Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Last night’s Opening Day loss to the San Francisco Giants should set the tone for the Arizona Diamondbacks season. While the young players showed a lot of fight, the team fell short in a valiant effort. In sum, fans should expect more of the same for the 2015 season.
Then again, who can expect a World Series pennant after last year’s tumultuous run? Don’t get me wrong, the future is bright for the Diamondbacks. Jake Lamb came off the bench and scorched a three-run double to bring the team back within one. Ender Inciarte reached base three times, scoring twice. Despite those efforts, there is plenty of needed improvement.
Paul Goldschmidt proved that he is human going 0-4. Don’t worry though, come July 14, Goldy will be playing first base at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati to maintain his All-Star status. The problem is that this team doesn’t have a sturdy back-up plan on days Goldschmidt’s bat fails. They are still finding their identity around the baseball diamond. Will Aaron Hill play third base, second base or come off the bench? Will he be traded away sooner than later? Can Nick Ahmed maintain his starting role at shortstop or will he hand it off to Cliff Pennington or Chris Owings?
Speaking of Owings, will he keep his starting role at second or shortstop or will he get lost in the mix as well? Without a stable roster, a team can’t gel. Manager Chip Hale has several kinks to work out his first year as Arizona’s skipper to start forming a new identity.
The outfield is on the right track. The Diamondbacks made the right move sending Yasmany Tomas down to the minors to adjust to Major League play. Hopefully by the time he’s ready defensively, there will be a home for him and Lamb without disrupting a potentially deadly outfield. Mark Trumbo is finding his footing in right field and it’s no secret that A.J. Pollock and Inciarte can cover a lot of grass. Diamondbacks can expect many Golden Gloves from the duo. Even if Hale can manage to fit the puzzle pieces earlier than expected, the team can’t be a powerhouse until they find their spot on the mound.
The team does have grinders, but like last night showed, it can unravel quickly. It was smooth sailing until Josh Collmenter quickly coughed up five runs and created a hole that was too big to fill. The best parts of the rotation come at the four and five spots with Chase Anderson and Archie Bradley, and with the exception of Brad Zeigler, the team currently possesses one of the league’s most-inconsistent bullpens. This formula doesn’t exactly equal success. To make matters worse, Collmenter, Rubby De La Rosa and Jeremy Hellickson will consistently face division aces such as Clayton Kershaw, James Shields, Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner and Kyle Kendrick making wins sparse.
The fact is, most of the division rivals’ two and three spots will outduel the Arizona rotation. The future of the rotation, however, is exciting. Anderson showed some skills last season and this spring, and the league has been waiting for the arrival of uber-prospect Bradley. When they find their major league footing and get joined by fellow top-prospects Braden Shipley and Aaron Blair, then the state can expect an impenetrable force on the mound. But realistically, that’s two or three seasons away. Right now it’s time to wait. Just sit back, grab a hot dog, a cold drink and enjoy America’s pastime. The time will come, the pieces will fit, but not this season.
