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The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of two teams added to the league in 1998. The Diamondbacks have played well in their first decade, winning three NL West titles, going to the playoffs four times, and winning a World Series.
The Diamondbacks came about because of the emergence of Phoenix as a place to live. While spring training had long been successful in the desert, there was not yet a team to take advantage of the pleasant summers. That team became the Diamondbacks.The team quickly rebounded from a 65-97 season inaugural season with a 100-win season. Taking first in the NL West with the strong pitching duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, Manager Buck Showalter’s team lost its first playoff series ever to the New York Mets.
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About The Arizona Diamondbacks
After a disappointing third place finish the next season, Showalter was fired and Bob Brenly was hired as manager. Brenly took the team back to the playoffs with 92 victories and a NL West title. The Diamondbacks took the down the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, and the Yankees in the seven games in the World Series.
The World Series victory was the Diamondbacks’ first and marked the end of the Yankees domination of the post season.
The Diamondbacks repeated as NL West champions in 2002, but the Cardinals swept the team in the NLDS, seeking revenge for the previous year. That season would mark the end of the honeymoon for the Diamondbacks.
The team traded All Star pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling away and the club began to rebuild. The team has built around talent like starting pitcher Brandon Webb, Conor Jackson, Chris Young, and Mark Reynolds.
Why is a season 162 games long? That must have been the question on the minds of the Arizona Diamondbacks young roster in 2008. They started out 20-8 in a division with no apparent challengers. By the All Star break they were below .500, but still held the lead in a weak division. By the end of the season though, the Dodgers had traded for Manny Ramirez and had single-handedly taken Los Angeles into first place in the NL West.
So what went wrong? It was not the pitching. The bullpen was not the greatest, but they were good enough to work with a great staff to end the season with a top five team ERA in the NL. In 2009, the team has to hope that the departure of Randy Johnson will not hurt the rotation too much. Brandon Webb and Dan Haren are still the best one-two starting pitchers in baseball. Doug Davis is pretty good, but the question is will Max Scherzer and Yusmerio Petit be able to take up starting full time?
Keeping Chad Qualls was a nice move for the bullpen, though he has never been a full-time closer before. Scott Schoeneweis will help solidify the bullpen and keep he lead safe.
The problem was the hitting. There was not nearly enough of it. The club has a number of young players who seemed on the verge of taking the next step, but only first baseman Conor Jackson and shortstop Stephen Drew managed to hit near .300. Centerfielder Chris Young, right fielder Justin Upton, catcher Chris Snyder, and third baseman Mark Reynolds all showed some power, but had problems hitting the ball consistently.
The NL West is still anybodies for the taking, so if the latter half of the rotation can hold up there end and the young bats hit over .250 this team could be making another serious run at the playoffs at Chase Field.
