Russ Ortiz (2-1 4.35 ERA) - Ortiz has given his team a chance to win
in all three of his starts.
This, after going 5-19 over the past two seasons. Ortiz supposedly
rediscovered his formerly solid stuff playing winter ball in Puerto Rico.
He did not have good control even before he came to the Diamondbacks, however,
so Ortiz will never evolve into a dominating pitcher. It remains
embarrassing, however, that the Diamondbacks are still paying Ortiz millions of
dollars to make the Diamondbacks lose games.
"I was more anxious than anything," said Ortiz after the win. "I was not
nervous wondering how I would do."
Luis Gonzalez (3 HR 8 RBI .304 BA) - Gonzo went 1-for-6 with two
strikeouts in his first two games against the Diamondbacks.
Approaching his 40th birthday, coming off his worst season in ten years, and
moving from a hitter's paradise to a pitcher's park, Gonzalez wasn't expected to
provide a whole lot of offense for the Dodgers. Even if he can't keep up
this fast start, Diamondback fans know that what Gonzo brings to the Dodgers
clubhouse and Los Angeles community cannot be measured. Letting Gonzo go
was a necessary evil; like breaking up with that hot girlfriend that you know
isn't any good for you.
Shawn Green (2 9 .333) - Green smacked his second homer of the
season on Friday off Rafael Soriano of the Braves.
Green's .257 batting average after last year's August trade had been a
disappointment for Mets fans. But Green wasn't acquired to secure the NL
East - that had been done ages ago. Green was brought in to perform in the
playoffs, and he responded by going 10-for-30. That combined with a quick start
to this season makes the trade appear beneficial for both clubs, even though
Evan MacLane has struggled mightily in his first two Tucson starts.
Javier Vazquez (2-0, 2.50) - After a disappointing 2006 season with the White Sox,
Vazquez has looked either solid or dominant in his first three starts of 2007.
Vazquez had an
Fielding Independent ERA under 4.00 last season, and
held opponents to a .217 batting average in the first four innings of his
starts. With a four-pitch arsenal, Vazquez had no reason to struggle as much as
he did the third time around in the order. Were the AL Cy Young Award not
perennially decided before the season even begins, Vazquez would prove an
excellent sleeper candidate.
Chris Young, the main player received in return for Vazquez, is currently
hitting .200 with the Diamondbacks.
Johnny Estrada (0 4 .286) - Once again, Estrada hits for a high
average while failing to display any secondary abilities at the plate.
With only one walk and no home runs to his name so far, Johnny Estrada hasn't
been a very valuable offensive player with the Brewers. He has scored an
unusually high 9 runs from the #5 spot, particularly since he barely reaches
base over a 30% clip. Despite not being all that he appears with the
stick, Estrada has guided the Brewers staff to the 4th highest strikeout total
in the majors.
Claudio Vargas (2-0 3.46) - Vargas has fanned an unbelievable 22
batters in just 13 innings thus far.
Diamondback fans may not have given Vargas the credit he was due in Arizona.
He had a better than 2:1 K/BB ratio and a winning record as a
back-of-the-rotation starter. Now his 11:1 ratio this season is a bit
absurd, but don't be surprised if Vargas finishes with a low-4's ERA now that he
won't give up so many longballs in the dry heat.
In return for Vargas and Estrada, Doug Davis has been solid so far, while
Dana Eveland has made two spectacular starts in the minors and stands a good
chance of being recalled soon. Dave Krynzel hasn't gotten things going at
Triple-A yet, carrying a .235 SLG into the weekend.
Troy Glaus (2 5 .333) - Glaus played in only eight games before
landing on the DL with bone spurs in his right heel.
Glaus remains one of the best power hitters around when healthy. Many
people do not realize that Glaus is just 30 years old, as he first hit the
majors at the age of 21. But while ha may yet have a couple of 40-homer
seasons left in him, the Diamondbacks were happy with what they got out of
Miguel Batista last year, and are ecstatic about what they're still getting from
Orlando Hudson. O-Dog currently anchors the team on both sides of the ball
and leads the majors with a .289 batting average.
David Dellucci (1 3 .256) - Dellucci has only played in eleven games
due to the Indians/Mariners series cancellation.
We last saw Dellucci in a Diamondbacks uniform during the 2003 season.
As a backup outfielder, he had shown glimpses of his potential, but few would
have expected him to become the best bargain in the majors over the past two
seasons. He hit 29 homers for the 2005 Rangers as a platoon player before
becoming one of the National League's best pinch hitters with the Phillies.
One must wonder whether two months of Raul Mondesi was enough of a return for
this easy-to-root-for player.
Matt Chico (1-1 5.27) - Despite Chico's 1.90 WHIP, the Nationals have
won two of his three starts.
Let's face it, on almost any other ballclub, Chico would be getting some
Triple-A experience. But these desperate Nationals had Chico skip that
level altogether, and Chico's going to get hit hard this year as a result.
The young pitcher will either use this experience to become a
top-of-the-rotation pitcher for Washington or lose confidence in himself and
fall out of baseball in a few years.
Livan Hernandez has had mixed results as the pitcher acquired in return for
Chico.
Luis Vizcaino (1-1 6.52) - Vizcaino carried a 1.08 ERA into Thursday's
game against Cleveland. He has surrendered six runs in the two games
since.
With three different clubs from 2004-2006, Vizcaino's ERA always ranged
between 3.58 and 3.75. He has begun 2007 with control issues, and may not
be a good bet to continue his trend of consistency. The Yankees have a
history of ruining newly acquired pitchers' mechanics (remember Javier Vazquez?)
and other pitchers simply buckle under the pressure of Yankee Stadium (wave to
the people, Kenny Rogers). Vizcaino may be the next in line to suffer this
fate.
Randy Johnson is expected to make his 2007 debut on the 24th, as the man
Arizona got in return for Vizcaino.
Read more from Keith Glab at
BaseballEvolution.com
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