Just a small forewarning, there is definitely some bias associated with this particular blog, and some definite frustration as well.
Word just came down the that last place Arizona Diamondbacks just fired GM Josh Byrnes, the man who once was the understudy to Theo Epsetin in Boston, and came so highly regarded. Going along with him is Manager AJ Hinch, if we can truly call him a Manager. He had absolutely ZERO managerial experience prior to being hired on May 7th of last year to replace the then fired Bob Melvin.
At the very moment of this writing, Buster Olney of ESPN is tweeting how absolutely baffling it is that the DBacks fired Byrnes, reporting a high ranking executive said "That is a brutal decision. They just tore apart one of the best front offices in baseball." I can only simply wonder how anyone could possibly say such a thing about that front office.
This is the same GM that traded closer Jose Valverde following a 47 save season in a playoff year of 2007 for Chad Qualls, the same Chad Qualls who is a very high chance of blowing a save every time out, even if he were face 3 pitchers due up in the 9th. Sure, they got a couple other players in the deal as well, but it does not even come close to making up. Oh, and Valverde, who is now in Detroit, is 18 of 19 in save opportunities with a 0.53 ERA. Qualls, meanwhile, lost his job yet again.
Byrnes also is responsible for garnering Eric Byrnes a ridiculous contract a few years back, and now as a result, the DBacks are paying the guy in the neighborhood of $10 million to play beer league softball. Then this past off season, made trades including the Tigers and Yankees sending away former 1st round draft pick Max Scherzer and highly touted prospect Austin Jackson and in return, receiving Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson.
Edwin Jackson was an All-Star last season, but sure would not have been had the All-Star game been played at seasons end. Kennedy has talent, but is unproven. Meanwhile, all Austin Jackson has done is cover loads of ground in center field on an everyday basis, and hit well over .300 thus far as a rookie. Edwin provided the DBacks with an 8 walk no-hitter. Other than that, not much else other than a home run in week 1 of the season against the Pirates.
Perhaps it is a lot of frustration on my part to why I think this is a great move, and I am sure I do not see as much as some of the front office execs and baseball analysts, but Byrnes seems to have assembled a team with all young talent, and zero leadership to go along with it, and that starts with his decision to make AJ Hinch a manager, and unnecessarily fire Bob Melvin last season.
This is a squad loaded with guys who can potentially be stars in this league. Justin Upton is already an All-Star and can barely legally drink. The kid has all the tools, and looks the be a cornerstone of the franchise. Mark Reynolds is a tremendous power hitter, but he may continue to set strikeout records if somebody does not get a hold of him and help him. Chris Young in center is another 5 tool player, and seems to have things on the right track. Stephen Drew, Dan Haren, Miguel Montero all appear to be mainstays to hopefully turn this team around, but somewhere, they need to have some leadership.
They cannot continue to watch lead after lead given away by a bullpen who is nearly 2 runs worse per 9 innings than any other bullpen in the NL, and they shouldn't have to. It was Byrnes who assembled this pitching staff, and particularly the bullpen, and it is Hinch who fails to hold them accountable for their failures.
I was part way through a blog about how many different ways this team can lose a game when this news broke, and decided to change my tune, but just must give those way some mention. Whether it be the more common blown save by ways of walks, hits and home runs, or the more baffling methods like Esmerling Vasquez balking in the winning run in Los Angeles, or just a few days ago, watching Aaron Heilman try and give away a game in Tampa when BJ Upton crushed a ball that appeared to be gone, but was caught in the very deepest part of the ballpark, only to follow that up with a throwing error in the 9th to help allow the Cardinals to score 3 runs to win the game.
This team definitely needs a few key players in the coming year or two to really become a serious contender, but the biggest thing they needed was leadership, and new Manager Kirk Gibson is the absolute right guy to provide that in the mind of this blogger.
I have live in Texas for 4 years now, but will forever be a fan of the Diamondbacks. After spending 4 years watching this Ranger team be an absolute joke when it comes to pitching, watching them find creative ways to lose a game in which they themselves scored double digits to now currently holding the best record in baseball, I know it is possible to change things with the right leaders in place.
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