Arizona Diamondbacks All-Decade Team
http://www.blueworkhorse.com/articles/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks-all-decade-team
Written by Shotgun Spratling
Wednesday, 16 December 2009 05:50
The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't come into existence until 1998, but in their
short history in just over a decade, they've made their mark going to the
playoffs four times. But no season in the past decade will be as memorable as
the Diamondbacks 2001 World Series run that culminated with a Game 7 victory
on Luis Gonzalez's broken bat single against the decade's best closer Mariano
Rivera.
C - Damian Miller
* Damian Miller was the reliable backstop for the first three years of
the decade when Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were toeing the rubber.
Miller was a superb receving catcher with a little bit of pop providing
double-digit home runs each of his three seasons. He was even an All-Star in
2002.
1B - Chad Tracy
* Pickings were slim at first base as the Diamondbacks haven't stuck with
anyone more than a couple of years during the decade, but we're giving the
nod to Chad Tracy. Tracy has spent parts of five seasons at first base for
Arizona while also playing some third base and outfield. Tracy hit 27 and 20
home runs in 2005 and 2006 when he got regular at bats playing everyday. He
also hit .308 with a .911 OPS in 2005.
2B - Craig Counsell
* The super utility player, Craig Counsell, had two stints with the
Diamondbacks in the decade spanning from 2000 to 2006 (spending 2004 in
Milwaukee). Counsell played every infield position with a consistency that
gets him on our list. A pesky hitter that sported a funky batting stance,
Counsell had a dynamite NLCS against Atlanta hitting .381 with three extra
base hits to help advance the D'Backs to the World Series.
SS - Tony Womack
* While Stephen Drew is the shortstop of the Diamondbacks' future, Tony
Womack was the man at the turn of the century. After leading the league with
72 stolen bases in 1999, Womack continued swiping bases averaging over 30 per
year for the next three seasons with Arizona. In 2000, the diminuative
speedster led the league with 14 triples taking advantage of the spacious
alleys in Bank One Ballpark.
3B - Mark Reynolds
* Matt Williams was an offensive force in 1999, but his numbers trailed
off after that season, so since this is the All-Decade team, Mark Reynolds is
our selection. Reynolds had his coming out party this season knocking 44 home
runs, 30 doubles, and swiping 24 bases. Reynolds did set the Major League
record for strikeouts for the second consecutive season, but Arizona has
learned to take the whiffs with the whams after his first three seasons.
LF - Luis Gonzalez
* On an 0-1 count with the bases loaded and facing all-world closer
Mariano Rivera, Gonzalez broke his bat on a cutter that got in on his hands,
but Gonzalez muscled the ball into the outfield just behind shortstop where
no one could reach the floating ducksnort due to the infield being drawn in
winning Game 7 and the 2001 World Series. Gonzalez was also four times an
All-Star in the decade, including in 2001 when he hit 57 homers and drove in
142 runs.
CF - Steve Finley
* In four and a half seasons with the Diamondbacks during the decade,
Steve Finley was twice a Gold Glover and averaged 24 home runs per season in
his four full seasons with Arizona, including a career-high 35 long balls in
2000. He would surpass that total by one in 2004 when he was traded late in
the season to the Dodgers. Finley also possessed some speed stealing an
average of 13.5 bases in his four full seasons with the D'Backs.
RF - Justin Upton
* From Danny Bautista to Reggie Sanders to Shawn Green, Arizona has had
some solid production in right field, but none have put together a season
like Justin Upton did this past season. Upton batted .300 with 26 home runs,
30 doubles, and 86 RBI in 526 at bats. He also swiped 20 bases and was named
an All-Star. He also hit 15 home runs and notched 42 RBI in half a season in
2008.
SP (LH) - Randy Johnson
* The Big Unit won four consecutive Cy Young Awards with the Diamondbacks
-- three of them during this decade. The 6'10" southpaw was absolutely
dominant in his first tour of duty with Arizona compiling an 86-40 record
with a 2.69 ERA from 2000-2004. He also led the league in strikeouts four
times during that span, including a whopping 372 in 2001, 11 K shy of Nolan
Ryan's modern era record. Johnson was also dominant in the 2001 postseason
going 5-0 in the NLCS and World Series, including a pair of three-hit
shutouts and the Game 7 win in relief.
SP (RH) - Curt Schilling
* Even though Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have been dominant in recent
years and Webb actually won a Cy Young, Curt Schilling is the choice for
right-handed starter. In his 3+ seasons with Arizona, Schilling was twice an
All-Star and twice came in second in the Cy Young voting behind teammate
Randy Johnson. Schilling won 45 games in 2001 and 2002 and led the league all
three full seasons in K/BB because he walked less than 40 batters every
season (compare that to Webb's 2004 when he had the most walks in the league
with 119),
RP - Jose Valverde
* For five seasons (03-07), Jose Valverde was a stellar, if at times
scary, reliever for the D'Backs. Valverde spent time as a setup man before
becoming the team's closer his last couple of seasons in Arizona. He had a
dominant 2.51 ERA and 0.99 WHIP and 71 K in 50.1 innings his rookie season,
and later, after becoming closer had a breakout year in 2007 when he struck
out 78 batters while saving 47 games. Over his five seasons, he recorded a
3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 98 saves while striking out 331 in 260 innings.
CL - Byung-Hyun Kim
* Besides his nightmare series in the 2001 World Series, Byung-Hyun Kim
was just a filthy closer that seemingly every batter struggled with. With a
diving, submarine fastball and a frisbee slider, Kim found great success with
the Diamondbacks, especially in 2001 and 2002. In the two seasons, he
recorded 55 saves, a 2.52 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP while striking out 205 in 182
innings. Though he will always be remembered for his World Series struggles,
Kim had been dominant in helping get Arizona to the Fall Classic. In the
NLCS, he threw five hitless innings allowing only one runner while picking up
two saves.
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