Venom Strikes - An Arizona Diamondbacks Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Oct 4, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Paul Goldschmidt (44) hits a grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning in game three of the 2011 NLDS at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

When Prince Fielder bolted for the Detroit Tigers this week and after Albert Pujols left for the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the off-season, it meant that now Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has a chance to be the power first baseman in the National League.  Now, he will still have competition, but I would have to give him better than average odds to lead NL first basemen in home runs in 2012.

Continue reading this post »

Tyler Skaggs, who started 27 games in the Diamondbacks minor league system last season, is rated as one of the top southpaw prospects in the MLB. Mandatory Credit: Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

MLB.com released their first Top 100 Prospects list this morning, and the Diamondbacks top three pitching prospects all cracked the top 25 of a future star-studded list.

Trevor Bauer, the 21-year old right-hander drafted out of UCLA with the third overall pick in this past June’s draft, leads the DBacks prospects on the list at number 9 overall.

Continue reading this post »

Oct 10, 2011; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun hits a single in the first inning of game two of the 2011 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

The Arizona Diamondbacks will be having their FanFest on Saturday February 11th at Chase Field.  The Milwaukee Brewers are having their fan event this weekend and are in the news not because of the event itself but because of one of their star players who has backed out of the event.  Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun is going to skip the event this weekend amid the failed drug test and subsequent 50-game suspension he is facing if Major League Baseball does not overturn the results.  I think it is a mistake for Braun not to attend.

Continue reading this post »

Oct 13, 2011; St. Louis, MO, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder hits a double in the fourth inning of game four of the 2011 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

First it was Albert Pujols.  Now, it’s Prince Fielder.  For the Arizona Diamondbacks part, they can now say goodbye to both, as both have spurned the National League for the American League.  With Pujols leaving for the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the off-season, now we have yesterday when Fielder left for the Detroit Tigers.  You remember Fielder, right?  He’s the one fans couldn’t give up the obsession of booing for leaving Justin Upton out of the Home Run Derby, at every at bat in the All-Star Game and subsequent visits to Chase Field with the Milwaukee Brewers, including the playoffs.  Both players had their moments against the Dbacks over the years.

Continue reading this post »

D-backs andThe Arizona Diamondbacks have come to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Brad Ziegler to avoid arbitration.

The deal is reportedly worth $1.795 million according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLBTradeRumors.com.

Ziegler was acquired from the A’s last season in an attempt to fortify an improved but shallow bullpen. While with the D-backs, he pitched in 23 games and had a 1.74 ERA.

Zeigler is considered a “righty-specialist” as the Batting Average Against (BAA) Zeigler is almost .200 points higher (.373) for left-handed batters than it is for right-handed batters (.188).

However, Ziegler was an important part of a strong bullpen for the D-backs in the final months of the season and signing him was a priority now that the rotation is filled out.

There are still three arbitration eligible players the D-backs have yet to sign – Miguel Montero, Ryan Roberts and Craig Breslow. If the D-backs are unable to come to terms with these players, the club and the players will be heard in next month’s arbitration hearings.

Third overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, Trevor Bauer, will likely spend 2012 down on the farm.

It’s rare for a Major League Baseball team to find themselves in the unique position the Arizona Diamondbacks enter the 2012 campaign in.  That is, a defending division champion, as well as possessors of one of the highest touted farm systems in the MLB.  But where does that leave the top prospects that are ready to crack their way into the show?

At the beginning of most seasons, the top five prospects on any given MLB club are seen as having a chance to find their way onto the big club at some point during the year.  But for the 2012 Arizona Diamondbacks, even the most big league-ready prospects like Tyler Skaggs and Trevor Bauer will be hard-pressed to see significant time in Chase Field this season (barring injuries of course).

The Diamondbacks return every significant piece of their 2011 Division Champion roster, and thanks to General Manager Kevin Towers, have added even more talent in free agency.  A pitching rotation that was already bringing back ace Ian Kennedy and 16-game winner Daniel Hudson, was bolstered by Towers’ acquisition of Trevor Cahill from Oakland.  Now that the Diamondbacks have resigned lefty Joe Saunders to a one-year deal, and assuming Josh Collmenter ties up the fifth spot in the rotation, that leaves the biggest names on Arizona’s prospect list down on the farm to begin 2012.

Continue reading this post »

As many of us do, I follow some Arizona Diamondbacks players on Twitter.  Some of them have been busy recently.  I should go out and first give congrats to pitcher Barry Enright.  Enright, who will be a long shot to make the team out of spring, got engaged.

He tweeted: Couldn’t be happier RT @AlexisLeBeouf: I’ve loved @BarryEnright54 since I was 13… And today he asked me to marry him!!!!!

Other recent tweets -

Continue reading this post »

The Arizona Diamondbacks have yet another player in the division to look forward to playing now.  The Colorado Rockies have made yet another move to bolster their offense as they picked up shortstop Marco Scutaro in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.  Scutaro hit .299 in 2011 but he is also a guy who can play some defense.  I consider it a nice pick up for the Rockies.  I look forward to the first match up between the Dbacks and Rockies.

Continue reading this post »

Much has been and will continue to be documented just how good the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were and how good the 2012 Dbacks are expected to be and rightfully so.  However, that does not mean there isn’t room for improvement.  Even the World Series champs could say there is room for improvement.  The Dbacks will essentially be the same team with a few additions in 2012.  Therefore, it should be easy to be able to compare the two seasons once all is said and done in October.

Continue reading this post »

For the eighth consecutive year, the Arizona Diamondbacks will be hosting FanFest at Chase Field on Saturday February 11th.  It is a chance for fans to mingle with players, coaches, and alums of the Dbacks.  Most of the current roster will be in attendance.  I have been out there and although it does get a little crowded at times, it is well worth being part of the exciting atmosphere as a warm-up to the season.

Continue reading this post »