Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow!
Diamondbacks News
Diamondbacks roster projection: Spring training begins by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]
Pitchers and catchers report on Wednesday, and last year the D-backs made two notable moves after camp began. A week into spring training, they signed veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk, and after camp broke they shocked fans by agreeing to terms with starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
There are some roster questions remaining for the 2025 squad looking to get back to October baseball, namely what will happen in the rotation given the clear surplus.
Everything You Need to Know About Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training by Jack Sommers [SI]
As is tradition, the Diamondbacks welcome fans to Salt River Fields to watch workouts. It’s a great opportunity to walk amongst the backfields and watch the players go through batting practice, infield practice and drills up front, from right behind the backstop. Workouts are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Carroll on Burnes, D-backs’ outlook: ‘We’re gonna be in a pretty good spot’ by Manny Randhawa [Dbacks.com]
“It was the first year in my life that I started off the way that I did, just really slowly — kind of seeing some numbers that were a little lower than I was used to,” he said. “Throughout the year, things got better — not at a level where I expect of myself; I try to have higher standards for myself than anyone out there.
“I think that probably did wear on me mentally, and getting into the offseason and being able to put things in perspective and just kind of turn the page and look at things for how they really stood, I think that it’ll be good for me moving forward to have gone through those things.”
Newest Diamondbacks’ First Baseman Talks New Team, Approach and More by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Q: Is it tough at all replacing a guy like Christian Walker?
“I don’t think so. He’s a phenomenal player. I knew he was a phenomenal leader, too. I would love to fill that role and step in those shoes and become that leader that he was in the locker room and maybe a little bit of a voice… someone [you] could come to in confidence and talk to if things are going rough or, you know, whatever, just a good friend.
“I’m not going to change the player I am. I’m just going to be myself and grow the most I can here.”
Diamondbacks 2025 Camp Battles: Backup catcher by Michael McDermott [Venom Strikes]
The key to this battle will be how far along Del Castillo comes along defensively. He struggled in all areas defensively, especially throwing out basestealers. He has one of the weakest throwing arms amongst catchers who had five attempts at second base on Statcast, and one of the slowest pop times to second at 2.04 seconds. He’ll need to improve as a blocker and framer in order to overcome that weakness.
Around the League
Emmanuel Rivera Accepts Outright Assignment With Orioles by Steve Adams [MLB Trade Rumors]
Rivera, 28, signed a one-year, $1MM contract to avoid arbitration earlier in the offseason. He landed with the Orioles on an August waiver claim out of the Marlins system and immediately caught fire. In 73 plate appearances down the stretch with the O’s, Rivera raked at a .313/.370/.578 clip and popped four home runs.
How Do Prospect Grades Translate to Future Outcomes by Ben Clemens [FanGraphs]
A data-driven look at how our prospect evaluations have translated into the major leagues, years down the road.
Cap logos set for Hall of Fame’s class of 2025 by Michael Clair [MLB]
In conjunction with the Hall of Fame, the five members of the Class of 2025 and/or their families have made their selections for the logo inclusion on their Hall of Fame plaque: Dick Allen – Phillies; Dave Parker – Pirates; CC Sabathia – Yankees; Ichiro Suzuki – Mariners; Billy Wagner – Astros.
MLB spring training 2025: Teams, stars we can’t wait to see [ESPN]
Other than Soto, which player who changed teams this winter are you most interested in seeing in his new uniform?
Passan: Corbin Burnes, who was the Diamondbacks’ rejoinder to everything the Dodgers are trying to do. Arizona is a dangerous, dangerous team. It’s easy to forget they swept Los Angeles in the postseason two years ago and reached the World Series without Burnes, who has the best ERA in baseball over the past five seasons. He joins Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt in one of baseball’s best rotations — one that complements an offense that scored the most runs in baseball last year. The offseason after the signing of Jordan Montgomery went bad, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick didn’t allow the sour taste to keep him from trying to win, which is more than can be said for many of his contemporaries. If Burnes is his normal self, the Diamondbacks will be the best competition for the Dodgers in the cutthroat NL West.
Question of the Day