April 12, 2013 1 D-backs have top prospects all over field By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2013041 1&content_id=44506066&vkey=news_ari&c_id=ari D-Backs rotation can be better; farm report; & other stuff By Nick Piecoro / The Arizona Republic http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/nickpiecoro/2013/04/11/d-backs- rotation-can-be-better-farm-report-other-stuff/ Pollock, Marte giving D-backs tough decision By Jack MacGruder / FOXSportsArizona.com http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/mlb/arizona- diamondbacks/story/Pollock-Marte-giving-D-backs-tough- decis?blockID=890763&feedID=3607 D-backs take their shot at Kershaw By Jack MacGruder / FOXSportsArizona.com http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/mlb/arizona- diamondbacks/story/D-backs-take-their-shot-at- Kershaw?blockID=891119&feedID=3607 April 12, 2013 • MLB.com http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_index.jsp Jackie Robinson's lessons served Baylor well By Jack MacGruder / FOXSportsArizona.com http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/mlb/arizona- diamondbacks/story/jackie-robinsons-lessons-served-baylor- April 12, 2013 • Sports.yahoo.com w?blockID=891069&feedID=3607 http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews D-backs' Hall: Upton trade 'worked out well' for both teams By Daria Del Colliano / ArizonaSports.com April 12, 2013 • MLB.com http://arizonasports.com/42/1626240/Dbacks-Hall-Upton-trade- http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions worked-out-well-for-both-teams Arizona Diamondbacks - TeamReport By WBDJ7.com http://www.wdbj7.com/sports/sns-rt-bbo-diamondbacks- teamreportmtze94c4580os-20130411,0,3416954,full.story A.J. Pollock Continues Strong Start From Arizona Diamondbacks Outfield In Career Day By Thom Tsang / Rantsports.com http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/04/11/a-j-pollock-continues- strong-start-from-arizona-diamondbacks-outfield-in-career- day/?IPS7sOGE1DBMrEUp.99 Arizona Diamondbacks: 5 Players' Hottest Starts to the Season That Will Continue By Michael Dunlap / bleacherreport.com http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1600140-arizona-diamondbacks-5- players-hottest-starts-to-the-season-that-will-continue Aces Downed by Bees, 6-4 By MiLB.com http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130412&content_id=4 4548424&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t2310&sid=t2310 2 The Aces have a loaded pitching staff with the likes of Skaggs, Delgado, Chase Anderson, Evan Marshall and Will Harris. D-backs have top prospects all over field By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com Some of the organization's top position-player prospects like Owings, http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2013041 third baseman Matt Davidson and likely Gregorius -- when he's 1&content_id=44506066&vkey=news_ari&c_id=ari activated -- are also with Reno. PHOENIX -- Balanced seems to be the best way to describe the D- Mobile has Holmberg and Spruill in its rotation, while Bradley, the No. backs' farm system these days. 7 overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, will start the year with Class A Visalia. While once it was clear that pitching was the strength -- with some talent on the corners and a lack of depth up the middle -- Arizona now New kids on the block has prospects scattered throughout the diamond, including the premium When he was acquired in the deal that sent Trevor Bauer to the positions up the middle. Indians, Gregorius was viewed as the team's shortstop of the future. An elbow injury took him out of contention for making the D-backs' Where the D-backs' Top 20 prospects are starting the season: Opening Day roster, but they certainly think he could be in the Majors at some point this year. 1 Tyler Skaggs Reno AAA 2 Archie Bradley Visalia A+ A true shortstop, Ahmed saw a lot of time at second during big league 3 Didi Gregorius DL camp and could end up playing more there this summer depending on 4 Matt Davidson Reno AAA how the organization decides to divide up playing time. During the 5 Adam Eaton DL spring, Ahmed, who was acquired from the Braves in the Justin Upton 6 Chris Owings Reno AAA deal, impressed manager Kirk Gibson with his work ethic and attention 7 Nick Ahmed Mobile AA to detail. 8 A.J. Pollock Arizona MLB 9 David Holmberg Mobile AA The D-backs liked what they saw from Spruill during last year's Arizona 10 Zeke Spruill Mobile AA Fall League, when he was still with the Braves. Acquired in the Upton 11 Stryker Trahan Extended ST deal, Spruill is a sinker-slider pitcher who has displayed good command. 12 Anthony Meo Mobile AA 13 Michael Perez Extended ST D-Backs rotation can be better; farm report; & other stuff 14 Jose Munoz Extended ST By Nick Piecoro / The Arizona Republic 15 Evan Marshall Reno AAA http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/nickpiecoro/2013/04/11/d-backs- 16 Jake Barrett Visalia A+ rotation-can-be-better-farm-report-other-stuff/ 17 Evan Marzilli Visalia A+ 18 Jake Lamb Visalia A+ If you want to pick nits about how the Diamondbacks have looked in 19 Andrew Chafin Visalia A+ the first week and a half, there’s really only one area of the club that’s 20 Chase Anderson Reno AAA even remotely concerning, and that’s the starting rotation. Through nine game, they have a 4.67 ERA, which ranks 11th among the 15 National Pitching still remains the strength, though, with left-handers Tyler League teams, and they have just four quality starts. Skaggs, David Holmberg and Andrew Chafin, along with righties like Archie Bradley, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill and Anthony Meo. More than likely, if we look up in a few months and the Diamondbacks are still 11th in rotation ERA, they’re probably not going to be too far Acquiring middle-of-the-diamond players was a priority for Kevin above .500. So, more than likely, they’re going to need to improve in Towers when he took over as general manager a couple of years ago, that area. and that has led to the additions of Didi Gregorius, Nick Ahmed and Stryker Trahan, among others. And there’s reason to believe they will. In fact, when Gregorius is able to play the field after being shut down The thing that stands out to me is that the right guys are struggling in this spring with a strained right elbow, finding playing time for him, Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy. That sounds odd, but hear me Chris Owings and Ahmed will be a challenge. All three are true out. shortstops, which gives the team depth at a position that has grown scarce in the big leagues the last few years. Let’s say Wade Miley was getting knocked around. Or his velocity was down. Coming off the spring training he had, there’d be all sorts of This year's farm teams will be hard pressed to equal last year's success, alarms going off, and everyone would wonder if his 2012 season – when Triple-A Reno, Double-A Mobile and Rookie-level Missoula each which came out of nowhere in a lot of ways – was really the outlier. won league championships. Or let’s say Pat Corbin hadn’t been pitching well. For a pitcher who as Fans can keep track of the D-backs' top prospects throughout the of a year ago very few saw as being more than a back-end starter, season on MLBPipeline.com and Prospect Watch. Get scores, stats, there’d probably be a lot of red flags being waved. news, schedules, tickets and more for all of Arizona's Minor League teams on MLBPipeline.com/D-backs. But Miley has had two strong outings, pitching effectively and rediscovering the velocity on his fastball that he had somehow Stacked squads misplaced in spring training. And Corbin looked very good in his first In recent years, Triple-A has become a place where teams sign veterans outing, and he, too, has been throwing hard – harder, actually, than he to serve as insurance against injuries at the Major League level while did during his time in the big leagues last season. leaving their top prospects in Double-A. That's certainly not the case in Reno this year. As for Cahill and McCarthy, there doesn’t appear to be anything too alarming about their poor starts. Cahill has had some trouble throwing 3 strikes – this is not new – and he gave up a home run to Matt Holliday On Wednesday, they belonged in an All-Star setting, as both rookies in his first start on a pitch that had no business being hit out of the had career games. ballpark. Pollock had his first three-hit game, his first two-home run game and McCarthy’s struggles have been a little more unusual, particularly given his first four-RBI game in the Diamondbacks’ 10-2 rout of the Pirates. what he’s said following his outings. That being, more or less, that he’s His three-run homer in the second inning gave Wade Miley a 6-0 lead, felt great about everything except his results. While he said there were a and he added a bases-empty home run in the fourth that led to a four- few adjustments he wishes he’d been quicker to make in his two starts, run inning for a 10-1 lead. Then there was his diving catch in center he compared it to a hitter going 2 for 10 with four line outs. field with a runner on second base and one out to take a run away from the Pirates in the first inning. “Things will trend back,” he said.