In his annual winter meetings briefing, Brenly said Steve Finley (who batted .373 in the top spot in 2003) would be the leading candidate to bat first, newly acquired left-hander Casey Fossum would get a shot in the starting rotation and that prospect Scott Hairston would get a long look at challenging Matt Kata for the starting second base position.
"We will try to make (Hairston) a better defender, but everything I've heard is he can hit in the big leagues right now," Brenly said of Hairston, who hit .360 for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League.
Brenly would be content if the Diamondbacks don't sign a starting pitcher from outside their organization to fill the rotation's final two spots.
"We still got to figure out who is going to fill out the bottom of our rotation, but we think more than likely it will be in-house candidates," Brenly said. "We have a laundry list of candidates we'll take a look at this spring, and may the best man win."
Last edited by bell on Sun Jan 04, 2004 5:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
do you know if Mantei is gonna be dealt to Min for jacque jones? i heard that
Still a rumor right now, but if it happens, Valverde should do just fine in the closer role.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
do you know if Mantei is gonna be dealt to Min for jacque jones? i heard that
Still a rumor right now, but if it happens, Valverde should do just fine in the closer role.
Ariz, you want Like Baby Backs ... You ain't seen nothing yet ...
My guess, Hairston wins the Job... That is one kid that should be on your radar IMO . I know he is on mine..
do you know if Mantei is gonna be dealt to Min for jacque jones? i heard that
Still a rumor right now, but if it happens, Valverde should do just fine in the closer role.
Ariz, you want Like Baby Backs ... You ain't seen nothing yet ... My guess, Hairston wins the Job... That is one kid that should be on your radar IMO . I know he is on mine..
i know about Valverde. he did a pretty good job as the closer while
maneti was on the DL, but can you tell me more about this Hairston
kid thanks
aaba_commish
that's the bottom line cause the commish says so!!!!!!
do you know if Mantei is gonna be dealt to Min for jacque jones? i heard that
Still a rumor right now, but if it happens, Valverde should do just fine in the closer role.
Ariz, you want Like Baby Backs ... You ain't seen nothing yet ... My guess, Hairston wins the Job... That is one kid that should be on your radar IMO . I know he is on mine..
i know about Valverde. he did a pretty good job as the closer while maneti was on the DL, but can you tell me more about this Hairston kid thanks
Well, he's currently penciled in as the future second baseman for the D-backs. As to when he takes over that role is TBD. He has had promising numbers in the minors, but had a bumpy 2003 in AA because of injuries, but recovered nicely in the Arizona Fall League.
Second base is definitely the position to watch for the D-backs come spring training (aside from the rotation, of course).
For all the good Miguel Batista did for the Diamondbacks and the community, it was disconcerting to see him leave so, well, quietly.
One reason was that the team's decision not to re-sign him was lost in a sea of sexier stories: the departure of Curt Schilling and the courting of Richie Sexson.
The other reason was of Batista's own doing: He avoided the public eye for much of last season. He wouldn't discuss an April incident in which he threw at St. Louis' Tino Martinez or a subsequent 10-game suspension.
Midway through the season Batista politely stopped talking to the media about the team because of a perceived fickleness of the public and journalists toward celebrity. He was offended that fans booed Luis Gonzalez during a July home game.
That was the cool thing about Batista: Life was never just about baseball. He had other passions, ranging from social injustices to poetry to pursuing a law degree. Toronto media had the opportunity Wednesday to talk for the first time to Batista, who signed a $13.1 million, three-year contract with the Blue Jays last week, and were intrigued by his multiple interests.
The right-hander, who played for Montreal for two-plus seasons, recalled walking into the Expos' clubhouse in 1998 with a biography of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batista remembered the club trainer saying. "Thirty-five years in baseball. Never seen anybody carrying a book like that, with no pictures or anything."
Batista's latest passion is writing a crime novel about a young serial killer. He has completed 400 hand-written pages. Let's hope the good guy prevails, just like Batista often did.
Mark Gonzales The Arizona Republic Dec. 20, 2003 12:00 AM
The Diamondbacks made no official announcements Friday, although they may be close to signing free-agent pitchers Shane Reynolds and Steve Sparks to one-year contracts.
Agent Tommy Tanzer said Reynolds planned to undergo a physical examination soon but declined to confirm whether a deal had been finalized.
Since acquiring slugger Richie Sexson from Milwaukee, the Diamondbacks have emphasized fortifying the back end of their rotation at a reasonable cost.
Sparks and Reynolds have shown the ability to consume innings, which may take a load off the bullpen.
But with the ages of Sparks (38) and Reynolds (35), it would behoove the Diamondbacks to make sure their investments are currently injury-free.
Sparks has stayed healthy since undergoing reconstructive right elbow surgery, which caused him to miss the entire 1997 season with Milwaukee. He threw 232 innings with Detroit in 2001.
Reynolds was limited to 13 starts with Houston in 2002 because of a pinched nerve in his lower back that required season-ending surgery. He also missed the first three weeks of the 2001 season while recovering from off-season surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.
Reynolds, however, showed no effects from his back surgery as he threw 167 1/3 innings for Atlanta last season.
The additions of Sparks and Reynolds would lessen the need to add youngsters to the rotation. Candidates John Patterson, Edgar Gonzalez and Andrew Good have yet to spend a full season in the major leagues.
Gonzalez, 21, has allowed one run in seven innings covering two games in Mexican Pacific League play for Hermosillo, Sonora, where Gonzalez is splitting his assignments with fellow Diamondbacks pitcher Elmer Dessens.
The Diamondbacks and the other 29 major league teams face decisions, with a deadline late tonight, on whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players.
The Diamondbacks player in question is catcher Rod Barajas, who seems destined not to receive a contract offer and to become a free agent. The team reached an agreement Sunday night with free-agent catcher Brent Mayne and intends to tender a contract offer to third baseman Shea Hillenbrand, who could earn around $2.5 million as a first-time, arbitration-eligible player.
Barajas, if non-tendered, would be thrown into a pool of new free agents that includes former Diamondbacks outfielder David Dellucci, to whom the New York Yankees declined to tender a contract.
Barajas, 28, has spent at least parts of the past five seasons with the Diamondbacks.
Although Barajas has a career .212 major league batting average, pitchers have praised him for his work behind the plate.
Tampa Bay, Montreal, Los Angeles and Boston (the new home of former Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling) could be in the market for a catcher of Barajas' caliber.
General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. reiterated Friday that the team plans to tender a contract to Hillenbrand and that he exchanged telephone calls with agent Adam Katz.
Hillenbrand, 28, hit 17 home runs and drove in 59 runs in 85 games for the Diamondbacks after coming over in a trade from Boston.
Red Sox pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim, whom the Diamondbacks dealt to acquire Hillenbrand, also is eligible for salary arbitration, but the addition of Schilling to a staff that already possesses Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Tim Wakefield clouds his status.
This isn't good when these are the only updates for the D-backs:
D-Backs closer to signing Reynolds, Sparks By Ed Price, Tribune Free agent pitchers Shane Reynolds and Steve Sparks are expected to take physicals for the Diamondbacks by today, an indication both are near signing with Arizona.
"I think we’re pretty close," general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said Monday. Meanwhile, Garagiola perused the list of 50-plus players who became free agents when "non-tendered" over the weekend and concluded, "I didn’t get really excited about it."
Former Diamondback David Dellucci has attracted the most interest from Texas, with Houston and the New York Mets also in the picture. One outside possibility for Arizona is utility player Damian Jackson, who was non-tendered by Boston.
Sparks, a 38-year-old knuckleballer, is expected to sign a one-year deal for $500,000 plus a possible $125,000 in incentive bonuses.
Reynolds, who turns 36 in March, has a seven-figure offer from Arizona.
"I think we’ll have an answer before Christmas," Tommy Tanzer, Reynolds’ agent, said.
Having a free agent take a physical, Garagiola said, means the parties "are pretty far down the road, typically. That usually is an indication a lot of other things have already been resolved."
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by bell » Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:47 am 
thanks 
