Stats from June 5th through June 22nd:
| Player |
Age |
Games |
Games Started |
At Bats |
Runs |
Hits |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
IBB |
K |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
| Orlando Hudson |
29 |
15 |
15 |
51 |
7 |
17 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
11 |
.333 |
.386 |
.510 |
| Johnny Estrada |
30 |
14 |
12 |
44 |
4 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.295 |
.289 |
.455 |
| Craig Counsell |
35 |
15 |
14 |
55 |
7 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
.255 |
.317 |
.327 |
| Jeff DaVanon |
32 |
13 |
7 |
31 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
.226 |
.333 |
.323 |
| Chad Tracy |
26 |
17 |
16 |
64 |
3 |
14 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
18 |
.219 |
.268 |
.297 |
| Luis Gonzalez |
38 |
16 |
15 |
52 |
5 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
3 |
.212 |
.311 |
.231 |
| Eric Byrnes |
30 |
14 |
13 |
52 |
5 |
11 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
11 |
.212 |
.288 |
.404 |
| Shawn Green |
33 |
17 |
17 |
61 |
7 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
9 |
4 |
0 |
10 |
.180 |
.231 |
.410 |
| Conor Jackson |
24 |
13 |
13 |
44 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
5 |
.159 |
.264 |
.182 |
| Tony Clark |
34 |
12 |
5 |
25 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
.120 |
.154 |
.120 |
| Damion Easiey |
36 |
10 |
7 |
29 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
.069 |
.156 |
.069 |
Oh dear. Only two Diamondback
players have hit better than .255 during this horrid stretch, and only one
player has reached base in more than one third of his plate appearances.
Perhaps the most telling stat of all is that no Diamondback has been
intentionally walked in this time. Opposing pitchers would just as soon face
these frigid hitters as they would the Diamondbacks' pitchers.
But there is also a meaningful
pattern to notice. In general, Diamondbacks hitters older than 30 have
struggled the most. And when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The
club has only had one off day during these 19 days since we first heard about
Grimsley. In total, they've played 28 games in the past 29 days. Plus, more
than half of these games are played in Arizona (The desert can get kind of hot
this time of year). It's only logical that older players need more rest than
younger ones, particularly in the summer heat, and especially with the
aforementioned mental fatigue set on by recent events.
Therefore, at least part of the
solution to snap the D'backs out of this funk is to call up some young, hungry
minor leaguers. GM Josh Byrnes had the right idea in bringing up Scott Hairston
to spell Luis Gonzalez against left handers (Gonzo is hitting .198 against
southpaws, and is the oldest player on the squad). Regrettably, Hairston
suffered a left biceps strain in his first game after the callup, and has been
placed on the Disabled List. This shouldn't dissuade Byrnes from making another
move. Nobody else at Tuscon is putting up the kind of gaudy numbers that
Hairston was, but they do have several players performing well. Either Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin, Chris Young, Chris Carter, or Alberto Callaspo would make
a fine addition to the big league club right now.
Want more evidence? The one
saving grace for Arizona right now is that no other team has run away with the
NL West during the current slide. In the same span in which we saw the
Diamondbacks go 2-16, the Rockies and Padres are each 9-8, while the Giants and
Dodgers have each lost ten games. Each of these teams has had at least two days
off during this period, and not even the Padres can possibly claim temperatures
comparable to those in Phoenix. But again, we see the same age pattern among
these rivals, as the Padres, and especially the Rockies, are younger teams than
the Dodgers, and especially the Giants, are.
What is worse is that some of
these younger players might address specific needs. Orlando Hudson has
been by far the best of the bunch lately, but with Craig Counsell's OBP barely
holding on above .300 maybe it's time to bring Sidewinders second baseman
Alberto Callaspo and his insane .442 On Base Percentage up, and give him a shot
at the lead off spot. Everybody knows that Gonzo's gone a million years
without a homer (he has five in 250+ at bats this year), while Chris Young, who
battled injuries at the start of the season, has 10 in 207 at bats. You
don't score unless there are runners on or you hit the ball out of the park.
The vets aren't doing either, the youngsters are doing both.
Now I am by no means saying that
fatigue among older players is the only reason for the poor play of the
Diamondbacks over the past three weeks: Grimsley and Kendrick did their damage,
Russ Ortiz making two starts didn't help anything, and I'd like the name and
address of the scoundrel who tapped Brandon Webb on the shoulder and reminded
him that he is mortal. But we mustn't overlook the age factor and the need to
pepper in several youngsters to play with the veterans. Days off may be more
plentiful with the All Star Break around the corner, but July and August don't
promise to be any cooler, and Luis Gonzalez and Shawn Green certainly aren't
getting any younger.