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Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton Primed for ‘Incredible Season’

February 27, 2011   Jeff Fletcher   No comments

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Justin Upton SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Justin Upton knows what it’s like to be the No. 1 pick in the country, to reach the majors and struggle, to put the pieces together and be an All-Star, to then step back and have a disappointing season and to be on the trading block.

And he’s still younger than Buster Posey.

Because Upton’s name has been in headlines for five years — and his family’s name for longer than that, thanks to his brother, B.J. — it’s easy to forget Justin is still just 23 years old, five months younger than last year’s NL Rookie of the Year.

As the Diamondbacks try to snap their streak of two consecutive last-place finishes, they are trying to walk the fine line between hanging the hopes of the franchise on Upton and being patient with their young star’s normal growing pains.

 

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Gunslinger Kevin Towers Settling In as Diamondbacks General Manager

February 24, 2011   Tom Krasovic   No comments

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Kevin TowersSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Towers loathed the Diamondbacks in their heyday, calling them arrogant when he was general manager of the Padres, so it’s something to see him now amid the sagebrush and cactus, talking of his paradise found as Arizona’s GM.

Yet, where better than the Old West for a GM who shoots from the hip and has Gunslinger in his email address? Among his favorite spots in Phoenix is Rawhide, an Old West town where, for a PR stunt 11 years ago, he and other Padres honchos assembled in gunslinger garb.

But it’s far more than locale that has Towers smiling on this February morning as he reviews his first five months on the job.

For all his headline-grabbing trades and quips as Padres GM, he wasn’t always allowed to indulge his, well, his gunslinger-ishness, sometimes for his own good, he admits, citing mostly his early years as a GM under the savvy, if obsessive Larry Lucchino. Now, befitting his 14 years of GM experience, he’s getting more elbow room.

“It’s a perfect job,” he says.

Most fun he’s had in a decade-plus, he adds, calling Diamondback-dom “the best working environment” of any front office where he’s worked.

 

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J.J. Putz Part of D’backs’ Culture Shift

February 17, 2011   John Hickey   No comments

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J.J. PutzSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was no great joy to be a member of the 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks — not during a season which saw the manager fired, the general manager fired and the owner, who pulled the trigger on both moves, saying “this isn’t a complete makeover.”

The Diamondbacks of 2011 are looking to change the culture in the organization in general, and in the clubhouse specifically.

One of the men they hope will be a major contributor to the new way things are done is the club’s new closer, J.J. Putz. The right-hander hasn’t filled that role since 2008 as first the Mets, then the White Sox, used him as a setup man.

New Arizona general manager Kevin Towers went after Putz in free agency with the simple lure that “you will have a chance to be the closer,” Putz said. And that was good enough for him.

 

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Diamondbacks Decide Against Using Humidor at Chase Field

February 04, 2011   Josh Alper   No comments

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The number of humidors used for baseball purposes in the National League West remains at one.

The Diamondbacks thought about installing their own version of what the Rockies use to take some life out of baseballs at Coors Field, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that they almost certainly aren’t going to do it this season. Team CEO Derrick Hall will continue to research the idea of doing something to tone down one of baseball’s most hitter-friendly environments while playing this year under the same conditions.

“The decision hasn’t been made, but we have not focused on it this offseason,” Hall said. “With time running out, it doesn’t make sense to do it this offseason.”

 

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Jarrod Parker Heads to Spring Training With Something to Prove

January 15, 2011   Jim Henry   No comments

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Jarrod ParkerJarrod Parker can’t stop grinning.

Parker, the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ 2007 first-round pick, will soon depart snowy Indiana for sunny Arizona and spring training. But it’s neither the change of scenery nor temperature difference that makes the trip so exciting.

Parker, one of Major League Baseball‘s top pitching prospects, is determined to prove he has recovered from Tommy John surgery and remains a front line starter for the organization. Parker threw six innings in Instructional League last fall, hitting 97-mph with his fastball and displaying a fluid, clean delivery.

 

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FanHouse TV: Winter Meetings Winners

December 09, 2010   FanHouse TV   No comments

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — All 30 teams came to the Winter Meetings this week at Walt Disney World with some form of business to do as they lay foundations for the 2011 season and beyond. Big names like Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, and Adam Dunn have changed uniforms with some huge players still on the board. In a fitting location known as “The Happiest Place on Earth”, FanHouse TV’s Dan Graziano and Steve Phillips discuss this week’s big winners.

 

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J.J. Putz Set to Join Revamped Arizona Bullpen as Closer

December 06, 2010   Jeff Fletcher   No comments

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — On a day that Kevin Towers acquired two relievers to bolster the Diamondbacks‘ beleaguered bullpen, the club was close to signing J.J. Putz to be the closer, a source confirmed.

Putz was an All-Star closer with the Mariners before beginning two years as setup man, with the Mets and the White Sox. Last season he had a 2.83 ERA in 60 games with Chicago.

The deal would reportedly be for two years with an option.

Towers would not say who he was pursuing, but he was confident that the Diamondbacks would be announcing the acquisition of a new closer today or maybe tomorrow. Towers just picked up right-handers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio. Towers said both pitchers have the potential to be closers eventually.

Last year the Diamondbacks had one of the worst bullpens in recent years. Their 5.74 relief ERA was more than a full run worse than any other team.

 

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D’backs President: Justin Upton Will ‘Probably Be Here’ Next Season

November 23, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Justin UptonDiamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers had little to offer in terms of an update on Justin Upton trade talks, but a fellow member of the team’s front office shed some light on how likely it is that Arizona will move the budding star this winter.

“I think he’ll probably be here on Opening Day,” Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall told MLB.com.

Towers himself has said from the start that the price for Upton in a trade would be exorbitant, and the reason, he told the website, is because he believes the D’backs can win next season.

 

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Justin Upton Trade Would Require High Price, Says Diamondbacks GM

November 19, 2010   Marc Lancaster   No comments

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It seems the Diamondbacks are serious about their willingness to deal away Justin Upton, but if they do so they’ll demand both quality and quantity in return.

General manager Kevin Towers returned home from the general managers’ meetings Thursday night and made some frank comments on the subject to the Arizona Republic. The overall gist was that an Upton trade is definitely a possibility, but it will take quite a haul to pry him away from Arizona.

“I told most of the ballclubs that this is one that’s probably going to be a ‘win’ deal for us,” Towers told Nick Piecoro. “Most of the deals, it’s win-win for both sides. The asking price is definitely going to be steep. If someone wants to meet that, we’ll have to strongly consider it. If not, we’ll keep Justin and move on.”

The Diamondbacks are expected to ask for four or five players in return for Upton, preferably young major leaguers or top minor league players on the verge of making the jump. Pitchers of all kinds and a left fielder are on their wish list.

 

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Steve Phillips’ Fix My Team: Diamondbacks

November 17, 2010   FanHouse TV   No comments

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Every team has a few precious months in the offseason to make tweaks to their roster and ensure that they improve in 2011. Steve Phillips has taken a team to the World Series before, and over the course of November and December he will present his plan for every major league team to get there as well. It’s the second episode of Fix My Team, and his latest project is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Click to watch:

 

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