Diamondbacks Correspondent Report

The off-season treated the Diamondbacks well. Lets have a look at the 2003 Arizona Diamondbacks

Starting Rotation

Randy Johnson: It looks like Randy is close to signing a 2 year contract extension, the way he is pitching he may as well sign a 5 year contract. He seems to get better with time. Look for stats similar to last year.

Curt Schilling: Curt also has seemed to get better with age, pitching his best season last year. Although I expect him to be one of the best pitchers in baseball I wouldn't be surprised if his win total dropped 2 or 3 games from last year

Elmer Dessens: His ERA of 3.03 was among the league leaders. And I think that with run support that he was unable to get with the reds he could be a 15 game winner.

John Patterson: Patterson has been a top prospect for many years but last year he really showed why. In 5 starts last year he had 2 wins at an ERA of 3.23. He has looked good in spring training and should be the number 4 starter going into the season. Fantasy Spin: Patterson could be a great sleeper this year, Grab him late in your draft.

Miguel Batista: Batista is fighting for his job this spring after a sub par season last year, going 8 and 9 with an ERA of 4.29. Batista proved he is a good pitcher during the 2001 playoffs but he needs to prove himself again this spring.

Byung-Hyung Kim: I have been telling people for months that Kim will not start, However, I saw him pitch at the Spring Training games I made it to and he pitched very well. I saw him pitch 4 innings giving up 1 hit and no runs. I'm still not sold on the fact that he will start but it is looking like more possible.

Matt Mantei: Mantei is overrated this year, if you have already had your draft you will know what I mean. If Kim doesn't start Mantei is just a expensive middle reliever. However if Kim starts or is traded Mantei will be the player to step into the closer role. Keep an eye on the Kim situation before you decide about Mantei

Lyle Overbay: Lyle has been named the Diamondbacks Starting First Baseman for 2003, And for good reason. Last year in the Pacific Coast League Lyle hit .243 with 19 home runs and 109 RBIs. He has been compared to Mark Grace with more power. Fantasy Spin: Overbay would make a good late round pick for many drafts.

Mark Grace: The main reason the Diamondbacks resigned Mark Grace was so that he could ease Lyle Overbay into the majors. Some have gone so far to say that he is a Player/Coach. I wouldn't quite take it that far but he is doing a fair amount of mentoring of Lyle Overbay.

Junior Spivey: I love Junior Spivey. He's a great ball player, and a nice guy! A rare combination these days. Last year he hit .301 with 16 Home Runs and 78 RBIs. I would expect the AVG to stay the same but look for more power. I also wouldn't be surprised if he got 15-25 steals.

Tony Womack: The only reason to draft Womack would be his speed. he had 29 stolen bases last year. I would expect that number to go up some but don't expect more then 40.

Matt Williams : Williams will be fighting for playing time and although he is determined I can't believe he will go through the season injury free.

Craig Counsell: Craig is a fan favorite for no reason. He won't play that much and when he does play he doesn't get great stats. But because people like him his fantasy value is higher then it should be.

Chad Moeller: Since Damian Miller has been traded Moeller will see most of the playing time simply because he hits a little better then Rod Barajas. In the past he has been Randy Johnson's personal catcher and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to a full time role. Fantasy Spin: I would only draft Moeller in an NL only league.

Rod Barajas: Rod couldn't hit the ball at all last year, but this spring he is hitting .412 this spring. I don't think he will get the full time job though.

Luis Gonzalez: Don't expect 57 HRs but 35 isn't out of the question. I would look for stats around .300 with 30 HRs and 100 RBIs.

Steve Finley: Possible the best move the Diamondbacks made this Off-season was resigning Steve Finley. Look for stats around .285 with 25 HRs and 85 RBIs. Fantasy Spin: Great late round sleeper.

Danny Bautista: Danny is my sleeper of the year. before he got hurt last year he had a .325 Avg with 6 HRs and 23 RBIs in only 40 games. I would expect stats of .300 Avg 20 HRs and 80 RBIs

Quinton McCracken: Mr. Cluch. I don't think i could count how many 8th inning game winning hits he had last year. However he will only get playing time as a pinch hitter or when an Outfielder is injured. if that happens and you are hurting with Avg he might be a good fit for your team. last year he had an Avg of .309 in 123 games.

Finally my much anticipated Pre-Season Predictions:
National League
West: Diamondbacks
Central: Cardinals
East: Philadelphia
Wild Card: Cubs
American League
West: A’s
Central: Twins
East: Yankees
Wild Card: Red Sox

World Series: Diamondbacks over Yankees in the second greatest W.S. of all time after 2001