Knuckle Curve » justin upton

Musings on Diamondbacks’ Batting Order

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:50:39 +0000

As I’ve watched the Arizona Diamondbacks play since the start of the season, I’ve been extremely impressed. They are definitely for real in the National League. While it may be early in the season, the team’s stats are superb. Entering the day, the Diamondbacks were baseball’s leader in both runs and least earned runs allowed. That’s a remarkable stat – even with the season in its infancy.

However, I do have a lingering questions regarding Arizona’s batting order. The Diamondbacks top their order with Chris Young, Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson. While that is an impressive trio of players, I don’t see the logic in this batting order. Young is fast and has shown a good eye at the plate this season, but the rest of his talents point towards a middle of the lineup type player. Hudson, on the other hand, seems more built to bat second in the order with his high OBP and average power.

To best make use of the talent on the Diamondbacks, it makes most sense to me for Arizona to lead off with the speedy Byrnes, use Hudson as the second batter and move Young to bat third. Additionally, with the way Justin Upton has been mashing this season, it may be time to start thinking about moving him higher in the batting order.

While there is much to be excited about in Arizona, it appears to me that things could be even brighter for the Diamondbacks.

Do you agree? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Tigers Seek First Win, Pitchers Battle in NL West

Geoff Young — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:55:24 +0000

Not a lot of great pitching matchups today. Eh, that happens…

White Sox at Tigers, 12:55 p.m. PT — At 0-4, Detroit is the only team without a win so far this season. Baseball is a strange game. Dontrelle Willis makes his Tigers debut. For a guy who should be in his physical prime, Willis sure has fallen fast. Where’s Steve Avery when you need him?
Dodgers at Padres, 12:55 p.m. PT — This is by far the best matchup of the day: Brad Penny goes up against Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy. Penny is 0-2 with a 6.67 ERA over his last five starts against San Diego.
Diamondbacks at Rockies, 5:05 p.m. PT — Last year’s NL West playoff participants square off this evening. Two good young pitchers — Brandon Webb and Jeff Francis — hook up in this one. It’s also a good excuse to watch Justin Upton play, which is always a treat.

Play ball!

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Justin Upton at Spring Training

Geoff Young — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:15:48 +0000

We’re taking a break from the “Who Am I?” segment that normally runs on Mondays. Don’t worry, it’ll be back, but with the season fast approaching and memories of my recent trip to the Cactus League still reasonably fresh, I thought I’d share some photos this week.

You can see all my spring training photos at Flickr, but I understand that you’re busy and may not have time to go clicking all over the place. With that in mind, here’s a shot of Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton:

Upton, for those who may have been living in a cave, is one of the brightest young players in baseball. From the Baseball America 2007 Prospect Handbook (aff link):

The term “five-tool prospect” somehow doesn’t seem strong enough for Upton. He does everything exceptionally well and already has the body and composure of a big leaguer. If one thing stands out, however, it’s his bat speed. He whips his bat through the hitting zone and has great leverage in his swing, which allows him to sting the ball like few players can and gives him plus power potential.

Upton doesn’t turn 21 until the end of August, and he already has 43 big-league games under his belt. Yeah, as a Padres fan, I’m more than a little concerned at the thought of his sustained presence in the National League West. He may well be the game’s best player in 5 years.

Post from: Knuckle Curve