issues in the rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks Depth Chart - 2016

• Catcher
• Y. Gomes

• First Base
• P. Goldschmidt

• Second Base
• D. Uggla
• M. Izturis

• Third Base
• J. Lamb

• Shortstop

• Left Field
• A. Marte
• M. Krauss

• Center Field
• M. Taylor

• Right Field
• E. Rosario
• T. Campana

• Starting Pitcher
• G. Gonzalez
• J. Weaver
• K. Lobstein
• M. Lorenzen
• R. Detwiler
• B. Penny

• Relief Pitcher
• E. Marshall
• C. Thielbar
• A. Torres
• M. Reynolds
• T. Cahill
• D. Holmberg

• Closer
• A. Colome
• R. Belisario

• Designated Hitter
• G. Jones

2015 Down On The Farm (August-September)

With the season over and the Winter Meetings wrapping up we have a good look at the current shape of the Diamondbacks farm system. Not sure if everyone will be around in January, but things look good.

Position, Player Name (Sickels Grade, Current MiLB Level) 

RHP Jon Gray (Grade : A-, Triple-A Reno)

August call up went well after gutting out a decent season in Reno. Looks like he has nothing left to prove in the minors and should leave 2016 Spring Training with a spot in the Diamondbacks rotation.

OF, Jesse Winker (Grade : A-, Double-A Mobile)

Winker put a cherry on top of his 2015 season with a serious hot streak. He slashed .312/.423/.524 in his final 54 games at Mobile, if he continues hitting like that he should be in the majors soon.

OF, Austin Meadows (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)

Did just about everything you could want aside from hit for power. Made his way through Class-A Advanced to finish the season with six games in Mobile. Hit .310 and swiped 21 bases, but only hit 7HR on his way to a good-not-great season. Still has scouts drooling over him, still just 20, but he's going to be prone to prospect fatigue if he doesn't drive more balls out of the park.

RHP, Braden Shipley (Grade : B+, Double-A Mobile)

Finished season well after a really rocky start to the season, but failed to get promoted to Reno. Not a deal breaker, but it would have been nice to see him face more advanced hitting. Now behind Aaron Blair as the Diamondbacks #3 pitching prospect.

RHP, Aaron Blair (Grade : B+, Triple-A Reno)

Ended the season with a haymaker in the Blair-Shipley battle, now firmly considered the better of the two. Looked really good at Mobile and Reno, which is quite a feat considering the hitter friendly PCL. Should see the majors in 2016 at some point if not from the start, won't have anyone blocking him on the MLB roster if he shows signs of being ready.

OF, Raimel Tapia (Grade : B, Class-A Advanced Visalia)

Quickly becoming one of Arizona's most exciting players. Really good year at the plate and could develop more power in the coming seasons, an improved approach on defense has also increased his stock.

OF, Billy McKinney (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)

Broken knee, out for the season. Had an amazing season in Class-A Advanced but lost some steam in Mobile. Still very young and a favorite of the organization.

RHP, Jeff Hoffman (Grade : B, Double-A Mobile)

Tommy John recovery, pitched 72 inning between Visalia and Mobile. Slowly putting his injury behind him, 2016 will be key to his development.

RHP, Touki Toussaint (Grade : B, Class-A Kane County)

Toussaint is probably the Diamondbacks most exciting pitching prospect. He has had some incredible highs to go with some ugly lows, but his talent is such that scouts can't stop talking about him. He is still young and doesn't have the experience most do, so it's hard to give up on someone like him so quickly. He has the upside of a #2 starter, but he could just as likely flame out before getting to Reno.

RHP, Alex Colome (Grade : B-, MLB)

Colome finished the year by exceeding rookie limits with a mix of starting and relieving. Not sure where he ends up going forward, but he was much better out of the pen. 2016 will be an interesting year for him.

RHP, Matt Barnes (Grade : B-, MLB)

Exceeded rookie limits, looks destined for a role out of the bullpen.

3B, Patrick Kivlehan (Grade : B-, Triple-A Reno)

Kivelehan is looking like one of Arizona's most difficult players. He has the athleticism you look for, a good power / speed combo, but he was just wrecked by Triple-A pitching. He gutted out 17HR and 13SB while batting a disappointing .239, and it's hard to tell where he fits in.

LHP, Cody Reed (Grade : B-, Class-A Short Hillsboro)

Finished with a good not great season, but at 19 he still has room to grow. Showed developing secondary pitches and good command.

RHP, Nick Travieso (Grade : B-, Class-A Advanced Visalia)

Finished the season well, recovered from being hit by a line drive in June. Showing good progress and should start the 2016 season in Mobile.

OF, Justin Williams (Grade : B-, Class-A Kane County)

Good season in Low-A at 19, scouting reports still point to long term potential. Still shows raw power and could end up being a very good OF.

SS, Luis Sardinas (Grade : C+, Triple-A Reno)

Bounced around some more, played enough to exceed rookie limits and will not longer be listed here. Starting to look like a defense-only utility man, unless he starts hitting he's always at risk of being DFA'd.

C, Peter O'Brien (Grade : C+, Triple-A Reno)

Arizona's biggest problem, but hopefully a good one to have. O'Brien spent the vast majority of 2015 in Reno, and in all that time he crushed 26HR and didn't see a pitch he didn't like. The 26HR and 107RBI with a .284BA look really good, but when paired with a whopping 124SO it doesn't look so good. Has moved to the OF, which is probably his path to the majors, but the plate discipline could be an issue.

2015 Season Report (End of Season)

PHOENIX - The regular season has finally come to a close, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have not made the playoffs. It isn't a surprise to anyone, especially management, but what is a surprise is that they finished just about where they did in 2014. It's hard to understand why a team that was trying to make the playoffs did as well as one being stripped for parts, but that's just baseball. Finishing 18th at 79-83 isn't all that bad, but ownership was probably shooting for a higher draft slot.


The Arizona Goldschmidts

Goldschmidt hits the market after the 2016 season.

Surprise, Paul Goldschmidt is really good. Offensively the Diamondbacks were plagued with surprisingly bad seasons (Chris Owings, Jake Lamb, J.J. Hardy) and blessed by surprisingly good ones (David Peralta, Eddie Rosario, Ender Inciarte) and befuddled by ones in the middle (Yasmany Tomas). The one constant was Goldschmidt, who put up MVP numbers but is likely to be overshadowed by the Nationals' Bryce Harper. If not for the efforts of Goldschmidt, this team could have been in contention for a Top 5 draft pick.


Corbin's Return

The silver lining for this season on the mound was the return of Patrick Corbin. After missing 2014 to Tommy John surgery and sitting out nearly half of 2015, Corbin appears to have returned to his pre-injury level of performance. With the avalanche of injuries and trades that hit the rotation, it's amazing that the Diamondbacks had anyone to throw out on the mound by the end of the season.


Hello, Prospects

Tapia joins a loaded OF class.

If you ignore Goldschmidt's awesomeness and Corbin's return from injury the biggest 2015 story line was the influx of high end prospects. The addition of Jesse Winker, Jon Gray, Austin Meadows, and Raimel Tapia give Diamondbacks fans something to look forward to. A number of their best prospects made it to the majors (Eddie Rosario, Michael Taylor, Michael Lorenzen) so the future is already starting to take shape.

2015 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS AWARDS

MVP

1B Paul Goldschmidt (103R, 33HR, 110RBI, 21SB, .321BA)

This one is pretty easy, and as long as he's manning 1B it probably won't change. Even an injury shortened 2014 had him firmly in the MVP chair. Goldschmidt led the team in all offensive categories.


ROY

Taylor might be the future of CF.

CF Michael Taylor (49R, 14HR, 63RBI, 16SB, .0229BA)

Taylor muscled his way into a crowded outfield situation and trumped the Diamondbacks big money "rookie" signing (Yasmany Tomas) while looking like a solid piece of the team's future. While he didn't hit for average the team is hoping he can improve with more major league experience.

Randy Johnson Award (Best Pitcher)

Corbin's return was promising for 2016.

SP Patrick Corbin (6W, 78K, 3.60ERA, 1.27WHIP)

Really low bar on this one, so low that someone who basically missed half the season took this one home without too much competition. Gio Gonzalez completely melted down and passed the 'Ace' moniker on to Corbin. A few bad late season outings hurt Corbin's ERA/WHIP, but overall he looked good coming back from Tommy John surgery.

2015 Season Report (100 Games)

PHOENIX -The Diamondbacks continue to limp toward a kind of baseball limbo, finishing 100 games just a hair below the middle of the league (16th) and firmly hovering around .500 baseball (50-50). An explanation is simple, just two words encompass how a team that has been mostly stripped for parts can stay close to .500; Paul. Goldschmidt.

Arizona's offense, which will henceforth just be called "Paul Goldshmidt", is essentially made up of Goldschmidt wrecking the league for his pleasure. Goldschmidt currently leads the Diamondbacks in... well, everything. He's hitting .339, with 67R, 22HR, 77RBI, and 17SB, which is far beyond anyone else on the team. He's also in the Top 5 for NL players in BA, HR, and RBI. Is there anything he can't do?

Ender Inciarte recently returned from the DL, so the Diamondbacks are going to have a bit of an OF log jam. Inciarte, David Peralta, Eddie Rosario, and Michael Taylor have all played well and look to have the OF covered. Jake Lamb, who isn't showing any power, is swapping DH and 3B duties with Yasmany Tomas (who also isn't showing any power).

Is Gray a future ace?

The biggest story in Phoenix was the calling up of top pitching prospect Jon Gray. Gray would see his first big league action, but it wouldn't turn out all that well. Gray only lasted four inning, though he did strike out four hitters while allowing 2BB and 2ER. Patrick Corbin started his return well, winning twice and racking up 29K with a 3.21ERA and 1.00WHIP but he finished the period by getting rocked and failing to finish 2IP. Gio Gonzalez, who finds himself on the waiver wire, has righted his season a little. Some of his numbers look good (8W, 98K, 3.75ERA), but he 1.43WHIP really tells the tale of his season. With Jered Weaver still on a very expensive DL stint, this staff isn't going anywhere.