Anyway, the offseason has begun for all but eight teams in Major League Baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks will be looking to upgrade, at the very least, the position of Shortstop.  Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick was interviewed on radio station KTAR AM 620 (recapped here by azcentral’s Nick Piecoro) and said that it was “highly likely” that star Right Fielder Justin Upton would be with the team in 2013.  That wasn’t the interesting part of the story to me.  There was this nugget given by Kendrick when talking about top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer.

Arizona D-Backs’ owner Ken Kendrick would like to see some more maturity out of top prospect Trevor Bauer. Image: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

“As you guys know, I’m a pretty direct guy, and I will say this,” Kendrick told KTAR. “He is the employee. In an employer/employee situation it’s incumbent on the employee to make adjustments to satisfy the needs of the employer. I hope and trust that that will occur.”

I don’t live in the area so I have no idea how this is playing in Phoenix.  It doesn’t seem to be a big deal with all of the positive football news coming out of the Valley.  So is this really headline news?  Will Bauer be in Arizona in 2013?  Is this a case of a blogger fishing for a story?  The answers are sort of, yes and maybe.  My initial reaction was that is a pretty strong statement regarding one of the club’s crown jewels.   However, I don’t think we should be going crazy at this point, wondering if Bauer is all of a sudden on the trading block or if he fits in the orgainization’s plans.  After all, he is 21, an age where most guys think they know it all.  It will be a Spring Training story for sure to see if the youngster is a bit more respectful but not a dominant one.  It only becomes an issue if the same maturity issues crop up repeatedly next year.  Until then, this is just a statement by an owner who provided an refreshingly honest answer about a potentially touchy subject.

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Apr. 4, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick watches the game against the Brewers at Chase Field. Image: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

One really can’t argue with the logic Kendrick uses in evaluating the team’s transactions.  This was a club that had a totally unexpected NL West Championship season last year and the small amount of moves that were made had designs on taking the D-Backs further.  Jason Kubel was signed to provide a little more pop to the lineup and has certainly delivered, possibly being the team MVP.   Yes, the Trevor Cahill deal (which also netted Craig Breslow) that sent Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook to Oakland looks bad at the moment because of Cahill’s struggles and Parker’s and Cook’s success.  But really, could you say at the time of the trade that it was a bad deal?   Arizona has a surplus of young pitching talent and keep in mind that Cahill himself is only 24 years old.  He compiled 40 wins in three seasons for a shaky A’s club.   To me, this deal was almost a no-brainer.  The Takashi Saito signing ended up not working out because the reliever has pitched in only 10 games this season because of injuries.  Even though Saito turned 42 in February, he did post an ERA 2.03 in 30 games for the Brewers in 2011.   

Admit it, you thought the D-Backs were going to repeat as division champions.  I know I thought that would be the case.    While I didn’t expect Ian Kennedy from 2011, I also wasn’t expecting an ERA close to 4.50.  The Justin Upton struggles are well-chronicled so needless to say, we didn’t anticipate this.  It is just one of those seasons where that even though the team was mostly spared from the injury bug, nothing went right for them.  It happens to good clubs.  In the end, management made solid baseball decisions they thought would help the team.   Fans should take comfort knowing that Arizona has quality decision makers in place and any move they make, however small or subtle, will most likely be the right move to make.

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With the exception of tuesday’s blowout in Arlington, the snakes have been competative in every game they’ve played since the last week in May. That was the same time that team owner Ken Kendrick publicly revealed his feelings regarding his club’s recent performance (singling out specific members of the team), which prompted Gibby to hold a series of closed-doored team meetings and giving his all-star outfielder Justin Upton a couple days off to clear his mind.

Although I’m not a particular fan of public team criticism by members of our own organization, his concerns were warrented and shared by many fans who follow the team closely. Whatever was said in those meetings seem to have hit home with members of the club, and clearly has them performing at the level that they are expected to play at on the professional level.

May 15, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson (23) watches from the dugout during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

We’re back at .500. How do we sustain? Or better, how do we improve on this record?

Too many times this season we have seen the club take us on a roller coaster ride, putting up ten runs one night, and dropping a big goose egg the next. Or allowing 20 or more runs in one series, followed by four quality starts in a row.

Consistency is the key to success. It is what separates good teams from great teams. Great teams (playoff teams) find a way to put themselves in a position to win every single night. They win games they are supposed to win, and compete in tough matchups.

Every single game counts. I know it’s a long season, but the team cannot wait til August or September to play good baseball and hope to catchup to those at the top of the division. Last season was a prime example of how every single game plays a big part in determining the playoff picture. The Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves got complacent with their performance, took their foot off the pedal, and lost overwhelming divisional leads on the last the of the season to miss the playoffs.

As easy as I make it seam, I understand it is a much tougher task to complete. Baseball is a mental game. The wear and tear of a long season, nagging injuries, off field issues, unsettled contract situations, or even the thought of an uncertain future can certainly take a tole on a player who is expected to perform at an elite level on a daily basis.

But if this team wants to achieve their ultimate goal of making the postseason and winning a world series, they are going to have to find a way to compete at a consistent rate. Battling day in and day out, manufacturing runs, and grinding out tough victories is the only way to do it.